In a bold step beyond last-mile logistics, Nigerian delivery startup Chowdeck has acquired Mira, a restaurant point-of-sale (POS) and management platform, marking a strategic shift towards becoming an end-to-end technology partner for food businesses.
While the terms of the deal remain undisclosed, Chowdeck CEO Femi Aluko confirmed the acquisition is intended to address persistent inventory management challenges and improve vendor-side operations.
“For a long time, we’ve focused more on the customer side than on the restaurant, supermarket, and pharmacy side,” said Aluko in an interview with Techpoint Africa. “But as we begin to expand, we’re paying deeper attention to the vendor side.”
From Delivery to Full-Stack Vendor Solutions
Launched in 2021, Chowdeck has swiftly established itself as a dominant player in Nigeria’s on-demand delivery market, with over 1 million users, a fleet of 3,000+ riders, and operations in eight Nigerian cities as well as Accra, Ghana. The company recently claimed it is on pace to hit 1,000 monthly deliveries in Accra within just two months—a milestone that previously took a year to reach in Nigeria.
With Mira now part of its ecosystem, Chowdeck is expanding into restaurant management, marking a move towards vertical integration rather than simple diversification.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mira to the Chowdeck family,” said Aluko. “I’ve admired their work for a long time, and I’m excited about what we can build together.”
Mira: A Digital Backbone for Restaurants
Founded by Ted Oladele, a former Flutterwave VP of Design, Mira offers a comprehensive POS and restaurant management platform. Through QR code technology, customers can view menus, place orders, and make payments. Behind the scenes, Mira equips restaurants with tools for inventory tracking, sales analytics, and customer engagement. The startup also sells POS hardware priced at ₦360,000, and serves over 500 businesses.
Following the acquisition, Oladele will join Chowdeck as Head of Product, with select members of the Mira team also transitioning to support the development of vendor-focused tools. Mira had previously raised $200,000 in a family-and-friends round, and was reportedly pursuing a seed round prior to the acquisition.
Strategic Pivot in a Competitive Market
As global players like Glovo ramp up operations across Africa, Chowdeck’s move is seen not merely as a growth tactic but as a strategic realignment—one aimed at consolidating its position by controlling both delivery and vendor infrastructure.
Until now, Chowdeck’s engagement with vendors has been limited to delivery logistics. Mira’s integration enables the company to climb the value chain—providing tools that help restaurants manage inventory, track performance, and enhance customer interaction.
This move mirrors trends among other African startups, such as Vendease, though adoption of enterprise solutions remains a significant hurdle due to high switching costs and limited digital infrastructure within many food businesses.
However, Chowdeck may hold a distinct advantage: existing relationships and operational trust. With restaurants already relying on its delivery network, the transition to using its back-end tools may be more seamless compared to startups building vendor relationships from scratch.
A Shift from Consumer to Enterprise DNA
This acquisition marks a fundamental shift in Chowdeck’s business model—from consumer-focused delivery to enterprise software. Selling to restaurants demands longer sales cycles, integration-heavy onboarding, and ongoing technical support—challenges that will require Chowdeck to scale its internal capabilities significantly.
Beyond restaurants, Chowdeck also delivers groceries and pharmaceuticals. Its repositioning as a technology partner to vendors raises broader questions about its role in reimagining supply chains across retail categories in Africa.
Final Thoughts
The acquisition of Mira signals Chowdeck’s ambition to evolve from a logistics startup into a full-stack infrastructure provider for Africa’s food and retail businesses. With a combination of delivery logistics, operational software, and growing cross-border reach, Chowdeck is betting big on becoming indispensable to the continent’s evolving digital economy.
