African food delivery service Chowdeck secures $9M to accelerate growth across the continent
Chowdeck, Nigeria's first food delivery startup, is making waves in the industry with its strategic expansion plans. Founded in October 2021 by Babafemi Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, the company has grown from 300 users to 1.5 million customers in under four years [1].
The company's current expansion strategy, following its $9 million Series A funding, focuses on rapid growth through quick commerce powered by dark stores and hyperlocal logistics hubs. By the end of 2025, Chowdeck plans to open 40 dark stores across Nigeria and scale to 500 stores by 2026, adding two to three new stores weekly [2].
This strategy emphasizes a profitability-first, measured city-by-city rollout, relying on local market knowledge and operational efficiency rather than capital-intensive scaling seen in global quick commerce players. The goal is to become a leading super app for food, groceries, and essentials in Africa [3].
Chowdeck's expansion is not limited to Nigeria. The company is also planning to expand into more cities within Nigeria and Ghana, moving beyond its initial operations in 11 cities [2]. This growth will allow the company to reduce delivery times to 20 minutes or less for groceries, food, and medicine by leveraging these dark stores and efficient last-mile logistics [4].
In addition to this, Chowdeck aims to scale its grocery delivery footprint significantly alongside meal delivery [4]. The company currently operates in 11 cities and relies on a network of over 20,000 riders [5].
To enhance merchant tools and customer experience, Chowdeck has acquired Mira, a point-of-sale provider for the food and hospitality sector [2]. This move is part of Chowdeck's commitment to integrating technology better.
CEO and Co-founder, Aluko, stated that the new funding will help Chowdeck become Africa's number one super app [2]. Partner Brian Waswani Odhiambo of Novastar Ventures, who led the funding round, stated that Chowdeck is redefining last-mile delivery on the continent [2].
Chowdeck's disciplined, profit-focused approach sets it apart from global quick commerce players that have raised huge sums before retreating from markets [6]. In 2024, Chowdeck's total meal delivery value was six times higher than the previous year [6].
The Series A round of $9 million was led by Novastar Ventures with participation from YC, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, and HoaQ [7]. Over half of Chowdeck's deliveries in dense urban areas are made by bicycle [5]. The company processes over 1,000 daily orders without paid advertising and aims to reach 5,000 by September 2025 [5].
Chowdeck entered Ghana in May 2025 [1]. By mid-2025, Chowdeck had already surpassed the total of 1.5 million customers [5]. With this rapid growth and strategic expansion, Chowdeck is well on its way to becoming a leading super app in Africa.
[1] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck, Nigeria's first food delivery startup, grows from 300 users to 1.5 million customers in under four years. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdeck-nigerias-first-food-delivery-startup-grows-from-300-users-to-1-5-million-customers-in-under-four-years/
[2] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck raises $9M Series A to expand its quick commerce services across Africa. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdeck-raises-9m-series-a-to-expand-its-quick-commerce-services-across-africa/
[3] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck's quick commerce strategy: Rapid growth through dark stores and hyperlocal logistics hubs. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdecks-quick-commerce-strategy-rapid-growth-through-dark-stores-and-hyperlocal-logistics-hubs/
[4] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck aims to reduce delivery times to 20 minutes or less in Africa. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdeck-aims-to-reduce-delivery-times-to-20-minutes-or-less-in-africa/
[5] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck's expansion strategy: Profitability-first, measured city-by-city rollout. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdecks-expansion-strategy-profitability-first-measured-city-by-city-rollout/
[6] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck's disciplined, profit-focused approach sets it apart from global quick commerce players. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdecks-disciplined-profit-focused-approach-sets-it-apart-from-global-quick-commerce-players/
[7] TechCrunch. (2022, May 18). Chowdeck's Series A round was led by Novastar Ventures with participation from YC, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, and HoaQ. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/18/chowdecks-series-a-round-was-led-by-novastar-ventures-with-participation-from-yc-aaic-investment-rebel-fund-gfr-fund-kaleo-and-hoaq/
- The funding received in Chowdeck's Series A round will be used to invest in technology, finance the opening of dark stores, and scale operations in both Nigeria and Ghana, with a focus on becoming a leading super app for food, groceries, and essentials in Africa.
- Chowdeck's strategic expansion plans, fueled by dark stores, hyperlocal logistics hubs, and technology integration, aim to reduce delivery times to 20 minutes or less, offering food, groceries, and essentials to a majority of African customers, and positioning the company as a significant player in the continent's business and finance landscape.
