Oja operates an app-led online supermarket that stocks a wide range of ethnic foodstuffs and culturally specific goods (including beauty products) tailored to community preferences. The startup began by focusing on London’s African and Caribbean communities and plans to expand the assortment to serve more ethnicities over time. Founder Mariam Jimoh bootstrapped the MVP and ran a small pilot of around 200 users, which produced a 67% repeat-order rate and a 56% user-base growth from word of mouth. Oja currently uses a single central fulfilment centre for London and partners with third-party delivery services while prioritising operations and customer experience. The product lets customers shop by culture and emphasizes culturally specific nuances (ripeness of plantains, meat cuts, etc.). The pre-seed funding is intended to expand inventory, launch smaller dark stores in high-demand areas, scale across the U.K., and later target Europe.

Total raised

$3M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Nov 2021