“Years ago, they would have moved to the Bay Area. The company has taken in $84 million in venture capital, attracting West Coast funds such as Benchmark Capital and DAG Ventures. “It's a testament to the strength of the Chicago tech community,” said Bruce Barron, a founding partner at Northbrook-based Origin Ventures, which participated in the first investment in GrubHub in late 2007.

Though overshadowed by Groupon Inc., which went from startup to a $12 billion IPO in just three years, GrubHub is seen as one of a half-dozen companies that emerged after the dot-com bust with potential staying power and has been whispered as candidate to go public. Maloney and Evans when they were programmers at Classified Ventures and tired of eating the same takeout from a North Side pizza place, has been one of the most visible tech startups in Chicago. The combination brings GrubHub's strong consumer brand together with a corporate-catering business that Seamless is best known for in cities such as New York. Zabusky told Crain's New York in an interview. “Both companies have storied histories in the city they come from, so it was never a consideration to close one of the offices,” Mr. The two companies are combining in a stock transaction, with existing investors remaining onboard. Management did not say what it will be called and did not specify a headquarters city. It's not clear exactly what the combined entity will look like. “It made sense to bring the two companies together,” Mr. New York-based Seamless also has about 300 employees, mostly in New York, as well as offices in Salt Lake City and London. Seamless CEO Jonathan Zabusky will become president. GrubHub co-founder Mike Evans will remain chief operating officer of the combined company. The company will be led by GrubHub's CEO, Matt Maloney, who will remain based in Chicago, along with its 300 employees. took a huge step toward solidifying its position as a leader in the online food-ordering business, agreeing to merge with rival Seamless North America.

Grubhub seamless