Lola Do Inc. (Lola), an up and coming innovative tech startup offering highly customizable cake ordering service like never before through a mobile app, has successfully raised $1.3 million in a Pre-Seed investment round in partnership with Vision Ventures and Plus VC, the most active VCs in MENA, alongside other strategic angel investors.
Lola has established itself as a key player in personalized celebrations. This investment marks a transformative step in Lola’s journey, fueling its expansion efforts, in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region. Lola has redefined the way people celebrate by offering an easy to use, fully customizable cakeordering experience through its innovative mobile app. Founded by Othman Janahi, Lola launched in Bahrain in September 2023, quickly gained traction and expanded to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July 2024. It further expanded its footprint by launching in the UAE in December 2024.
“We are thrilled to have such experienced and knowledgeable investors who share our vision. Their belief in our mission has helped us cross a significant milestone in raising this round. Beyond capital, their strategic insights and seasoned guidance are invaluable as we drive forward,” said Othman Janahi, Founder and CEO of Lola.
“The cake industry is vast and fiercely competitive, but Lola has always been about baking memories, not just delivering a product. Since its launch, Lola has experienced rapid growth, increasing 5 times its size and market share in terms of cakes baked and occasions celebrated – and that’s just the beginning. As the demand for personalized gifting solutions continues to grow, Lola remains committed to setting new industry standards, delivering unparalleled customization options and ensuring that every celebration has Lola as its centerpiece.”
With this investment, Lola will enhance its platform, expand its team, optimize logistics and revolutionize cake customization in this highly competitive industry. While increasing market growth and presence in Saudi Arabia remains our primary focus, we are also committed to accelerating Lola’s expansion across the other GCC countries and beyond. The company is set to broaden its footprint in key Saudi cities, starting with Jeddah and the Eastern Province, to reinforce its position in the Kingdom as it builds a gifting ecosystem tailored to the region.
In an increasingly competitive FoodTech and gifting landscape, Lola distinguishes itself by delivering a highly personalized, tech-driven experience that seamlessly blends creativity, convenience, and exceptional quality. Lola’s mission is not only to bake memories but also to redefine what it means to give and receive truly meaningful, memorable gifts.
Kais Al Essa, Founding Partner and CEO at Vision Ventures commented: “We can all see how ordering cake today is awkward to both the client and the bakery. Lola fixes that by delivering an innovative ordering app through which clients can imagine and see how their cake will look through an easy to use and fun experience. The bakery on the other hand gets an accurate design along Classified – General with colors and details that make delivering on the client’s imagination easier than ever before. We always love it when technology is used to solve real-life problems and make life easier for people. We believe Lola’s approach to cakes is disruptive and therefore envision that in the future Lola will empower cake making everywhere. We are excited to support Othman and Lola’s team and expect Lola to be a brand to recon with soon.”
Commenting on Lola’s fundraising announcement, Hasan Haider, Managing Partner at +VC, said: “We are always on the lookout for disruptive startups that redefine industries, and Lola is a perfect example. By seamlessly integrating personalization and technology into the gifting experience, Lola is transforming the way people celebrate. Their innovative approach not only enhances convenience but also redefines how special moments are shared. We are excited to support Othman and his team as they expand across the region and establish themselves as pioneers in this space.”
With its vision set to elevating cake customization and enhancing the consumer experience, Lola is ready to solidify its competitive advantage in Saudi Arabia and elevate its mission of bringing personalized celebrations to more customers across the region and baking memories, one cake and one celebration at a time.
Lola embodies warmth, creativity and the joy of celebrating special occasions and moments, big and small. Lola enables customers to design and personalize cakes with unparalleled level of details, ensuring that every cake is as unique as the occasion it marks. With Lola, customers can design their own cake in 1 minute or less, with the luxury of choosing from thousands of unique designs, colors and customized combinations to create their perfect cake. By seamlessly blending technology, personalization and operational efficiency, Lola is revolutionizing how people celebrate, and gift, making every order a truly customized experience. To check out Lola, and order cakes easier than ever before please visit our website: https://lola.do/
About Lola:
Lola Do Inc. is a tech-driven FoodTech company elevating the gifting industry and bringing it into the digital age through customization and innovation. Founded in September 2023 by Othman Janahi, the company has rapidly expanded across the GCC, launching in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in July 2024 and later that year in the United Arab Emirates.
About Vision Ventures:
Vision Ventures is the most active early-stage VC in MENA since 2016. It is one of the early VCs in Saudi Arabia and the only VC in MENA that is established and run by founders. Its slogan is “By Entrepreneurs, For Entrepreneurs”. It has invested in and supported over 55 technology startups in MENA including notable sector leaders such as: Salla, Gathern, The Chefz, Tamara, Calo, NearPay, Rewaa, Rain, RedBox and more, providing to each of them in addition to capital, hands-on support, strategic support and support to scale and grow, plus more.
About Plus VC:
+VC is a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage tech and tech-enabled startups across the MENA region and its diaspora. As the most active VC’s in the MENA region, +VC supports and backs extraordinary and innovative entrepreneurs, taking an early leadership role with founders to set them up for success.
