Chowdeck's $9M Funding Haul Fuels Quick Commerce Push in Nigeria and Ghana

Written By: Flipbz.org

Nigeria's homegrown food delivery sensation Chowdeck is accelerating its dominance in Africa's cutthroat logistics arena, scooping up $9 million in Series A funding to turbocharge quick commerce and fan out across more cities.

The Lagos-headquartered startup, already turning heads as a profitable outlier in a notoriously slim-margin industry, snagged the equity round led by Novastar Ventures. Backing came from a stellar lineup including Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ, and additional investors, building on its $2.5 million seed raise from last year. Founded in October 2021 by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, Chowdeck has carved a niche delivering local flavors in under 30 minutes, boasting over 1.5 million customers, 20,000 riders, and operations spanning 11 cities in Nigeria and Ghana.

Profits were already in the black before this cash infusion, with meal delivery values exploding more than sixfold in 2024 and surpassing last year's full tally by July 2025. The new capital will bankroll a pivot to ultra-fast quick commerce, slashing delivery times even further through a network of dark stores—targeting 40 openings by year's end and a whopping 500 by 2026, with two to three launches weekly. It also eyes scaling grocery services and snapping up top talent to sharpen innovation and keep customers hooked.

Chowdeck's Ghana debut in May 2025 hit the ground running, clocking 1,000 daily orders in just three months without a dime on ads, fueled by pent-up hunger for a mix of hometown eats and global bites. The company aims to quintuple that to 5,000 orders by September, proving its knack for cracking new markets. A smart June acquisition of Mira, a point-of-sale software specialist for African eateries and hospitality spots, adds firepower: Chowdeck now blends vertical SaaS with hyperlocal logistics, streamlining restaurant ops and positioning itself as a one-stop powerhouse.

In a landscape littered with exits—think Jumia, Glovo, Bolt Food, and Yango pulling back—Chowdeck's local savvy and sustainability focus, like over half its dense-urban deliveries zipping along by bicycle, set it apart. Global giants like DoorDash's recent Deliveroo buyout highlight the sector's high stakes, but Africa's super apps such as Gozem, Yassir, and MNT-Halan are also muscling in on food delivery.

CEO Femi Aluko couldn't contain the excitement: "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."

Novastar Ventures partner Brian Waswani Odhiambo praised the team's execution: "Chowdeck is building the future of logistics for African cities. With deep local insight, a sustainability-first approach, and impressive execution, it is redefining last-mile delivery on the continent."

Aluko sees vast untapped potential: "The market is still very early. Customer behavior is shifting online for the first time. A whole generation is growing up ordering food without ever having walked into some of the restaurants or markets on our platform." As Chowdeck eyes quick commerce's capital-hungry demands—echoing mixed fortunes from Europe's Gorillas and Getir to India's Blinkit and Zepto—this funding could cement its role as the go-to for Africa's on-demand revolution, blending profitability with bold expansion.