“GetBaqala aims to make the local shopping experience of consumers easy and pleasant,” explained Amjad, founder and CEO of GetBaqala. “It is a hyperlocal grocery delivery platform facilitating doorstep deliveries of groceries and other home essentials in Bahrain. We connect them to the merchants in their neighborhood through an easy to use mobile platform.”
Amjad left his career in Dubai to pursue this startup here. When asked why, he said that “Bahrain is a perfect market to test your idea and validate your assumptions without burning too much capital. I contacted Economic Development Board’s Mumbai office to inquire about the process. They were quite proactive in directing up and helping us get a trade license. They all have a great support, mentorship and incubation programs.
“Bahrain gives us a longer runway with the pre-seed money we have raised,” said Amjad. “It gives us time to re-iterate the product, validate the business models and build a strong foundation before the business takes off.”
“Our plan is to focus on Bahrain for the next 12 months,” he said. “We recently launched our Baqala Organic Store – where we bring all organic and gluten free products under one roof, and last week we introduced Freshli, fresh and ready to eat sandwiches and salads directly delivered to office desk in Seef Area.”
“We are expanding aggressively, by June 2017 – we are planning to deliver across the island.”