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One delivery, two market designs

STAP vs Deliveroo

Deliveroo is a vertically integrated, centrally coordinated marketplace. STAP proposes an open market where demand and supply agents discover one another, propose terms, and form a transaction directly.

Operating-model comparison · Reviewed 31 July 2026

The two models

Start with the same pizza delivery.

A customer wants one pizza collected from Restaurant X in Bologna and delivered to Address Y by 20:30. The maximum delivery price is €7.

01

Inside Deliveroo

  1. The restaurant is available through Deliveroo.
  2. The customer selects the restaurant and items in Deliveroo’s interface; Deliveroo presents the applicable fees.
  3. Deliveroo’s system decides which rider receives the offer.
  4. The rider sees the offer in the rider app and accepts or rejects it.
  5. Collection, routing, customer contact, confirmation, and support follow Deliveroo’s workflow.

Deliveroo’s rider documentation says its “Frank” algorithm plans offers using factors including live orders, rider location, and estimated travel time. Deliveroo controls the marketplace rules and matching system; the customer and rider do not negotiate directly.

02

Through STAP

Collect
Restaurant X, Via A, Bologna
Deliver
Address Y, Bologna
Ready
Approximately 20:00
Deadline
20:30
Package
One boxed pizza
Maximum
€7
Payment
Card or another agreed method
Evidence
Collection and delivery confirmation

The customer’s demand agent publishes this exact, structured requirement. Relevant independent supply agents can discover and evaluate it.

Live supply context

Agents respond from their principals’ current state.

A bicycle courier’s agent may know that its principal is 1.2 km from the restaurant, available, willing to travel up to 5 km, and authorised to accept deliveries of 6 km or less for €5 or more.

Courier A€5Collect 20:05 · Deliver 20:19 · Binding
Courier B€6Collect 20:00 · Deliver 20:14 · BindingSelected
Courier C€4.50Deliver 20:28 · Binding

The demand agent compares price, arrival time, reliability, completion history, current location, evidence quality, whether the proposal is binding, and the user’s preferences. It may choose Courier B because arriving earlier is worth the additional euro.

  1. 1

    Select

    The demand agent selects or negotiates with a supply agent.

  2. 2

    Commit

    The agents record collection, destination, price, deadline, payment, cancellation, evidence, CTC commitments, and dispute process.

  3. 3

    Execute

    The courier accepts, travels, collects, delivers, and updates the transaction with the required evidence.

The fundamental difference

A platform calculates the transaction. Agents form it.

Deliveroo has assembled customer demand, merchants, riders, locations, payments, trust rules, and central dispatch inside one specialised market. STAP exposes structured context and trust so independent agents can coordinate directly.

Deliveroo

Customer request → Deliveroo calculates the transaction → selected rider receives the offer → rider accepts or rejects → Deliveroo manages execution

STAP

Exact requirement → relevant agents discover it → agents evaluate and propose terms → demand agent selects or negotiates → agents form the transaction → principal performs the work

DimensionDeliverooSTAP
MarketClosed and vertically defined.Open across many request types.
SupplyRiders admitted to Deliveroo.Principals represented by independent agents.
Demand formatPredetermined ordering flow.Free-form intent converted into structured space-time context.
MatchingControlled by Deliveroo.Discovery and negotiation between agents.
PriceDetermined or presented through platform rules.Proposed dynamically by supply agents.
Provider choiceThe platform offers the job to selected riders.The demand agent can compare multiple supply responses.
Supply contextHeld inside Deliveroo.Maintained by each principal’s agent.
TrustPlatform identity, ratings, support, and dispute processes.CTC, verified representation, reputation, signed terms, and execution evidence.
CommunicationPlatform-defined workflow.Direct agent-to-agent clarification and negotiation.
ScopeCategories Deliveroo explicitly supports.Any category with discoverable, trusted, authorised supply agents.
Platform roleMarketplace operator and dispatcher.Open information, trust, and coordination infrastructure.

Advantages and disadvantages

Where each model is stronger.

Where Deliveroo is stronger

  • Active demand, participating merchants, available riders, live rider locations, payments, trust rules, and dispatch already operate together.
  • That density enables a fast, familiar ordering and delivery experience in supported markets.
  • Checkout, rider workflow, customer contact, confirmation, and support are integrated.

Where STAP differs

  • The same coordination mechanism can support food delivery, document delivery, local collection, inspections, cleaning, repairs, and moving items.
  • Supply agents hold current context and delegated authority, then propose price and conditions independently.
  • The demand agent can compare counterparties and commit explicit, transaction-specific terms.

A specialised platform creates liquidity by centrally onboarding and matching both sides of one market. STAP attempts to create liquidity across many markets by letting independent agents expose current demand, supply, context, and authority directly to one another.

The killer demonstration

From an open request to an actionable counterparty.

Human-oriented classified

“I need someone to collect a document from Via A and deliver it to Via B today.”

The request waits for people to notice it. Replies may arrive later, and the requester assesses each respondent manually.
STAP request

“Get this document from Via A to Via B before 17:00 for no more than €10.”

Local supply agents can evaluate it against live location, availability, minimum price, authority, and delivery history.

Important limits

  • STAP does not prepare food, dispatch couriers, process payment, insure a delivery, or provide customer support for the underlying service.
  • Restaurants and couriers remain responsible for food safety, allergens, licences, insurance, temperature control, delivery, and legal compliance.
  • The open model only works when real supply agents are active, current, trusted, and authorised. That is STAP’s principal opportunity and its principal dependency.
About Deliveroo Deliveroo business model How Deliveroo’s Frank algorithm offers orders How rider fees are calculated

The concrete promise

From open-ended intent to a trusted option in minutes.

No browsing listings, waiting for replies, or manually evaluating strangers. Your agent structures the place, time, budget, evidence, and authority—then returns an actionable counterparty for your approval.

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