In October 2021, Chowdeck went live in Lagos with three motorbikes, three riders and two restaurants. Five years later, the company says it has delivered more than 100 million items.
Co-founder and chief executive Femi Aluko announced the milestone on X on October 9, 2026. "Chowdeck is turning 5 this month and I am happy to announce that we have now crossed 100M items delivered on Chowdeck across over 30M deliveries," he wrote. He called it "a week of multiple wins," and the most striking line came next: 80% of those numbers came in the last 20 months.
Three days later, BusinessDay reported that Endeavor had selected Aluko and his co-founders, Olumide Ojo and Lanre Yusuf, for its global network of high growth entrepreneurs. Here is how a food delivery app that started with two restaurants reached 100 million items, and what the rest of Africa's startup founders can take from it.
Chowdeck has delivered over 100 million items across more than 30 million deliveries in Nigeria and Ghana, and 80% of that volume came in the last 20 months, CEO Femi Aluko said on October 9, 2026.
What Chowdeck Announced
The headline number is items, not orders, and the difference matters. One order of jollof rice, a drink and a pack of chicken counts as three items. Across 30 million deliveries, Chowdeck customers have averaged a little over three items per order.
The growth curve is the real story. If 80% of the 30 million deliveries happened in the last 20 months, that is about 24 million deliveries since early 2025, or roughly 1.2 million a month. That lines up with what the company told BusinessDay: about 1.2 million orders a month, more than 800,000 active customers, nearly 9,000 vendors and about 8,000 riders across 14 cities in Nigeria and Ghana.
These are company figures. Chowdeck is private and has not published audited results, so treat them as the company's own numbers rather than verified accounts.
How Chowdeck Got Here
Aluko was a principal engineer at Paystack before Chowdeck. He told TechCrunch in 2024 that the idea came from a three month work trip to Dubai, where food arrived fast and orders were handled with care. At home, he said, "ordering food in Nigeria would usually take one or two hours."
The team launched the first version in October 2021 and went on to win backing from Y Combinator. Its $2.5 million seed round brought in YC, Goodwater Capital and others, plus angel cheques from Paystack founders Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi and from Rappi founders Simon Borrero and Juan Pablo Ortega.
Then the market thinned out. By the end of 2023, both Jumia Food and Bolt Food had left Nigeria, according to TechCrunch. Chowdeck kept its costs tight and stayed in. Aluko told TechCrunch the team "took the time to figure out the right economics" for delivery before chasing scale.
In August 2025, Chowdeck raised a $9 million Series A led by Novastar Ventures, with Y Combinator returning. The plan was to move into quick commerce, meaning groceries and daily essentials delivered in minutes, and to grow in Nigeria and Ghana, where it had launched in May 2025.
Chowdeck by the Numbers
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Items delivered | 100 million+ | Femi Aluko on X, Oct 9, 2026 |
| Deliveries | 30 million+ | Femi Aluko on X, Oct 9, 2026 |
| Share of volume in last 20 months | 80% | Femi Aluko on X, Oct 9, 2026 |
| Monthly orders | About 1.2 million | Company figures via BusinessDay |
| Active customers | 800,000+ | Company figures via BusinessDay |
| Vendors | Nearly 9,000 | Company figures via BusinessDay |
| Riders | About 8,000 | Company figures via BusinessDay |
| Cities | 14 in Nigeria and Ghana | Company figures via BusinessDay |
| Total disclosed funding | About $11.5 million | $2.5M seed plus $9M Series A |
Chowdeck Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| October 2021 | Launches in Lagos with three riders and two restaurants |
| 2023 | Jumia Food and Bolt Food exit Nigeria |
| April 2024 | TechCrunch profiles its $2.5 million seed round backed by YC and Goodwater Capital |
| May 2025 | Expands to Ghana |
| August 2025 | Raises $9 million Series A led by Novastar Ventures |
| June 2026 | Delivers more than ₦1.5 billion worth of groceries in one month |
| October 9, 2026 | Crosses 100 million items and 30 million deliveries |
| October 12, 2026 | Founders selected for the Endeavor network |
From Food to Everything Else
Chowdeck no longer describes itself as only a food app. BusinessDay lists its business lines as quick commerce, groceries, parcel delivery, merchant tools, advertising and financial services. The company has not said how much each line earns or whether the newer ones are profitable.
Groceries are the clearest early win. In July, Aluko said Chowdeck had delivered more than ₦1.5 billion worth of groceries in June, about 11% of the whole business. He had first called groceries "a small bet." He also admitted the hard parts: items going out of stock and slower deliveries, because a grocery basket is far messier to fulfil than a plate from one kitchen.
READ ALSO: Moove Quits Nigeria and Hands Drivers ₦35 Billion in Cars on Its Way Out
Why This Matters
Nigeria has been a hard place for consumer startups. Foreign giants have pulled back: Jumia Food and Bolt Food left delivery in 2023, and Uber shut its ride hailing service in Nigeria in September 2026. A local company passing 100 million items in that market is a strong signal that delivery can work in Nigeria when the economics are built for local prices, local roads and local habits.
Endeavor made the same point. Noah Sebhatleab of Endeavor Global told BusinessDay that Chowdeck stood out because it built around African realities instead of importing a foreign model, and that it kept expanding while some international rivals retreated.
The competition is not standing still. Glovo, owned by Germany's Delivery Hero, says Nigeria is its fastest growing market in 2026 and that it has facilitated more than 40 million deliveries there since 2021. Uber launched a $14.8 billion takeover bid for Delivery Hero in July, and expects that deal to close in the second half of 2027. If it goes through, Chowdeck's biggest rival in Nigeria would belong to Uber, the company that just left the country's ride hailing market.
Lessons for Founders
- Get the unit economics right first. Chowdeck spent its early years on pricing and rider pay instead of burning cash for growth. That is why it was still standing when bigger rivals left.
- Build for the market you are in. The product was shaped by Lagos traffic, local vendors and local payment habits, not copied from Dubai or San Francisco.
- Grow the basket, not just the user count. Three items per order and a fast growing grocery line show that selling more to existing customers can drive growth as much as new sign ups.
- Be honest about the hard parts. Aluko talks openly about stockouts and delays. Customers and investors trust founders who name the problems.
READ ALSO: Why Chimoney Shut Down Despite Building a Product That Worked
What to Watch Next
Watch for a new funding round. Five years in, with Endeavor's network behind it, Chowdeck is a natural candidate for a Series B. Watch whether the company shares revenue or profit figures for groceries, parcels and financial services, and whether it moves into a third country. And watch Glovo: a leadership change in Nigeria, heavy spending and a possible Uber owner make Chowdeck's biggest rival harder to predict. Aluko's own line on X sums up the mood inside the company: "It's still Day 1."
Frequently Asked Questions
How many items has Chowdeck delivered?
Chowdeck has delivered more than 100 million items across more than 30 million deliveries, according to CEO Femi Aluko's post on X on October 9, 2026. He said 80% of those numbers came in the last 20 months.
Who founded Chowdeck and when?
Chowdeck was founded by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo and Lanre Yusuf. It launched in Lagos in October 2021 and is backed by Y Combinator.
Where does Chowdeck operate?
Chowdeck operates in 14 cities across Nigeria and Ghana, according to company figures reported by BusinessDay in October 2026. It entered Ghana in May 2025.
How much funding has Chowdeck raised?
Chowdeck has disclosed about $11.5 million in funding: a $2.5 million seed round and a $9 million Series A led by Novastar Ventures in August 2025.
