Kuwaiti E-Grocery Startup Officially Launches After $6.7 Million Seed

Kuwait-based e-grocery platform, Raha, has officially launched after raising a seed round worth $6.7 million. Led by a group of undisclosed regional and international investors, the investment brings to life a concept and startup that was founded in 2020 by Saleh Al-Tunaib.

Operating out of automated micro-fulfilment centres, Raha delivers groceries, fresh produce, and other household essentials, controlling the full cycle delivery logistics, from procurement to last-mile delivery. The fulfilment centre has chilled warehouse capability, and was developed by global warehouse automation specialist, Swisslog. It acts as the foundation of Raha's technology-driven operational model and a fully automated, data-driven intralogistics system featuring the AutoStore solution - an automated material-handling solution that uses robots set atop of a grid system to store and locate goods, delivering them to for processing.

E-commerce funding across MENA grew by 235% between 2020 and 2021, with 87 deals completed in a record-breaking year. Among the standout deals were Kuwait’s Floward securing a $27.5 million Series B, UAE’s eyewa scoring a $27.5 Series B and Jordan’s OpenSooq raising $24 million. Continuing the trend specifically in the GCC, the largest came in the form of Saudi B2B digital marketplace Sary’s $75 million Series C round.

Raha will channel much of the investment into its technological infrastructure, grounding it in digital operations as it was originally conceived. “From the outset, the goal was to develop a pure-play digital retail operation that combined operational excellence with a simplified, intelligent user experience,” said founder Al-Tunaib. “Every step of the customer journey – from first log-in to final order delivery – has been carefully designed to deliver maximum convenience. We wanted to translate and elevate the traditional grocery experience at its absolute best to a seamless digital experience.”