Chowdeck, the Lagos-based food delivery startup, has now raised a total of $11.5 million in funding to drive its rapid growth and expansion across Nigeria and Ghana. The company secured $2.5 million in seed funding in April 2024 from investors including Y Combinator, Goodwater Capital, FounderX Ventures, Hoaq Fund, and notable angel investors such as Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, co-founders of Paystack. This seed round supported Chowdeck’s initial expansion across eight Nigerian cities, helping build a user base of over 500,000 and a delivery fleet of more than 3,000 riders with an average delivery time under 30 minutes.
Building on this momentum, Chowdeck recently closed a $9 million Series A funding round led by Novastar Ventures, with strong participation from Y Combinator and other investors like AAIC Investment Fund and FR Fund Kaleo HoaQ. This latest financing will accelerate Chowdeck’s expansion into 11 cities in Nigeria and Ghana, supported by a network of over 20,000 riders and serving 1.5 million customers. A key strategic focus enabled by this round is Chowdeck’s quick commerce model, featuring the rollout of 40 dark stores by the end of 2025, aiming eventually for 500 stores to provide ultra-fast delivery of food, groceries, and essentials.
CEO and co-founder Femi Aluko (@femi_aluks on Instagram, @LordBinary_ on Twitter) shared on social media his personal motivation for founding Chowdeck, sparked by difficulties in accessing food delivery during the COVID-19 lockdowns. He stated: “I spent the entire January 1 looking for food vendors to deliver food to me… and ended up paying 4x the regular amount. This experience made me realize the huge opportunity and need for reliable food delivery in Nigeria.” He emphasized the company’s mission: “We know Nigerians love good food, and Chowdeck was birthed to make access easy, delivering truly excellent experiences for customers, vendors, and riders.”
The co-founders—Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo (CTO), and Lanre Yusuf (COO) - bring technology and local market expertise from stints at Paystack and other tech firms, enabling Chowdeck to maintain profitability in a challenging sector. The startup reported that meal delivery value in 2024 grew sixfold compared to 2023, signaling a strong growth trajectory. Since entering Ghana in May 2025, Chowdeck reached 1,000 daily orders within three months without paid advertising and targets 5,000 daily orders by September 2025.
Chowdeck also expanded beyond delivery by acquiring Mira, a point-of-sale platform tailored to African hospitality businesses, enhancing inventory and order management to better support restaurants and optimize logistics.
This funding milestone bolsters Chowdeck’s goal to become Africa’s leading super app for food and quick commerce, mitigating the challenges faced by international competitors who have struggled in African markets. Investors praise the company’s localized approach, operational excellence, and commitment to sustainability.
In summary, Chowdeck’s funding history reflects strong investor confidence and a scalable, market-driven strategy, from a $2.5 million seed round that laid foundational growth in Nigeria to the recent $9 million Series A fueling regional expansion and quick commerce innovation.