An unidentified angel investor has contributed $125,000 to Padash, an Iraqi startup that delivers groceries and fast food. The funds will be utilized to support Padash’s business expansion in Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, as well as the ongoing development of its mobile application, which will enable it to offer same-day delivery services to most areas of the city. This is the seventh investment made in an Iraqi startup so far this year, nearly twice as many as in 2023.
The goal of Padash, an Iraqi delivery company founded in 2023 by Ahmed Jamal and his three co-founders, Omer Sabah, Muhammed Yassein, and Ahmed Bayiz, is to revolutionize the industry by providing an instant food and grocery delivery app. Customers can use the platform to place orders from nearby stores, and they can receive their orders in as little as five minutes, sometimes even less than twenty.
“This funding marks a significant milestone for Padash as we work towards transforming the way people in Iraq access food and groceries. We understand the growing demand for quick and reliable delivery services, and we’re excited to expand our operations within Erbil to meet this need. Our goal is to not only make instant delivery accessible to everyone, but also making it 50% more affordable for users, making this convenience and quality of life accessible for more people,” says Ahmed Jamal, co-founder and CEO of Padash.
In Erbil city, Padash is already operational in four blocks. With this investment, the business hopes to extend its same-day delivery service over most of Erbil, giving more customers access to quick and easy food and grocery delivery. In order to prepare for their launch in Iraq’s capital city of Baghdad next year, the team also intends to improve the user experience and expedite the ordering process through improvements to their mobile application.
The founding team’s first startup, Kurdivia, was a live-trivia gaming app that saw 1.5 million downloads and 750,000 monthly active users before it was shut down because of issues with the business plan. This is the team’s second startup.
“We’ve learned valuable lessons from our previous venture, and we’re confident that Padash addresses a real market need that we learned firsthand working with more than 100 restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets. With the support of our investor, we’re poised to make a significant impact on the daily lives of people in Erbil and eventually across Iraq,” Ahmed Jamal said.
