30 SEP - 02 OCT 2024
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai
Uday Mukundan
Chief Executive Officer
The Food District Company
Uday is the architect of and now leads the KSA-based Food & Beverages-focused US$50 million (Phase I) Food District Company (FDC) Fund, targeting investments in small and medium-sized F&B companies in the Kingdom. Uday has transitioned to a larger role of value creation in the F&B space to leverage his 20 years of leadership, multi-functional, multi-unit and varied -cuisine experiences in the F&B-Hospitality domain across GCC, US, Singapore and India. Having worked with Fortune 500 entities and enterprises with regional and global presence has enhanced his experience and expertise. His education in hospitality and finance in India and the US from reputed institutes such as Cornell University (US), Johnson & Wales University (US) and Institute of Hotel Management, Goa (India). Uday intends to leverage his extensive operational experience including roles such as functional, training and R & D within the F&B Sector and education in finance to mentor entrepreneurs to achieve their vision in the industry while staying focused on creating value for the fund's investors and FDC. The Food District Company (FDC) invests in entrepreneurs who are building the future of food while revolutionizing the Saudi hospitality & leisure market. FDC, as an equity partner, not only provides the partner entities with capital but also strategic support in achieving their vision and scaling up their operations. FDC aims to enable the entities to grow in the KSA market, within the GCC region, and other promising markets. FDC has deployed $20 million since inception across investments namely Shawarma Hlayel, Food Junction (Just Buns, Birdy’s Chicken), Salmon & Figs (The Social Kitchen, The Social Bakery) by Chef Basma El Khareeji. Key investors of FDC include Dividend Gate Capital, Khashoggi Holding Company, Al-Saedan Real Estate Company, Abdulrahman Al-Suhaim Real Estate Investment Company, Mohammed bin Ishaq Holding Company, and a group of Family offices and HNI’s from KSA.