Former Talabat CTO and Ex-Careem, Khaled Rashad, Joins Food-tech KASO as CTO, Steering Towards a Unicorn Future

November 8th 2023, DUBAI, UAE: KASO, the leading B2B platform that digitizes procurement between restaurants and suppliers in the Middle East, is thrilled to welcome tech industry leader, Khaled Rashad, as their new Chief Technology Officer.

Khaled, a distinguished technologist with two decades of tech expertise, comes on board after contributing to the success of the region’s most successful tech companies, Talabat and Careem, and global tech giants Microsoft and Amazon. 

Most recently as former CTO of Talabat, he drove technological innovation, making food and grocery ordering effortless for millions of customers daily. Furthermore, during his tenure as the Sr. Director of Engineering at Careem, Khaled built a tech team from the ground up, leading them through the Uber exit. 

On joining KASO, Khaled Rashad shared, "What drew me to KASO wasn't just the innovative tech or the business model, but the potential to reshape the entire food industry. Over the past years, I’ve seen the deep intricacies and possibilities within the food supply chain industry. At KASO, there's a genuine drive to address challenges and turn them into tangible benefits for restaurants and suppliers. There's so much we can do to shape a more efficient and sustainable global food system, and at KASO, I’m excited to make that vision a reality.”

Manar Alkassar, Co-founder of KASO, said, “Having Khaled on board is more than just having a new tech leader; it’s about incorporating the insights and entrepreneurial spirit that drove successes, for household names like Talabat, Careem, Microsoft, and Amazon. His ability to drive tech-driven innovation is exactly what we need as we enter our next stage of growth.”  

A graduate of The American University in Cairo, Khaled is recognized for his passion for building impactful products and fostering high-performing and collaborative tech teams. With his vast experience building engineering organizations across Vancouver, Berlin, Madrid, Dubai, Cairo, and more, he brings a global perspective to KASO’s operations.

With the addition of Khaled Rashad to its leadership team following the company’s $10.5 million seed round earlier this year, KASO continues to strengthen its role as both an industry disrupter and leader. 

KASO also thanks Frank Biedka, the outgoing CTO, who will continue to lend his insights and experience to KASO as an advisor. His leadership and expertise from his days as Zalando's CTO have been essential in KASO’s early-stage growth.

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About KASO

Currently operating in KSA and UAE, KASO is the Middle East’s first platform connecting restaurants with suppliers and is currently serving over 5,000 partners in KSA and UAE alone. The Saudi-based company was founded by tech entrepreneurs Manar Alkassar and Ahmed Soliman, with the vision to disrupt the food supply chain. By digitizing the relationship between restaurants and suppliers, they not only drastically improve efficiency and transparency in the food supply chain but also significantly reduce food waste in the region. KASO is funded by various prestigious investors including Y Combinator, GFC, MSA Capital, and BY VP.

For more information, please visit www.kaso.ai

Media Contacts

Janine Pinto

Brand & Communications Manager, KASO

janine.pinto@kaso.ai