Nouf Al Salem
Nouf Alsaleem, the Co-Founder of homemade food delivery app Mathaqi, has been highlighted as one of the women paving the way for success in Saudi Arabia. Alsaleem recently made it into the top 10 of the 2019 “Forbes” 30 under 30 Middle East list, which features the youth changing the world and inspiring their generation.
The enterprising 21-year-old was registered in the Food and Drink section of the list that “includes fields as diverse as science, business, sports, arts and culture—transforming the Middle East into a promising economic hub of the future," according to the “Forbes Middle East” website. The game changers’ level of achievement in their various fields was evaluated via the awards they have garnered, their yearly turnover and the investment they have received. The way they have impacted their respective industries, their future prospects and media coverage were also taken into consideration.
About Mathaqi
The Riyadh-based Mathaqi, which was the first company in Saudi Arabia to introduce home food service on the go, was launched in 2017. The demand platform for delivery of home cooked meals carved a niche in a decidedly competitive, growing home food delivery sphere.
What’s more, Alsaleem, who studied at King Saud University, created the platform to support struggling productive families by getting them actively engaged and helping them market their food products and increase their income. "I needed a model that not only could help productive families, but create job opportunities and make it easy for consumers to get home food and never be bored," she said in an interview with “Saudi Gazette.”
AlSaleem, who had to balance between being an entrepreneur and a student studying Business & Marketing, was one of the graduates from Womentum’s first cycle. Owned by Womena, Womentum is the Middle East and North Africa’s first early-stage tech startup accelerator for female founders.
How It Works
Mathaqi, which has won AlSaleem several entrepreneurship awards in KSA and abroad, delivers authentic home-cooked meals straight to people’s doorsteps, whether within 60 minutes or at a preferred time slot. Talented and experienced at-home chefs, who benefit from the income as well as insurance and having Mathaqi take care of the packaging and delivery costs, prepare the food from the convenience of their homes. Fresh and additive-free, the food is made with handpicked ingredients, with the chefs following high standards of food quality and hygiene.
A daily changing menu and a large range of cuisines spanning across Asia, Middle East, India, Africa and the West, also ensure users of the well-designed and user-friendly app never run out of choices. Plus, app users can read up on the details of each dish and the carefully selected chefs, who are masters of their respective cuisines and holders of secret family recipes. And while all dishes are listed with suitable accompaniments and sides, customers can also mix and match from a variety of cuisines and dishes.
With such a positive response to the concept, AlSaleem is planning to help families in as many areas as possible, and even other GCC countries, as she has big expansion plans.
