Ioanna Angelidaki, Co-founder and CMO of InstaShop, didn’t just ride the e-commerce wave — she helped shape it. Born in Greece and based in Dubai, she saw what many didn’t: that ordering groceries should be as easy as scrolling Instagram. And that insight turned into one of the Middle East’s biggest startup success stories.
It all started with a simple frustration — grocery shopping. Busy schedules, traffic, and unpredictable store inventory were annoying problems everyone shared. Ioanna and her co-founder saw a gap and filled it with InstaShop, a hyperlocal, app-based grocery delivery platform that connected users to nearby supermarkets, pharmacies, butchers, and more.
Unlike clunky online marketplaces, InstaShop was designed for convenience-first users. The app’s clean design, speedy deliveries, and dependable service quickly turned it into a household name — especially in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, and beyond.
Ioanna’s role as CMO wasn’t just about campaigns — it was about building community and trust. She championed a hyper-local approach, partnering with small neighborhood stores and making InstaShop feel personal, not corporate.
And the growth wasn’t accidental. The platform scaled city by city, building strong local operations before expanding — a model that many startups skip in their rush to go regional. Under her marketing leadership, InstaShop went from idea to a $360 million acquisition by Delivery Hero in just five years.
What made InstaShop click wasn’t just tech — it was Ioanna’s deep understanding of how digital habits meet everyday needs. She blended smart UX with sharp brand positioning. Grocery shopping wasn’t glamorous — but she made it fast, stress-free, and oddly satisfying.
By focusing on reliability and user experience, she helped create a platform that people didn’t just try — they returned to, again and again.
Ioanna Angelidaki stands out not just as a successful founder, but as a symbol of what’s possible for women in MENA’s startup ecosystem. She brought a European perspective to a regional challenge and scaled it with local insight and global ambition.
Today, she continues to inspire a new generation of tech founders across the Middle East — proving that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You just need to roll it faster, better, and with purpose.
Ioanna Angelidaki co-founded InstaShop and helped grow it into a $360M powerhouse. But her journey is more than numbers. It’s about identifying real problems, building with empathy, and scaling with smart, sustainable systems.
As MENA’s digital economy keeps booming, leaders like Ioanna are shaping not just companies, but the entire playbook.
Q1: Who is Ioanna Angelidaki?
She is the Greek-born, Dubai-based Co-founder and CMO of InstaShop, a leading online grocery platform in MENA.
Q2: What is InstaShop known for?
InstaShop connects users with nearby supermarkets and stores for quick, same-day delivery of groceries and essentials.
Q3: How big was the InstaShop acquisition?
In 2020, InstaShop was acquired by Delivery Hero for $360 million.
Q4: What’s unique about InstaShop’s business model?
It scaled locally first, focused on partnerships with neighborhood stores, and delivered strong UX and reliability.
Q5: Why is Ioanna Angelidaki influential in the MENA startup scene?
She’s one of the few female founders to scale a tech startup across the region and exit at a major valuation.
