Yadgar Merani’s Post

Let me introduce "Lezzoo Global" to everyone. We launched our global commerce vertical last year, starting in the UAE under the name "Lezzoo Dubai Mall" where you could order anything from the UAE and get it in 3 to 4 days. It was a one-month test launch, during which we achieved a five-figure GMV. Realising there were opportunities for enhancement, we began revamping our service. I am happy to announce that now anyone in Iraq can order from the UAE, Turkey, and the US (more countries to be added). This initiative aligns Lezzoo with other key players in Iraq's global commerce market such as Orderi, Pure, Bom Bene/Bnera, Simma, and a few others, with the shared mission of connecting and integrating the world with Iraq. It's worth noting that this particular service is well-known and widely used in Iraq, largely due to the scarcity of global brands. We were greatly inspired by the founders of these startups and are excited to join them in their broader vision of digitising Iraq's e-commerce infrastructure and providing a reliable service for consumers across the country. Finally, I would like to thank our team members—Fatima Rezan Osman, Rekar Botany, Ahmad Aras, Shko Maghdid, Akar Ali ,naly moslih and Dilveen Fahmi—for their relentless dedication to this project and bringing it to life. It is delightful to continue being the only true local Super app, made by locals for locals!

We've just experienced an astounding 80% growth in a single week, marking our fastest and most significant increase since Lezzoo's launch year. What we achieved in just two days is what previously took us four years. The insights gained during this time are more valuable than many of the years I've spent working at Lezzoo. During the Eid holidays, nearly everyone at the company stayed on to support our efforts through these critical days. It was a truly remarkable time. We initially found ourselves overwhelmed and stressed, but we quickly adapted, doubling our support team within 24 hours and even shifting our focus to global hiring and global freelancers. It reached a level where due to the unexpectedly high demand, we had to pause operations in some cities. The true highlight, however, was the incredible collaboration and aligned vision among our team members afterward. Currently, Lezzoo stands (as a local startup) as Iraq's #1 startup in traction, profitability, and cost-efficiency, even though we only operate in the Kurdistan region. Yet, we've managed to surpass competitors who have a presence in larger Iraqi markets. The growth we've witnessed is just phenomenal. Great job, Team Lezzoo! And to our customers, you truly rock! We promise to deliver an experience that not only sets new national standards but also competes globally. Stay tuned for another exciting announcement coming soon! Once again, well done team of Lezzoo!

We are excited to announce that Lezzoo is participating in the Web Summit Qatar, sponsored by the Flat6Labs Start Mashreq program. When you have a chance, please visit our booth. We would love to share our journey with you and get the chance to meet in person. Looking forward to meeting everyone! See you all!

I am devastated. Last night, we tragically lost the lives of innocent people, including two visionaries who greatly contributed to the success of Kurdistan and Iraq. First, Peshraw Dizayee, the founder of Falcon Group and Empire compound, the landmark of Erbil. This man was kind, funny, humble, and truly gracious. His dedication to this country was inspiring; every time I spoke to him, I received a boost of motivation from his optimism. He never carried firearms, always traveled on commercial airlines, and maintained his humbleness and charisma. More importantly, he never had anything to hide, he was extremely transparent. He was like family to me; I grew up witnessing his success and admired him for his integrity and transparency. It is beyond sad to hear that Uncle Peshraw and his 11-month-old daughter were killed by Iranian ballistic missiles during a family dinner. His son, Roj Peshraw Agha, the CEO of Falcon Group, sustained a major injury resulting in the loss of an arm. Another dear friend, Karam Saridar, the founder of Elrayan Group, was also lost. Karam was one of the first entrepreneurs in Iraq to return from abroad and launch his e-commerce marketplace. His vision, values, dedication, and contribution to Iraq, both as an entrepreneur and a citizen, were truly admirable. I don't usually write political posts on LinkedIn, but I can't restrain myself from expressing my shock and grief over this event. Iraq and Kurdistan have lost two entrepreneurs and devoted individuals today. These individuals had no association or affiliation with any political group or institution. They were innocent civilians who were bombarded with ballistic missiles from Iran while sitting at the dinner table in their townhouse. Good people were lost due to this tragic event. These were people with only good intentions who had a goal to build this country, to contribute, ensure we have a prosperous future. I pray for them, their families, and the safety of everyone. إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

I won't delve into too many details about this new project, but I can reveal that it incorporates numerous elements of our local culture. It truly showcases the rich history, diverse character, and unique attributes of the country, from ancient Mesopotamia until now. Consider this a teaser – more information will be unveiled soon! Have great Friday!

Let me introduce Jezar (which means carrot). Currently, you can only play it through your tracking page while waiting for your order. This is our first iteration, but for future versions, we have made the game much more engaging and fun. If you have any ideas for hyper-casual games that you believe would be a good fit for Lezzoo's current setup, please feel free to reach out to me. We are also open to partnerships. Having already formed partnerships both locally and internationally in the gaming space, we are eager to explore more opportunities.

In my previous post, I promised to share three major updates: 1)Lezzoo Q3 Performance Despite the economic hurdles in Kurdistan, we still anticipated one of our highest growth quarters in the past two years. Year-over-Year Quarterly (Q3) Growth: - Orders: We grew by 77% in orders compared to Q3 2022. - Revenue: Our revenue increased by 56% compared to Q3 2022. - GMV: We saw a 58% growth in GMV compared to Q3 2022. Quarterly Growth, Q3 to Q2: - Orders: We grew by 35.4% in orders compared to Q2 2023. - Revenue: Our revenue increased by 26% compared to Q2 2023. - GMV: We saw a 24% growth in GMV compared to Q2 2023. The above performance does not include any other sources of revenue, GMV, and Orders (e.g., B2B marketplace, Ad platform, VIP Subscriptions, Friendz, etc.). 2)Lezzoo's Latest Product! This is probably my favorite one so far. Perhaps not everyone knows this, but we actually made games during our Fastwares days in 2017. Last year, we introduced Rojana as a gamification feature, which yielded remarkable results. Finally, in Q3 this year, we released Lezzoo Trivia, our first social game, which tripled our monthly active users from all of Iraq! We have five more games in our roadmap, two of which are in beta release. This brings Lezzoo's game portfolio to five games: 2 social and 3 hyper-casual. See the attached photos and videos. The concept is simple, you play games for free and win Lezzoo pay and points as a reward. According to our research, we are the first delivery Superapp to incorporate gaming as an integral part of the product in MENA and one of the few internationally. None of this would have been possible without our dedicated team, who are elevating the standards of innovation in Iraq, Kurdistan and MENA. 3) Our Latest Startup I'll keep this for next week's update, and we will give you all an exclusive build for testing and feedback 🙏. As always, I would like to thank my incredible team for achieving these milestones and for the new line of products. Kudos to Wadood S., Ahmad Aras, and Matin Surchi! Shetan Krdya! You guys have totally exceeded our expectations. I can't wait to see the rest of the team's take on this new line of products. Until next week! 🫡

While I enjoy sharing updates on our progress on LinkedIn, finding the time can be a challenge, as anyone who works with me knows all too well. However, with some truly exciting updates coming up, I wanted to give everyone a heads-up. Here’s what you can expect in the next two weeks: 1) An overview of our Q3 growth performance. 2) Introducing our latest product line at Lezzoo. Thanks to our exceptional engineers. 3) A sneak peek into a new startup myself, Rekar Botany, Ahmad Aras, alongside a talented team that has been working for the past 1.5 years, we are poised to launch an entirely new industry (away from our current domain) in the tech landscape of Kurdistan and Iraq. This has been the most unorthodox approach we have taken ever since the launch of Fastwares ( the startup that gave birth to Lezzoo). I’m making this post to commit myself to sharing these exciting developments, and to keep you all in the loop! You may get the Lezzoo out of Fastwares, but you can never get the Fastwares out of Lezzoo! Stay tuned! 

If you find yourself stuck in a meeting, get out – you likely have far more important tasks awaiting your attention. If you're at an event, think about returning to your office and team; their needs and the value you can provide there are far more significant. When engaging with your team, focus on action rather than words; lead by example. When proving people wrong, don't get too caught up, just move on to the next challenge! As a team member, If something is making you unhappy, take action to fix it instead of only showing distress, and strive for meaningful outcomes. Your transparency has far more value than you think. In discussions with investors, remember that if they don't respect your time, it's okay to move on. Your team and customers are your true backbone, not them. Embrace experimentation and learn to fail faster – it only makes you stronger. And a final note: try not to post too frequently on LinkedIn. Don't be like me 😅. Save that time for something more impactful. Now, continue doing the awesome mission you are on. Changing the world is far more intrinsic than changing someone's opinion. Good luck!