News
Swoop raises $7.3 million Seed from Long Journey, Variant and Version One
Food delivery startup Swoop, formerly Thumo, has raised a $7.3 million Seed from Silicon Valley and Africa-focused investors to grow its Lagos launch.
By Propel Africa · 2026-04-24
Swoop, a food delivery platform formerly known as Thumo, has raised a $7.3 million Seed round, Launchbase Africa reported on 24 April. The backers are Long Journey, Variant, Version One, Dune Ventures, Soma Capital, Zero Knowledge Ventures, Base Capital and angel investor Walter Kortschak.
What Swoop does
Swoop is positioned as the base of a pan-African super app, with groceries, ride-hailing and fintech planned. Independent riders keep 100% of delivery fees. The company earns from restaurant commissions and a 7% service charge on customers. It was co-founded in Eswatini by Aubrey Niederhoffer, who is 19, and Edwin Ruiz.
Launch in Lagos
The team moved to Lagos, and the app is live in Yaba and onboarding restaurants. In Eswatini, where it started, Swoop reported 6,000 users in its first month. It has a team of 28 and plans to target lower-income consumers on the outskirts of Lagos and in tier-two cities. "Food delivery is a metric for how developed the ecosystem is," said Demola Adesina, Nigerian country manager at Swoop.
Use of funds
The money will go towards aggressive user acquisition and building out operations.
At a glance
- Company: Swoop (formerly Thumo)
- Raised: $7.3 million
- Round: Seed
- Investors: Long Journey, Variant, Version One, Dune Ventures, Soma Capital, Zero Knowledge Ventures, Base Capital, angels
- Founded: Co-founded in Eswatini
- Markets: Lagos, Nigeria
- Key figure: 6,000 users in its first month in Eswatini