Snoonu, a Doha-based E-commerce startup, has raised $5 million in a Series A funding round, led by its strategic partner Qatar Development Bank (QDB) with participation from multiple investors.
Founded in 2019, Snoonu is a one-stop application, facilitating online shopping, lifestyle, food, grocery delivery, and third-party logistics services for startups and SMEs in Qatar. The consumer application offers a range of popular vendors and a variety of features such as multiple delivery options.
With over 100,000 users, Snoonu shares that it has made online shopping seamless for its users and has also helped to maintain the livelihood of vendors who faced an economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, Snoonu helped merchants grow their businesses by offering lower commissions, a more comprehensive coverage option, and a takeaway feature. Snoonu also launched its 24/7 online grocery store in November 2020 which offers a wide range of locally sourced products providing greater exposure to local vendors.
Hamad Mubarak Al Hajiri, Co-Founder and CEO said, “We began with a vision to disrupt the last-mile delivery space in Qatar, but a few months in, we realized an opportunity to converge multiple services and become the super-app that moves the region forward through innovation and technology. Through Snoonu, we aim to become the pioneers in growing the tech ecosystem in Qatar and encourage a wave of young entrepreneurs to design and launch solutions to everyday problems across the MENA region.”
Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al-Khalifa, CEO of QDB commented, “As Snoonu’s first institutional investor, we are proud to see more and more Qatari startups leveraging QDB’s all-embracing support ecosystem to power their vision, secure exceptional funding, and jumpstart their bold regional growth plans. The scale that Hamad and the Snoonu team have achieved for the company thus far is quite remarkable, and we are excited to continue providing our strategic and structural support to foster the company’s future growth and progressive ambitions.”
Sabina Abuova, Co-founder and CMO of Snoonu added, “The support we received will enable us to further develop our product and our brand, in line with Snoonu’s customer-centric approach and commitment to innovate and improve the livelihoods of people in Qatar and across the region”.
Founding Team member at Careem Pakistan and Snoonu’s COO, Humza Abid Khan added, “We are humbled to have investors who are aligned with our vision. The funding will be used to accelerate Snoonu’s growth in Qatar and for regional expansion. We are heavily focused on developing our technology to continuously improve our product and operational excellence to achieve our desired scale.”
In line with its vision to leverage technology for enhancing the consumer experience, Snoonu recently announced a partnership with Microsoft in March 2021, which will see Snoonu migrate its services to Microsoft Azure Platform, with the aim of creating a positive impact on their efficiency and productivity.
Snoonu plans to expand regionally and diversify its offering by adding new features and services to its platform, with a goal to enter international markets.
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