Swoop Raises $7.3 Million Seed Round to Expand Food Delivery into Nigeria

Swoop, an Eswatini-based food delivery startup, has secured $7.3 million in seed funding to launch its super-app model in Nigeria, marking its first expansion beyond its home country. The round was led by prominent Silicon Valley investors including Long Journey, Variant, Version One, Dune Ventures, Soma Capital, and Zero Knowledge Ventures.

The funding will support Swoop’s entry into the Nigerian market through an initial launch in Yaba, Lagos. The company plans to utilize food delivery as a foundational service to build a broader consumer platform that could eventually include groceries, ride-hailing, and financial services — mirroring the growth strategy of successful super apps in Asia.

This move comes amid shifting dynamics in Africa’s food delivery space, where several global players have scaled back operations. Despite this, local competitors like Chowdeck have gained traction, having raised $9 million in Series A funding in August 2025 and expanded across Nigeria and Ghana.

Swoop’s Nigerian country manager emphasized that food delivery serves as a key indicator of ecosystem maturity and a strategic entry point to become a central node for future services. The company’s founder, a 19-year-old Thiel Fellow, is leading the Lagos market test as part of a larger vision to create a pan-African super app.

With strong backing from early-stage venture capital firms and a clear roadmap for vertical expansion, Swoop aims to establish itself as a competitive player in Nigeria’s evolving digital economy.