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Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #21)

In this week's episode of the VC React Podcast we returned from our New Year’s break with a packed agenda: two major IPOs, three headline-grabbing funding rounds, and a number of newly launched VC funds and accelerators. We also reviewed MAGNiTT’s 2024 VC activity report, exploring key takeaways and predictions for MENA’s startup ecosystem for the year ahead.

January 18, 2025

Foodtech

Calo raises $25 million Series B to expand its meal plan service beyond MENA

🥙 Founded in Bahrain in 2019 by Ahmed Al Rawi and later joined by co-founder Moayed Almoayed, Calo operates in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.

January 3, 2025

Foodtech

Talabat drops in Dubai debut after region’s biggest 2024 IPO

🛵 Talabat, the leading on-demand delivery platform in MENA, made its highly anticipated debut on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) this week, marking the largest global tech IPO of 2024.

December 12, 2024

Supply Chain

Egypt-based online freight shipping platform Nowlun raises $1.7M Seed round

🚢 Nowlun, an online freight forwarding platform allowing customers to compare between different services and rates, has raised $1.7 million in Seed funding.

December 6, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #20)

In this week's episode, we started with Eyewa’s $100M Series C to scale its eyewear footprint across the Mideast. Already operating 150 stores, the Dubai and Riyadh-based startup plans to add 100 more. We debated whether this is a traditional private equity play masquerading as venture capital and explored how the founders’ Bain consultancy background helped them navigate the eyewear market. Will Eyewa’s story end with an acquisition — or IPO?

December 2, 2024

E-commerce

Dubai-based eyewa raises $100M Series C, led by General Atlantic, to expand its footprint with 100 new stores

👓 Eyewa, a Dubai-based startup offering prescription glasses, sunglasses, blue light glasses, and contact lenses through a DTC e-commerce and retail platform across five Middle Eastern markets, has raised $100 million in a Series C round.

November 29, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #19)

In this week's episode, we unpacked Lean Technologies' $67.5 million Series B round, led by General Catalyst — the firm's first investment in Saudi Arabia — exploring what’s driving global players to the region, the ripple effects, and challenges in scaling A2A payments in a market reliant on intermediaries.

November 18, 2024

Fintech

Saudi fintech Lean Technologies raises $67.5M Series B led by General Catalyst to expand its open banking platform

🏦 Lean Technologies, a Riyadh-based fintech infrastructure provider, has closed a $67.5 million Series B round.

November 14, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #18)

In this week's episode, we started with Beta Lab’s $300M fund for deeptech, bridging Saudi and Southeast Asia. We questioned whether MENA has the infrastructure to support deeptech or if this fund will bring in more international partnerships to build the ecosystem.

November 9, 2024

Arzan VC partners with Ahmad Takatkah to launch revenue-based financing firm, Revenya Capital

💰 Arzan VC has partnered with Ahmad Takatkah to launch Revenya Capital, a revenue-based financing (RBF) firm aimed at supporting tech startups across the MENA region.

November 8, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #17)

In this week's episode, we kicked off with news from FII about PIF's plan to scale back foreign investments to approximately a fifth of its total assets, shifting its focus toward domestic funding and AI. We considered what this shift could mean for VCs and startups in the region, potentially opening up new opportunities for local investment, especially at later stages.

November 2, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #16)

In this week's episode, we kicked off with a discussion on the optimal VC model for firms in the region to pursue, inspired by Sawari Ventures' new $200 million fund to back Egyptian and African startups. We reflected on the sometimes differing approaches taken by OG VC firms like Sawari Ventures (2010), MEVP (2010), Wamda (2010), BECO Capital (2012), and iMENA (2012) – and what first-time fund managers in the region can learn from them.

October 25, 2024

Sawari Ventures plans new $200m fund to back Egyptian startups

🇪🇬 Egypt-based VC firm Sawari Ventures is preparing to launch its second fund, “Sawari Ventures II,” in early 2025, with a target of raising $200 million.

October 25, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #15)

In this week's episode, we kicked off with an in-depth discussion on the best strategies for deploying a large seed fund in the MENA region, particularly in light of SVC's recent $15 million investment into Vision Ventures' Saqr Fund II, which is targeting $90 million to support early-stage startups from pre-seed to pre-Series B. We also explored what's currently missing in the MENA ecosystem and how regional developmental funds of funds can help fill these gaps.

October 20, 2024

SVC invests $15 million in Vision Ventures' $90 million Saqr Fund II, targeting pre-Seed to Pre-Series B startups across MENA

💸 Saudi Venture Capital (SVC), a Saudi government-backed fund of funds, has invested $15 million into Vision Ventures' Saqr Fund II, marking their second time as an anchor investor in a Vision Ventures fund.

October 18, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #14)

In this week's episode, we kicked things off by getting meta with a discussion on Podeo’s $5.4 million Series A round and their plan to expand into emerging markets by focusing on local creator monetisation. This sparked a broader conversation about the ongoing podcasting boom in MENA, and the value of being a guest on podcasts for VCs.

October 7, 2024

Mediatech

UAE-based podcasting startup Podeo closes $5.4 million Series A to go global

Founded in 2020 in Lebanon by Stefano Fallaha, Anthony Essaye, and Mario Hayek, Podeo provides an all-in-one platform that handles everything from content creation and distribution to monetisation.

October 4, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #13)

In this episode, we kick things off by digging into Nuwa Capital and Ajeej Capital's newly launched $100 million regional growth debt fund, Amplify Growth Partnership. We debate the merits of venture debt and explore the debt capital gap for scaling tech startups in the region. Next up, we examine SHIFT's impressive $82.8 million investment from Merak Capital, delve into the variety of mobility solutions they offer, and discuss what truly qualifies as a growth-stage startup in MENA from both a startup and fund perspective.

September 30, 2024

Ajeej Capital and Nuwa Capital launch $100 million growth debt fund for tech in MENA

💸 Ajeej Capital and Nuwa Capital have launched Amplify Growth Partnership, a new $100 million growth debt fund focused on addressing the debt capital gap for Series A to Series C tech businesses in the region.

September 27, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #12)

In this episode, we explore Paymob’s $22M Series B extension and how choosing an extension round can be a strategic move that reflects a founders’ maturity.

September 23, 2024

Fintech

Fintech giant Revolut seeks licenses to operate in the UAE and Saudi

💸 Revolut has applied to the UAE’s central bank for an electronic-money institution license to offer remittance services, with the ultimate goal of securing a full banking license, similar to the one it recently obtained in the UK.

September 19, 2024

Fintech

Egypt’s Paymob raises $22 million in Series B extension round

💸 Egypt-based fintech Paymob has raised $22 million in Series B extension, bringing its total Series B raise to $72 million.

September 13, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #11)

With 24 Fintech having taken place in Riyadh this week, it’s no surprise that this week's episode of the VC React Podcast is dominated by fintech funding, acquisitions, and announcements held in reserve by startups. We certainly appreciate their commitment to thematic alignment — it made my job easier in preparing our agenda!

September 6, 2024

HRtech

Payroll startup Cercli secures $4M to build the ‘Rippling for MENA’

💸 UAE-based HRtech Cercli has raised $4 million in a Seed round to expand its unified platform for managing and paying global workforces across the MENA region.

September 6, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #10)

In this week's episode of the VC React Podcast, we reflect on the launch of a new $200 million investment fund by a group of investors and GCC-based family offices, called Waad Investments, which will be led by prolific Saudi investor Yaser AlGhamdi. We explore the evolving relationship between family offices and VCs in the region and discuss the key differences, if any, between a typical VC firm and a family office from a founder's perspective.

August 30, 2024

E-commerce

Egypt’s MaxAB and Kenya’s Wasoko complete merger of their B2B ecommerce platforms

🤝 Two of Africa’s largest B2B e-commerce platforms, Kenya-based Wasoko and Egypt-based MaxAB, have completed their merger, eight months after the deal was first announced.

August 30, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #9)

Between the Abu Dhabi Blockchain Centre’s new $100M VC fund, Tether’s AED stablecoin announcement, and new funding for Kem (Tether) and Mithu (Adaverse), this week's episode of the VC React Podcast feels like we're back in 2021 all over again as Web3 shunts AI off centre stage (for this week at least).

August 23, 2024

Fintech

Pakistan’s PostEx raises $7.3 million Series A round to expand its platform for e-commerce merchants to Saudi Arabia

🚚 Pakistani startup PostEx, which offers financial and logistics services to online merchants, is gearing up for market expansion, starting with Saudi Arabia this year, followed by the UAE. This comes on the heels of raising a $7.3 million pre-Series A round.

August 23, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #8)

In this week's episode, we had a really candid discussion about the challenges female founders in the region face, in light of funding for female-led startups accounting for just 0.01% of overall funding in July. We also reflected on the surge in MENA startup investments last month, with Egypt leading the way after a difficult few months, and examined why fintech continues to dominate. To round things off, we dug into the details of MealPlanet's $6 million seed round just eight months after launch and explored Magic Leap's continued ability to attract significant investment despite its turbulent history.

August 19, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #7)

In this week's episode of the VC React Podcast, we discuss NVIDIA's acquisition of Bred.dev, a portfolio company of the Saudi VC firm Nama Ventures. We explore the advantages of being a technical VC, examine how Lucky ONE was spun out of Dsquares and how its inception enabled the team to observe transaction patterns and better understand local consumer behaviours. And to top things off, we collectively provide a very quick and superficial review of the graduates from Oraseya Capital's Sandbox Accelerator program.

August 12, 2024

Fintech

Egyptian fintech Lucky ONE raises $3 million round to expand its discounts and credit platform

🏷️ Egypt-based fintech Lucky ONE has raised $3 million in a convertible bond funding round, to expand its range of financial services including credit, discounts, and cashback focusing on serving the unbanked population.

August 9, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #6)

In this week's episode of the VC React Podcast, I finally managed to find an Irish angle and steered our conversation about Educatly's $2.5 million round into a discussion about why Egyptian edtech startups, in particular, are choosing Ireland as a base to scale. We also chatted about Saudi-based AI startup Intelmatix's $20 million Series A funding round, what exactly enterprise AI is, and alternative education models that place entrepreneurship at the core of their offering.

August 2, 2024

Saudi-based Intelmatix raises $20M Series A to unlock AI-driven decision-making for MENA organisations

Saudi-based deep tech B2B AI startup Intelmatix, has closed a $20 million Series A funding round, to provide AI-powered decision-making tools tailored to the specific needs of organisations MENA region.

August 2, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #5)

In this week's episode of the VC React Podcast, Ahmad and I dig into Wa'ed Ventures' recent investments across the AI stack in aiXplain and Rebellions, Egyptian unicorn MNT-Halan's mega-round, OTO's $8m Series A to fuel UAE and Turkiye expansion, and Oasis500 and the state of the accelerator model in the MENA region in light of ISSF's increased commitment to their second fund.

July 26, 2024

Supply Chain

Saudi logistics platform OTO secures $8m funding to fuel UAE and Turkiye expansion

📦 Saudi-based logistics startup OTO has raised an $8 million Series A round, for its shipping gateway that enables online merchants to manage, ship, track, and analyse their shipping and storage activities, from one platform.

July 26, 2024

Climatetech

Omani climatetech 44.01 raises $37 million Series A to turn carbon into rock

🪨 Omani climate tech startup, 44.01, has raised $37M Series A funding for its mineralisation technology which aims to eliminate CO2 safely, permanently and at scale - by turning it into rock.

July 19, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #4)

Omani climate tech company 44.01's $37 million Series A round, tech moonshots, Dopay's mission to bank the unbanked, and the business models behind Arabic digital content providers like Majarra.

July 18, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #3)

The state of startup funding in the MENA region in H1, the impact of government mandates on VCs, what's going on in Egypt, and much more.

July 15, 2024

MENA startup funding down in H1, but not out for the count this year

📉 The first half of 2024 saw a notable decline in total funding.

July 12, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #2)

Saudi-based WakeCap's acquisition of Silicon Valley-based Crews by Core, international VC firms entering MENA, and the Saudi gaming scene with the eSports World Cup in Riyadh.

July 7, 2024

Contech

Saudi-based contech Wakecap acquires Silicon Valley-based Crews by Core

👷 WakeCap, Saudi-based construction management and IoT platform, has acquired Silicon Valley-based Crews by Core, who are building a Trello equivalent for the global construction industry.

July 5, 2024

Podcasts

VC React Podcast (Episode #1)

Tech IPOs in MENA, $8M Seed Startup Round, AI VC Fund, and more.

July 1, 2024

Fintech

Egypt-based Connect Money secures $8 million Seed round to enable non-bank businesses to offer embedded finance services

💳 Say hello to Connect Money, an Egyptian BaaS platform focused on embedded finance services, helping businesses issue white-label debit and credit cards and enabling companies to offer a range of financial services to their customers.

June 28, 2024

UAE-based Tenderd secures $30 million Series A to transform data from heavy equipment into actionable insights

🏗️ Say hello to Tenderd (🇦🇪 UAE), an AI-powered analytics platform that converts data from heavy equipment in construction, manufacturing, and logistics into actionable insights which reduce cost, increase utilisation and lower emissions.

June 13, 2024

Fintech

Dubai-based Elevate raises $5 million pre-Series A to provide global USD banking to freelancers in emerging markets

💸 Say hello to Elevate, a Dubai-based fintech offering financial solutions for remote workers and freelancers in emerging markets to enable global USD banking.

June 7, 2024

Proptech

UAE-based proptech Holo closes pre-series A funding round to simplify the home buying journey

🏠 Say hello to Holo, a UAE-based proptech startup that simplifies the homeownership journey by offering digital mortgage services that allow buyers and homeowners to explore refinancing options.

May 31, 2024

SaaS

Saudi-based Merit raises $12 million pre-Series B to enhance customer loyalty and rewards platforms

🎁 Say hello to Merit, a Saudi-based startup providing gift, reward and engagement strategies, including gift cards, e-cards, merchandise, employee/customer rewards and online white label gift registry solutions.

May 23, 2024

Start-Ups

Meet the 12 new graduates of Batch 7 of the Sanabil 500 MENA Seed Accelerator Program

💫 On Monday in Riyadh, 12 startups were unveiled as the latest cohort of the Sanabil 500 MENA Seed Accelerator's seventh program. These companies will showcase their innovations live at a Demo Day on May 29th.

May 17, 2024

Start-Ups

Tech device bank Revent raises $900,000 pre-Seed round to help SMEs unlock working capital

♻️ Introducing Revent, a tech device bank for SMEs, offering quality pre-owned devices on monthly subscriptions to businesses across the UAE and KSA.

May 17, 2024

EdTech

SecureMyScholarship raises $550,000 to connect students with scholarship opportunities

🎓 Here’s SecureMyScholarship! The UAE-based edtech company helping connect students with scholarship opportunities and providing assistance with loan applications, visa applications, and university application submissions.

May 9, 2024

Fintech

Egyptian financial management platform Swpex raises $4m Seed round

💸 Say hello to Swypex! An Egyptian fintech providing an all-in-one financial management platform that consolidates payments, invoice management, and smart corporate cards.

May 9, 2024

Meet the 10 women-led MENA startups joining the Google for Startups Growth Academy: Women in AI program

👋 Let’s introduce you to the first cohort of the Google for Startups Growth Academy: Women in AI program, that kicked off last week in Dubai!

May 3, 2024

Fintech

Saudi financial robo-advisory company Abyan Capital secures $18m Series A

💸 Here’s Abyan Capital! A startup based in Saudi Arabia, Abyan Capital provides robo-advisory services to streamline long-term investment management in the region.

May 3, 2024

Hospitality

Oman’s Bon Plus secures undisclosed Seed round to streamline supplier operations

☕️ Say hello to Bon Plus, an Oman-based HoReCa services provider offering a SaaS-enabled B2B marketplace that streamlines supplier operations for the hospitality and café sectors.

May 3, 2024

Supply Chain

UAE’s Shorages secures $1 million to streamline GCC fulfillment

👋 Say hello to Shorages! A UAE-based startup that offers logistics and warehouse management solutions to help merchants efficiently scale their online and offline sales across the region.

April 26, 2024

Fintech

Egyptian fintech bokra raises $4.6 million pre-Seed round to democratise wealth management

💸 Here’s bokra! An Egyptian fintech aiming to democratise wealth management in MENA by offering goal-based investment and savings products through asset-backed securities.

April 26, 2024

Beltone and Citadel Holdings partner to manage $30 million VC fund

👋 Say hello to Beltone Venture Capital! They’ve teamed up with CI Venture Capital to manage new $30 million fund aimed at boosting fast-growing tech startups across the MENA region.

April 18, 2024

Fintech

UAE’s Fortis secures $20 million Series A to expand across MENA

💸 Here’s Fortis! They’re a UAE-based start-up providing POS and CRM solutions that empower small businesses to seamlessly accept both offline and online POS payments.

April 18, 2024

Fintech

Bahrain’s Daleel secures undisclosed investment to expand financial marketplace

💸 Say hello to Daleel! A Bahrain-based fintech that helps consumers find and compare financial products and helps banks and financial institutions access insights to acquire customers more effectively.

April 5, 2024

Mediatech

OSN+ and Anghami complete merger to create Middle East streaming powerhouse

💻 UAE-based online streaming platform OSN+ and Lebanon-founded music streaming app Anghami Inc. have officially completed their merger, after completing the deal’s $50 million transaction and receiving all regulatory approvals, to become the Middle East’s new streaming powerhouse.

April 5, 2024

EdTech

$3 million bridge round for Egytpian Sprints to expand AI-driven edtech platform

This Egypt-based AI-powered platform is aiming to prepare skilled talent for the job market through personalised learning journeys and guaranteed hiring programs.

March 29, 2024

Fintech

Bahrain’s Ahlan App secures $3 million investment to expand loyalty and delivery platform

⭐️ Say hello to Ahlan App! A Bahrain-based food delivery and customer loyalty platform that rewards its customers for their loyalty with cashback directly on the platform through its dine-in, pick-up, and home delivery services.

March 29, 2024

ISSF increases investment in Jordanian VC firm Propeller's second fund

🇯🇴 ISSF (The Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund) has invested an additional $1.5 million in the Jordanian VC firm Propeller’s second fund to take its total investment in the Propeller Ventures II (PVII) to $5 million.

March 22, 2024

Tunisia’s Clusterlab secures $600,000 in pre-seed funding to advance Arabic digital content with AI

In 2020, Haithem Kchaou and Chehir Dhaouadi spotted a gap in how Arabic content was being created and consumed online.

March 22, 2024

Saudi's Kitchenara raises $380,000 to expand AI-driven food delivery platform

🍴 Enter Kitchenara! This Saudi-based foodtech offers a food delivery platform where users can explore restaurants through video reviews and receive AI-personalised meal suggestions.

March 15, 2024

Kuwaiti social commerce platform Mojo secures seven-figure Seed round

💄 Meet Mojo! A Kuwaiti social commerce platform that connects users with beauty, skincare, and wellness products, offering a space to explore, purchase, and share personal reviews.

March 15, 2024

Contech

$8 million for BRKZ to connect construction businesses with suppliers

🏗️ Meet BRKZ! A Saudi Arabia-based contech startup that offers a B2B platform for sourcing building materials and managing supply chains efficiently.

March 8, 2024

HRtech

RemotePass raises $5.5 million to enable businesses to hire and manage remote workers

🌍 Say hello to RemotePass! A UAE-based HRtech platform that enables companies to easily hire, onboard, manage and pay remote teams globally.

March 8, 2024

Fintech

$4.5 million for MoneyHash to expand its payment orchestration platform for merchants in MENA

💸 Meet MoneyHash! An Egyptian fintech that provides a unified payment orchestration platform to simplify complex payment processes for MEA merchants.

March 1, 2024

COTU Ventures launches $54M fund to back pre-seed and seed startups in MENA

🇦🇪 Say hello to COTU Ventures! They’re a Dubai-based early-stage VC firm that have just raised $54 million for its inaugural fund to support startups in the Middle East from pre-seed to seed stages.

March 1, 2024

Foodtech

$12 million for The Cloud to enable restaurant owners to boost kitchen utilisation

☁️ Meet The Cloud! A UAE-based cloud kitchen specialising in boosting kitchen utilisation for restaurant owners through partnerships with external food delivery companies.

February 22, 2024

Sawari Ventures to launch $150 million fund to back Egyptian startups

🇪🇬 Say hello to Sawari Ventures! They’re a a leading Egyptian VC firm that intends to launch a new $150 million fund to back Egyptian startups.

February 22, 2024

Women-led VC Globivest achieves first closing to invest in companies where impact meets profit

🌍 Say hello to Globivest! They’re a women-led VC firm based in Lebanon, that just achieved a first closing for their Fund II for an undisclosed sum!

February 15, 2024

Supply Chain

$1.55 million for Logidoo to streamline African cross-border e-commerce logistics

🚀 Introducing Logidoo! A Morocco-based startup streamlining cross-border e-commerce logistics in Africa, offering freight, customs, and delivery services.

February 15, 2024

Proptech

$2.9 million for Rize to expand Rent Now Pay Later across KSA

🗝️ Here’s Rize! The Saudi-based proptech platform providing a rent-now-pay-later solution that allows tenants across KSA to pay their rent in flexible monthly instalments.

February 9, 2024

CAMB.AI raises $4 million to expand multi-lingual AI dubbing solution

🎙️ Meet CAMB.AI! A UAE-based mediatech startup that leverages speech AI technology to instantly dub performances in over 100 languages, dialects, and accents, while retaining the original voices and nuances.

February 9, 2024

Travel-tech

The Digital Hotelier raises $1 million Seed round to provide a seamless guest experience

🛎️ Meet The Digital Hotelier! A UAE-based traveltech providing an SaaS platform designed to streamline hospitality operations and enhance guest satisfaction.

February 5, 2024

Interviews

Behind The Build With Dhananjay Choubey (Revent)

Dhananjay Choubey, is the co-founder of Revent, an online destination for trusted pre-owned electronic devices focused for the MENA region.

February 5, 2024

Supply Chain

$3 million for Roboost to expand AI-driven delivery in MENA

📦 Meet Roboost! An Egyptian logistics startup, offering a delivery management platform that leverages AI to automate delivery operations and resolve performance issues.

February 2, 2024

P2P

$3.28 million for Ejaro to expand P2P vehicle sharing marketplace across MENA

🚗 Meet Ejaro! Based in Saudi Arabia, Ejaro is a peer-to-peer (P2P) vehicle sharing marketplace connecting local vehicle owners with renters across the MENA region.

February 1, 2024

EdTech

iStoria raises $1.3 million Seed round to teach English through storytelling

📚 Meet iStoria! A Saudi-based English-learning app that focuses on vocabulary building through enjoyable graded stories.

January 30, 2024

Interviews

Behind The Build with Mohamed Gaber (Velents)

Mohamed Gaber, is the co-founder and CEO of Velents, an innovative data-driven AI-based hiring platform that combines an applicant tracking system with assessment software to automate the recruitment lifecycle!

January 29, 2024

Start-Ups

Meet the 10 new graduates of Flat6Labs’ Riyadh Seed Program

🚀 Let’s talk about Flat6Labs Second Demo Day! On Monday in Riyadh, 10 start-ups graduated from Flat6Labs, concluding the second cycle of the Riyadh Seed Program which provides:

January 26, 2024

DXwand raises $4 million to automate customer service and employee assistance with AI

🤖 Meet DXwand! A Cairo and Dubai based startup start-up that leverages conversational AI to help businesses in the Middle East automate customer service and employee assistance.

January 26, 2024

Interviews

Behind The Build with Mohammed Alnobani (The Middle Frame)

Mohammad Alnobani, is the co-founder and CEO of The Middle Frame, a Palestinian start-up that addresses the scarcity of diverse and authentic Arab images for media outlets, offering a solution by connecting them with a community of photographers in the MENA region.

January 22, 2024

Proptech

Silkhaus closes pre-series A financing to expand digitisation of short-term rentals across GCC

🏠 Meet Silkhaus! A UAE-based proptech startup digitising short-term rentals across emerging markets.

January 18, 2024

Healthtech

Egyptian healthtech start-up Yodawy receives $10 million investment to streamline prescriptions

🏥 Here's Yodawy! The Egypt-based healthtech startup bridging the gap between pharmacies, insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and patients through its innovative pharmacy benefits manager platform.

January 18, 2024

Travel-tech

Lokalee raises $5.6 million to bring AI-powered content platform to hotels and holiday homes

🏨 Meet Lokalee! This Dubai-based travel tech start-up offers an AI-powered B2B content platform tailored for hotels and holiday homes, focusing on enhancing guest interactions, simplifying operations, and boosting revenue.

January 12, 2024

Fintech

$3 million for Maalexi to help SME agri-businesses streamline cross-border trading

🌾 Say hello to Maalexi! The UAE-based fintech platform that’s helping small agri-businesses streamline the cross-border trade of agriculture products, using AI-driven risk management tools to address payment and performance risks in regional and global supply chains.

January 11, 2024

The Middle Frame provides authentic stock images to represent the Arab region

📸 The Middle Frame is a Palestinian-founded media-tech start-up offering advertising agencies, news outlets and AI companies on-demand photo coverage and access to a library of authentic Arab images from across the MENA region on everything from news to entertainment and sports events.

January 5, 2024

Fintech

Tameed raises $15 million to offer Shariah-compliant digital lending products

💰 Here’s Tameed! A Saudi-based fintech that offers shariah-compliant financing to SMEs for government contract purchase ordering in KSA.

January 4, 2024

Start-Ups

Meet the 12 new graduates of The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator

🛠️ Say hello to The Riyadh Techstars Accelerator’s 12 newest graduates! The Riyadh-based accelerator marked this milestone at a Demo Day as part of the #TechXpand event earlier this month.

December 28, 2023

Imaginario raises $1 million to supercharge video content editing with AI

🎞️ Here’s Imaginario! A startup that empowers companies to build video search and curation workflows with a powerful vector-based API and no-code platform, has announced a $1 million pre-seed round led by Tunisian 216 Ventures.

December 28, 2023

EdTech

iSchool raises $4.5 million to empower students in their tech education journey

✏️ Here’s iSchool! The Egypt-based edtech company offering live, gamified classes led by coding instructors with a curriculum that spans AI, VR, app development, game development, and web development.

December 22, 2023

Fintech

$5.1 million for social savings platform Hakbah to strengthen financial inclusion

💸 Here’s Hakbah! The Saudi-based fintech savings platform that allows users to save and access funds via social savings.

December 21, 2023

Start-Ups

Meet the 16 new graduates of The Garage Plus accelerator

🛠️ The Garage Plus accelerator, in partnership with Google for Startups, recently celebrated the graduation of its second cohort at TheGarage Disrupt 10th event.

December 19, 2023

Healthtech

Chefaa raises $5.25 million to simplify the prescription ordering process

🏥 Here's Chefaa! The Egypt-based e-pharmacy benefits platform that helps chronic patients order, schedule, and refill recurring prescriptions.

December 19, 2023

EVs

$2 million for e-mobility start-up Terra to enhance last-mile delivery

🔋 Here’s Terra! The UAE-based e-mobility company providing an electric vehicle lineup and battery-swapping/recharging network to facilitate efficient last-mile delivery and promote environmental sustainability.

December 15, 2023

Fintech

Nearpay raises $14 million to simplify touchless payments across devices

📱 Introducing Nearpay, the Saudi fintech start-up simplifying touchless payments, offering businesses a secure and seamless solution for accepting transactions across a range of devices, including phones, tablets, kiosks, and handhelds.

December 15, 2023

Climatetech

7 agri-tech start-ups shaping the future of farming

🌱 From optimising insect farming to transforming smallholder farmers into successful entrepreneurs and advancing vertical farming technologies, the start-ups who were present at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit each offer a distinct approach to modernising agriculture, addressing challenges ranging from food security to environmental sustainability.

December 12, 2023