Ethiopia’s leading logistics startup and pioneer e-commerce company Deliver Addis has secured funding through its partner company Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC (Roadrunner) from members of RENEW’s Impact Angel Network (IAN) to meet its increased demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“While it hasn’t been easy to launch and grow an e-commerce platform in Ethiopia, the country is changing every day,” said Feleg Tsegaye. “We’re seeing consumers adopt technology not only as a luxury, but, in these challenging times, it’s becoming a necessity. We’re pleased to play our role in helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to help so many restaurants, local vendors and supermarkets keep their lights on by providing them with an online market. We appreciate all of the support we have received from the community and our stakeholders, and we look forward to continuing to serve them.”

Here Is What You Need To Know

• Since the IAN’s initial investment, Deliver Addis’ daily deliveries have grown 630%, according to a statement released by it. 
• Roadrunner and Deliver Addis’ core competitive advantage is the technology platform they use, designed by founder Feleg Tsegaye. 
• The platform enables Deliver Addis to handle large amounts of orders and coordinate drivers to shorten delivery times. 
• The IAN’s investments financed the enhancement of this platform and an expansion of Deliver Addis’s fleet. 
• This third investment in Roadrunner and Deliver Addis will increase the companies’ capacity, enable them to reduce prices and increase efficiency to expand market share and offer new products and services to the market.

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Why The Investors Invested

• The investments made by the Impact Angel Network have been made possible because of RENEW’s partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC). RENEW’s blended finance partnership with GAC aims to support high potential, responsible SMEs in Ethiopia, providing them with the tools, resources and training they need to attract and efficiently use finance to grow, thereby enabling them to play a stronger role in the Ethiopian economy.

“As both a frequent user of Deliver Addis and owner of Roadrunner, I couldn’t be more excited about this investment,” said Matthew Davis, RENEW’s CEO. “Not only is the need for such services of national importance to control the spread of COVID-19, but it is also keeping hundreds of people employed through Deliver Addis and the small businesses they support. Feleg is a visionary and a skilled technician. We’re excited to back him and drive Deliver Addis into new markets.”

• The Impact Angel Network is one of the most active investors in Ethiopia. Its members seek to achieve both significant positive social impact and financial returns through investments in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa, a proven engine of economic growth and job creation which often lacks capital due to their size. RENEW and IAN members believe that targeting employment through SMEs is, dollar-for-dollar, the most effective and sustainable way to reduce poverty.
• RENEW, with its largest office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, manages the IAN’s investment operations and provides investment advisory and consulting services in support of its investments. RENEW’s work in Ethiopia was piloted with USAID and is currently undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada. The project, Accelerating Business Growth, aims to promote sustainable job creation for low-skilled workers, including women and young adults, through a dynamic and growing small and medium business sector in Ethiopia.

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A Look At What Deliver Addis Does

• Since 2015, Deliver Addis is an Ethiopian company that offers online food delivery services in partnership with restaurants. The company has focused on online food delivery, but in April 2020, in response to increased demand caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, it expanded services and now includes an online Marketplace that enables Ethiopian consumers to shop for groceries and other essential goods online.
• Deliver Addis now provides food from over 100 restaurants, groceries, flowers, and other consumer products.

Founder Feleg Tsegaye’s Advice To Founders

“I think there’s this perception that if you’re struggling or grappling with a lot of challenges as an entrepreneur, you’re doing something wrong. I don’t think that’s true at all,” Feleg told online magazine How We Made It In Africa in 2019. “Experiences can vary wildly depending on the type of business you’re engaged in, but you should be prepared to lose some money — hopefully only temporarily — personal relationships, most if not all of your free time, and often a bit of your sanity and hair in the process.”

“If you only lose a few or none of those things, consider yourself lucky. For technical founders like myself, it’s also worth considering what parts of your business you actually enjoy working on the most. As you grow, and especially when you take on investment, your time should increasingly be spent more on building the business, for example sales, vis-à-vis writing code. And you need to be comfortable with that otherwise you may end up inadvertently hurting your business and your team [who believe] in your overall vision,” he added.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer.