EvolutionX leads US$50M growth round in Kitopi to scale Middle East’s F&B hospitality tech ecosystem

MIDDLE EAST – Growth-stage private credit platform EvolutionX has made its first investment in the Gulf region, leading a US$50 million growth capital round in Kitopi, the Middle East’s leading tech-driven food and beverage ecosystem.

This funding, secured after Kitopi reached profitability, is targeted to fuel the rapid expansion of its portfolio of homegrown hospitality brands and accelerate its franchising model across the GCC and beyond.

A Strategic Infusion for a Hybrid Hospitality Model

Kitopi operates a unique hybrid model, managing over 200 locations that include both delivery-only kitchens and traditional dine-in restaurants across the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

The investment will specifically support the growth of its proprietary brands, such as Operation Falafel, Catch-22, and Awani, within these high-growth markets.

Rahul Shah, Partner at EvolutionX, stated that Kitopi represents the transformative, tech-enabled business the fund was established to empower, combining scale and innovation to reshape a traditional hospitality sector.

He highlighted the GCC as a rising global innovation hub, making Kitopi an ideal partner for EvolutionX’s regional debut.

Technology as the Backbone of Scalable Hospitality

A core component of Kitopi’s appeal to investors is its proprietary, in-house technology suite, SKOS, which integrates every aspect of its operations.

This platform manages centralized procurement, kitchen workflow, data analytics, and multi-brand customer engagement, ensuring consistency and efficiency across its sprawling network.

This tech backbone allows Kitopi to rapidly scale diverse food concepts while maintaining quality control, a critical advantage in the competitive restaurant and fast-casual segment.

CEO Mohamad Ballout noted the funding will help scale their loyalty app and support international franchising, transforming a regional platform into a global hospitality operator.

Expanding the Definition of Modern F&B Service

This investment underscores a significant trend where capital is flowing into businesses that redefine hospitality infrastructure.

Kitopi is not merely a restaurant operator or a delivery service; it functions as an integrated F&B ecosystem that supports both its own brands and could potentially service third-party concepts.

For the broader hospitality landscape, Kitopi’s expansion signifies the growing dominance of omnichannel food service models that seamlessly blend off-premise delivery with on-premise dining experiences.

EvolutionX, backed by Temasek and DBS Bank, has committed approximately US$450 million across Asia, and its entry into the GCC via Kitopi signals strong investor confidence in technology-driven hospitality models that are poised for regional dominance and global export.

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