Latest news with #Calo
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Foodtech start-up Calo secures $39m in Series B extension
Saudi Arabia-based foodtech start-up Calo has secured $39m in a Series B extension round, aimed at supporting its worldwide expansion and AI-powered personalisation capabilities. The round was headed by AlJazira Capital and brings the company's total Series B investment to $64m. This was preceded by an initial $25m tranche in December 2024. The extension round saw the return of current investors such as Nuwa Capital, who led the initial tranche, along with Khwarizmi Ventures, STV and Al Faisaliah Group. Newcomer Oraseya Capital also participated in the round. Calo noted that investor interest led to the round being 'oversubscribed', surpassing the initial $50m target. It is aimed at broadening the product portfolio and integrating recently acquired UK businesses. Described as a direct-to-consumer foodtech business, Calo offers a personalised meal subscription service. The company acquired UK-based meal subscription brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen in the first half of 2025 and has now integrated them into its platform. In the same period, Calo recorded 50% year-on-year growth, propelled by performance in markets such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The company has focused on localising operations by appointing general managers in each market. Caroline Hazlehurst was appointed by Calo as chief operating officer, and John Noja as chief of staff, bringing his experience from Talabat's quick commerce unit. Calo currently has operations in more than ten physical regions across the Gulf Cooperation Council area, alongside hospital-based outlets, and plans to continue opening new sites every quarter. Calo's offerings include 'macro personalisation' tailored for athletes, 'premium Chef's Picks' meals, and an expanded range of 'clean-eating' options. The company is also transitioning into on-demand delivery and preparing to introduce its own line of 'healthy' consumer packaged goods (CPG) products. It is also trialling Calo Black, a private chef experience powered by AI. This service utilises large language models to understand the preferences of customers through natural conversation and create customised menus daily. Calo CEO and co-founder was quoted by Zawya: 'We are humbled by the tremendous interest we've seen from both existing and new investors to double down on Calo. 'Being vertically integrated with the mission of 'Making Healthy Easy' gives us an edge to develop and scale world-class experiences not just regionally, but also globally.' Calo is on a trajectory for a planned initial public offering in Saudi Arabia. "Foodtech start-up Calo secures $39m in Series B extension" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi foodtech startup secures $39mln funding round for global expansion plans
Riyadh - Calo, the Middle East's largest foodtech startup, has raised $39 million (SAR 146.27 million) in a series B extension round, bringing the total funding to $64 million (SAR 240 million). Led by AlJazira Capital, Oraseya Capital, Nuwa Capital, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group, the transaction follows an initial $25 million tranche secured in December 2024, according to a press release. The oversubscribed round supports Calo's global expansion plans, integration of recent UK acquisitions, and continued investment in AI-powered personalized nutrition. The CEO and Co-Founder of Calo, Ahmed Al Rawi, commented: 'We're living in an interesting time where AI is transforming our lives, and we're excited to be investing in cutting-edge innovation to explore how Calo can use AI to influence the future of how we discover and eat healthy food.' He added: 'Being vertically integrated with the mission of 'Making Healthy Easy' gives us an edge to develop and scale world-class experiences not just regionally, but also globally.' Calo recently acquired UK-based meal subscription brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen, integrating them into its operations and marking the company's entry into the European market. The company, which now operates more than 10 physical locations across the GCC, grew over 50% year-on-year (YoY) in the first half (H1) of 2025. Calo is piloting Calo Black, an AI-powered private chef experience that uses large language models (LLMs) to understand individual customer preferences through natural conversation and craft personalized daily menus. It is worth noting that Calo partnered with premium gym operator Armah Sports Company to expand wellness and retail offerings through co-located outlets, cross-promotions, and product distribution across gym networks. Riyadh-headquartered Calo operates in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, with expansion now underway in the UK.
CairoScene
2 days ago
- Business
- CairoScene
Saudi Foodtech Calo Raises $64 Million Series B for Global Expansion
The Saudi-based foodtech recently expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of UK-based personalised nutrition brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen. Jul 30, 2025 Calo, a personalised meal subscription startup founded in 2019, has raised $64 million in Series B funding to fuel its global expansion and further develop its AI-powered operations. The round was led by Saudi Arabia's AlJazira Capital and included participation from existing investors such as Nuwa Capital, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group. Oraseya Capital, the investment arm of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, also joined as a new investor. With operations across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait, Calo claims to have delivered over 10 million meals to date. The Saudi-based foodtech recently expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of UK-based personalised nutrition brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen. The new capital will support further expansion beyond the GCC, as well as continued investment in personalisation features and new product lines. Calo is working towards a public listing in 2027, leveraging its growth in the region and increasing interest in health-focused, tech-enabled food services. The company's strategy includes the launch of athlete-specific meal plans, consumer packaged goods, and ongoing R&D into AI applications for food personalisation and logistics. The funding round comes amid a broader increase in foodtech activity in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom encourages investment in innovative health and consumer platforms as part of its economic diversification goals.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Food delivery service Calo scores $39 million in Series B extension as it sets eyes on the UK
Middle Eastern food delivery startup Calo said Tuesday it has raised $39 million in a Series B extension that was led by AlJazira Capital. The fundraise, which was more than 1.5x of its original $25 million raise in December, also saw participation from existing backers such as Nuwa Capital, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group. The company is using this funding to expand into territories like the UK and also explore different partnerships in physical space. Calo primarily offers ready-to-eat meals that customers can heat up later. The company delivers different plans to cater to various health goals. The company's founder, Ahmed Al Rawi, told TechCrunch the startup's revenue grew by 'close to 100%.' Calo delivered more than 10 million meals last year in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. While Al Rawi didn't provide a number for this year, he said the deliveries were growing in step with revenue. Those numbers, along with its brand, technology, and operational excellence, convinced AlJazira Capital to invest in the Saudi company. 'Calo represents a compelling opportunity at the intersection of healthtech, foodtech, and consumer subscription models,' Rawan AlRasheed, director of venture capital at AlJazira Capital told TechCrunch in a statement. The startup is also making moves to expand in the UK, where last year it acquired two meal delivery services, Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen. While Fresh Fitness Food didn't raise any money, Detox Kitchen had raised just over $3.4 million via a mix of venture-backed and equity crowdfunding rounds, according to Crunchbase data. 'We spoke to over 50 meal subscription businesses worldwide, ranging from the U.S. to Asia, in 2023-24 to learn about what is an exciting market for us to expand to. We realized the UK was the right market for us to expand. We thought that both companies that we acquired had a great culture fit to work with Calo,' Al Rawi told TechCrunch over a call. He added that Calo acquired these businesses because they had their operational layer figured out, and the startup just wanted to upscale the tech and branding layer. Al Rawi said Calo spent most of this year integrating its technology and process with both UK platforms without laying off any of the existing personnel. The startup finished the integration work in July and has been slowly making a marketing push in the UK. Calo can currently deliver meals in London daily and in other parts of the UK two to three times a week. The founder said that Calo is targeting to get to 10x its revenue in the UK in the next three years. Those UK ambitions will be met with competition. Apart from traditional food delivery giants like Just Eat and Deliveroo, Calo will also compete with meal-box services such as Gusto and Wicked Kitchen. While Calo is focused on growing in the UK, the company is also looking to acquire different meal-kit services across the world. The company is also expanding physical locations, including retail stores and kiosks in other regions. The company has also partnered with a gym chain called Armah Sports Company in Saudi Arabia to offer a bundle of Calo and gym subscription. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Calo raises $39mln (SAR 146.27mln) in Series B extension
AlJazira Capital leads $39 million Series B extension following UK acquisitions by the Saudi headquartered Calo Existing investors Nuwa Capital, Al Faisliah Group, and Khwarizmi Ventures double down; Oraseya Capital joins as new investor Extension oversubscribed, taking Calo's total Series B raise to $64 million (SAR 240 million) after initial $25 million tranche in 2024 which was led by Nuwa Capital Calo achieves over 50% growth in H1 2025 and opens 10 physical stores across the GCC with IPO on track for 2027 Growth driven by three strategic levers: segment expansion, model innovation, and geographic scaling Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Calo ( the Middle East's largest foodtech startup revolutionizing personalized meal subscriptions, today announced it has raised $39 million (SAR 146.27 million) in a Series B extension round led by AlJazira Capital. The raise brings Calo's total Series B round to $64 million (SAR 240 million), following an initial $25 million tranche in December 2024. Existing investors Nuwa Capital, who led the initial $25 million Series B tranche, STV, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Al Faisaliah Group returned to participate in the extension, with Oraseya Capital joining the round. Following overwhelming investor interest, the round was oversubscribed beyond the originally targeted $50 million to support global growth, product expansion, and the integration of newly acquired businesses in the United Kingdom. With over 10 million meals delivered last year, Calo is the world's fastest growing meal subscription service, recording a high-growth nine-figure annualised revenue ($ million). Calo recently completed the acquisition of two leading UK-based meal subscription brands, Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen, marking a strategic entry into the European market. Both brands have now been integrated into Calo's operations and technology infrastructure, as part of the company's plan to scale internationally. 'We are humbled by the tremendous interest we've seen from both existing and new investors to double down on Calo. We're living in an interesting time where AI is transforming our lives, and we're excited to be investing in cutting-edge innovation to explore how Calo can use AI to influence the future of how we discover and eat healthy food. Being vertically integrated with the mission of 'Making Healthy Easy' gives us an edge to develop and scale world-class experiences not just regionally, but also globally,' said Ahmed Al Rawi, co-founder & CEO of Calo. In the first half of 2025, Calo grew over 50 percent year-over-year, driven by strong market performance across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. Over the past 12 months, Calo has localized operations by appointing General Managers in each market, improving customer understanding and accelerating growth. The company now operates more than 10 physical locations across the GCC, including hospital-based outlets, and is on track to open new sites every quarter. Calo's product roadmap continues to evolve. Recent segment expansions include athlete-targeted macro personalization, premium 'Chef's Picks' meals for lifestyle-focused customers, and expanded clean-eating offerings. On the model side, Calo is moving into on-demand delivery and will soon launch its own line of healthy CPG products under the mission of 'making healthy easy.' The company is piloting Calo Black, an AI-powered private chef experience. The product leverages large language models (LLMs) to capture nuanced customer preferences through natural conversation and generate personalized daily menus. Calo is embedding AI across user interaction and operational workflows to improve efficiency, scale personalization, and unlock new formats for customer experience. 'We are excited to lead Calo's Series B extension round and support Calo in their business ambitions,' said Rawan AlRasheed, Lead Manager – Impact Lab at AlJazira Capital. 'Calo is a homegrown Saudi company with global ambition, combining brand, technology, and operational excellence. We are confident in the team's ability to lead the company to a successful and prospers future. The transaction marks Aljazira Capital commitment to enable local and regional business ventures that drive meaningful change and to create a positive sustainable impact in health and wellness in line with our country's objectives.' As the company scales globally, Calo has appointed Caroline Hazlehurst as Chief Operating Officer. Caroline has held various senior executive roles supporting startups to scale operations globally, including as the first General Manager at Deliveroo UK & Ireland, VP at Bird and also as President at Moove. John Noja has been appointed as Chief of Staff, from Talabat where he was GM of its quick commerce unit. Calo recently announced a strategic partnership with premium gym operator Armah Sports Company, unlocking new wellness and retail collaborations. Armah's founder Fahad Alhagbani has also joined the company's board as an independent member building on his experience of taking two businesses public. As part of the partnership, Calo will explore co-located retail outlets, cross-promotional offers, and distribution of products through gym networks. Calo remains headquartered in Riyadh and is on track for a planned IPO in Saudi Arabia. The company currently operates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, with UK operations now underway. The company has also launched in Oman with over 5,000 customers on the waiting list. In 2024, Calo delivered 10 million meals across the GCC, reinforcing growing demand for data-driven, personalized nutrition. About Calo Calo is a direct-to-consumer foodtech startup providing personalized meal subscriptions to a growing base of health-conscious customers. The company is vertically integrated and built on a strong technology infrastructure allowing it to optimize the operation of its multiple kitchens and bridge consumer preferences with tech-driven analysis, production, and delivery of data-driven meals. Calo was launched in November 2019 and has offices in Riyadh, Bahrain and Dubai. For more information, job openings, and Calo's latest news, please visit:
