Nigerian food delivery platform, Chowdeck, has raised $9 million in Series A funding to expand its operations in Nigeria and Ghana.
The equity round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, and HoaQ, among others.
The investment points to the profitability of Chowdeck in a sector that seen multiple exits, including Bolt Food and Jumia.
According to the chief executive and co-founder of Chowdeck, Mr Femi Aluko, the new round will help boost the company’s growth plans
“We’re thrilled about this round as it brings us closer to our vision of becoming Africa’s number one super app. This funding will supercharge our growth plans, enabling us to expand into more cities, reduce delivery times, scale our grocery footprint, and attract the best talent to drive innovation and customer satisfaction,” he said.
Founded in October 2021 by Mr Aluko, Mr Olumide Ojo, and Mr Lanre Yusuf, Chowdeck operates in 11 cities across Nigeria and Ghana, serving 1.5 million customers with a network of more than 20,000 riders. Its logistics system averages 30 minutes per order, and in dense areas, more than half of deliveries arrive by bicycle.
In 2024, the value of meals delivered through Chowdeck grew more than sixfold from the previous year. This year, the company says it passed its 2024 total before July.
The new funding will help Chowdeck roll out quick commerce, ultra-fast delivery backed by a network of dark stores and hyperlocal logistics hubs.
The company plans to open 40 dark stores by the end of this year and 500 by the end of 2026, with two to three new stores launching each week.
The raise builds upon Chowdeck’s $2.5 million seed round raised last year.
It will also be looking to build on its recent moves after the food delivery platform entered Ghana in May.
There have been results as within three months, it was handled 1,000 daily orders without paid advertising, which, according to Mr Aluko.
He said the company aims to quintuple that volume to 5,000 daily orders by the end of September 2025.
Mr Aluko says Chowdeck plans to apply the same playbook to dark stores, which will complement its restaurant and grocery delivery operations.
In June, the startup acquired Mira, a point-of-sale provider for African food and hospitality businesses. With this, it is able to manage inventory and orders in real time, making Chowdeck’s operations smoother.