Chowdeck has quickly grown from a food delivery app into one of the most talked about consumer tech companies in Nigeria, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Launched in October 2021 by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo and Lanre Yusuf, Chowdeck now serves 1.5 million customers across 11 cities and runs a fleet of more than 20,000 riders. The company reports an average delivery time of approximately 30 minutes per order, and in densely urbanized areas, more than half of deliveries are completed by bicycle.

The biggest shift on the horizon is Chowdeck's aggressive push into dark stores. The startup says it has already launched a few dark stores in Lagos, helping drive delivery times for groceries down to 20 minutes or less. The ambition doesn't stop there. Chowdeck plans to open 40 dark stores by year end and aims for 500 by the end of 2026, launching two to three new stores weekly.

That kind of scale takes serious capital, and Chowdeck has already secured it. Chowdeck, a Lagos based food delivery startup that has stayed profitable in a notoriously tough and low margin market, raised 9 million dollars in Series A funding, with the equity round led by Novastar Ventures and participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, and HoaQ. Interestingly, this move marks a major shift for a company that, since its 2021 launch, has invested minimally in physical infrastructure.

The grocery bet is already paying off. Co founder and CEO Femi Aluko disclosed that the grocery business, which began as what he described as a small bet, now contributes 11 percent of Chowdeck's overall business and continues to grow.

Beyond logistics, Chowdeck has also been building on the technology side. In June, the company made a strategic acquisition that signals bigger ambitions. Chowdeck acquired Mira, a one year old restaurant point of sale and management system, in a move that underscores the startup's push beyond last mile logistics into the operational core of food businesses. While the acquisition price was not disclosed, Chowdeck CEO Femi Aluko said the deal would help the company solve its challenges with inventory management. As part of the deal, Oladele became Head of Product at Chowdeck, and select Mira employees joined the company to develop tools tailored for food and hospitality businesses.

With food delivery, quick commerce, and restaurant tech now under one roof, Chowdeck is positioning itself as more than just a delivery app. As CEO Femi Aluko put it, the company is thrilled about this round as it brings them closer to their vision of becoming Africa's number one super app, transforming how millions of Africans access food, groceries and essentials every day. All eyes remain on whether the company can hit its bold dark store targets while keeping its famous speed and reliability intact.