DoorDash announced on October 29, 2026 that it had agreed to acquire Instacart at an equity value of approximately $17 billion. The companies’ announcement values each Instacart share at $65.00 under the proposed DoorDash Instacart deal. However, the purchase still requires stockholder and regulatory approvals, and the companies will operate independently until it closes.
DoorDash expects closing at the end of 2027 or in the first half of 2028, subject to required approvals and other closing conditions. Meanwhile, DoorDash expects to retain Instacart’s brand, app and enterprise technology products after closing.
What the cash-and-stock terms mean
The agreement allows Instacart stockholders to choose cash, DoorDash shares or a combination. Specifically, the choices per Instacart share are $65.00 in cash, 0.3372 DoorDash shares, or $48.75 in cash plus 0.0843 DoorDash shares.
Those elections are subject to proration. At least 75% of the aggregate consideration must be cash, and DoorDash stock cannot exceed 25%. Therefore, if stockholders request more stock than the cap permits, they will receive stock on a prorated basis.
The companies say the $65.00 value represents a 26% premium to Instacart’s October 22, 2026 closing price. That was the last trading day before reports about a possible transaction. In addition, Instacart’s board unanimously approved the agreement, and holders of about 19% of its outstanding shares agreed to vote in favor.
DoorDash expects to use cash on hand and debt financing for the cash portion. The transaction does not have a financing condition.
What customers and shoppers would see
DoorDash describes the combination as bringing its delivery network together with Instacart’s grocery and fulfillment technology. The companies also plan to offer their advertising and AI tools to grocers and retailers, through the apps and stores’ own websites.
Related coverage includes DoorDash Air plans for drone deliveries with Chipotle and Popeyes and the Instacart Clementine AI shopping assistant launch.
For customers, DoorDash says the transaction could add more than 50,000 stores to the nearly 100,000 already on Instacart’s platform. It also says DashPass and Instacart+ members would pay one membership fee instead of two. The announcement does not specify the amount of that combined fee or when the membership arrangement would begin.
Additionally, DoorDash makes post-closing commitments for grocers and Instacart Shoppers. Grocers could continue working with any delivery platform, without grocery exclusivity. Shoppers could choose whether to accept DoorDash orders or continue shopping only on Instacart.
The shopper commitments also include flexibility over how much they work and the information they need to decide which batches to accept. These are promises for after closing; the companies say they will remain separate and independent until then.
Approvals still stand between agreement and completion
The DoorDash Instacart deal requires Instacart stockholder approval and expiration or termination of the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period. It also needs other regulatory approvals, including in Canada and Israel, and must meet other customary closing conditions.
Finally, the companies’ forward-looking statement warns that approvals could face delays or conditions, and the transaction might not close. Their projected consumer benefits and integration plans remain expectations, rather than changes customers can use today.
