Dubai-based B2B start-up Elkaso raises $2.1mln

Dubai-based B2B start-up Elkaso raises $2.1mln

Dubai-based start-up Elkaso, which seeks to connect restaurants and suppliers via its tech platform, has raised $2.1 million from several investors. The pre-seed funding is from venture capital firms Global Founders Capital and MSA Capital, as well as from current and former executives of Careem, Delivery Hero, Apple, Instashap and Talabat, among many others. Elkaso’s platform has been operational in the UAE and Saudi Arabia since its launch early this year, with further expansion planned in 2022. ElKaso is currently serving more than 1,400 restaurants and suppliers. The firm was founded by entrepreneurs Manar Alkassar and Ahmed Soliman, who both have backgrounds in running tech start-ups. Alkassar was the head of New Ventures at Rocket Internet Middle East and the founder and CEO of Helping Middle East, while Soliman had worked as vice president of Delivery Hero, overseeing the logistics operations for all Delivery Hero brands in the region, including Talabat and Zomato, among others. Alkassar said they want to seamlessly connect restaurants with suppliers to fulfil orders easily. “While ordering food from restaurants has become the poster-child of our new digital lifestyles, ironically, restaurants still find themselves ordering their own supplies mostly manually or with old-fashioned, clunky systems,” said