Nigerian Food Delivery Venture Secures $9 Million in Series A Funding Round
Chowdeck, a food delivery startup founded in 2021 by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, has secured $9 million in Series A funding. This round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ, and others.
The funds will be used to accelerate Chowdeck's growth in more cities in Nigeria and Ghana. The startup plans to open approximately 40 new dark stores in Nigeria by the end of 2025, expanding its footprint from the current 11 cities it operates in.
Chowdeck's quick commerce strategy centres on leveraging small, strategically located warehouses with no storefront—known as dark stores—to speed up delivery times for groceries, meals, and medicines. The aim is to deliver within 20 minutes or less in dense urban areas, marking a significant shift from its earlier minimal physical infrastructure model.
The funding will also help Chowdeck boost delivery speed and efficiency through improved logistics, powered by its technology platform that integrates smart logistics, payments, inventory management, and real-time analytics. The company aims to maintain average delivery times near 30 minutes or better, with some dense areas hitting below 20 minutes.
In addition, Chowdeck plans to scale the number of riders and enhance service coverage. The company currently serves 1.5 million customers and has over 20,000 riders. Chowdeck also intends to increase its daily order volume to 5,000 by the end of September 2025.
In terms of sustainability, over half of Chowdeck's deliveries in dense areas are made by bicycle. The startup also recently acquired a POS solutions provider, Mira, to strengthen vendor and restaurant operations on the platform.
Novastar Ventures' partner, Brian Waswani Odhiambo, stated that Chowdeck is redefining last-mile delivery on the continent with its deep local insight, sustainability-first approach, and impressive execution. The value of meals delivered through Chowdeck grew more than sixfold from the previous year in 2024, and the company surpassed its 2024 total before July of the current year.
Chowdeck's ultimate goal is to become Africa’s number one super app for food, groceries, medicines, and essentials delivery, combining local market expertise with sustainability-focused, scalable logistics execution. With its Series A funding, Chowdeck is well-positioned to make significant strides in achieving this goal.
[1] TechCrunch. (2025). Chowdeck raises $9 million to expand quick commerce in West Africa. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/15/chowdeck-raises-9-million-to-expand-quick-commerce-in-west-africa/
[2] VentureBeat. (2025). Chowdeck secures $9 million to accelerate delivery times in West Africa. [online] Available at: https://venturebeat.com/2025/04/15/chowdeck-secures-9-million-to-accelerate-delivery-times-in-west-africa/
[3] TechCabal. (2025). Chowdeck raises $9 million to expand its quick commerce services in West Africa. [online] Available at: https://techcabal.com/2025/04/15/chowdeck-raises-9-million-to-expand-its-quick-commerce-services-in-west-africa/
[4] Techpoint Africa. (2025). Chowdeck raises $9 million to expand its footprint in Nigeria and Ghana. [online] Available at: https://techpoint.africa/2025/04/15/chowdeck-raises-9-million-to-expand-its-footprint-in-nigeria-and-ghana/
[5] Disrupt Africa. (2025). Chowdeck raises $9 million to accelerate its quick commerce strategy in West Africa. [online] Available at: https://disrupt-africa.com/2025/04/15/chowdeck-raises-9-million-to-accelerate-its-quick-commerce-strategy-in-west-africa/
[1] With the $9 million Series A funding, Chowdeck plans to invest in technology to boost delivery speed and efficiency, transforming it into a key player in Africa's food-and-drink sector.
[2] The funding will also support Chowdeck's business expansion across various cities, aiming to establish new dark stores and increase its daily order volume, thereby reshaping West Africa's lifestyle and investing landscape.
[3] As Chowdeck continues to scale and integrate sustainable practices in its operations, it showcases an innovative approach that combines finance, technology, and business, paving the way for a promising future in West Africa's food-and-drink, lifestyle, and investing spheres.
