Grand Games acquired the Karaganda-based food delivery service EMENU

In late June 2025, the Kazakh mobile game and IT solutions development studio completed a deal to acquire a 75% stake in the Karaganda-based food delivery service EMENU. The studio's founder, 27-year-old entrepreneur Roman Lineytsev, announced plans for the Karaganda service to expand into new cities and increase its coverage across the country, competing with international aggregators.

The food delivery market in Kazakhstan is dominated by major foreign players. Nevertheless, he is convinced that the country has already reached a technological and entrepreneurial level that allows it to successfully compete with international services.

The food delivery service was launched in 2014 in Karaganda by local entrepreneur Roman Malchenko. Over the years of business development, the service expanded beyond the city. Today, EMENU covers more than 15 cities and processes 30,000–60,000 orders per month. In a full calendar year, EMENU delivers over 500,000 orders.

Roman Lineytsev, founder of Grand Games
Acquiring EMENU is a strategic step aimed at developing a local product with a focus on a deep understanding of the features of the Kazakhstani consumer. In the coming months, we plan to invest in improving the user experience: from interface convenience to delivery speed and accuracy. We will also pay great attention to increasing the efficiency of operational processes — implementing automation, optimizing logistics, and developing an analytics system.

In addition, we intend to use our internal resources, technical expertise, and experience in building scalable digital products to expand EMENU's partner network across Kazakhstan. This applies to both attracting new restaurants and couriers, as well as establishing sustainable relationships with local suppliers and technology partners.

We are not aiming simply to compete — we want to offer the market a high-quality, modern, and nationally oriented alternative. We are confident that through partnership with local businesses and with user support, we will achieve sustainable growth.

I made the decision to enter into a deal with Grand Games consciously, based on confidence in the project's potential and the team. For me, this is a logical step that aligns with my strategic vision and belief in the growth of this direction. In mid-2023, we sought consulting from Big Sky Capital VC; together, we analyzed the company's financial model and business processes. At that time, the preliminary valuation of EMENU was $3 million. In my opinion, the current deal will give the business a new impetus for development — both through additional investments and through synergy with strong partners. I am confident that the coming quarters will show positive results, allowing us to reach a new level and strengthen our positions in this market. Furthermore, this presents an excellent opportunity to try and launch the EMENU product into the international food delivery market.