Chowdeck, a Lagos-based meals supply startup that has stayed worthwhile in a notoriously robust and low-margin market, has raised $9 million in Collection A funding to launch a fast commerce technique and increase into extra cities in Nigeria and Ghana.
The fairness spherical was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Funding, Insurgent Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ, and others. The traders are betting on the group’s means to pair native market experience with execution and switch a notoriously troublesome sector right into a worthwhile tremendous app for meals, groceries and necessities.
“We’re thrilled about this spherical because it brings us nearer to our imaginative and prescient of turning into Africa’s primary tremendous app,” CEO and co-founder Femi Aluko stated. “This funding will supercharge our development plans, enabling us to increase into extra cities, cut back supply occasions, scale our grocery footprint, and entice the most effective expertise to drive innovation and buyer satisfaction.”
Based in October 2021 by Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, Chowdeck now operates in 11 cities throughout Nigeria and Ghana, serving 1.5 million prospects with a community of greater than 20,000 riders. Its logistics system averages half-hour per order, and in dense areas, greater than half of deliveries arrive by bicycle.
Whereas outstanding gamers have exited or scaled again their African operations, Chowdeck has leaned into the complexity of native markets—delivering native meals, an operationally more durable problem—to construct belief with prospects.
In 2024, the worth of meals delivered by Chowdeck grew greater than sixfold from the earlier yr. This yr, the corporate says it handed its 2024 whole earlier than July.
The brand new funding will assist Chowdeck roll out fast commerce, ultra-fast supply backed by a community of darkish shops and hyperlocal logistics hubs. The corporate plans to open 40 darkish shops by the tip of this yr and 500 by the tip of 2026, with two to 3 new shops launching every week. Chowdeck raised a $2.5 million seed spherical final yr.
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Meals supply is a crowded enterprise globally, however when accomplished nicely, it has led to another large corporations like DoorDash.
Fast commerce, alternatively, has been a capital-intensive gamble in most markets. In Europe, Gorillas and Getir burned by a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} earlier than retreating or consolidating. In India, platforms like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy have had various ranges of success with the mannequin in relation to profitability.
Chowdeck has been worthwhile since earlier than this increase and Aluko says the corporate doesn’t enter cities or verticals with out planning to interrupt even inside a few weeks.
As an illustration, the meals supply platform entered neighbouring Ghana this Could. Inside three months, it was dealing with 1,000 day by day orders with out paid promoting, which, based on Aluko, got here from pent-up demand for a service that delivers native favorites alongside worldwide cuisines. The corporate goals to quintuple that quantity to five,000 day by day orders by the tip of September 2025.
Aluko says Chowdeck plans to use the identical playbook to darkish shops, which can complement its restaurant and grocery supply operations.
One other vertical complementing these operations can be software program. This June, the YC-backed startup acquired Mira, a point-of-sale supplier for African meals and hospitality companies. Mira’s instruments handle stock and orders in actual time; now, it’ll assist Chowdeck optimize its operations, positioning the corporate as a vertical SaaS-plus-logistics supplier for eating places.
Chowdeck’s increase is a win for native gamers within the sector, after Jumia’s exit left market share to overseas manufacturers corresponding to Glovo, Bolt Meals, and Yango. But, a few of these corporations have additionally withdrawn from sure markets, together with Nigeria and Ghana, which Chowdeck is now concentrating on aggressively.
Tremendous apps corresponding to Gozem, YC-backed Yassir, and MNT-Halan are different native corporations providing meals supply companies in different African markets.
“The market remains to be very early,” Aluko stated. “Buyer conduct is shifting on-line for the primary time. An entire technology is rising up ordering meals with out ever having walked into a few of the eating places or markets on our platform.”
For lead investor Novastar Ventures, the guess is on execution and native perception. “Chowdeck is constructing the way forward for logistics for African cities,” stated accomplice Brian Waswani Odhiambo. “With deep native perception, a sustainability-first method, and spectacular execution, it’s redefining last-mile supply on the continent.”
