After his studies in the UK, Libyan-born Ammar Hmid returned to his home country to set up a food delivery startup. A few years later, despite the challenges it is facing, the startup is proving to be a useful tool for populations in Tripoli.

Presto Eat is a digital solution developed by an eponymous Lybian start-up, based in Tripoli.  It allows its users to have food and groceries delivered.

Through its mobile app -available for Android and iOS devices, its users can create their accounts to access the listed restaurants, place orders and get them delivered anywhere in Tripoli and its surroundings.

Presto Eat claims more than 250,000 orders delivered since its launch. The startup behind it employs more than 500 Libyans. It also has 13 stores and departure points in Tripoli and over 380 partner businesses that use its services. Thanks to its departure points, it ensures fast deliveries and allows users to monitor the state of the deliveries in real-time.  

According to PlayStore’s data, the Android version of its application has been downloaded over 100,000 times. Despite this success, Presto Eat is struggling to attract investors. The reasons cited include the political instability, in the country since 2011, and the lack of a proper technological ecosystem in the country. Nevertheless, the startup wants to extend its services to other cities in the country, namely Benghazi and Misrata.

For the time being, this expansion plan is just hopeful wishes for Presto Eat founder Ammar Hmid who points at investors’ seeming disinterest in the Libyan tech ecosystem. “We want to be the app for everything for Libyans. […] But […] Despite the growth, VCs and other investors aren’t keen on investing in the business.   The ones that replied wanted me to do risk analysis on the Libyan market for them. But that’s not my job, my job as a founder is to grow my business. [Also], Libyans don’t have a strong startup mindset because there are other profitable sectors to work and invest in, like importation and FMCG, or even civil service,” he told TechCabal earlier this month.

Adoni Conrad Quenum