A delivery company founded by Arabs takes on its competition in Israel
Deep inside the labyrinthine alleys of Acre’s Old City – home to a 700-year-old Crusader fortress – Muhammad Hani could not order a takeaway pizza. Delivery drivers struggled to navigate the maze of tightly packed ancient buildings, narrow alleyways and winding streets – leaving many of the Arab citizens of Israel there cut off from … The post A delivery company founded by Arabs takes on its…
In the narrow, winding streets of Acre's Old City, delivery drivers found it difficult to deliver food to Arab citizens due to the complex layout of the area. Muhammad Hani, a 27-year-old Arab resident, explained that only locals know the best routes through the maze of ancient buildings and alleyways. Many Arab residents could only pay with cash, which posed another challenge for delivery companies that only accept card payments.
In response to these barriers, Haat was founded in 2019 by Hasan Abasi, who sought to combine technology with the convenience of cash payments. Initially, the idea was simple, but the app's technology ended up being used for various purposes, such as helping the Israeli postal service map villages and assisting small local restaurants to expand their customer base.
Haat now operates in 50 cities across Israel, working with over 10,000 restaurants and markets, and employing more than 500 couriers. The app's success has led to a valuation of over $100 million, according to Aida Kaddan, the company's PR and Communications lead. Abasi, who founded Haat while working for Google in Switzerland, came up with the idea while trying to order a pizza in Umm al-Fahm, where many residents struggle with delivery services due to the lack of electronic payment options and cash-only payment methods.
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