Faced with the pandemic, this alum took her startup from food delivery to logistics
It would be too simple to label CMEOW (external link) as Uber Eats before there was an Uber Eats. Co-founded by Ivy Chen in 2013 as a marketplace app once known as Canada’s largest Asian food delivery platform, CMEOW pivoted during the pandemic to a third-party logistics company offering last-mile delivery services with a mission to help local businesses move faster and smarter.
Chen’s (Retail Management ‘18) journey as a Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer began not long after her start at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). “I was originally an arts major, but I started to think about starting my own business early on,” says Chen. “Honestly, I was doing so poorly that I was required to withdraw from my program before I was able to reflect on my performance.”
After re-applying to the Retail Management program, building CMEOW dominated Chen’s time at the Ted Rogers School of Management, where she was able to apply her studies to her business in real time. “I was not involved in school events or groups,” admits Chen, describing her early efforts to grow the company. “We invested in technology to build our team. Early on, we had employees who specialized in AI.”
“Asian restaurants at the time did not have food delivery—the world was slow in 2013. Simply having a website was an advantage,” adds Chen. Our app could hold up to six orders at a time. Uber Eats, when it began, was one order at a time. We made it easier and more cost-efficient for both the drivers and us.”
During its peak as a delivery service, CMEOW had over 180K users, 2,000 restaurant partners and was active in 24 cities across Canada.
CMEOW pivoted during the pandemic when the company struggled with maintaining a cash-flow-oriented business, but the writing on the wall came earlier. “We noticed in 2018 that food delivery became very crowded. Drivers and restaurants were not earning money with the commissions, and we wanted to leave the unhealthy cycle,” explains Chen, pointing to the eventual Canadian exit of delivery service Foodora (external link) in 2020.
Although Chen no longer groups CMEOW with strictly Asian businesses, its largest client is T&T, the largest Asian grocery store chain (external link) in Canada. As a last-mile delivery service, CMEOW delivers to businesses’ end customers. “When the pandemic hit, our business tanked because other competitors had venture capital. We had our experience growing a marketplace app and a network of drivers to tap into—with our pivot, we’ve helped our clients grow their e-commerce”
“Most clients have one or two stores. It wouldn’t be worth it for them to invest in their own e-commerce and CRM, and so we fill that niche,” explains Chen. “Local businesses have a lot to give back to the community; we help them scale efficiently. Some of our closer clients ask us to build their own e-commerce platform, which we integrate with our delivery services.”
While Chen’s Co-Founder focuses on the technology side, she’s busy acquiring new clients and negotiating partnerships. Today, CMEOW is active in Ontario, BC and Alberta, with a team of nearly 30 people and a head office in Markham. She has since decided to return to Ted Rogers for an MBA.
“After going through the pandemic, our company has stabilized. I want to refresh my learnings and see where else I can take this business.” Chen says, describing her continued relationship with TRSM. “I didn’t apply to other schools. I believe in the university that believed in me.”
On October 19, 2022, Chen was recognized as a Top 10 of the Last 10 at the Ted Rogers Alumni Achievement Awards. Seated among her peers, she was inspired by Dean Daphne Taras’ speech about the role alumni play in inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs, and the importance of supporting TRSM’s student retention.
“Finding out the school is doing everything in its power to retain students is what resonated with me,” wrote Chen in an email to the Dean. Meeting the call to action, Chen has since joined the Dean’s Circle by making a five year financial commitment to the School.
Chen’s keen eye on the market trends has been the secret to her professional growth and CMEOW’s successful pivot. She has no plans to lose sight of the future – flexibility is the next frontier. “We currently require a minimum order, but we’re working to remove that. In the future, even if you have one package a day, we will have a driver for you.”