Egyptian Logistics Startup ILLA obtains $2m investment round to expand

Cairo-based FMCG Logistics company ILLA has secured a $2M investment round to expand and boost its growth in the market and diversify its offering to the FMCG value chain.

The round was co-led by Watheeq Financial Services and Golden Palm Investments. Loftyinc Capital Management, Kepple Africa Fund, Cubit Ventures, AUC Angels, Oqal Angel Network and FLat6Labs Cairo also participated in the round.

ILLA was founded in 2019 by Mahmoud Elzomor, Alaa Jarkas, Ahmed Sakr, and Hossam Saraya, and shortly joined by a well-versed management team which include Mohamed Emera as Director of Growth, Mohamed Kamal as CFO, and Khaled Elzomor as Commercial Director.

ILLA is focused on optimizing the post-production supply chain activities for FMCG brands, starting with middle-mile delivery services and being the most fragmented part of the value chain.

Mahmoud ElZomor, Co-Founder and CEO of ILLA speaking on the funding said that the whole team contribute decades of experience to drive ILLA’s efficiency level.

“ILLA will use the funds to fuel its expansion and growth in Egypt and disrupt the traditional route-to-market for FMCG companies and SMEs, while building more around its tech platform to deliver more value to its clients and drivers alike,” says ElZomor.

By focusing exclusively on the FMCG market, ILLA has been able to manage over 65 clients in its portfolio, including Coca-Cola, P&G, Danone, Nestle, Juhayna, and Pepsico.

“Mahmoud and the team are tailor-made for ILLA, bringing decades of diversified experience to help drive efficiency into the $15 trillion global FMCG market. With the onset of covid, the global supply chain management industry is suitable for modernization, and ILLA is uniquely positioned as an end-to-end execution platform.

“In addition, ILLA’s smart logistics solutions also play a crucial role in providing a full stack of operational solutions that will disrupt the sector, and will change the behavior for all stakeholders within the FMCG market,” said Khaled Zaidan of Watheeq Financial Services.

AJ Okereke, Partner, Golden Palm also added that “Middle-mile logistics is one of the most underinvested segments of the global supply chain market. ILLA has identified this massive opportunity in MENA and is offering a full-stack B2B supply chain management platform enabling FMCG brands to reach retailers directly at the lowest cost per case. Mahmoud and team are utilizing the trucking logistics shared economy and tech automation to innovate within a large and fast-growing market”.