Restaurants and retailers in Mexico and Latin America are facing a rapidly changing environment where owners have to quickly adapt to new solutions to operate and grow.
Enter AmbitOne.
What is AmbitOne?
AmbitOne is a one-stop solution that empowers consumer businesses across Latin America with a comprehensive suite of tools for thriving in the digital era. Imagine Point of Sale, payment terminals, e-commerce, logistics, and integrations for your restaurant and retail to thrive in the new era of a digitalizing restaurant.
AmbitOne’s Inception Story
Pidedirecto, a Mexican startup, was co-founded by Hussein Fawzi and Ronni Samir in January 2021. Fawzi and Samir met and studied together in college in Sweden.
After going their separate ways, the team reunited in Mexico and launched a corporate wellness program in 2018 that connected employees with restaurants to order meals.
However, during the pandemic, many of their customers shifted to working from home, causing the demand for home deliveries to surge from 10% to 80%. At the same time, customers informed Fawzi and Samir that 25% to 30% of each sale’s revenue was going to delivery marketplaces, an unsustainable situation for these restaurants causing significant challenges for Pidedirecto’s model. It was then that Pidedirecto decided to expand its services and help digitize more businesses across Latin America.
“We build the online storefronts for the brands and operate logistics for businesses, like pharmacies, local retailers, restaurants, and CPG brands. Think of us as Shopify with 30-minute deliveries.” Hussein Fawzi (Co-Founder Pidedirecto)
From Pidedirecto to AmbitOne
Although Pidedirecto started as a restaurant ordering app, it has evolved significantly. Today, it is an all-in-one solution for restaurants and retailers, offering services such as e-commerce, logistics, payment terminals, POS systems, and analytics. This transformation was driven by a deep understanding of the local market and the need for comprehensive digital solutions.
To better target various client segments, PideDirecto is concentrating on the digital aspect, while the newly launched AmbitOne provides a comprehensive solution that integrates both online and offline services. Following the acquisition of Habitue in Uruguay and Ambit in Mexico—both software solutions for SMEs— AmbitOne has become the holding company for all three entities.
Today, AmbitOne offers a comprehensive software platform to manage all your operations in one single place. Key features include:
- Logistics Orchestrator: Ensures timely deliveries by coordinating with available delivery personnel from integrated providers to fulfill direct orders, including phone orders. Connect your delivery fleet, track orders in real time, and seamlessly access services like Rappi and Uber.
- Integrator: Streamline operations by consolidating all orders from Uber, Didi, and Rappi into a single interface, reducing errors and saving time. Key features include sales reporting, self-accepted orders, order-specific printing, automatic stock management, and multi-brand management.
- E-Commerce: Expand your online presence and boost customer loyalty with your e-commerce platform. Build a comprehensive customer database, send scheduled emails and SMS, create promotional codes, and encourage online orders.
- POS (Point of Sale): Manage all restaurant operations and provide owners with a clear financial overview. Empower owners to take immediate action to increase sales, utilizing powerful marketing tools to retarget customers and drive in-store visits.
Founders
Funding
2021, $5.2M (Seed) led by JAM FUND including Soma Capital, Acacia Ventures, Kube VC, Flexport, Y Combinator, and a group of individual investors from companies including Grubhub, Jeeves, Par Technologies, Uber and Google.
Misconceptions and Challenges
One significant misconception Ronni encountered was the initial assumption that a successful business model from Sweden could be directly implemented in Mexico. Pidedirecto's first idea was a QR code-based restaurant ordering system, similar to a successful concept in Sweden. However, they soon discovered cultural and economic differences that made this model unviable in Mexico. Ronni noted, highlighting the importance of adapting to local market conditions.
AmbitOne’s Roadmap
Despite the challenges, Pidedirecto (Now under AmbitOne) grew impressively, partly due to strategic acquisitions.
AmbitOne's plans include further expansion into Latin American markets. They have already acquired companies in Mexico and Uruguay and are looking to continue this trend. The startup aims to be the leading all-in-one solution provider in the region by leveraging its adaptable model that offers tailored services to different client needs.
Traction
AmbitOne now serves around 5,000 clients and generates over USD 6m in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
Market Opportunity
The market for AmbitOne's services is growing across Latin America. Online shopping in Latin America is expected to hit nearly $160 billion by 2025, which is almost double what it was in 2020. This surge in e-commerce creates a massive opportunity for AmbitOne's holistic platform offering.
Food delivery is another area of hot growth. The Latin American online food delivery market is expected to surpass $33 billion in 2023, and in Mexico alone, the market is expected to reach $9 billion by 2024. AmbitOne's integrated delivery solutions are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this flourishing market.
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