Darkstore

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

Darkstore was an on-demand delivery fulfillment platform founded in May 2016 by Lee Hnetinka (previously founder of the delivery service WunWun) and Wilson Lee. Targeting direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands without physical stores, Darkstore turned spare capacity in storage facilities, malls and shops into micro-fulfillment centers operable from a smartphone, enabling same-day and one-hour delivery - the 'largest fulfillment company that doesn't own a fulfillment center.' Early brand customers included Tuft & Needle, Master & Dynamic, Wildfang and Frank + Oak.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2016
   Founded

   Lee Hnetinka and Wilson Lee launched Darkstore as a delivery fulfillment platform for e-commerce brands, first powering same-day delivery for mattress brand Tuft & Needle.

2. 2017
   Seed round

   Darkstore raised a $1.4 million seed round from PivotNorth to expand from three markets to seven, adding customers like Master & Dynamic.

3. 2021
   Pivot to FastAF

   Darkstore pivoted into quick-commerce and spun out FastAF, a premium same-day delivery app for brands, as an independent company; FastAF raised a $15 million Series A at a $200 million valuation in December 2021. No verified public record of Darkstore's own closure, failure reasons, or subsequent fate was found.