Floranow, a Dubai-based B2B florlal marketplace has raised an investment from Jabbar Internet Group, Dash Ventures, and Wamda Capital. It’s the first-ever financing round of the company. The details of investment were not disclosed.
Founded and launched in 2016 by Charif Mzayek, Floranow offers cut flowers by connecting international growers from different countries including Holland, Kenya and Thailand to retailers and other businesses including hotels, weddings and event planners, and supermarkets in UAE.
Suppliers can add the available articles with their specifications, photos, and available quantities. Customers can login using their credentials to browse through different types of flowers, see the price inclusive of handling custom duties and last mile delivery, select the quantity, and place the order. The flowers are then delivered in an unbroken cold chain, in water to every doorstep. This helps increase the vase life at competitive prices.
Flowers are cut to order, delivered in an uninterrupted cool-chain, and delivered in water to every doorstep, which increases the vase life in the market at competitive prices.
Customers can make their selection online and see an all-in price which includes shipping, handling, custom duties, and last mile delivery. The products chosen arrive at the shown price – and customers receive their order through careful packaging, optimum temperature control and transportation in water.
“Our ultimate goal is to be unavoidable. The flower trade market in the GCC is USD 300 million and growing. Whether you are a grower who wants a piece of the pie or a retailer who wants to get the widest assortment, superior quality and best prices, Floranow is where you’ll want to be,” said Charif Mzayek, Founder & CEO of Floranow who also happens to be the CEO of Alissar Flower, one of the leading regional companies specializing in cut flowers and floral design and decorations, with presence in Jordan, UAE, Kuwait & Qatar.
“The traditional floral supply chain is an archaic maze of middlemen and inefficient processes. Floranow’s model aims to directly link growers and buyers through a transparent, efficient and automated marketplace platform with an underlying mission based on three key pillars -access, quality, and timing. If there is anyone to drive this vision forward, it’s Charif, with his depth and breadth of industry knowledge and intuitive grasp of its complex intricacies.” said Omar J. Satti, the Founder & Managing Director of Dash Ventures, speaking to MENAbytes about the investment.
Floranow’s plans to use the investment to expand to Kuwait and then to rest of the GCC and Jordan. The startup also has plans to have growers from Italy, Columbia, and Sri Lanka to the platform.
According to the two month old information that we have, Floranow had 105 active users on its portal, and had generated $2.8 million of sales in the first eighteen months of operations.
Correction: A previous version of this article noted that Alissar Flower has presence in Syria and Lebanon as well – that’s not the case – and the error has been fixed in this revision.
