Etsy CEO and former Skype and Shopping.com boss Josh Silverman added to Instacart board of directors

Grocery technology firm Instacart reports that Josh Silverman, Chief Executive Officer at Etsy, has joined its board of directors.

“Josh is a proven marketplace innovator with a track record of scaling consumer platforms such as Etsy, Evite, and Skype,” says Chris Rogers, Instacart’s Chief Executive Officer.

“His deep understanding of consumer technology, passion for empowering independent entrepreneurs, and commitment to sustainable growth make him an invaluable asset. We’re excited to welcome Josh to our board of directors and look forward to working together to expand and deepen the value Instacart delivers across the grocery ecosystem.”

“I’m honoured to join the board of directors at such a pivotal moment for the company,” says Silverman.

“Instacart has already transformed how millions of people shop for groceries, proving the power of technology to make everyday needs easier. I look forward to partnering with Chris and the rest of the board of directors to help deepen Instacart’s impact for customers, retailers, brands, and shoppers.”

Silverman joined the Etsy board of directors of Etsy in November 2016, and has been its CEO since May 2017. Previously, he served as Executive in Residence at Greylock Partners, a venture capital firm, from October 2015 to April 2017. He also held this position from October 2010 through June 2011. From June 2011 to December 2015, Silverman served as President of Consumer Products and Services at American Express.

He was also CEO at Skype from February 2008 until September 2010. From July 2006 until March 2008, he was CEO at Shopping.com, an eBay company, and, prior to that, held various executive roles at eBay. Silverman is the co-founder of Evite, a digital greeting card platform, and served as its CEO from December 1998 until its sale in May 2001. Silverman also serves on the board of directors at Shake Shack.

Instacart’s board of directors also currently includes Chris Rogers; Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI and Chairperson and former CEO at Instacart; Victoria Dolan, former CFO at Revlon; Ravi Gupta, Partner at Sequoia Capital; Mary Beth Laughton, President and CEO at REI; Meredith Kopit Levien, President and CEO at The New York Times Company; Michael Moritz, Senior Advisor to Sequoia Heritage and former Partner at Sequoia Capital; Lily Sarafan, Co-founder and Executive Chair at TheKey; and Daniel Sundheim, Founder and CIO at D1 Capital Partners. 

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Grocery technology will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.