Albanian food delivery startup Hajde has raised $1 million in seed investment, in a round led by UK-based fintech fund Fasanara Capital. Hajde was founded a year ago, in February 2021, by co-founders Erli Cupi and Geri Cupi, and is currently present in Albania and Kosovo.
The recent funding will help the startup expand into restaurant delivery and accelerate the delivery of its services in North Macedonia, its first expansion destination. “Hajde has raised $1 million in seed funding to support its expansion into regional markets in the Balkans and Southeast Europe,” the startup said in a social media post.
According to Erli Cupi, CEO of Hajde, the startup received a positive response for its services in Kosovo and Albania, Tech.eu reported. Hajde’s platform offers fast food and grocery delivery, usually in less than an hour.
“Our goal is to establish our presence in Macedonia, where we have clear and executable plans to reach and serve local customers. During our intense, high-growth journey to Albania and Kosovo, we have witnessed rapid adoption and an overwhelmingly positive response to our service,” said Cupi.
Last year, Hajde took part in Uplift, an early-stage startup accelerator program for promising startups from Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.
Food delivery services in the Balkans have seen an uptick during the COVID-19 pandemic, with various domestic and international delivery apps and websites becoming increasingly popular.
Last year, Spanish delivery giant Glovo also expressed interest in the food delivery market in the region.
The company purchased units previously owned by German Online food Delivery Hero delivery network in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
Pop Market, another grocery delivery startup in the region, based in Greece, also made headlines last year, after raised a $3 million funding round, highlighting the popularity of this industry in the Balkans.