What Watermelon Ecosystem does

Watermelon Ecosystem is a Dubai-headquartered B2B platform that operates an all-in-one ecosystem for the HORECA (hotels, restaurants, cafes, caterers, commercial kitchens) industry in the UAE and broader GCC region. The company combines a procurement marketplace, cloud-based SaaS tools (point-of-sale, order management, inventory tracking, analytics), and embedded financial services (Buy Now Pay Later, working capital loans, business lines of credit, and two-sided credit solutions) on a single platform, serving both sides of the F&B supply chain — 1,000+ buyer outlets on one side and 50+ local suppliers offering 1,000+ SKUs on the other. Technology underpinnings include AI-powered supplier matching, automated credit assessments, real-time inventory sync, and API integrations with financing partners; the platform is accessible via web and mobile apps.

The company generates revenue through four streams: marketplace commissions on procurement transactions, recurring SaaS subscriptions for POS and analytics modules, transaction fees and interest income from financial products (credit limits up to AED 500,000, payment terms up to 90 days), and professional marketing/branding services to F&B businesses. GTM combines a self-serve, product-led funnel for SMB outlets and suppliers with a direct enterprise sales motion targeting large buyers and government agencies. Pricing is largely quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Watermelon is venture-backed, having closed a $4 million Series A in July 2024 at a $29 million post-money valuation, with Daman Investments as exclusive fundraising adviser. The company was founded by Omar AlShamsi (CEO), who built the platform after experiencing F&B operational challenges at his restaurant Mama Tani. The company employs 11-50 people, holds official UAE government designations including selection as the interactive electronic transaction platform for national farm product procurement under the Ministry of Climate Change & Environment's National Farms Sustainability Initiative, and has enterprise relationships including with ADNOC Group for local food catering procurement. Most recently (September 2025) Watermelon announced a strategic partnership with Gainz, a Sharia-compliant AI-powered crowdfunding platform, to scale embedded financing for F&B SMEs across the GCC.

Name

Watermelon Ecosystem

Legal name

Watermelon Holdings Limited

Website

https://watermelon.market

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Watermelon Ecosystem is a Dubai-based B2B SaaS and marketplace platform serving the HORECA industry in the UAE and GCC, combining F&B procurement, cloud POS, and embedded financing (BNPL, loans, credit) for restaurants, cafes, hotels, caterers, and suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

F&B Procurement Platform

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wholesale-to-Business Online Ordering (B2B Food E-Commerce) (AFAIAMAD)

Keywords

• F&B procurement platform
• Cloud POS systems
• Restaurant SaaS platform
• B2B supplier marketplace
• HORECA marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission: Platform fees from connecting F&B outlets with suppliers for product sourcing and procurement transactions.
2. SaaS Subscriptions: Subscription fees for cloud POS, order management, inventory, and analytics software tools.
3. Financial Services Revenue: Transaction fees and interest income from financing solutions including BNPL (Watermelon Growth), loans (Watermelon Funds), and credit facilities. Credit solutions offer payment terms up to 90 days with associated fees.
4. Marketing Services: Additional service revenue from providing branding and digital marketing services to F&B businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Watermelon Ecosystem operates an all-in-one B2B platform for the HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants, Cafés) industry in the UAE and GCC, connecting F&B outlets with suppliers through a marketplace while providing cloud-based POS, SaaS tools for order/inventory management and analytics, and embedded financial services including BNPL, business loans, and lines of credit. The platform serves both procurement (outlets) and distribution (suppliers) sides of the F&B supply chain from a single ecosystem.

Product overview

Watermelon Ecosystem is an all-in-one B2B platform for the HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes) industry in the UAE, offering a modular platform architecture. The core offerings include: a Marketplace for supplier procurement and price comparison; Watermelon Finance providing credit solutions, BNPL, and business loans; Cloud POS for restaurant operations management; and a SaaS Suite for analytics, order management, and invoicing. Additional modules include Marketing Services, Local Sourcing (connecting with 50+ local suppliers), Trade Finance, and an Educational Hub. The platform serves both F&B outlets (restaurants, cafes, hotels, caterers) and suppliers, functioning as a comprehensive ecosystem for the food and beverage supply chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketplace A B2B procurement marketplace connecting F&B outlets with suppliers, enabling price comparison, supplier negotiation, automated LPO/invoice generation, and order management for food and beverage products. Free for suppliers to list and discoverable by 2,000+ F&B outlets.
• Cloud POS Cloud-based point-of-sale and restaurant management system providing access from anywhere, with features for dine-in, takeaway, delivery, shift management, merge orders, cash register tracking, sales reports, split payments, and multi-outlet management. Includes real-time inventory sync.
• SaaS Suite Analytics, order management, and invoice automation platform for F&B operations, including inventory management, recipe tracking, user management, promotions, and reporting dashboards.
• Watermelon Finance Embedded financing suite for F&B businesses including Business Line of Credit, Watermelon Funds loans (AED 20,000–500,000, no collateral required), Watermelon Growth BNPL (4 monthly installments, up to AED 500,000 credit limit), and Watermelon Credit Solutions with up to 90-day payment terms for buyers.
• Marketing Services Branding and digital marketing services for F&B businesses to enhance their market presence, offered as a paid add-on to platform customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 hours saved per week per café through platform usage
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADNOC GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Supporting ADNOC's local food sourcing initiatives as part of their AED 1 billion local food catering agreements (2022-2027). Watermelon helps ADNOC meet local sourcing targets across 11 food categories. ADNOC spent over AED 110 million on local food from January to July 2023, with over 50% sourced in UAE.
• Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (UAE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Five-year cooperation agreement to support the National Farms Sustainability initiative. Watermelon provides its digital platform to empower local farmers, enable product marketing, and facilitate integration into the food market. Selected as the interactive electronic transaction platform for government agencies' purchases of national farm products in March 2023.
• Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology (UAE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership relationship, supporting industrial development and technology advancement in the F&B sector.
• Khalifa Fund for Enterprise DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting enterprise development in the UAE F&B sector.
• Dubai PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partnership relationship.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Foodics: Saudi-born F&B SaaS platform offering cloud POS, online ordering, payroll, and now payments and procurement for HORECA across MENA. Most directly comparable to Watermelon's Cloud POS + SaaS suite and competes for the same SMB F&B base in the GCC.
• Tridge: Global B2B food and agriculture sourcing platform connecting buyers and suppliers with market intelligence, supplier discovery, and procurement tools. Directly comparable to Watermelon's marketplace and supplier-discovery layer; already a listed Watermelon partner.
• MarketMan: Restaurant inventory and procurement SaaS that connects F&B operators with suppliers, automates purchasing, and tracks food cost. Closest international peer to Watermelon's SaaS Suite (order management, inventory, invoicing) for HORECA buyers.
• BlueCart (Cut+Dry): B2B food procurement platform for restaurants and food service operators, with supplier catalogs, ordering, and invoice management. Closely aligned with Watermelon's marketplace-plus-SaaS combination for HORECA procurement.

Broad incumbents

• Toast: US-based restaurant POS + financial technology platform with cloud POS, payroll, lending (Toast Capital), and an emerging online ordering and supplier ecosystem. A much larger incumbent whose POS, lending, and restaurant-fintech offerings map directly to Watermelon's POS, SaaS, and Watermelon Finance lines.
• Lightspeed Restaurant: Global commerce platform with a dedicated Restaurant OS for POS, online ordering, inventory, and payments. A broad incumbent comparable to Watermelon's Cloud POS and SaaS Suite, though without a procurement marketplace.
• Square for Restaurants (Block): POS, payments, and capital products for restaurants bundled with payroll, marketing, and online ordering. Comparable to Watermelon's POS + Watermelon Finance (especially working-capital lending) combination for SMB F&B.

Emerging players

• Talabat (Delivery Hero): Dominant MENA food delivery platform with growing B2B supply and restaurant-tech ambitions. Not a direct procurement marketplace today, but its restaurant relationships and capital make it a credible entrant against Watermelon's buyer side in the GCC.
• Careem (Uber): UAE super-app with food delivery, payments, and merchant services. Shares Watermelon's UAE HORECA footprint and could leverage Careem Pay and merchant data to compete in F&B procurement and embedded finance.
• Choco: Berlin-based B2B food ordering platform that digitizes ordering between restaurants/wholesalers and suppliers. Closest international analog to Watermelon's marketplace-plus-order-management product, though focused on Europe/US.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@watermelon_market
• Facebookfacebook.com/watermelonecosystem
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/watermelonmarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/watermelon_market

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Watermelon Ecosystem