Chowdeck is expanding beyond food delivery into groceries, parcel logistics, merchant solutions and financial services as the Nigerian startup seeks to build a broader on-demand commerce business across Africa, a strategy that has earned its three co-founders a place in Endeavor’s global network of high-impact entrepreneurs.
Femi Aluko, chief executive officer, Olumide Ojo and Lanre Yusuf were selected by Endeavor Nigeria following a multistage process involving regional and international selection panels of entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders.
Founded in 2021, Chowdeck has grown from a food delivery platform operating with three motorbikes, three riders and two restaurants in Lagos into a technology and logistics company serving more than 800,000 active customers across 14 cities in Nigeria and Ghana.
The company processes approximately 1.2 million orders monthly, working with nearly 9,000 vendors and about 8,000 riders, according to information provided by the company.
Read also: Africa Startup funding enters equity era after three years of debt growth
Its expansion into quick commerce, groceries, parcel delivery, merchant tools, advertising and financial services reflects an effort to serve more consumer and business needs through a shared technology and logistics infrastructure rather than depend solely on restaurant deliveries.
For Chowdeck, the shift could widen its revenue opportunities, increase the range of transactions flowing through its platform and strengthen the role of its logistics network in connecting consumers and merchants. However, the company has not disclosed how much revenue each business line contributes or the profitability of its newer services.
The selection into Endeavor’s global network comes as the founders prepare for the next phase of the company’s growth, including the operational and management demands associated with expanding across markets with different currencies, regulations and consumer behaviours.
“The most valuable thing for a founder at this stage is being able to talk to someone who has already solved the problem in front of you,” Aluko said.
He said the network would connect the founders with entrepreneurs who had navigated unfamiliar markets, recruited senior executives and managed growth across currencies and regulatory environments.
“Endeavor gives us access to exactly those people, across Africa and around the world,” he added.
Chowdeck’s expansion beyond Nigeria began in May 2025, when it entered Ghana, giving the company an operating presence in two West African markets. Its next challenge is to translate its growth in customers, vendors and delivery volumes into a sustainable business as it broadens its services.
Diversification offers potential advantages, particularly where a company can use an existing network of riders, merchants and customers to support additional services. Groceries and quick commerce can generate more frequent consumer transactions, while merchant solutions and advertising can create opportunities to earn income beyond delivery fees.
Financial services could provide another avenue for serving merchants and other participants on the platform. However, the company has not provided details of the products involved, their commercial contribution or the regulatory arrangements supporting them.
The broader strategy also introduces execution challenges. Expanding into different service categories requires additional operational capabilities, while maintaining delivery speed, service reliability and customer trust becomes more complex as order volumes and geographic coverage increase.
Noah Sebhatleab, who works in entrepreneur selection at Endeavor Global, said Chowdeck stood out because it developed its platform and operations around the realities of African markets rather than importing business models designed elsewhere.
He said some international competitors had retreated from the continent while Chowdeck continued to expand, attributing the company’s progress partly to its locally adapted operating model.
Sebhatleab also highlighted the founders’ willingness to learn from other entrepreneurs and contribute to Nigeria’s broader business ecosystem.
Martin Escobari, Endeavor Global board member and co-president and head of Latin America at General Atlantic, also highlighted the founders’ entrepreneurial experience and financial discipline, describing Chowdeck as a local champion in food delivery across Nigeria and Ghana.
For Ireayo Oladunjoye, managing director and chief executive officer of Endeavor Nigeria, the selection reflects the potential of businesses that combine a strong understanding of local markets with the ambition to expand across borders.
“Femi, Lanre and Olumide have taken a clear market opportunity and built a business with the ambition, pace and resilience required to scale,” Oladunjoye said.
He said the company had the potential to influence the future of food and e-commerce in Nigeria and the wider African technology ecosystem.
Established in Nigeria in 2018, Endeavor supports entrepreneurs building high-growth businesses through mentorship, peer networks and access to capital. The organisation said its global network includes more than 3,100 entrepreneurs across over 100 markets.
Read also: Nigeria does not need more startups doing the same thing. It needs more original ideas
For Chowdeck’s founders, membership provides access to a community of business leaders who can share experience and offer guidance as the company grows. It also carries an expectation that successful entrepreneurs will support others through Endeavor’s pay-it-forward model.
The immediate business question, however, is whether Chowdeck can turn its expanding service portfolio and growing operating network into a stronger, more diversified commerce platform without allowing the complexity of its operations to undermine service quality or financial discipline.
As the company moves beyond restaurant deliveries, its ability to deepen merchant relationships, increase customer engagement and manage expansion across markets will be central to determining how far its business model can scale across Africa.
Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.