Famous TV celebrity Chef Manal Al Alem has become the latest investor in the Cairo-based food tech startup Yumamia. The total funding for the company since its inception stands at $1.3 million.
The startup has three principal investors: Chef Manal Al Alem, Faden Media, and Publicis Groupe. Chef Manal Al Alem comes from Jordan, but she is a household name throughout the Middle East.
Faden Media is an Indoor Out-of-Home Media company in Saudi Arabia. Its core activities include in-mall advertising, events management, print media productions, and digital signage.
The Publicis Groupe is a French firm that deals in advertising and public relations. It is the third-largest communications company worldwide.
The Founding, Development, and Success of Yumamia
Mahmoud El Maghraby and Belal El Borno founded this startup in 2014. More specifically, they developed a food delivery app. This app offers its clients healthy foods prepared with the best ingredients in the market. The dishes are affordable as well.
The founders called this app Yumamia. However, the official launch of this app took place in January 2017. The company boasts of double-digit growth in monthly revenue since that launch.
Financial analysts have noticed its remarkable progress as well. In 2017, Forbes Middle East ranked Yumamia at number 84 in its top 100 list of startups in the Arab World.
In the same year, Forbes ranked Chef Manal Al Alem among the top ten most influential women on social media in the Middle East.
Chef Manal Al Alem’s Role in the Startup
Chef Manal Al Alem’s financial input will help Yumamia expand its core menu and increase the quality of its services.
Moreover, Chef Manal Al Alem will play a critical role in promoting the startup throughout the Middle East because of her fame throughout this region. She will make suggestions to improve the menu because she has extensive experience in the world of culinary arts.
Company executives are happy to have her on board. Belal El Borno, the CEO and co-founder of Yumamia stated that her startup investment is a validation of the work the staff and its founders have put into the company.
Chef Manal Al Alem also said that she is happy with her decision to be part of the company because she believes technology will revolutionize the food & beverage industry.
