Lagos-based food delivery startup Chowdeck has raised $9 million in Series A funding to accelerate its expansion in Nigeria and Ghana, while rolling out a quick-commerce strategy aimed at delivering food, groceries, and household essentials in minutes.
The equity round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ and others. Investors are backing Chowdeck’s plan to blend deep local market insight with disciplined operations in a sector where global players have often struggled to achieve profitability.
“This funding brings us closer to our vision of becoming Africa’s number one super app,” CEO and co-founder Femi Aluko said. “We’ll expand into more cities, cut delivery times, grow our grocery network, and bring in top talent to keep innovating for our customers.”
Chowdeck’s quick-commerce model will be anchored on a network of dark stores and hyperlocal logistics hubs. The company plans to open 40 dark stores by the end of 2025 and scale to 500 by the end of 2026, adding two to three per week.
The strategy is designed to replicate its fast path to breakeven in new markets, such as Ghana, where Chowdeck launched in May 2025 and hit 1,000 daily orders within three months without paid advertising.
Lead investor Novastar Ventures called the company “the future of logistics for African cities” thanks to its sustainability-first approach and operational discipline.
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Chowdeck delivered more than six times the value of meals in 2024 compared to 2023, surpassing that total again before mid-2025. This Series A follows a $2.5 million seed round last year.
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In June, the startup acquired Mira, a point-of-sale platform for African restaurants and hospitality businesses, to add a software layer to its logistics network. The move positions Chowdeck as both a delivery operator and a vertical SaaS provider to its restaurant partners.
The company’s rise follows the exit of Jumia Food and the retrenchment of foreign rivals like Glovo, Bolt Food and Yango, leaving space for African-founded contenders such as Gozem, Yassir, and MNT-Halan. Chowdeck is betting that local execution and speed will help it win that race.
