Bahrain-born foodtech startup Lola has raised USD 3 million in seed funding to scale its cake customization platform across the Middle East and North Africa, underscoring investor appetite for tech-enabled personalization.
- Bahrain-born foodtech startup Lola has raised USD 3 million in seed funding to scale its cake customization platform across the...
- The round was led by Vision Ventures, with participation from Aljazira Capital, Seedra Ventures, Plus VC, and other investors.
- Lola’s cake customization model targets a USD 9.5 billion MENA market Kais Al Essa, Founding Partner and CEO of Vision Ventures,...
- Founder Othman Janahi frames the platform’s mission in broader terms than cake customization alone.
Keep reading for the full breakdown on cake customization app — everything you need to know is covered below.
The round was led by Vision Ventures, with participation from Aljazira Capital, Seedra Ventures, Plus VC, and other investors.
Founded in September 2023 by Othman Janahi, Lola enables users to design and order fully customized cakes through a mobile app in under a minute, choosing from thousands of designs, colors, and combinations. The platform addresses a fragmented ordering process by digitizing cake design and fulfillment through a mobile-first interface.
Lola’s cake customization model targets a USD 9.5 billion MENA market
Kais Al Essa, Founding Partner and CEO of Vision Ventures, commented: “We all experience pain trying to describe how we want our cake to look for an occasion, only to get something totally different. Lola solves this issue through technology. With a market size of US$ 9.5 billion in 2025 projected to reach over US$ 12 billion by 2030, this is one of the largest in F&B.”
That market size makes Lola’s USD 3 million seed round modest relative to the opportunity. The round follows a USD 1.3 million pre-seed in February 2025 from Vision Ventures, Plus VC, and angel investors, bringing total funding to USD 4.3 million.
Lola launched in Bahrain, expanded to Riyadh in July 2024 and the UAE in December 2024, and has since added Qatar and Kuwait, growing its market share fivefold since launch. That pace of expansion across the GCC strengthens the case that demand for seamless cake customization is more than a niche consumer trend.
Founder Othman Janahi frames the platform’s mission in broader terms than cake customization alone. Janahi said: “We’re grateful for the trust our investors have placed in us. What we’re building at Lola goes far beyond cakes, it’s a new way to create and experience celebrations. This funding allows us to scale that vision, strengthen our infrastructure, and maintain full control over the customer experience.”
Hasan Haider, Founder and Managing Partner at Plus VC, added: “Lola is setting a new benchmark in the market by leveraging technology to streamline a traditionally fragmented industry, delivering a seamless and reliable customer experience that is clearly resonating with users.”
With the USD 3 million seed round secured, Lola is shifting from a partner-bakery model toward tighter operational control. The company plans to use the new capital to accelerate development of a central production facility in Dammam and expand its network of cloud bakeries. The model blends centralized production with distributed cloud bakeries in key cities, allowing Lola to maintain quality while scaling efficiently across markets.
Lola’s longer-term ambition extends beyond cakes. The company says it is building toward a broader celebrations platform spanning gifting, decoration, and event services, positioning cake customization as an entry point into a wider consumer commerce opportunity. The new funding gives Lola additional runway to test that broader expansion strategy.