Suplyd, the Egypt-based startup digitizing supply chain operations for the MENA region’s hotels, restaurants, and catering (HORECA) industry, raised $1.6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Endure Capital, Seedstars, Camel Ventures, Falak, Outlierz, Plus Ventures, Alex Angels, and Fort alongside a handful of strategic angel investors. 

The startup will use the funds raised this round to invest further in its technology, grow the team, and expand its operations to more areas across Egypt.

Suplyd was founded in 2022 by Gohar Said, Karim Selima, and Ahmed ElMahdy as a solution to address the daily struggles faced by Egypt’s over 400k restaurants and hotel industry. 

“I have been in the restaurant industry for almost 12 years, and the supply chain is a nightmare for most of the operators. To make up for all the inefficiencies, you are always forced to either accept the fact that some of your menu items are not available or procure your requirements from the nearest market at a higher cost. After opening my restaurant in early 2021, I talked with Karim and Mahdy, and all it took was one simple question: what if technology took over?” Gohar Said, CEO of Suplyd, stated.

Before founding Suplyd, Gohar co-founded the Maine truck and worked in business development and the core commercial teams of ElMenus and Trella. Karim Selima has worked in the field of advertising and marketing technologies for Yahoo and other advertisers. Ahmed ElMahdy has local and regional experience in procurement and purchasing operations in FMCG multinationals Henkel and Unilever.

Suplyd also has a network of tech-enabled fulfillment centers, which support suppliers and offer them real-time analytics and actionable insights concerning demand patterns and trends. This helps suppliers minimize waste, utilize industry assets, foster market transparency, and resolve the uncertainty of restaurants receiving their supplies. 

“What sets the HORECA business apart from regular retail business are the sensitivity of most of its goods, the fast product flow throughout the whole supply chain, and the limited delivery windows for the operators. Suppliers have to streamline their internal operations to cater to restaurants’ requests and fluctuating demands. Having to do this in a space where most transactions are handled manually is nearly impossible. Suplyd offers a smooth purchasing experience, clarity of product availability, guaranteed delivery dates as well as transparent pricing. Coupling that with its useful analytics, reporting, and digital records enables suppliers to handle their complex internal logistics and optimize their assets. That is just the start of what Suplyd is here to offer,” Ahmed ElMahdy, COO of Suplyd, said.