Delivery solutions startup Blend raises SAR 5 mn in a pre-seed round

Homegrown foodtech startup Blend has raised SAR 5 mn in a pre-seed round, according to a press release. The round saw backing from a group of angel investors.

Where are the funds going? The company will use the proceeds to develop Blend’s tech solutions for the restaurant, cafe, hypermarket, and cloud kitchen sectors, the statement said. Blend has also outlined expansion plans and aims to move into Kuwait and Bahrain by the end of next year and establish a regional presence by the close of 2026.

The pitch: Established in 2023, the startup allows restaurants and cafes to manage orders from various delivery services through a unified platform that is designed to streamline order management and tracking. Blend has so far been integrated with five KSA-based food delivery services.

REMEMBER- Saudi Arabia’s food delivery market is on the up and up: The sector is projected to be worth as much as USD 14.9 bn by 2028, up from USD 10 bn in 2023, as the number of food delivery startups continues to scale. Local food delivery startups raised a total of USD 266.2 mn in the five years up to 2023.

Blend has graduated from a string of accelerators: The foodtech startup graduated from the Misk Accelerator, and the MVPLab Accelerator, while also maintaining a presence with SME authority Monsha’at’s Zaka Center.