While the prepared meal delivery model is still relatively new to MENA, it is gaining traction, and the region is currently home to around 15 unique startups across four markets, with the majority (11) based in the UAE. According to Nielsen’s ‘Global Health & Wellness Survey’, 83% of UAE respondents said that they are willingto pay more for healthy food, thus providing a niche for healthy food startups to flourish and grow.
Home-Cooked Meal Delivery Home-cooked food delivery startups connect home cooks with working professionals, creating opportunities for people at home to generate income by connecting them to consumers willing to pay for their healthy home-cooked meals. Unlike other food delivery rivals, these startups crowdsource the cooking process, and prioritize the home-cooked quality of food over the convenience of delivery.
While still relatively new to MENA, the home-cooked meal delivery model is catching on, especially in Egypt where 3 of the 6 home-cooked meal delivery startups are based. Cairo-based startup Mumm is currently the leading player in the sector, after having secured a $200K investment from 500 startups, its second round of investment since launching in 2015.
Food Delivery Startups by Country
Food Delivery Startups by Model
RESTAURANT TECH
15 Restaurant Tech Startups
7%
3% 17%
9.8 Total Investments from 2012-2017
14% 10% 7% 7%
Restaurant Guides
9%
10%
Reservation Platforms
6%
17%
Food Discovery Platforms Over the last few years, food discovery platform startups, which allow consumers to discover restaurants, dishes and, cuisines, have become consumers’ go-to for deciding where to eat out at or order in from. Offering a combination of restaurant data with menus as well as basic information like location, opening hours, and more, these startups not only target consumers but also restaurants looking to market their products. The MENA region is currently home to 9 food discovery platforms spread across all 10 markets. While Zomato is indisputably the leader when it comes to restaurant search and discovery, regional players are starting to make their way into the spotlight. Round Menu, a restaurant discovery platform, received an investment
of $730K shortly after being launched in the UAE in 2012 and has since expanded to 7 other markets. ElMenus, an Egyptian-based food discovery platform, also recently raised $1.5M in Series A funding, and boasts over one million monthly users. Reservation Platforms Reservation platform startups, which allow consumers to browse restaurants, book specific tables for specified dates and times, and view offers and promotions, are using technology to modernize the reservations process. Aiming to tackle and resolve the pain point associated with the inconvenience of booking a table, these startups not only help diners make last mi-nute reservations, but also help restaurants manage and boost their businesses and
promote their events. Although a hot sector, the online reservation business is nearly 20 years old – global restaurant reservation leader OpenTable launched in 1998 and the majority of MENA’s reservation platforms have been around for a couple of years. Out of the 7 reservation platform startups in the region, ReserveOut, launched in 2012, and Eat, launched in 2015, lead the sector. Jordan-based ReserveOut currently functions in 6 markets and has raised $5.4M in funding to date, and Bahrain based Eat functions in 4 markets and has raised $2.2M in funding to date.
Fall 2017 THE QUARTERLY
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