Delivery services have become part and parcel of life in the Middle East and North Africa—and food is no exception. Although the food ordering market was growing rapidly in the last decade, it was clearly under-served and the supply fell short of the market’s rising demand.

Rocket Internet, a German Internet accelerator, had built an online food ordering platform and aimed to enter the MENA market in 2013. Rocket Internet approached iMENA to leverage its knowledge in online marketplaces, extensive regional network of investors and partners, and operational expertise of its team.

For the first few months, iMENA dedicated part of its core team to build Hellofood Middle East. Incubated the company at its offices in Amman, built a regional back office, and instantly started signing exclusive deals with the top restaurants across Jordan and Saudi Arabia, establishing HelloFood ME in record time. Soon enough, HelloFood was ranked the number one app in the food and beverage category in the Middle East, with over 90% of food orders in Saudi Arabia being placed through HelloFood. The company’s rapid success was met with several offers until it was finally acquired.