Ex-CEO of Just Eat backs Egypt's food-order app elmenus

The former chief executive of Just Eat invested in Egypt's food-ordering app elmenus, as he looks to grab a share of the country's fast growing online food delivery market.

David Buttress, who led the London-based meal-delivery app for four years until 2017, has also joined elmenus' board, according to a statement by the Egyptian company on Monday. It did not disclose the size of the investment.

"Elmenus’ exponential growth this past year has been quite remarkable," Mr Buttress said. "It has been owning the food discovery approach, making it the stronger partner to restaurants as it provides them with more than just online ordering services."

The Cairo-based start-up, which has more than 1.5 million monthly users, has seen an uptick in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic as safety precautions and movement restrictions prompted more people to dine at home.

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Elmenus' revenue growth tripled in 2020 as food deliveries increased and more restaurants outsourced their delivery operations, Mr Buttress said. The company is targeting to expand ten-fold this year as it boosts its product and restaurant offerings.

The start-up was founded in June 2011 as a catalogue of menus from restaurants and began delivering food through its online platform in late 2018.

Since then, it found success tapping into Egypt’s underserved online ordering market and has raised nearly $10 million in funding. This included a Series B round in 2020 – when it secured $8m – led by UAE-based venture capital firm Global Ventures and Egypt's Algebra Ventures.

Amir Allam, chief executive of elmenus, said he hoped that Mr Buttress will "play a vital role in accelerating our growth and guiding elmenus in acquiring a significant share of the market".

Egypt's online food delivery segment is expected to generate $99m in revenue this year, according to Statista.

Mr Buttress is currently a partner at London-based venture capital firm 83 North.

In the next 18 months, elmenus plans to expand its market share, recruit 4,000 new drivers and add more restaurants to its platform.

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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Tips to stay safe during hot weather

Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.