Yasmine founded the tech-based, on-demand logistics and instant grocery delivery start-up YFS. With 400 million orders delivered, 500 affiliates and 3,000 vehicles, YFS empowers businesses with access to Egypt’s e-commerce markets.
Yasmine dreamed of a career making a positive difference for people, and entrepreneurship offered a pathway. Spotting a gap in last-mile delivery capabilities, she returned to Egypt after two decades abroad to launch her company in 2019. Investors were thrown off by her gender and lack of industry experience. With no local endorsements, she struggled to portray enough confidence to gain buy-in. In pitch after pitch, investors asked probing personal questions.
Through grit and perseverance, Yasmine raised an initial $3 million, then another $7 million. At the time this $10 million capital injection was anecdotally considered one of the highest amounts an Arab woman has ever raised for a logistics business.
Pivoting from consumer-to-consumer toward e-commerce models, Yasmine dove deep into grocery delivery. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic threw her into survival mode, working as a driver, operations lead and customer service rep. As she poised to scale, the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruption took hold. Yasmine doubled down and focused on operating exceedingly well.
Now? YFS is Egypt’s leading grocery delivery service, growing revenues 30% in 2022 and prepping to roll the tech out internationally. Meanwhile, her daughters say they won’t work for a company. They’re going to build their own.