In a food delivery market where even global giants stumble, Lagos-based startup Chowdeck is quietly doing the unthinkable: making money. Now, it has bagged $9 million in Series A funding to supercharge growth, roll out ultra-fast delivery, and expand deeper into Nigeria and Ghana.
The round was led by Novastar Ventures, with backing from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, and a roster of other investors betting that Chowdeck can turn the notoriously tricky business of last-mile delivery into a sustainable “super app” for African cities.
Founded in 2021 by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, Chowdeck now operates in 11 cities, serving 1.5 million customers through a fleet of over 20,000 riders. They’ve built trust by delivering not just the usual burgers and fries, but also local favorites, the kind of meals most delivery apps shy away from because they are operationally harder to pull off.
The gamble is paying off. In 2024 alone, the value of meals delivered increased by more than sixfold compared to the previous year, and they surpassed their full-year 2024 target before July.
Now they are diving into quick commerce, ultra-fast delivery of groceries and essentials, powered by a network of dark stores. The plan is bold: 40 stores by year’s end, 500 by 2026, with two to three new locations launching every week.
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Unlike quick commerce startups in Europe and Asia that burned through billions before retreating (looking at you, Gorillas and Getir), Chowdeck says it only enters a market if it can break even within a couple of weeks. Case in point: it launched in Ghana in May and, within three months, was handling 1,000 daily orders without spending a cent on ads. The target? 5000 daily orders by September 2025.
And it is not just about delivery anymore. In June, Chowdeck acquired Mira, a point-of-sale software for restaurants, giving them tools to manage inventory and orders in real time. This move positions Chowdeck as both a logistics powerhouse and a SaaS provider, a rare combo in African food tech.
With rivals like Glovo, Bolt Food, and Yango pulling back from parts of the continent, Chowdeck is leaning in. For CEO Aluko, it’s not just about grabbing market share; it is about shaping habits.
“A whole generation is growing up ordering food without ever having walked into some of the restaurants or markets on our platform,” he says.
The bet here is not just on speed or scale, it is on knowing the terrain better than anyone else. And in a market this tough, that local insight might be the real competitive edge. Quick commerce in Africa is not just about who moves fastest; it is about who survives the long game. Chowdeck thinks it’s both. The question is: can they keep their profits as they chase scale?
