Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇪🇬 Zeal → $10M · turns payment terminals into customer engagement and analytics tools for retailers, with the funding supporting expansion across MENA, Europe and Africa

🇦🇪 Sav → $3.5M Pre-Series A · builds an AI-powered consumer finance platform combining savings, investments, gold, payments and commerce, with the new funding supporting its KSA expansion

🇰🇼 Dawraty → $2M Seed · provides medical education and professional training to 15K+ learners across Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar

🇦🇪 Keep Converting → $2M Pre-Seed · uses AI to personalise e-commerce product pages based on shopper intent, traffic source and behaviour to help merchants increase conversion rates

🇸🇦 Gaia → $1.5M Pre-Seed · builds a sovereign enterprise AI platform connecting company knowledge, systems and workflows while keeping organisational data within the enterprise

🇲🇦 Charikaty → Pre-Seed at €3M valuation · digitises company incorporation, accounting, compliance and other business administration services, with plans to expand into Egypt and the GCC

🇸🇦 Clauze.AI → strategic investment from White & Case · builds bilingual legal AI tools for contract review, due diligence, governance and legal risk management, with data hosted in KSA

🇸🇦 Carly → investment from Pinnacle · operates a digital automotive commerce platform in KSA, with the new investment combining primary and secondary shares to support its next phase of growth

🇶🇦 QIA → invested in Positron AI’s $875M Series C · backed the US AI inference hardware company at a $5B valuation, following its earlier participation in the company’s Series B

🇸🇦 Aramco Ventures → invested in DeepCtrls’ Series B+ · joined CATL and other investors in backing the Chinese Physical AI company developing technology for energy systems, industrial infrastructure and data centres

🇦🇪🇺🇸 Mubadala Capital → backed Crusoe’s $3B+ round · joined the AI infrastructure company’s latest raise at a roughly $30B valuation after investing in every round since 2022

🇦🇪🇺🇸 The Boring Company → $3B Series D · raised a UAE-led round at a $23B valuation to expand its underground transport network, including plans for 150+ km of tunnels in the UAE

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 PIF is studying a potential merger between Electronic Arts and Savvy Games Group that could combine major console, PC, mobile gaming and esports assets under one platform

🇦🇪 Zamanat launched a tokenized private credit fund targeting up to $100M to finance underserved GCC SMEs through a regulated DIFC structure

🇦🇪 Creative Investments Holding secured $20M at the first close of a planned $50M raise to acquire and scale businesses across food, hospitality, fashion, retail and entertainment in MENA

🇪🇬 The Sovereign Fund of Egypt launched a $19.6M industrial investment sub-fund targeting sectors including automotive components, electronics, food, textiles and pharmaceuticals through private-sector partnerships

🇪🇬 Cultiv plans a new $10M DeepTech fund targeting around 20 early-stage startups across MENA and Africa, expanding beyond its previous focus on Egypt

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

🇪🇬 Ayady & NI Capital are directing new investments into Egyptian startups, with a focus on financial services and helping founders operating abroad expand into Egypt

🇸🇦 SEA Ventures Group & Microsoft signed an MoU to support Saudi startups through Azure resources, Microsoft for Startups, technical workshops, AI capacity building and investor connections

🇦🇪 talabat launched Open Door, a MENA-wide startup programme giving early-stage companies access to live commercial pilots, talabat teams and potential long-term partnerships

🇸🇦 Standard Chartered & Falak Holding awarded $45K in equity-free grants to GigSA, Lesser and Munji following the fourth Women in Tech Saudi Arabia accelerator cohort

🇪🇬🇸🇦 VMS & MINT by EGBANK partnered to help Egyptian startups enter KSA through market-entry support, regulatory guidance, Saudi business networks and a dedicated regional expansion track

🇱🇧 Berytech selected 14 research-based projects from seven Mediterranean countries for its first Research to Business cohort, supporting commercialization, IP, business models and investment readiness

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇸🇾 YallaGo (Mobility/Delivery) plans a $10M Series A after surpassing 200K monthly active users, 1M app downloads and 40K registered drivers in Syria

🇦🇪 Mal (FinTech) opened a global waitlist for its AI-native Islamic finance platform after announcing $230M in seed funding and securing in-principle approval from the UAE Central Bank

🇦🇪 baraka (FinTech) launched trading in UAE-listed stocks on DFM and ADX, allowing customers to invest in local and US securities through the same account

🇪🇬🇯🇴 Valu (FinTech) officially launched in Jordan with BNPL and financing products after receiving final approval from the Central Bank of Jordan

🇧🇭 Sirati (HRTech/AI) reached 20K+ users and 250+ partner companies after expanding its AI-powered hiring platform across Bahrain, KSA and Oman

🇦🇪 NymCard (FinTech) received in-principle approval from the UAE Central Bank to pursue a Stored Value Facility licence, which would become its third UAE regulatory licence

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇦🇪 Dtec MedTech Innovators Forum → Pitch opportunity for MedTech and digital health startups, with selected companies eligible to win a Founder’s Pass and startup pod at Expand North Star 2026. ⏳ September 14

🇹🇳 CEED Fin+ → Four-month program for 15 Tunisian businesses offering financial planning, expert coaching, fundraising preparation, and connections with investors and finance providers. ⏳ September 20

🇱🇧 Hack4Justice Lebanon 2026 → Two-day justice innovation hackathon for legal and technology teams to build digital solutions for Lebanese civil-court procedures, with €9K in total prizes. ⏳ September 25

🇪🇬 SmartX Hackathon 2026 → Hackathon selecting 20 teams to build solutions for smart industry and healthcare, with technical support and EGP 60K in total prizes. ⏳ September 29

🇲🇦 START 2.0 Retail Tech Program → Four-month programme for retail tech startups with a PoC or MVP, offering mentorship, market testing, product support, investment preparation and industry connections. ⏳ September 30

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇦🇪 Dubai Cofounders Wanted Meetup · Sep 15 · Dubai → networking meetup for founders and aspiring entrepreneurs looking for cofounders, collaborators, and new startup connections

🌍 Fireside Chat with Tabby CEO Hosam Arab · Sep 16 · Virtual → founder-focused conversation on building and scaling Tabby and Namshi, with lessons, challenges and an interactive Q&A

🇱🇧 Lebanon AI Festival · Sep 19 · Beirut → full-day AI festival bringing together founders, developers, companies and students for talks, workshops, networking and discussions on AI adoption and careers. The event is targeting around 1,000 attendees.

🇦🇪 Fish Tank by Devin & Hub71 · Sep 25 · Abu Dhabi → hands-on builder event with Devin, product development tracks, startup pitches and prizes across AI, climate, security and healthtech

🇸🇾 SharafAI 2026 · Oct 1 · Daraa → AI and technology conference with workshops, startup showcases, an ideas hackathon and discussions on Syria’s digital future

More Events → here

Techy Bytes

Vodafone Egypt & Cassava Technologies launched Egypt’s first AI factory, offering locally hosted NVIDIA GPU-as-a-Service and sovereign AI infrastructure for government and enterprise customers

UAE is reviewing plans for its 5GW AI data centre project, including potentially distributing future capacity across multiple sites and adding stronger physical security measures

MEEZA signed a QR 1B agreement with a global hyperscaler to provide 8MW of data centre capacity in Qatar for cloud and AI workloads

TokenAI released Horus Cyber Nano 1.0, a 16B-parameter open-weight multimodal AI model built for cybersecurity, secure coding and defensive technical work

Saudi Arabia approved Dental IQ and SAARIA, the country’s first locally developed AI medical software authorised for dentistry and ophthalmology

Microsoft Store began partially reopening to users in Syria, allowing some downloads and app updates without a VPN, although access and paid services remain limited

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇸🇦 Flyakeed → $25.15M Growth Funding · corporate travel platform for booking, approvals, and spend management, with new funding supporting embedded billing and deferred payments

🇦🇪 Enhance → $18.2M Equity + Venture Debt · software platform helping gym operators manage personal trainers and sessions across hundreds of clubs, with funding focused on US expansion

🇸🇦 Nayla → Nearly $18M Pre-Series A Equity + Debt · provides Sharia-compliant digital financing for micro businesses and freelancers using alternative data for credit assessment

🇸🇦 Syarah → $12M · online automotive marketplace letting customers buy new and used cars remotely and have them delivered across KSA

🇸🇦 Sirdab → $10M Series A · logistics platform connecting businesses with warehousing and transportation capacity, with funding supporting GCC expansion and AI-powered logistics coordination

🇸🇦 Rabeh → $8.5M · building a digital investment platform connecting entrepreneurs and investors through AI-powered deal discovery, tokenization, and real-world assets

🇸🇦 ZenHR → $6M Bridge Round · HR and payroll platform covering recruitment, performance, and employee management, with new funding supporting AI tools and regional expansion

🇪🇬 3C Coding School → $3M Seed · teaches coding and AI to children and young people, with funding going toward KSA expansion and an AI-powered personalised learning platform

🇰🇼 Dawraty → $2M Seed · edtech platform for medical education and professional training, expanding across the Gulf through institutional partnerships and B2B learning solutions

🇸🇦 Remedium Network → $1.5M Pre-Seed · sustainability platform using AI to automate emissions accounting, climate risk modelling and environmental reporting

🇸🇦 TakaHouse → $1.5M · develops social mobile games and interactive applications, including card game WhistGame with more than 140K users

🇸🇦 Rwaj → $1.2M Pre-Seed · live shopping marketplace combining livestreams, auctions, payments and shipping to help sellers transact with buyers in real time

🇸🇦 IDRAJ → $598K Pre-Seed · AI platform helping companies assess IPO readiness, manage regulatory requirements and organise documents for Saudi market listings

🇸🇾 Doushesh → Up to $480K Strategic Investment · Syrian classifieds marketplace for real estate, vehicles, electronics, jobs and services, backed through a milestone-based SAFE agreement with Saudi AQAR

🇰🇼 COFE → Undisclosed Round at $178M Valuation · coffee commerce platform expanding into enterprise software, loyalty, digital commerce and AI-powered business tools

🇦🇪 Arabic.AI → Undisclosed Strategic Investment · builds Arabic-first AI for translation, document intelligence and enterprise language workflows

🇵🇸 Churn Solution → Undisclosed Seed · AI-powered retention platform helping subscription businesses reduce cancellations, recover failed payments and win back customers

🇸🇦 Deqa.ai → Undisclosed Pre-Seed · develops computer vision and AI tools that turn operational data into actionable insights for businesses

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 PayTabs agreed to acquire Amazon Payment Services’ MENA business for more than $100M in a deal expected to create a payments platform processing over $40B annually

🇸🇦 Sukna Capital plans a new $100M venture capital fund targeting startups across SaaS, AI and other technology sectors in KSA and the wider region

🇸🇦 Derayah Financial committed up to $65M to HOF Capital’s Strategic Opportunities Fund II targeting AI, enterprise software and advanced technology investments

🇶🇦 Snoonu launched a QAR 2M fund for local merchants offering interest-free growth capital to restaurants, cafés, retailers and specialty stores on its platform

🇸🇦 Salla acquired Saudi payments company Paylink, expanding the financial and payment tools available to merchants across its e-commerce platform

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

🇸🇾 Damascus International Fair concluded with 1.4M+ visitors, nearly 1,000 participating entities and more than $1B in preliminary economic activity across multiple sectors

🇦🇪 UAE extended its small-business tax relief until 2029, keeping a 0% corporate tax rate for eligible companies with revenues up to AED 3M

🇸🇦 Blossom Accelerator launched Blossom Capital with an initial portfolio of nine AI startups spanning enterprise software, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech and retail technology

🇶🇦 Qatar Science and Technology Park relaunched its business incubation programme with 52 startups across 19 sectors, including 25 Qatari and 27 international companies

🇸🇦 Saudi Film Commission selected 20 startups from 350 applicants for its 16-week film industry accelerator covering production, distribution, technology and creative services

🇸🇦 Monsha’at graduated 11 smart-city businesses from its 11th Innovators Program cohort, bringing the programme’s total to 163 supported companies

🇦🇪🇮🇶 DIFC Innovation Hub & Foundation Hub partnered to connect Kurdistan startups with Dubai investors, mentors and market opportunities, with an initial focus on fintech and AI

🇪🇬 Orange Egypt selected Extractor Co, Dev Gain and B-Vita for the international stage of OSVP 2026, with Noor advancing through the Women’s Prize

🇲🇦 Orange Corners Morocco launched a new all-women entrepreneur cohort focused on mindset, business model development, mentorship and founder support

🇯🇴 VentureX & Al Hussein Bin Talal University signed an MoU to support students and startups through training, hackathons, AI workshops, investment guidance, and market testing

🇹🇳 Orange Tunisia named CHITELIX, PigmentOCO and HandiSuccess International as the top three winners of its 2026 social entrepreneurship competition

🇸🇦 Edafa Venture Capital won the VCs & Family Offices category at Inc. Arabia’s Best in Business Awards Riyadh 2026

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇪🇬 ElGameya (FinTech) surpassed 1M registered users with its digital platform for rotating savings circles and monthly savings payments

🇪🇬 Amanleek (InsurTech) is powering AXA Egypt and Valu’s embedded credit life insurance partnership covering 500K+ customers and EGP 13B+ in financing balances

🇧🇭 Sirati (HRTech) reached 20K+ users and 250+ partner companies after expanding its AI-powered hiring platform across Bahrain, KSA, and Oman

🇦🇪 No Competition (Robotics) signed a five-year agreement with Jiangsu Yunmu to develop and test humanoid robots across construction, real estate, gaming and education

🇲🇦 WeTaxi (Mobility) agreed to bring Cash Plus in as a joint controlling shareholder as the airport transfer platform expands its smart mobility services

🇸🇦 SAL & Elm (LogisticsTech) launched CargoGate to digitise cargo documentation, pickup appointments, tracking, invoicing and payments across SAL stations in KSA

🇸🇦 Nabrah.AI (AI/VoiceTech) partnered with Salam to develop agentic AI solutions using its Arabic voice, text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies

🇸🇦 Oumla (Blockchain/PropTech) signed an MoU with Sakani to explore blockchain infrastructure and digital asset applications in Saudi real estate

🇴🇲 Remedy (AI/HRTech) partnered with Otech to launch RISE Talent, an AI-powered platform for strategic planning, performance management, and workforce development

🇱🇧 askLex (LegalTech) integrated with ChatGPT and Claude to provide verified answers on Lebanese law, procedures and legal documents

🇱🇧 SouqMetrics (E-commerce/AI) launched an AI-powered analytics platform that detects changes in revenue, advertising, and customer behaviour and can be queried through ChatGPT and Claude

🇧🇭 Wajba (FoodTech) reached No. 1 across all categories on Bahrain’s App Store with its marketplace connecting users to discounted surplus food from local businesses

🇸🇦 Mila Celebrations (EventTech) partnered with Darent to combine venue discovery and event services, including catering, cakes, flowers, and coordination in one booking journey

🇱🇧 Daribati (FinTech) launched a mobile app combining Lebanese tax calculators, official forms, and paid filing support in one platform

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇵🇸 PIEC Acceleration Program → Growth accelerator for startups with an MVP and traction, offering mentorship, Saudi market exposure and up to $8K in milestone-based funding. ⏳ September 14

🇲🇦 Boost Up Lab Essaouira → Six-month programme for early-stage tech and digital startups offering mentorship, workshops, MVP support, market validation and investor connections. ⏳ September 15

🌍 Asfari Foundation OD Grants → Grants of up to £25K for civil society organisations and social enterprises working across Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. ⏳ September 17

🇲🇦 34 Ventures Batch #3 → Venture studio programme for AI and deep tech founders offering funding, embedded engineering support and a $200K SAFE during the product-market-fit phase. ⏳ September 10

🇸🇦 FARQ Hackathon → National university hackathon focused on student experience, campus operations, and innovation, with up to SAR 60K in prizes. ⏳ September 19

🇸🇦 Suhail Accelerator → Space and dual-use accelerator selecting six startups for Saudi and GCC expansion, with coaching and access to customers, investors and government stakeholders. ⏳ November 15

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇪🇬 Fekretak Sherketak: Business Model Design · Sep 8 · Virtual → free workshop on building an effective business model and turning ideas into market-ready products

🇸🇦 Sanabil Accelerator by Orbit Demo Day · Sep 9 · Riyadh → 13 early-stage startups pitching across fintech, AI, healthtech, commerce, industrial tech, and sustainable food

🇦🇪 Dubai: A Growth Hub for LATAM Tech · Sep 10 · Virtual → how AI, crypto and tech companies can use Dubai for setup, funding and expansion across global markets

🇪🇬 Entalak Entrepreneurship Summit 2026 · Sep 10–12 · El Gouna → entrepreneurship, investment and alternative infrastructure financing shaping Egypt’s economic growth

🌍 Fireside Chat with Tabby CEO Hosam Arab · Sep 16 · Virtual → lessons on building and scaling Tabby and Namshi, with an interactive founder Q&A

🇦🇪 Startup Legal Traps · Sep 24 · Dubai → practical legal guidance for founders on company structure, commercial issues, technology, and emerging regulation

More Events → here

Techy Bytes

HUMAIN accelerated its AI infrastructure push with a $2.5B data centre fund, a new NVIDIA Blackwell AI cloud, AMD/Cisco inference infrastructure, a 100MW NEOM facility, AI in a Box, and plans for HUMAIN OS in 2027

MBZUAI launched K2 Horizon, a six-model open AI suite ranging from 0.9B to 375B parameters for edge devices, enterprise systems and agentic workloads

Adobe, MCIT & HUMAIN will offer 27M+ people in Saudi Arabia 12 months of free access to Adobe Firefly Standard and Adobe Express Premium features

UAE granted Starlink a 10-year license to provide satellite broadband services for consumers, businesses, government, aviation and maritime users

Syriatel & aixplain partnered to deploy Arabic-first AI infrastructure in Syria, with services expected to support Syriatel’s network of more than 12M subscribers

Saudi Arabia approved new requirements for commercial data centres covering licensing, location, construction, cooling, security and operational standards

stc Group launched colab, a new venture-building arm focused on turning digital ideas and emerging technologies into scalable startups

Oman Real Estate Association launched an AI-focused digital platform exploring predictive analytics, digital asset management and smarter real estate development

Apple adjusted App Store developer proceeds in Morocco following the introduction of a 20% VAT on digital services

Syria’s Ministry of Awqaf launched Masjidak, an app for mosque locations, prayer times, services, religious activities and official announcements

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇦🇪 Fasset → $68M Series C · AI-powered stablecoin neobank for payments, investing, and cross-border financial infrastructure, now valued at $1B

🇦🇪 Swvl → $13M Strategic Round · enterprise and government mobility platform expanding in the US and launching lending for transport operators

🇦🇪 Stellaria → $6.8M Seed · combines satellite imagery, geospatial data and AI for defence, infrastructure and environmental intelligence

🇦🇪 Oro → $3M Strategic Round · uses AI to turn natural-language financial instructions into multi-step transactions and execution

🇦🇪 GMNSM → $2M · combines martial arts with child development programmes as it expands into KSA and Europe

🇸🇦 Raff → $1.7M Pre-Seed · connects consumer brands with physical retailers and digitises distribution, inventory and order management

🇦🇪 Remi → $135K Grant · building confidential blockchain settlement infrastructure for banks, exchange houses and payment providers

🇶🇦 Qatar Investment Authority → Led Gatik’s $200M Series D · backing the US autonomous trucking startup operating driverless freight networks

🇸🇦 Aramco Ventures → Co-led Twin1 AI’s $20M Seed · backing the US startup building AI-powered digital twins for enterprise knowledge workers

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 SAB Invest launched a Shariah-compliant global equity fund targeting AI, cloud, semiconductors, healthcare and other long-term growth sectors

🇸🇦 Saudi NDF approved more than $112M for gaming and esports financing 82 entities and supporting more than 127 games

🇸🇦 MBC Group launched MBC Games Studio, unveiling its first title, 1001 Threads of Mizan, at Gamescom

🇸🇦 Master Works acquired a majority stake in 1sTech, expanding into geospatial AI, satellite imagery, drones, and GIS

🇸🇦🇫🇷 Saudi Arabia & France signed 21 agreements across energy, AI, finance, infrastructure, healthcare, and tourism

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

🇪🇬 MSMEDA & Startup Egypt signed an MoU to support startups with training, financing, technical assistance and market access

🇪🇬 Standard Chartered Foundation launched the second Women in Tech Egypt cohort to support 12 women-led startups, with $35K in grants for three winners

🇵🇸 Arab Innovation Network concluded its 2026 hackathon with 236 students tackling 20 real-world challenges and accessing 65 training, incubation and employment opportunities

🇦🇪 Dubai PropTech Hub & Innovo partnered to help construction startups test AI, robotics, digital twins and other technologies on live projects

🇸🇦 Kafalah surpassed SAR100B in financing guarantees, supporting around 28,000 Saudi SMEs and over SAR140B in total financing

🇦🇪 Hub71 expanded its Initiate programme after attracting 5,500+ founder applications, adding new venture builders and selecting Prism56 as its first startup

🇩🇿 Algeria Startup Challenge selected four startups from 143+ applicants for its 2026 GreenTech Challenge

🇸🇾 Aram Lab released a research framework mapping six stages of Syria’s startup lifecycle, finding 68.4% of startups rely entirely on bootstrapping

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇸🇦 Sadq (LegalTech) launched Sadeed, an AI agent for drafting, reviewing, summarising and managing contracts and documents

🇸🇾 My Syria (Super App) reached 12K active users within 15 days of launching in Damascus

🇦🇪 Rentify (PropTech) launched an AI agent to automate rental renewals, tenant intelligence, insurance and payments

🇯🇴 Miqsam (AI/Communications) reached 2,000+ clients with its Arabic-first AI contact centre platform operating across 15+ countries

🇶🇦 KARTY (FinTech) received Visa’s FinTech Innovation Award after launching Qatar’s first Visa card issued by a licensed fintech

🇱🇧 DoorEast (PropTech) reached 43K property listings, 120 agencies and 30K+ qualified leads within six months of launch

🇸🇾 Movo Delivery & Sulfa (FinTech) partnered to introduce installment payments for Movo users in Syria

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇵🇸 OCIF Track II → Growth funding for Palestinian startups offering €10K–€50K through a 50% grant and 50% zero-interest loan. ⏳ September 5

🌍 Umbrella500 Impact Awards → MENA-wide awards for impact startups, community initiatives, and green creators with prizes up to $5K. ⏳ September 10

🇯🇴 AB Xelerate AI Bootcamp → Four-day Amman bootcamp for MENA startups building multi-agent and enterprise AI at MVP or growth stage. ⏳ September 11

🌍 Arab Youth Space Hackathon 2026 → Space-tech challenge for participants across 22 Arab countries building solutions with Earth observation and hyperspectral data. ⏳ September 25

🇸🇦 Finspire → 12-week fintech accelerator selecting 10 startups with up to SAR199.8K in non-dilutive support, mentorship, and pilot opportunities. ⏳ October 4

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇶🇦 Discover Qatar’s FinTech Ecosystem · Aug 31 · Virtual → market entry, regulation, business setup, funding and FinTech opportunities in Qatar

🇵🇸 Brain Gain: Entering Gulf Markets · Sep 1 · Virtual → lessons for Palestinian startups expanding into GCC markets

🇪🇬 Fekretak Sherketak: Startup Incorporation · Sep 2 · Virtual → company structures, legal requirements, documents and startup incorporation procedures

🇸🇦 SparkLabs KSU Demo Day · Sep 3 · Riyadh → eight startups pitching across fintech, logistics, PropTech, pharma, sports and supply chain

🇸🇾 Women In Tech Syria: Your Roadmap to Cybersecurity · Sep 3 · Virtual → cybersecurity fundamentals, career paths, specialisations and skills for women entering the field

🇲🇦 The Trading Show Casablanca · Sep 5–6 · Casablanca → trading, financial markets, regulation, technology and institutional networking

🇸🇦 Intelaqa Business Matchmaking · Sep 8 · Riyadh → 14 Jordanian startups meeting investors, companies and potential Saudi partners

More Events → here

Techy Bytes

HUMAIN expanded its AI push with a Mistral partnership worth hundreds of millions of euros, ALLaM integration with Microsoft, and a 250MW Saudi data centre project

Arabic.AI is launching Atelier, an Arabic-English AI workspace for contracts, translation, documents, voice and enterprise tasks

Egypt launched Karnak Chat, an Arabic AI assistant built on a locally developed LLM supporting Modern Standard and Egyptian Arabic

Roblox selected Riyadh for its MENA headquarters, expanding its support for creators, developers and the regional gaming ecosystem

Abu Dhabi’s TII joined AMD, Intel and OPAQUE to develop TRACE, an open standard for verifying how AI systems and agents operate

Qatar added AI and data science across primary, preparatory and secondary education for the 2026–27 school year

Riyadh launched a Digital Innovation District focused on AI, cybersecurity, cloud, IoT, blockchain and robotics

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇸🇦 AILA → $3M Pre-Series A · uses AI to identify learning gaps and personalise study, testing and performance insights

🇯🇴🇦🇪 HeyBreez → $2.5M Seed · provides enterprise voice AI agents for calls, follow-ups and customer workflows

🇦🇪 Tax Star → $1.75M Seed · uses AI to automate corporate tax and compliance as it expands across the GCC

🇮🇶 Rozenama → $150K Pre-Seed · helps Iraqi merchants build online stores and manage orders, inventory and delivery

🇦🇪 XSquare → Undisclosed Pre-Seed · unifies B2B payments, collections and reconciliation as it expands into KSA

🇴🇲 Cyfr Capital → 5 New Seed Investments · backing Sooq Cars, iO Eats, Darrbak, Decoil and PACK’N alongside Future Fund Oman

🇦🇪 NeoVentures & e& Capital → Invested in Traydstream · AI-powered trade finance platform that has processed $350B+ across seven million transactions

🇸🇦 Prosperity7 Ventures → Invested in Velaura AI’s $110M Series A · low-power chips and software designed to improve energy efficiency across AI infrastructure

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 Pinnacle launched a new Saudi VC fund for growth-stage companies and secondary deals targeting fintech, e-commerce, health, mobility and real estate tech

🇶🇦 Qatar Investment Authority invested in Lesha Bank’s Sharia-compliant equity fund making it the fourth partner in QIA’s Active Asset Management Initiative

🇪🇬 Exits MENA signed a multi-seven-figure deal to acquire Avanz Capital Egypt expanding into private equity and asset management

🇦🇪 IPNation launched with a $100M MENA investment strategy to acquire and develop Arabic music catalogs, publishing rights and entertainment IP

🇪🇬 MSMEDA and Aman signed a $4.93M financing agreement to support around 2,500 microenterprises across Egypt

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

🇴🇲 Oman’s Riyada issued 19,267 new entrepreneurship cards in H1 2026, bringing the total to 32,103

🇪🇬 Egypt registered 26,000 new companies with EGP97.5B in capital during H1 2026

🇸🇾 Syria approved a new licensing framework for digital payments, e-money providers and payment system operators, including a fintech regulatory sandbox

🇧🇭 stc Bahrain selected 17 startups for the second stage of its inspireU program

🇵🇸 Al Wasl Ventures launched the first Founders Majlis chapter outside the UAE in Jerusalem

🇸🇦 Saudi Heritage Commission graduated 16 startups from the first cohort of its Heritage Business Accelerator

🇸🇾 Beyond Ventures & Tamkin partnered with the University of Aleppo to launch an entrepreneurship and AI center for startups, incubation and technology development

🇵🇸 Arab Bank & Palestine’s Ministry of Labour launched a program to support 10 youth-led startups with training, mentorship and a bootcamp in Jordan

🇦🇪 Oraseya Capital & NQubator partnered to create a pathway from startup incubation to investment, including referrals, mentorship and potential co-investments

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇦🇪 Parkin (MobilityTech) signed an MoU to bring its AI-powered smart parking technology to Egypt

🇸🇦 Hudhud (MapTech) surpassed 1M users with locally built navigation, traffic and mapping tools for KSA

🇦🇪 Mal (FinTech) is building an AI-native Islamic digital financial platform covering spending, saving, financing and investing

🇸🇦 PHYLA (BioTech) is testing black soldier fly protein as a locally produced alternative for poultry feed with ARASCO, Tanmiah and King Saud University

🇪🇬 Chefaa (HealthTech) partnered with Egypt Healthcare Authority to improve medication awareness and promote safer medicine use

🇪🇬 Dahab Masr (FinTech) won two World Business Outlook MENA 2026 awards for its phygital precious metals investment platform

🇶🇦 DineNORDER (FoodTech) expanded into Egypt with digital ordering, POS and restaurant management tools

🇧🇭 Mazad (Marketplace) launched a curated luxury auction collection spanning watches, jewellery, fashion, yachts and EVs

🇸🇦 barq (FinTech) partnered with Riyadh Air to build integrated payment technology across the airline’s transaction journey

🇹🇳 ProVerdy (ClimateTech) was named Startup of the Year at Tunisia Investment Forum 2026 for its AI-powered carbon accounting platform

🇸🇾 Moadna (HealthTech) received Ministry of Health approval for its medical booking and clinic management platform, now serving 12K+ users

🇶🇦 SkipCash (FinTech) added QIIB as a strategic investor to expand its digital payment infrastructure and regional growth

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇦🇪 MBRIF Innovation Accelerator Cohort 13 → Free six-month accelerator for market-stage startups offering mentorship, tailored support and UAE ecosystem access with no equity taken

🇸🇦 Healthon 2026 → Healthcare hackathon at King Saud University offering SAR1M+ in prizes, mentorship and potential incubation support

🇦🇪 Ma’an Third Sector Funding Program → Funding program for organisations and social enterprises tackling social challenges across Abu Dhabi. ⏳ September 30

🇦🇪 The Catalyst Cohort 3 → Climate-tech accelerator for pre-seed and seed startups offering investment, workspace, mentorship and pilot opportunities in Abu Dhabi. ⏳ November 30

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇸🇾 Syria Cyber Shield Summit 2026 · Aug 23–27 · Virtual → cybersecurity, digital policy, threat detection, infrastructure security & startup innovation

🇩🇿 Flat6Labs: StartAlgeria Info Session · Aug 24 · Virtual → capacity-building program for entrepreneurship support organisations in Algiers

🇪🇬 Founder Institute: How to Get Funded in Egypt · Aug 26 · Virtual → fundraising readiness, investor outreach, equity and funding options

🇵🇸 Orange Corners: Startup Fundraising & Legal Readiness · Aug 30 · Virtual → funding structures, due diligence, company setup and corporate governance

🇯🇴 Orange Corners Jordan: Ambition Without Burnout · Sep 1 · Amman → sustainable ambition, resilience & decision-making for women entrepreneurs

More Events → here

Techy Bytes

HUMAIN will unveil an AI PC at LEAP built with Qualcomm for local AI models and agentic computing

Egypt’s CREATIVA hubs brought students and graduates together across 17 locations for a five-day AI hackathon

Saudi Arabia will add 50 AI units to the national curriculum for the 2026–27 academic year

Huawei Egypt opened Egypt’s first Huawei ICT Academy at an applied technology school, focused on AI, data science and emerging tech

Sukoon Insurance is launching an agentic AI tool to automate parts of the insurance claims process in the UAE

Qatar Airways expanded Starlink to its Boeing 787-9 fleet, bringing satellite Wi-Fi to 150 widebody aircraft

Egyptian programmer Martiros Mina built a King Tut robot tour guide after winning gold in an international Python competition at age 10

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇦🇪 Naran → $10M Debt & Equity Financing · provides rent-to-own vehicle financing and fleet technology for ride-hailing and delivery drivers

🇯🇴 Arab Therapy → $2M Pre-Series A · provides Arabic-language digital mental health services, AI tools, and online therapy

🇸🇦 Fitting → $1.1M Seed · digitises construction procurement and supply chains, with SAR 150M+ in materials facilitated across 70+ projects

🇦🇪 Cobi → $1M Pre-Seed · uses AI to turn customer data into real-time insights and recommended actions for businesses

🇪🇬 Gameball → Undisclosed Pre-Series A Investment from LvlUp Ventures · uses AI-powered loyalty and retention tools to help consumer brands engage and retain customers

🇶🇦 Rasmal Ventures → Invests in Yuno’s $45M Series B · backing a global payments infrastructure platform connecting businesses to 1,000+ payment methods

🇶🇦 Ooredoo → $800M Investment in Zankore · launching an AI computing and neocloud platform with Nvidia, Nokia and Indosat

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 Saudi Public Investment Fund approved its 2026-2030 strategy shifting toward efficiency, sustainable returns and six priority economic ecosystems

🇸🇦 Saudi Social Development Bank launched a $2.7M social investment fund with Nmaal to finance startups working in health, sustainability and social impact

🇸🇦 Wadi Jeddah plans a $10M VC fund for KSA startups targeting an early 2027 launch and the commercialisation of university research

🇸🇦 Khwarizmi Ventures partially exited Bosta at a ~3x net return, marking the Saudi VC firm’s sixth successful exit

🇪🇬 E-finance signed a deal to acquire 100% of Tamweely for up to $94M, combining its payments infrastructure with Tamweely’s SME lending business

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Egypt’s FRA began live testing the first two projects in its fintech regulatory sandbox

Ma’an launched Athar+ in Abu Dhabi to support social enterprises, non-profits and impact organisations

Falak Investment Hub selected 10 female-led startups for the fourth Women in Tech cohort in KSA

Orange Corners Palestine unveiled five startups in the final batch of its Cycle 10 Pre-Acceleration Programme

Athar Accelerator brought 22 climate startups and SMEs to its Port Said bootcamp, with five set to receive €15K grants

Qatar’s MCIT graduated 10 tech companies from Wasil Cohort 3 and launched Cohort 4 with 12 new companies

Algeria Startup Challenge launched its 8th edition with four innovation challenges across greentech, health, insurance and harm reduction

Wadi Jeddah selected 10 startups for its incubation program and invested SAR1M across the cohort

Mastercard Lighthouse UAE selected six AI startups for its inaugural four-month mentorship program

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇦🇪 Talabat (FoodTech) raised its 2026 guidance after H1 revenue grew 19% to $2.2B and GMV reached $5.6B

🇸🇦 Tabby (FinTech) grew H1 fee and commission income 27% to SAR815.9M, while net profit fell 12% to SAR79.7M

🇸🇦 Rasn (InsurTech) surpassed SAR10B in market value after H1 revenue grew 111% and net profit rose 168%

🇪🇬 Venduo (FashionTech) surpassed EGP40M in B2B transactions connecting fashion brands with Egyptian manufacturers

🇸🇾 YallaGo (Mobility) surpassed 1M users across Syria while generating income for tens of thousands of families

🇱🇧 Wasleh (Logistics) launched a free platform connecting Lebanese travellers with people sending items between Lebanon and the diaspora

🇴🇲 Byanat (AI) turned its telecom AI services into a product platform for critical infrastructure, now operating from Muscat, Riyadh and Doha

🇪🇬 MNT-Halan (FinTech) used AI credit scoring to bring 500K+ first-time borrowers into Egypt’s formal financial system

🇦🇪 Spare and Tabadulat (FinTech) partnered to bring Pay-by-Bank deposits and withdrawals to UAE investment accounts

🇦🇪 Invespy (PropTech) opened a permanent Dubai Broker Hub connecting UAE real estate brokers with developers

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇲🇦 Boost Up Lab Casablanca → Free pre-incubation program for Moroccan startups offering bootcamps, mentoring, fundraising support, and investor connections.

🇦🇪 Ignyte × ElevenLabs Voice AI Challenge → Regional challenge exploring voice AI solutions for government, banking and insurance, launching at DIFC FinTech Hive. ⏳ August 18

🇸🇦 Sabbaq Sports Hackathon → 72-hour sports tech hackathon in Medina offering SAR100K+ in prizes across six innovation tracks. ⏳ August 18–20

🇪🇬 Egypt PropTech Challenge 2026 → Competition selecting 12 PropTech and ConTech startups to pitch at Cityscape Egypt, with exhibition and ecosystem perks for winners. ⏳ September 3

🇵🇸 Nawah Pre-Accelerator → Four-month Flat6Labs program for up to 20 early-stage Palestinian tech startups, offering mentorship, workshops, and fundraising support. ⏳ September 26

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇦🇪 DIFC Innovation Hub: Blockchain in Banking · Aug 17 · Dubai → digital assets in banking & hands-on blockchain workshop

🇸🇦 500 Global: Learned the Hard Way · Aug 19 · Virtual → founders share startup mistakes, assumptions & lessons learned

🌍 C3 EmpowerHer Climate Info Session · Aug 20 · Virtual → program eligibility, support & Q&A for women-centred climate ventures

🇦🇪 Sheraa: Technical Feasibility for F&B Ventures · Aug 20 · Sharjah → site selection, CAPEX, space planning & pre-lease checks for F&B founders

🇱🇧 LEBTECH 2026 · Aug 28–30 · Beirut → AI, cybersecurity, fintech, startups, investors & Startup World Cup

🇦🇪 Founder Connects: Dubai Startup Pitch & Mixer · Sep 3 · Dubai → founder-investor speed networking, startup pitches & mixer

🌍 MENA Rising NYC 2026 · Oct 14 · New York → 200 MENA founders, investors & ecosystem leaders for workshops and networking

More Events → here

Techy Bytes

Saudi Arabia ranked among the world’s top 10 countries for private AI investment, with data centre capacity reaching 467 MW in Q1 2026

UAE Government aims to move 50% of federal operations, services and tasks to agentic AI models within two years

SDAIA launched Ibram for digital signatures and document verification, with 87+ government entities already using its certification services

Oman launched an AI-powered real estate valuation system to improve pricing transparency and accuracy

Jordan launched an AI-powered water project to detect leaks, forecast demand, and reduce network losses

Syria won silver and bronze medals in its first participation in the International Olympiad in AI

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇦🇪 Moove → $250M Series C · $2.1B Valuation · builds fleet and depot infrastructure for autonomous vehicles, covering charging, servicing, maintenance and operations

🇶🇦 Multiverse Computing → €500M Series C · develops AI model compression technology that cuts computing costs and energy use, with a new regional HQ planned in Doha

🇸🇦 RIME → $2M+ Seed · turns cameras and sensors into AI agents for real-time branch monitoring and operations

🇸🇦 MOZN → Undisclosed Investment from HUMAIN · builds enterprise AI for financial crime prevention and knowledge intelligence

🇸🇦 Amplifai Health → Undisclosed Investment from ASICS Ventures · uses AI-powered thermography for injury prevention, recovery monitoring and preventive health screening

🇸🇦 Majestic Mind Games → $1.45M Funding Round · develops original video games from Saudi Arabia for PC, console and mobile

🇦🇪 Soter Insure → Undisclosed Series B First Close · provides institutional insurance for digital assets, covering risks including theft, smart contracts and slashing

🇧🇭 Soor → Undisclosed Pre-Seed · lets users compare and buy insurance policies from multiple providers through one digital platform

🇸🇦 Aramco Ventures → Leads $9.5M Series A in Mitti Labs · backing climate tech for lower-emission rice farming

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 PIF-led consortium completed its $55B acquisition of Electronic Arts, taking the gaming giant private alongside Silver Lake and Affinity Partners

🇦🇪 Dubai-based ICC Loyalty was acquired by Mintoak, adding rewards and customer engagement technology to its banking platform across emerging markets

🇰🇼 Kuwait Investment Authority secured a $4.25B syndicated loan, marking its first syndicated financing since 1999

🇪🇬 Beltone Venture Capital partially exited BirdNest at a 3.5x return, delivering an 80% IRR over two years while retaining a stake in the Egyptian hospitality startup

🇶🇦 QSTP added redalpine as a co-investment partner to its $30M Tech Venture Fund, bringing the Swiss VC’s deep tech investment network and expertise to Qatar’s startup ecosystem

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Forbes Middle East named 102 executives to its 2026 Top CEOs list across 29 sectors

Inc. Arabia named 60 Women of Influence across MENA from more than 300 nominations

UAE Capital Market Authority abolished 15 fees to reduce costs for licensed capital market participants

Oman’s Financial Services Authority introduced 11 new investment fund categories under updated regulations

Ma’an opened applications for the UAE’s first certificate recognising social enterprises

Jameel DeepTech Initiative brought 33 teams from 900 applicants into its Saudi deeptech semi-finals

LOYAC concluded its 11th Kun program with 68 young social entrepreneurs in Kuwait

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇸🇦 Tamara (FinTech) received an A- credit rating with a stable outlook from TASSNIEF, strengthening its access to local capital markets

🇦🇪 Shaffra (AI) opened an Azerbaijan headquarters in its first expansion beyond the GCC

🇸🇦 MoneyHash and Azm Fintech (FinTech) integrated Edaat into MoneyHash, giving merchants easier access to Saudi payment infrastructure

🇯🇴 ScribeMe (Accessibility) launched its Meta AI glasses integration for blind and low-vision users

🇦🇪 Edenred UAE (FinTech) received in-principle CBUAE approval for a Stored Value Facility licence

🇦🇪 healthStay.io (HealthTech) partnered with Mexico Health Concierge to manage international patient journeys from enquiry to follow-up

🇪🇬 IV Academy and Eagle Academy (EdTech) partnered to combine undergraduate and postgraduate digital medical education

🇯🇴 Algebra Intelligence (AI) partnered with Qatar’s Technology Square to expand in the Qatari market

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇾🇪 Made by Yemenis 2026 → Program for Yemeni climate and WASH innovations offering technical support and €5K to each selected project. ⏳ August 15

🇶🇦 SCALE7 Angel Investors Academy 2026 → Investor training program for aspiring angel investors investing in Qatar’s creative industries. ⏳ August 25

🇯🇴 HEYA Women in Innovation → Incubation program for women-led startups in Jordan, offering business support and up to €15K in funding. ⏳ September 5

🇹🇷 VMS Bridge Türkiye → Market-entry program helping Turkish startups expand into KSA through mentorship, market access, and ecosystem connections. ⏳ September 10

🇪🇬 LaunchPad Hackathon → Competition for Egyptian tech projects offering training and prizes of up to EGP 100K

🇹🇳 EL Factory → Free three-month accelerator for seven Tunisian Hardware and Industry 4.0 startups, offering mentorship, FabLab access, technical support, and vouchers

🇸🇾 AI LaunchLab → Free, equity-free eight-week incubator for Syrian early-stage ideas and startups, selecting 16 teams with three months of follow-up support

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇸🇦 500 MENA: The Legal Check · Aug 10 · Virtual → founder agreements, IP, company structure & due diligence readiness

🇸🇦 24six9 Founders Workshop · Aug 11 · Riyadh → hands-on workshop on founder identity, motivation & building sustainably

🇸🇦 FinTech 525 Community Gathering · Aug 12 · Riyadh → fintech founders, investors & operators networking with no panels

🇦🇪 Ignyte × DIFC Innovation Hub Pitch Day · Aug 13 · Virtual → 15 startups pitch directly to LvlUp Ventures’ global investment team

🇯🇴 Startup Grind Amman: Running Out of Cash · Aug 15 · Amman → runway planning, 13-week cash forecasting & surviving cash crunches

🇸🇦 AstroLabs × SBJBC UK-Saudi Expansion Webinar · Aug 20 · Virtual → market entry, company setup, regulation & scaling in KSA

🇪🇬 Alex Angels Capital Connect · Sep 23–Oct 5 · KSA, Egypt & UAE → investor networking, startup matchmaking & cross-border deals

More Events → here

Techy Bytes

Dubai ranked second globally in BCG’s first Intelligent Cities Index covering 61 cities

Longevium is building a $7M AI longevity research lab at Dubai Science Park, set to open in Q4 2026

MEEZA secured QAR 1.6B ($432M) to add around 44 MW of data centre capacity in Qatar

Mubadala is considering up to $6.3B for a 500 MW AI data centre in Japan

SDAIA Academy launched eight summer programs and bootcamps in data and AI for professionals and beginners across KSA

LEONAV-1 completed its first operational phase after validating Low Earth Orbit navigation technology in UAE

Tuwaiq Academy × NVIDIA launched the Middle East’s first NVIDIA AI Innovation Centre in Riyadh

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇦🇪 Epic Markets → $10M Pre-Seed · develops a multi-asset brokerage platform bringing institutional-grade execution, liquidity, and trading infrastructure to retail investors in the UAE and US

🇦🇪 Bundle → $5.5M Pre-Seed · lets brands pool their incentive budgets into shared reward networks that offer larger prizes and fast cross-border payouts through stablecoins

🇪🇬 Fincart → $2.8M Seed · gives e-commerce merchants one AI-powered platform for shipping, cash-on-delivery reconciliation, customer retention, and sales-based financing across MENA and Africa

🇶🇦 GRO Solutions → $600K Pre-Seed · builds an AI-powered financial wellness platform that analyses spending and saving habits to guide individuals, families, and eventually children

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 Jada backed the $200M Growth Catalyst Fund I to expand growth equity financing for established KSA SMEs that have moved beyond venture capital but are not yet ready for public markets

🇸🇦 PIF-backed Brookfield Middle East Partners raised nearly $2B and committed half of the fund to private equity investments in high-growth companies across KSA

🇦🇪 Carbar and Carasti merged to build a global car subscription platform combining more than 3,000 vehicles while seeking $10M to finance international expansion

🇴🇲 Oman Investment Authority invested in Cambridge and Oxford innovation platforms, gaining exposure to startups developing healthcare, semiconductor, applied science, and quantum computing technologies

🇸🇦 Prince Al Waleed bin Talal acquired a 5% stake in Lucid Motors, adding another major KSA investor to the electric vehicle maker alongside PIF’s controlling ownership

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

MZN Hub71 awarded AED 200,000 in support to Limb, Reach LLM, and Hign Al Khaleej after 17 Emirati founders completed a 12-week venture-building program

Orange Corners Palestine selected 15 startups for its tenth pre-acceleration cycle, offering four months of training, coaching, and market-access support

Orange Corners Morocco launched its first women-only cohort, bringing 38 entrepreneurs to support the development of innovative and sustainable female-led businesses

Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund selected 17 startups for its 12th Innovation Accelerator cohort across AI, HealthTech, sustainability, water, EdTech, and advanced manufacturing

Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry launched a Business Guidance and Establishment Office in Lusail to help investors and entrepreneurs understand company setup procedures and access government services

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇦🇪 dubizzle (Marketplace) surpassed 1.33M listings created through its Sell with AI tool

🇦🇪 Pemo (FinTech) received in-principle CBUAE approval for an SVF licence that would allow it to hold and manage business funds and introduce digital wallets

🇸🇦 DESAISIV (InsurTech) launched an AI Insurance Agent that benchmarks pricing, evaluates policy performance, identifies savings, and supports corporate insurance negotiations

🇦🇪 Careem (FoodTech) launched a catering service in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, allowing customers to pre-book meals and hospitality services from more than 20 providers

🇦🇪 eVoost AI (PropTech) expanded into Romania through a partnership with Hercesa, bringing its AI-powered residential sales platform into its sixth international market

🇦🇪 jalebi.io (FoodTech) announced its permanent closure after building an operating system for restaurant inventory, production, and supply-chain management across six markets

🇪🇬 Qualiphi and Tick & Talk (EdTech) partnered to integrate Speekr.ai into Qualiphi’s career platform, giving university students AI-powered practical workplace communication training

🇸🇦 Hudhud Maps (Mobility) launched its locally built navigation app in Riyadh with real-time traffic updates, alternative routes, Saudi Arabic voice guidance, and detailed local location data

🇪🇬 Sahl and Klivvr (FinTech) partnered to let Klivvr customers pay their financing instalments directly through the Sahl mobile app

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇪🇬 DMZ Cairo Pre-Incubation Program → Hybrid program for EDIN and UPEI students and alumni with an early-stage startup idea or MVP.⏳ August 4

🇲🇦 ACCEL’IMPACT → 24-month growth program for established Moroccan SMEs employing at least five people, offering individual mentoring, expert support, and strategic workshops. ⏳ August 7

🇸🇦 C.XSEED 2.0 → Venture-building program for local and international EdTech and future-of-work startups entering KSA.⏳ August 9

🇹🇳 GEN I 2026 → Six-week online incubation program for Tunisia-based entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35. ⏳ August 13

🇲🇦 Open Startup Pre-Seed Track Morocco → Six-month incubation program for Moroccan DeepTech startups developing science-based solutions.⏳ September 6

🇧🇭 StartUp Bahrain Pitch Competition → Pitch competition for Bahrain-based startups with an MVP, Commercial Registration, and at least one Bahraini founder. ⏳Rolling Basis

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇵🇸 AI in Marketing Session · Aug 4 · Birzeit → practical tools for audience research, content creation & smarter marketing campaigns; West Bank students only

🇦🇪 in5 × Oraseya Capital Pitch Day · Aug 6 · Dubai → VC fundraising session + four-minute 1:1 pitches for feedback and potential fast-tracking into SANDBOX; in5 startups only

🇸🇾 SEED Meetup: Syria’s AgriFood Innovation Ecosystem · Aug 8 · Damascus → founders, researchers & industry leaders explore AgriTech, FoodTech and stronger startup collaboration

🇵🇸 Visual Branding for Founders · Aug 10 · Palestine → four-hour hands-on workshop to build a brand kit, social templates & pitch visuals using Canva AI; five places for new participants

🇦🇪 Dtec × Oraseya Capital Startup Pitch · Aug 11 · Dubai → VC fundraising session + three-minute pitches for feedback and potential fast-tracking into SANDBOX for $150K investment consideration; Dtec startups only

Techy Bytes

Qatar University developed GlucoWatch, an AI-powered wearable that estimates glucose levels without needles through a connected mobile app

The UAE introduced new social media rules banning personal accounts for children under 15 while requiring stronger age verification

Robo.ai × Eleven International Holdings agreed to establish Alif Holding in Abu Dhabi to develop and manufacture AI software, robotics, and automation systems

Falcon H1 ranked first in Counterpoint Research’s Sovereign AI LLM Index, placing the UAE-developed model ahead across national ownership

TokenAI announced Horus Cyper, an AI model for identifying software vulnerabilities and recommending fixes

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇸🇾 Labby → $10M investment · builds a Syrian super app launching with taxi bookings and food delivery before expanding into groceries and other daily services

🇸🇦 Fina → $75M debt facility · embeds Sharia-compliant working capital into SME workflows using real-time commerce and transaction data to deliver faster, more flexible financing

🇸🇦 SILQ → $20M structured financing · expands invoice and trade finance through its Fina platform to improve working-capital access for SMEs across KSA

🇪🇬 Fawry → $10.8M financing facility · scales data-driven digital lending to give microenterprises and SMEs faster access to working capital and business expansion financing

🇸🇦 Ash Games Studio → $1.5M Seed · develops PC and console action-adventure games inspired by Saudi stories, history, traditions, and the mythology of Ancient Arabia

🇱🇧 Bounty → $1M+ · operates a freelance-style marketplace where AI agents compete for paid tasks and earn money by completing approved client work

🇪🇬 Reme-D → $1.45M Pre-Series A · manufactures affordable, temperature-resilient molecular diagnostics for diseases including TB, HIV, hepatitis, and HPV across underserved African markets

🇶🇦 SkipCash → strategic investment from QIIB · expands its digital payments infrastructure, merchant network, fintech products, and partnerships across Qatar and GCC markets

🇸🇾 Doctorbook → $16K Pre-Seed · connects Syrian patients with doctors and medical centers while helping clinics manage bookings, patient flows, and medical records digitally

🇦🇪 BY Venture Partners → backed ChatFeatured’s $2M Pre-Seed · Abu Dhabi capital supported a Canadian platform helping brands improve how they are discovered and recommended by AI search engines

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇸🇦 PIF’s $55B Electronic Arts takeover neared unconditional EU approval as the KSA-led consortium moved closer to completing the gaming industry’s largest leveraged buyout

🇸🇦 Saudi Venture Capital backed SEEDRA Ventures Fund II to expand institutional funding for early-stage KSA startups across AI, fintech, proptech, SaaS, and logistics

🇸🇦 Startup House invested $500K in five KSA startups backing HANDL HUB, STOQA, OFINTECH, SIGHTI, and 21 DOCTORS with $100K each through its Atliq accelerator

🇦🇪 MGX-led consortium completed the $40B acquisition of Aligned Data Centers and committed another $5B to expand AI-ready data center capacity across the US and Latin America

🇦🇪 Mubadala Capital launched a $75M tokenized private markets fund with Coinbase and KAIO across Base, Solana, and Sui for qualified institutional and accredited investors

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Khalifa Fund launched seven financing programs for Emirati entrepreneurs and SMEs, covering first-time founders, working capital, expansion, fixed assets, AI, robotics, and flexible revolving loans

MZN Hub71 awarded AED200,000 in support to three Emirati startups after a 12-week program helping 17 founders build MVPs and prepare for later-stage growth

Startup Weekend Syria showcased 16 emerging ventures from eight governorates across AI, healthtech, agritech, sustainability, edtech, real estate, tourism, and enterprise software

National Bank of Egypt awarded EGP 450,000 to three youth-led projects after selecting 12 finalists from more than 50 submissions to its Shabab Shamel initiative

Palestine Technopark launched the first Sharks cohort with 16 Palestinian startups, combining intensive mentorship, investor preparation, and exposure to the US innovation ecosystem

FastTrack JordanTech launched a startup camp for Jordanian technology ventures focused on market testing, stronger business models, investor readiness, partnerships, and commercial expansion

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇦🇪 Sinder (FinTech) launched a staged beta for an AED account and Mastercard debit card designed to give UAE travelers clearer foreign-exchange pricing and more control over international spending

🇧🇭 Flooss (FinTech) integrated Bahrain’s eKey 2.0 to let customers verify their identities, complete financing applications, accept agreements, and manage accounts fully online

🇦🇪 REVYN (Marketplace) launched a zero-commission resale platform where sellers keep the full sale value while buyers pay a transaction fee across fashion, furniture, electronics, books, and accessories

🇦🇪 Rechitta (PropTech) launched an AI platform that matches buyers with off-plan properties, supports multilingual conversations, and helps developers distribute verified project data across broker networks

🇧🇭 Lumofy (HRTech) partnered with IKEA Bahrain to connect employee performance, skills, and development through an AI-powered talent management platform

🇱🇧 Slideit (FinTech) reached 3,500 users with a BNPL app that lets shoppers split purchases while using AI-based local underwriting to assess creditworthiness

🇸🇾 Miyahi (Delivery) completed more than 100 orders in its first week after launching two-hour water delivery and adding gas-cylinder delivery across Damascus

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇦🇪 Hub71 Cohort 20 → Abu Dhabi growth programs for global startups from early stage to Series A, offering housing, workspace, health insurance, investor access, regulatory support, and specialized tracks in AI, climate, life sciences, and digital assets. ⏳ August 2

🇶🇦 Cure by Deerfield Middle East Health Accelerator II → 12-week hybrid accelerator for digital health, medtech, and healthcare startups, offering global mentorship, investor exposure, a Doha immersion week, pilot opportunities, and regional expansion support. ⏳ August 17

🇸🇦 Sanabil Startup Unlocked by 500 Global → Five-day Riyadh bootcamp for early-stage startups with an MVP or initial traction, offering mentorship, customer validation, business model support, and access to 500 Global’s network. ⏳ August 23

🇦🇪 Dubai SME Hi2 Incubator Program → 16-week Dubai incubator for Emirati founders with tech concepts, prototypes, or MVPs, offering business validation, go-to-market coaching, mentorship, and investor readiness support. ⏳ August 31

🇲🇦 UM6P Explorer Innovation Fund → Equity-free program for founders, students, and researchers validating early-stage ventures, offering up to MAD 250K, MIT Sandbox mentorship, prototyping support, and access to StartGate’s innovation ecosystem. ⏳ August 31

🇶🇦 QDB Pre-Accelerator Program → Eight-week program for early-stage global startups with an MVP, offering coaching, market validation, startup visa support, and the chance to receive up to $75K for 6% equity. ⏳ September 5

🇵🇸 Flow Accelerator Support Programs → Remote support for Palestinian founders worldwide at any stage, offering tailored programs, mentorship, startup resources, ecosystem connections, and guidance from idea validation through market expansion.

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Techy Bytes

Iraq granted Starlink an operating licence, opening the market to satellite internet services and expanding connectivity options for underserved and technically challenging areas

RiseUp × A15 × BitRoot launched NVIDIA SIGNALS in Egypt to connect AI founders with GPU resources, technical expertise, global partnerships, investors, and the NVIDIA Inception ecosystem

Egypt × Germany × Sawiris Foundation agreed to establish 10 applied technology schools focused on digital, engineering, manufacturing, electronics, and industry-aligned technical skills

SDAIA will launch 18 bootcamps across generative AI, agent systems, data engineering, computer vision, prompt engineering, governance, and responsible AI

UAE is combining AI, atmospheric modelling, electric charging, and nanomaterials to improve cloud-seeding precision and increase rainfall efficiency

Morocco deployed AI-powered police patrol vehicles in Rabat for real-time monitoring, automated analysis, stronger situational awareness, and faster incident response

Blockchain Game Alliance × Deloitte × DMCC launched the AI & Agentics Council to develop standards for autonomous AI agents that hold wallets, execute transactions, and participate in digital economies

OpenAI launched a ChatGPT program offering small businesses practical training, AI academies, workflow guides, partner tools, and support for automating multi-step work

Facebook launched a dedicated Marketplace seller app, free identity verification, and AI tools for managing listings, writing descriptions, and communicating with buyers

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇸🇦 Think → $8M+ pre-seed · builds liquid-cooled AI hardware and orchestration software that pushes GPU utilization above 90% while cutting enterprise inference costs

🇦🇪 Azraq → oversubscribed pre-seed · replaces static due diligence reports with live AI risk intelligence for lenders and investors financing data centers

🇲🇦 ORA Technologies → $10M Series A · combines KOUL food delivery with ORA Cash payments to build a Moroccan commerce and fintech super app

🇸🇾 AlMkhtar → $100K Seed · digitizes Syria’s fragmented property and automotive markets by connecting buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords, dealers, and developers

🇪🇬 Mylerz → EGP 100M+ · strengthens its logistics, fulfillment, and technology infrastructure to handle growing e-commerce and cross-border delivery volumes across Egypt

🇸🇦 Golden Host → seven-figure Seed · scales a smart hospitality platform combining accommodation listings, hotel bookings, visa services, faster partner payments, and AI-powered operations

🇸🇦 Floaty Studio → $1M · develops mobile games for global audiences, including pirate strategy title Pirasea and hero-versus-robots action game Hero Squad

🇪🇬 Kuadra → new funding · uses AI to turn construction tender documents, procurement requirements, and project specifications from weeks of manual work into structured outputs within hours

🇸🇦 JIMCO → backed Bold Games’ $6M Seed · Saudi capital taps into Turkey’s mobile gaming engine and a veteran team focused on globally scalable puzzle games

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇦🇪 9Yards X acquired Libya’s Labeb AI to strengthen its Arabic NLP, generative AI, and sovereign AI capabilities for government and enterprise clients across MENA

🇦🇪 Dubai Future District Fund backed MetaProp Fund IV to bring the US PropTech investor’s accelerator and early-stage portfolio into Dubai’s real estate innovation ecosystem

🇲🇦 Jaida reached $470M in cumulative financing and expanded beyond microfinance to fund cooperatives, aggregators, and other social economy organizations across Morocco

🇯🇴 Jordan Entrepreneurship Fund committed $5M to Saudi VC STV to build a Jordan-KSA AI corridor connecting startups with capital, enterprise expertise, and regional markets

🇪🇬 Vercel acquired Stakpak to add autonomous DevOps infrastructure to its AI Cloud platform, bringing the Egyptian-founded startup’s natural language infrastructure tools into its global stack

🇸🇦 SyarahApp was acquired by a group operating 1,790+ fuel stations to integrate digital fuel payments, consumption tracking, and fleet management across one of KSA’s largest station networks

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Oraseya Capital selected eight startups from more than 1,000 applicants for its latest SANDBOX cohort, with a strong focus on AI, proptech, fintech, logistics, gaming, and computer vision

Creativa Innovation Hubs selected 27 Egyptian pre-seed startups for its fourth incubation cohort, allocating EGP 9.7M in funding, mentorship, technical support, and investor access

Tech Town opened a new innovation hub in Damascus with startup incubation, co-working spaces, and specialized labs for AI, cybersecurity, IoT, and virtual reality

Dubai SME integrated the Hamdan Innovation Incubator into Dubai Founders HQ and launched a 16-week program for 20 Emirati founders, building from idea stage to MVP

Orange Corners Palestine marked five years in the market, graduated its ninth startup cohort, and launched its first Alumni Awards for standout Palestinian founders

The VentureX awarded EGP 150,000 to Egyptian AI startups after narrowing more than 80 applicants to 16 finalists, while also launching an investment readiness program with Startup Sync

Bina Mauritania launched a new IsDB-backed incubator to support youth-led startups and small businesses with local capacity building, cohort development, and investor connections

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇦🇪 Tabby (FinTech) launched Tabby Cash, a fee-free account and debit card alternative, moving deeper into everyday banking after attracting 150,000+ waitlist sign-ups

🇶🇦 Snoonu (Super App) partnered with Sohar International to bring tailored banking, merchant finance, and fleet funding into its delivery and logistics ecosystem

🇸🇦 Jozo (PropTech) secured Sharia certification for its fractional real estate platform, giving investors independent assurance over its property selection, ownership, and income distribution model

🇧🇭 Mazad (Marketplace) became Bahrain’s first auction platform to integrate eKey 2.0, allowing users to register and log in through the Kingdom’s national digital identity system

🇴🇲 Mamun (FinTech) expanded its Hong Kong presence to build a two-way GCC-Asia trade finance corridor, with the city already handling around 40% of its settlements

🇱🇧 Storyland (EdTech) won the ESA-HEC Entrepreneurship Award for its AI app that creates personalized children’s stories and narrates them using cloned family voices

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇲🇦 The Builders by CEED Maroc → Accelerator for Moroccan startups seeking hands-on mentoring, fundraising support, market access, and up to MAD 200K in grant funding. ⏳ July 20

🇲🇦 Ignite Morocco by Flat6Labs → Six-month incubation program for Moroccan startups with a validated POC, prototype, or MVP, offering mentorship, investment readiness support, and access to non-dilutive funding. ⏳ July 30

🇸🇦 Sanabil Accelerator by 500 Global → 12-week Riyadh accelerator for MENA tech startups with an MVP and early traction, offering $100K+ investment, mentorship, growth support, and Demo Day access. ⏳ August 15

🇸🇦 Code Nine66 Gaming Incubator → Jeddah program for Saudi game creators, starting with a three-day Game Jam before selecting 10 teams for three months of incubation, playtesting, and investor preparation. ⏳ August 29

🇪🇬 Plug and Play Cairo Program — Cohort 8 → Three-month, equity-free accelerator for MVP and revenue-generating startups, offering AI-focused support, corporate partnerships, investor access, mentorship, and workspace at CREATIVA. ⏳ August 30

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Techy Bytes

Grand Egyptian Museum × Microsoft began exploring AI-powered visitor experiences, including personalized tours, multilingual virtual guides, interactive exhibits, and smarter museum navigation

Oman rolled out nationwide summer programs across multiple governorates to train students in AI, robotics, drones, app development, cybersecurity, and entrepreneurship

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning launched INSAIGHTS, an agentic AI tool that turns plain-language questions into analysis drawn from 7,500+ national economic and social indicators

SDAIA launched Saudi Arabia’s National AI Risk Management Framework, giving public and private organizations a unified process for identifying, assessing, treating, and monitoring AI risks

Bahrain’s NCST × CMEC launched an AI-powered inspection platform to digitize regulatory checks, flag compliance risks, and improve oversight across sectors such as construction, healthcare, and food safety

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇦🇪 1001 → $30M Series A · builds sovereign AI operating systems for Gulf infrastructure, from ports and energy to logistics and heavy industry

🇦🇪 AXON → $1M · wants to stitch banks, payment rails, stablecoins, and digital assets into one cross-border finance layer for MENA

🇴🇲 Wiya → Omantel Ventures investment · turns WhatsApp into a full shopfront for Omani SMEs, with ordering, payments, invoices, and AI replies inside the chat

🇪🇬 BrainsMingle → $400K pre-seed · BasharSoft backs a video-first AI networking platform for experts, mentors, universities, and professional communities

🇦🇪 Whiteshield → $15M · gives governments AI policy engines for reading economies, labor markets, and societies in real time

🇦🇪 Maalexi → $2.8M · tokenizes agricultural trade, with 4,000+ smart contracts already moving across UAE, KSA, India, and the US

🇸🇦 Aramco Ventures → led Together AI’s $800M Series C · Saudi capital goes deeper into open-source AI cloud infrastructure, valuing the US platform at $8.3B

🇸🇦 Prosperity7 Ventures → backed MindOn’s Series Pre-A · Aramco’s growth fund bets on a Chinese brain for robots across humanoids, warehouses, factories, and healthcare

🇦🇪 BlueFive Capital → co-led Kling AI’s ~$3B round · Abu Dhabi investor joins Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba Cloud in a record-breaking AI video deal

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇦🇪 Beehive acquired Saudi’s Themar to move from partnerships into a regulated SME lending foothold in the Kingdom

🇸🇦 Sidra Capital joined forces with BlueFive Capital to create BlueFiveSidra, a $3.8B Shariah-compliant asset management platform spanning KSA, UAE, and Singapore

🌍 Catalyst Fund reached $30M to back African climatetech startups, with Egypt’s Bekia already in its portfolio

🇦🇪 OSN made a bid to take Anghami private, offering $3.39 per share for the remaining ~33% of MENA’s music streaming platform

🇸🇦 VAP Group launched VAP Ventures in Riyadh with a plan to back 100 startups across AI, Web3, blockchain, and gaming by 2030

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Egypt unveiled an AI-powered TradeTech Sandbox to help local companies test export-focused tech tools, alongside reforms for convertible debt, M&A, and preferred shares

Egypt’s government revealed a national startup roadmap and new Fund of Funds to back founders, university-born ventures, and research commercialization

SAMA upgraded Saudi’s fintech regulatory sandbox with automated applications and tracking to make testing new financial products faster

Open Startup launched The Science Road, a new deep tech track to move African research-led ventures from lab to market

Sanabil and 500 Global graduated eight startups from their 11th accelerator cohort in Riyadh

Sheraa launched a new founder membership program to support 1,000 Sharjah ventures and facilitate AED 50M in commercial deals by 2030

Dubai Founders HQ and Antler launched a six-week Entrepreneur Academy to help aspiring founders validate ideas, build with AI tools, and fast-track into Antler’s Residency

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇸🇦 Tabby (FinTech) secured SAMA licenses for consumer and SME financing, pushing beyond BNPL into 12-month plans and merchant working capital

🇪🇬 Bokra (FinTech) partnered with Geidea to bring Sharia-compliant digital savings to 200,000+ Egyptian merchants

🇪🇬 Klivvr (FinTech) launched K.ai, its personal finance assistant, after investing $10M+ in tech and reaching 700,000+ users

🇪🇬 Money Fellows (FinTech) was named one of Egypt’s top startups for 2025, with CEO Ahmed Wadi honored at the Egypt for the Best Summit

🇧🇭 Robot Ahmed (EdTech) won Startup Bahrain Pitches, while AI energy platform Evoha took second place

🇸🇦 Arabic.AI (AI) partnered with Magna AI to build Arabic-first sovereign AI capabilities for Saudi Arabia’s government

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇸🇦 CODE Hajj & Umrah Tech Challenge → Tech challenge for startups and teams building pilgrim-experience, translation, and smart crowd-management solutions. ⏳ July 9

🇯🇴🇪🇬 VentureX Act Locally, Expand Globally → Virtual market-exploration program for Egypt and Jordan startups eyeing the UK, US, Italy, KSA, and Qatar. ⏳ July 12

🌍 REACH Middle East 2026 → Growth accelerator for PropTech and real estate-adjacent startups across MENA, with mentors, demo days, and global industry access. ⏳ August 2026

🇸🇦 The Garage Accelerator — Cohort 11 → Riyadh accelerator for post-prototype tech startups, with office space, KACST lab access, workshops, mentors, and investor connections. ⏳ Rolling

🇶🇦 QSTP Tech Venture Fund → $30M co-investment fund for Qatar-based deep tech startups from pre-seed to Series A. ⏳ Rolling

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Major Upcoming Events

🇸🇦 LEAP 2026 · Aug 31–Sep 3 · Riyadh → Saudi’s flagship tech mega-conference returns to RECC Malham with global founders, investors, enterprises, and AI-heavy programming

🇸🇦 Money20/20 Middle East 2026 · Sep 14–16 · Riyadh → fintech’s big regional stage for banks, startups, payments, digital banking, embedded finance, and Saudi’s fast-growing financial sector

🇦🇪 Seamless Middle East 2026 · Sep 22–24 · Dubai → three days at DWTC covering fintech, payments, banking, retail, e-commerce, identity, and digital commerce

🇪🇬 Techne Summit Cairo 2026 · Sep 26–27 · Cairo → startup, investment, and innovation gathering connecting founders, investors, talent, and ecosystem players across multiple tracks

🇦🇪 SuperReturn Middle East 2026 · Oct 13–15 · Dubai → private capital conference at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC, bringing together 600+ senior LPs, GPs, VCs, and private equity investors

More cool events → here

Techy Bytes

Inception42 × Microsoft launched Seraj, an Arabic-first enterprise AI model built on GPT-4.1 and deployed through Core42’s sovereign AI platform

Dubai Municipality launched a city-scale Digital Twin Platform mapping 195,000+ buildings, 280,000+ infrastructure assets, and 1,500+ geospatial data layers

Dubai Future Foundation × Amazon UAE launched a scholarship program to train Emirati students aged 13–17 in AI, robotics, and biotechnology

Letsia committed SAR 50M ($13.3M) to build a Riyadh data center and enterprise cloud platform for AI and government workloads

UAE National Centre of Meteorology deployed agentic AI assistants into live weather operations to monitor data feeds, draft forecasts, and flag hazards for human review

Sony PlayStation will stop producing physical discs for new games from January 2028, pushing PlayStation further into an all-digital future

Meta quietly launched Pocket, an AI gaming app that turns text prompts into small interactive games and creator-made experiences

Microsoft committed $2.5B to Microsoft Frontier Company, a new AI deployment business with 6,000 experts helping enterprises implement AI

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

🇦🇪 CNTXT AI → $60M Series A → sells governments and enterprises AI that they can run without their data ever leaving home

🇸🇦 Teraxxi (DeepTech) → $3M → makes Saudi sand grow with its CarboSoil enhancer, claims 70% more plant growth on the same water

🇦🇪 Sovra (FinTech) → $2M+ → self-custodial dollar accounts where users hold the keys, from a founder who lived through Lebanon’s bank freeze

🇸🇦 Pickappo (LogisticsTech) → SAR 2M (~$530K) → plumbing under on-demand delivery, from an early HungerStation operator already wired into 100+ logistics firms

🇦🇪 Tern (PropTech) → strategic check → Dubizzle backs putting rent on a credit card, fee-free and points-earning; already running AED 150M+ in annualized rent

🇸🇾 Moadna (HealthTech) → $50K → 550 doctors and 8,000 patients already on its booking platform in Syria

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

🇦🇪 ADIA & Mubadala committed ~$2B to EQT’s $12.3B take-private of UK testing giant Intertek

🇸🇦 Growth Catalyst closed a $96M first close from SVC and family offices to buy into profitable Saudi firms

🇯🇴 ISSF put $7M into Endeavor’s $300M+ Catalyst Fund V

🇦🇪 Robo.ai agreed to buy AI venture-builder QC Capital in a $60M all-share deal

🇸🇦 WakeCap acquired Singapore’s Frontline to fuse real-time jobsite data with AI schedule planning

🇦🇪 Kezad Group poured $31M into a new Abu Dhabi SME Hub

🇯🇴 Aqaba / ASEZA launched the Sword-Fish Fund, a three-month track to make southern Jordan’s startups investor-ready

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Startup Egypt launched a national platform wiring founders straight to government, investors, and banks

Outliers VC & SVC picked 14 fellows from 400+ applicants for a Riyadh summer embedded inside startups like Lean and Stitch

Flat6Labs named 14 startups for Cycle 2 of its Google-backed Nawah pre-accelerator

Startup Grind landed in Damascus with its first Syrian chapter

Ashoka & Alwaleed Philanthropies graduated 19 Saudi social ventures from its Innovation Factory

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

🇪🇬 Valu (FinTech) landed an EGP 600M (~$12M) EBRD loan to scale green consumer finance

🇦🇪 Stake (PropTech) launched StakePredict, the Middle East’s first real estate prediction market

🇦🇪 Alaan (FinTech) rolled out an embedded business account with ruya

🇪🇬🇸🇾 eYouth × Doroob (EdTech) partnered to push digital-skills training across 7+ Syrian provinces

🇩🇿 Singularity Computing (DeepTech) earned Algeria’s spot at the GEC+Afrika 2026 finals

🇯🇴 InvoiceQ (FinTech) teamed with Orange Jordan on national e-invoicing compliance

🇪🇬 Fawry (FinTech) entered talks with Egypt’s Ministry of Supply to digitize subsidy and food-distribution payments

🇸🇦 Sahm Capital (FinTech) kicked off World Cup-themed campaigns with a SAR 98K prize pool

More highlights → here

Open For Application

🇯🇴 FastTrack JordanTech Innovators → Accelerator for university startups with a TRL-4 prototype, all governorates except Amman. ⏳ June 30

🇲🇦 Réseau Entreprendre START → Mentorship + honorary loan for 6–18-month startups in Marrakech & Rabat. ⏳ June 30

🇸🇦 The Garage Challenge → A 3-day sprint from idea to MVP to pitch, with perks for winners. ⏳ Starts July 2

🇸🇦 Falak VC Bootcamp → 2-day online crash course in startup evaluation & deal structuring (from SAR 1,899). ⏳ July 4

🇪🇬 ITIDA NextGen Hackathon → Industry 4.0 hackathon in Giza; top 20 teams, 60K EGP prize pool. ⏳ July 4

🇲🇦 Orange Corners Morocco → 5-month all-women incubation (ages 18–35), funding up to 300K MAD. ⏳ July 19

🌍 LBS MENA Startup Competition → Seed / late pre-seed founders, investor access, finals in Dubai. ⏳ August

🇦🇪 Dubai Founders HQ Accelerator — Cohort 2 → Market access via DHL, Visa, talabat & more; scale globally from Dubai. ⏳ Rolling

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events

🇶🇦 DIC Talks: Building Startups with AI Agents · Jun 24 · Doha → live talk + demo on going AI-native with a lean team; free

🇪🇬 AUC Venture Lab Demo Day · Jun 24 · Cairo → 17 Spring’26 startups pitch across AI, fintech & green tech

🇩🇿 Startup World Cup Algeria · Jun 24 · Algiers → top 10 startups battle for a shot at the $1M global final in SF

🇪🇬 Alex Angels Virtual Pitch Night · Jun 27 · Online → early-stage MENA founders pitch angels & VCs for co-investment

🇴🇲 Quantum Computing & the Future of Business · Jun 29 · Muscat → a plain-English session on what quantum means for startups

🇪🇬 Cursor Cairo Build-a-thon · Jul 11 · New Cairo → form a team on-site, ship an MVP in 5 hours on Cursor

🇸🇾 Safierr Tech 2026 · Aug 24–27 · Latakia → national summit to digitize Syria’s higher education; 40+ speakers

More cool events → here

Techy Bytes

UAE Government created a federal AI & Data Authority reporting straight to Cabinet

Dubai unveiled a two-year plan to put agentic AI inside 295,000 companies

UAE Presidential Court launched Zayed, an AI spokesperson– to front its international communications

Hassan Allam × A15 signed a $400M data centre deal in Egypt

Algeria opened its first National Center for Virtual Learning and AI

Zain Esports kicked off MENA’s largest PUBG Mobile championship across seven markets

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Arib (KSA/FinTech) raised $23.5M led by Merak Capital to scale its digital lending marketplace

eVoost AI (UAE/PropTech) secured $2M led by First Drop VC to enhance its AI platform and expand demand-driven real estate solutions across the UAE

RSA XB (UAE/LogisticsTech) raised $1.5M Seed led by 21 Ventures to simplify SME cross-border shipping and expand across key trade corridors

Peekabox (UAE/FoodTech) closed $1.5M Seed to scale its surplus food marketplace and expand discounted food access across KSA and the wider GCC

RemotePass (UAE/HRTech) closed $17.4M Series B led by EBRD Venture Capital to expand into Europe and the US

01Gov (UAE/GovTech) secured AED 1.5M credit guarantee from MBRIF to advance its agentic AI platform and strengthen government innovation tools

ARRW (Egypt/Mobility) secured $4M from Tasheed Egypt to grow its driver network and scale its licensed local ride-hailing platform across Egypt

GymNation (UAE) secured $100M in private credit from HPS Investment Partners to expand across the GCC

Crucifer Investments (UAE) invested in Owners ID’s $260K Pre-Seed to back its QR-based lost item recovery platform

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

GrowthLabs (Egypt) acquired Startup Gate in a deal nearing EGP 35M to build a unified startup infrastructure and scale entrepreneurship support across MENA

MGX (UAE) joined Isomorphic Labs’ $2.1B Series B to back AI-first drug discovery, and expand Abu Dhabi’s exposure to healthcare AI

Core42 (UAE) secured $550M in structured trade finance from HSBC to scale AI cloud and compute infrastructure across the US and Europe

Investcorp acquired a $200M+ US industrial portfolio to deepen its exposure to logistics real estate and distribution hubs

Lunate anchored the $70M Manara Ventures Fund to back Jordanian growth-stage startups, provide $750K to $3M tickets

STV secured investment from Saudi Awwal Bank for its Emerging Tech & AI Fund to back AI-native startups,

Dubai announced a second AED 1.5B economic package to support businesses affected by the regional conflict

Qatar Investment Authority backed a $349M Spain-focused fund with COFIDES to support high-growth SMEs

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Hub71 and Khalifa Fund launched the first MZN Hub71 cohort to support 17 Emirati founders from Al Ain

Qatar University and HyperThink Systems honored innovation leaders at the QEA 2026 Awards

ZINC Jordan and Tamatem Games crowned winners of the Prompt & Play Hackathon

Ibtikar Fund and Replit crowned winners of Palestine’s first Build Week Demo Day

The FORGE (Morocco) unveiled its Operations Tech and Automation cohort to support AI-native startups

NQUBATOR (UAE) showcased its latest PropTech startups at Demo Day

Bahrain launched the Cyber Ready Bahrain initiative to train MSMEs and protect startups from growing digital threats

GameForward Accelerator awarded grants and PlayStation partnerships to Emirati gaming studios

SMEDA (Syria) launched its first national startup competition to map Syria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

Syrian Youth and Entrepreneurs Council launched to support young founders and connect startups with private sector institutions

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

Thndr (Egypt) topped the Financial Times Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026 list

Noon (UAE) announced plans to launch in Syria to expand its regional marketplace

Fawry (Egypt) lined up $2.4M for potential acquisitions to expand its technology stack

Mal (UAE) received in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to launch its AI-native Islamic digital bank

Klivvr (Egypt) launched K.ai to bring AI-powered financial assistance to 700,000 users

WSSL and Dilmune Cloud (Bahrain) won the 25th StartUp Bahrain Pitch to showcase laundry POS and cloud management solutions

Mkany (Egypt) won the Rally Egypt semi-finals to advance its AI-powered student housing platform

More highlights → here

Techy Bytes

UAE Government deployed its first AI agents to automate procurement, tax auditing, customer service, and technical support

Dubai Municipality partnered with Keeta Drone to roll out on-demand drone deliveries across public parks and beaches

Dubai launched the Museum of Digital Art in DIFC to fuse technology and culture

G42 (UAE) finalized a landmark deal to build an 8-exaflop AI supercomputer in India

Dubai Holding partnered with Microsoft to deploy enterprise AI across its portfolio

Djezzy (Algeria) launched AventureCloudz with Algeria Venture and Taubyte to support local AI development

Oman rolled out its first AI-powered autonomous asphalt paving system to improve road quality

NYU Abu Dhabi launched ChatSign to provide real-time sign language accessibility

MOZN (KSA) launched its next-generation Real-Time Transaction Screening platform to help financial institutions detect financial crime

Morocco’s DGSN unveiled AI-powered patrol vehicles and locally built drones to modernize public safety

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Metafare (KSA/HealthTech) raised $1M to advance its AI-powered personalization technology, expand its VR wellness content library, and scale across KSA and the Gulf

Madeed (KSA/HealthTech) closed $925K Pre-Seed to develop its AI-powered preventive health platform, grow clinical and laboratory partnerships, and support its public launch in KSA

Siin (Bahrain/Live Commerce) secured new funding, bringing total capital raised to $3M, to scale its live shopping marketplace, grow its seller ecosystem, and expand interactive commerce across the GCC

CredibleX (UAE/FinTech) landed Series A funding led by Mubadala to expand SME working capital financing, grow its embedded finance partner network, and strengthen its lending infrastructure in the UAE

OGold (UAE/FinTech) secured strategic investment from Plug and Play Ventures to scale its Shariah-compliant precious metals Super App, roll out its OGold Mastercard, and support global expansion

Gabster (KSA/AI) closed $500K Pre-Seed to build its AI-powered business communication platform, unify customer channels, and automate customer service, sales, and internal workflows

Oman Investment Authority invested in Neuralink to expand its exposure to next-generation medical technologies

More rounds → here

Featured Opportunity For MENA Startups

WMF 2026 Startup Opportunity | Bologna, Italy

Selected startups can get a free startup desk package at We Make Future 2026, taking place from June 24-26 in Bologna, with access to B2B meetings, side events, Innovation Night, startup competition opportunities, future WMF events in KSA and Milan, and potential soft-landing support in Italy

Interested startups can email Contact@menastartupdigest.com with their startup name, one-liner, sector, and pitch deck

For general attendees, the MENA Startup Digest community can use promo code WMF26MENA to get a Full 3-Day Ticket for €149 instead of €179, valid until May 22

Grab your ticket here

Main Headlines

Saudi PIF raised a record $7B bond sale to support Vision 2030 projects, sustain development spending, and reinforce global investor confidence in the Kingdom’s transformation agenda

Khwarizmi Ventures closed over $70M for Fund II to back Seed to Series A startups across the GCC, write $1M to $5M checks, and double down on KSA’s growing tech ecosystem

Vodafone Qatar acquired MaktApp to strengthen its enterprise digital services, integrate cloud-based business management tools, and expand beyond connectivity

Central Bank of Syria approved partnerships with Visa and Mastercard to modernize digital payments and support e-commerce growth

CERIST (Algeria) launched the Deeptech Innovation Hub to turn national research into startups, support AI and cybersecurity ventures

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Khalifa Fund launched its second Entrepreneurship Competition with over AED 1M in support to back Emirati startups, provide training and funding, and accelerate market-ready ventures in Abu Dhabi

Saudi Munafis Award recognized 68 students in Makkah to promote innovation, future skills, entrepreneurship, and youth talent development in line with Saudi Vision 2030

QISR Foundation (Qatar) appointed its Board of Directors to lead Qatar’s national research agenda, fund innovation programs, and strengthen links between government, academia, and the private sector

Qatar Business Incubation Center unveiled 20 startups for its 2026 Accelerator Program to support AI, logistics, healthtech, sustainability, and digital transformation

Dubai Holding selected 15 global scale-ups for its Innovate For Tomorrow accelerator to advance circular economy solutions

Savvy Games Group partnered with Roblox to grow Saudi game development talent, support local creators, and expand gaming education

Orange Jordan awarded four women-led startups through its Inspiring Change Award to support innovation in healthtech, fintech, edtech, and sustainability

EdVentures (Egypt) won Investor of the Year at the Global Startup Awards to spotlight MENA EdTech

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

Sarwa (UAE) crossed $1B in client assets to mark a major milestone for homegrown fintech, expand retail investing access, and strengthen digital wealth management across MENA

Cashew (UAE) launched Hazel to offer high-value pay-later financing from AED 10,000 to AED 150,000 across healthcare, automotive, education, and lifestyle purchases

Foodics (KSA/) launched Forward Together to support MENA restaurants with flexible payments, free digital ordering tools, and AI-powered predictive analytics for smarter operations

Eddekhar (KSA) secured Sharia certification for its employee savings platform to support payroll-based savings, compliant investment options, and workplace financial well-being in KSA

Snoonu (Qatar) launched in Kuwait to expand its multi-service super app, build local operations, and bring e-commerce, delivery, and home services to a new GCC market

Mndoub (KSA) targeted a potential $1B IPO to fuel its last-mile delivery growth, strengthen its public market ambitions, and support Saudi Arabia’s expanding e-commerce infrastructure

More highlights → here

Techy Bytes

Abu Dhabi’s TII sold advanced cryptographic AI technology to OPAQUE to strengthen post-quantum AI security

Aramco and solutions by stc partnered to deploy a $372.5M supercomputer to boost seismic data processing and improve reservoir modeling

UAE launched a National AI Test and Validation Lab with Cisco to certify AI systems, strengthen security standards, and build trust across government

Inception (UAE) launched InceptionClaw to provide enterprises with a sovereign agentic AI assistant, automate briefs and workflows

Humain (KSA) partnered with AWS to accelerate enterprise AI adoption, support production-ready deployments, and help Saudi businesses build and scale AI applications

UAE and Dell launched a National Cybersecurity Centre to strengthen threat detection and protect critical digital infrastructure across public and private sectors

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Comfi (UAE/FinTech) secured $65M Pre-Series A to scale its B2B embedded finance platform, strengthen AI-driven underwriting, and expand SME working capital access across MENA

Udora (UAE/Gifting Marketplace) secured $10M to expand into KSA, grow its SME-powered gifting marketplace, and enhance AI-driven tools for personalization and customer support

Lola (Bahrain/FoodTech) raised $3M Seed to build a central production facility in Dammam, scale its custom cake platform, and expand its celebration services across the GCC

AngelSpark (UAE) invested in Kubo Care to scale its privacy-first eldercare monitoring platform, advance radar-based health intelligence, and support global senior care expansion

Falak Investment Hub (KSA) backed AI-Skilled to expand its AI-powered digital employees platform for outbound sales, lead generation, and business development automation

Shorooq invested in Chazm (South Korea) $10.3M Series A to expand into the Middle East and bring data-driven auto finance infrastructure to the region

More rounds → here

Featured Opportunity For MENA Startups

Free Startup Desk at We Make Future 2026 | Bologna, Italy

A free startup package for selected startups to join We Make Future from June 24-26, offering a startup area desk, B2B meetings with governments, corporates, and investors, access to side events and Innovation Night, startup competition opportunities, free team tickets for future WMF events in KSA and Milan, and potential access to an Italian government soft-landing program

Interested startups can email Contact@menastartupdigest.com with their startup name, one-liner, sector, and pitch deck

Main Headlines

UAE launched a $1.36M Social Content Fund to support emerging creators, strengthen family-friendly digital media, and accelerate the country’s AI-powered creator economy

Saudi Investment Company backed BRKZ to digitize industrial procurement, expand direct market access for manufacturers, and streamline supply chains across the Kingdom

Sheraa launched a AED 5M Entrepreneurs Resilience Fund to support startups and SMEs in manufacturing, food security, healthcare, and essential supply chains IN uae

Rain Financial (Bahrain) acquired Digital Ma’arefa to expand into financial media, strengthen regional trust, and support regulated crypto education across MENA

Oman established an AI Special Economic Zone in Muscat to attract global AI companies, drive foreign investment, and advance Oman Vision 2040’s digital economy goals

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

UAE ranked #1 globally for entrepreneurship for the fifth consecutive year, reinforcing its startup ecosystem strength, founder support infrastructure, and access to funding

Sheraa concluded Agriboost 2026 with five agritech startups pitching solutions for food security, agricultural sustainability, and UAE-focused farm innovation

Orange Jordan named 10 finalists for its Inspiring Change Award to support women-led tech startups, recognize digital innovation, and promote social and environmental impact in Jordan

Qatar University launched Entrepreneurs’ Deal to help students turn academic ideas into viable ventures, build business plans, and access expert mentorship in Qatar

Athar+ (UAE) awarded AED 1M in grants to 15 social enterprises to scale impact-driven solutions, support youth entrepreneurs, and strengthen Abu Dhabi’s social innovation ecosystem

Oman celebrated 32 student-led projects at the Rekaz Entrepreneurship Award to promote youth innovation, entrepreneurship skills, and knowledge-based economy development

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

Talabat Egypt opened MENA’s largest express commerce hub to strengthen logistics infrastructure, improve inventory efficiency, and support grocery delivery across Egypt

Kiwe (Egypt) received final CBE approval to launch its social payments app and card, enabling users to manage, share, and track money more easily

Cashew and Mashreq launched AED 150,000 embedded loans to expand beyond BNPL and finance high-value purchases across healthcare, education, automotive, and home improvement

PRYPCO (UAE) expanded fractional property investment to Iraq to give investors access to Dubai real estate from as little as $137

Cash Plus (Morocco) launched instant bank transfers to expand its 4M-user mobile app and strengthen its financial services ecosystem across Morocco

NyuktAI (UAE) won Eureka! GCC’s top prize for its agentic AI automation platform, highlighting rising demand for specialized AI startups across the Gulf

Zid (KSA) entered the Syrian market through a strategic partnership with ROVO to build e-commerce infrastructure, digital payments, and logistics tools for local merchants

Nabrah (KSA) outperformed global speech recognition rivals in Arabic STT accuracy, strengthening Saudi-built voice AI for enterprise and government use

Risha.ai (UAE) launched an integrated Arabic AI platform to help creators generate scripts, images, videos, dubbing, and localized content across regional dialects

More highlights → here

Open For Application

Prompt and Play AI Game Development Hackathon | Jordan

A 3-day AI game development hackathon for creators, developers, and innovators, offering cash prizes up to 1,500 JOD, Replit credits, expert workshops, and mentorship

Impact46 Gaming Fund | KSA / MENA

A SAR 150M gaming fund for early-stage gaming startups, offering capital investment, strategic support, ecosystem access, and guidance to scale across KSA and the wider MENA region

Green Growth and Jobs Accelerator Project | Morocco

A green growth accelerator program for established SMEs in Morocco, offering expert support, practical workshops, green community access, and investment matchmaking

Takween Program | West Bank, Palestine

A training, mentorship, and grant program for home-based businesses, SMEs, startups, and cooperatives, offering grants of up to $6,000 and expert business coaching

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Cool Events TO Attend This Week

ReimaginED Networking Meetup | May 10 | Dubai

An exclusive EdTech networking meetup bringing founders, investors, and education leaders together to explore partnerships, future learning trends, and venture opportunities

KAU Angel Investor Program | May 11 | Jeddah

A specialized angel investor program for King Abdulaziz University affiliates, offering investment training, startup deal flow, and access to the Falak Angels network

Ignyte Investor-Exclusive Pitch Day | May 19 | Dubai

A curated investor-exclusive pitch day connecting 15 high-potential tech startups with regional and international investors for rapid pitches, live feedback, and capital access

More events → here

Techy Bytes

UAE renamed its Ministerial Council for AI and Development to embed AI into federal policy, legislation, performance, and government operations

AIJRF (UAE) launched AIML to train 100 Arab executives in Agentic AI, Management 4.0, cybersecurity, and AI-driven digital transformation

MBZUAI (UAE) developed DP-Fusion to prevent live AI models from leaking sensitive data, strengthen enterprise privacy, and protect high-stakes AI deployments

Digital Dubai unveiled an AI Integration Matrix to standardize government AI adoption, reduce project duplication, and coordinate deployment across public services

Algeria launched a national AI training program to equip startup-focused talent, strengthen applied AI skills, and support its growing digital economy

Iraq mapped a national AI strategy to build local AI infrastructure, develop a sovereign Iraq LLM, and advance the country’s digital transformation ambitions

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Signit (KSA/Enterprise AI) secured $15M Series A to expand from digital signatures into AI-powered contract lifecycle management for enterprises and government bodies across KSA

FASCANO (Oman/HospitalityTech) secured $10M to scale its hospitality tech platform, expand business operations, and enter new regional markets

Sinai.ai (Egypt/AI EdTech) raised $1.45M Pre-Seed to scale its AI-powered interactive book platform, strengthen its AI infrastructure, and expand publisher licensing partnerships

HealPort (Oman/HealthTech) raised $1.2M to develop its platform, unify fragmented health data, and support global expansion across governments, health agencies, and medical institutions

Prosperity7 Ventures (KSA) led Creao AI’s $10M round to advance no-code AI app development and support the startup’s cloud platform for building AI applications through natural language

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

iSchool (Egypt/EdTech) acquired Rubikal to strengthen its engineering capabilities, integrate a 21-person software team, and build AI infrastructure for schools across global markets

Saudi Venture Capital (KSA) backed a new $150M to $200M Growth Catalyst Fund to support established mid-market companies and strengthen the Kingdom’s growth-stage investment market

Speedinvest launched its first MEA fund backed by Mubadala, QIA, and EIB Global to invest in early and growth-stage tech startups across fintech, AI, health, climate, and digital infrastructure

Tamwilcom and IFC (Morocco) partnered on a $300M risk-sharing facility to expand SME financing, support women-led and agricultural businesses, and help close Morocco’s credit gap

Falak Holding (KSA) acquired a majority stake in Kernel to deepen its AI capabilities and support AI-driven ventures across KSA, Jordan, and the wider MENA region

Oman deployed over RO 1.3B in SME financing to support startups, expand private sector growth, and advance Oman Vision 2040 diversification goals

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

parachute16 (KSA) launched P16 Hub in Riyadh to support startup soft landing, market entry, ecosystem activation, and founder-investor connectivity in KSA

COLABS (KSA/Workspace) launched a 4,000 sqm Riyadh campus to support startups, SMEs, and scaleups with workspace, community programming, and cross-border Saudi-Pakistan ecosystem connectivity

Oman Investment Authority launched Foras to connect local SMEs with procurement opportunities across its portfolio and strengthen Oman’s local supply chains

UAE launched Entrepreneurs from Emirati Families to train 1,000 national entrepreneurs and help turn family skills into sustainable businesses

UAE Hackathon 2026 kicked off with a focus on AI, data, and emerging technologies to build practical solutions for national digital impact

Central Bank of Syria launched a digital foreign exchange and gold platform to regulate trading, unify pricing, and increase financial transparency

Genesis Founders (Morocco) launched a venture studio to co-build Moroccan startups with capital, operational support, and shared services from ideation to growth

More updates → here

Open For Application

Sharaka Capital Seed and Series A Funding | KSA / GCC

A Seed and Series A funding opportunity for startups in KSA and the GCC, generating $500K+ in annual revenue, offering capital investment, strategic partnership, and regional growth support

Leancubator Startup Fundraising Support Services | Algeri

A fundraising advisory service for startups preparing to raise or actively raising funds, offering a free consultation, pitch deck support, investor materials, and legal and financial guidance

Intelak Hub 2026 Incubator and Accelerator Programs | UAE

A 12-week incubator and accelerator program for aviation, travel, and tourism startups, offering mentorship from the Emirates Group and DET, industry access, and support to scale in Dubai

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Startups Highlights

AHOY (UAE) surpassed $100M in ARR and entered talks for a growth-stage round to scale its sovereign edge AI across cities, utilities, and transportation networks

Parkly (UAE) launched a digital parking companion to simplify zone discovery, SMS payments, vehicle location, and parking spend tracking across multiple emirates

MoneyHash (Egypt) inked a multi-year Visa partnership to scale Cybersource access and help merchants simplify payment infrastructure across emerging markets

Snoonu (Qatar) launched Snoonu Cloud to turn its super app ecosystem into a platform-as-a-service for governments and businesses building digital economies

Raspire (Egypt) joined Y Combinator to take its no-code runtime security platform global and protect applications across regulated industries

Arabic.AI (UAE) partnered with HeyBreez to scale enterprise-grade Arabic voice AI for governments and businesses across MENA

Rently (UAE) surpassed $10M in transactions as it expands flexible monthly rent payments for tenants and landlords across the UAE

More highlights → here

Techy Bytes

UAE President explored AI and space opportunities with Elon Musk and Larry Fink, signaling deeper interest in global tech collaboration and advanced investment plays

DIFC (UAE) moved to build the world’s first AI-native financial centre in Dubai, embedding AI into regulation, operations, talent, and smart district infrastructure

Khazna Data Centers (UAE) achieved the world’s first zero-waste data center certification after diverting 99.55% of facility waste from landfill at its Dubai DXB8 facility

Valeo (Egypt) opened a new Cairo AI R&D Centre to advance smart mobility software and strengthen Egypt’s role in its global AI engineering network

Paragon-Adeer and Plug and Play launched a 500-acre AI Campus to anchor Egypt’s tech future and support 100 AI startups by 2030

TokenAI (Egypt) released Horus 1.0-4B, an open-source Arabic-focused LLM that outperforms larger global models on key multilingual and Arabic benchmarks

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Aya (KSA/FashionTech) secured $7M Series A to scale its real-time fashion model and expand its demand-driven production platform across new fashion and lifestyle categories in the GCC

Skipr (UAE/AI Infrastructure) secured $2M Seed to advance sovereign AI infrastructure and deploy its programmable governance layer across national and enterprise projects

Ray (UAE/UrbanTech) secured $1.2M Seed to scale its tap-to-pay powerbank sharing network across the UAE and expand into high-traffic hubs across the GCC

Reme-D (Egypt/BioTech) raised $500K to scale its room-temperature molecular diagnostics and cut testing costs across Africa and the Middle East

Qatar Investment Authority backed Plata’s $405M Series C as the Latin American digital bank reached a $5B valuation and scaled its banking operations across the region

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

Snoonu (Qatar) launched Startup Factory and kicked it off with a $100K Pre-Seed for SUFRA AI to back local founders and strengthen Qatar’s early-stage innovation pipeline

Saudi Public Investment Fund injected another $550M into Lucid to support EV production in the Kingdom and deepen its long-term bet on next-generation mobility

Homegrown Ventures (UAE) closed an oversubscribed $22.8M fund to back early-stage consumer brands and build MENA’s first dedicated VC platform for CPG and FMCG startups

Edafa Venture acquired Egypt’s Cyclex in a six-figure deal to scale waste-to-value operations and deepen its circular economy footprint in the region

Tamatem acquired Playable Factory to build an AI-first gaming and ad tech ecosystem and strengthen monetization, distribution, and user acquisition infrastructure across MENA

CE-Ventures (UAE) scored a major biotech exit through Eli Lilly’s $300M acquisition of CrossBridge Bio, validating its early bet on next-generation cancer therapeutics

Bahrain deployed a $19B support package to shield banks, businesses, and households from regional conflict spillover and preserve financial system stability

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

UAE launched the Young UAE Merchants Award to foster youth entrepreneurship and build practical business and financial skills among the next generation

Omantel Accelerator tapped eight startups for its 7th cohort, deepening its focus on AI, FinTech, cybersecurity, and digital health in Oman

Egypt moved to activate its Startup Charter through a new executive program designed to boost startup survival, accelerate growth, and strengthen global competitiveness

Homs University launched an ICT incubator to fuel Syria’s next wave of tech startups and help young founders turn digital ideas into viable businesses

Libya pushed to launch university incubators to back 1,000 new entrepreneurs and connect academic talent with the country’s startup and digital economy ambitions

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

Woliz (Morocco) was crowned FinTech & Blockchain Champion at GITEX Africa 2026 for building digital infrastructure that formalizes and empowers Africa’s micro-retail economy

Raedbots (Egypt) launched as MENA’s first homegrown industrial robotics manufacturer, bringing lower-cost automation and locally built robotic systems to regional factories

Tabby secured a Central Bank license to launch a digital wallet and expand beyond BNPL into spending accounts, cards, and money management tools

AHOY (UAE) surpassed $100M in revenue and initiated talks for a global AI rollout across critical infrastructure, sovereign sites, and transportation networks

Money Fellows (Egypt) entered Morocco through a Wafacash partnership to digitize Daret savings circles and expand regulated community finance tools in the market

Nana (KSA/Q-commerce) entered financial reorganization after its record funding rounds, seeking to restructure operations and continue navigating intense grocery delivery competition

More highlights → here

Techy Bytes

Dubai completed the world’s first air taxi station ahead of Joby Aviation’s commercial launch

QSS AI and Robotics (KSA) targeted 10,000 humanoid robots in a major automation push spanning hospitality, retail, logistics, and infrastructure across the Kingdom

Khalifa University developed a predictive AI brain for future 6G networks, helping operators anticipate failures, reduce congestion, and optimize network performance before issues hit

Nexus launched an AI Factory in Morocco to drive sovereign AI capabilities and build local infrastructure for enterprise and government

Egypt tapped Drone Tech to deploy AI-powered drones for environmental surveillance, pollution tracking, and smarter monitoring across its governorates

Dubai launched an AI training program for 50,000 government staff to build system-wide AI capability and accelerate adoption across the public sector

Algerian students claimed four medals at the African AI Olympiad in Tunisia

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Lucky (Egypt/FinTech) raised $23M Series B to scale its consumer credit platform and expand into select North African markets

Jozo (KSA/PropTech) raised SAR 8.3M in Seed funding to expand its real estate tokenization platform and unlock fractional property ownership in the Kingdom

ZSystems (Morocco/RetailTech) raised $1.65M Seed to digitize Morocco’s $40B retail supply chain and scale its marketplace connecting brands, wholesalers, and retailers

Maison Safqa (KSA/FashionTech) landed $620K Pre-Seed to help premium and luxury brands clear overstock across the GCC without diluting brand equity

ElGoat (KSA/SportsTech) scored $266K Seed to build its skill-based football prediction platform and grow across the MENA sports gaming market

AVA (KSA/FinTech) secured strategic investment from Plug and Play Middle East to scale its IoT-enabled payment infrastructure for unattended retail and mobility sectors

WAYA Media (Egypt) secured strategic investment from Foras.ai to expand bilingual business journalism and scale its editorial, data, and video capabilities across MENA

Prosperity7 Ventures (KSA) backed NeuBird AI’s $19.3M round to support AI-powered IT operations and digital infrastructure tooling

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

Falak Startups (Egypt) exited Delta Oil at 25.5x in a milestone return that highlights the value of hands-on venture building and signals growing ecosystem maturity in Egypt

Tamwilcom (Morocco) rolled out a $69M+ startup program to back 800 ventures, expand venture-building support, and strengthen Morocco’s early-stage innovation pipeline

EnerVenue targeting the Saudi market after a $300M funding round to launch pilot projects, scale long-duration energy storage, and deepen its Middle East commercial footprint

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority backed Blackstone and TPG’s private takeover of Hologic to deepen its exposure to global health tech and women’s medical innovation

Aramco Ventures (KSA) backed Via Separations’ $36M round to scale energy-efficient industrial filtration and advance heavy industry decarbonization

Dubai unveiled a $272M stimulus package to ease business costs, boost workforce flexibility, and support growth across key sectors

Qatar scrapped the physical store requirement for e-commerce licenses, lowering entry barriers for startups and formalizing online retail under a new regulatory framework

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Propeller brought five deep-tech startups from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia to Silicon Valley through its inaugural Kernel Camp residency

Saudi Arabia launched a regulatory sandbox to fast-track proptech and urban innovation and give startups a real-world testbed for municipal and housing solutions

EFG Hermes unlocked institutional funds for retail investors on its ONE app, expanding access to professionally managed products across gold, equities, and fixed income

Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park launched BASE39 to unite the UAE’s creative sector and build a stronger platform for collaboration, talent, and innovation in Sharjah

Orange Egypt launched the Orange Social Venture Prize with €70K to support early-stage startups and advance top Egyptian winners to regional competition across Africa and the Middle East

DIFC rolled out a support package to help businesses manage short-term economic pressures through payment flexibility, fee relief, and temporary regulatory support

Jordan launched AgriTech Jordan to support startups tackling food security, climate resilience, and sustainable agricultural innovation

Orange Maroc and Technopark partnered to grow AI startups in Morocco through the new AI Garden program, focused on data, cloud, and digital transformation support

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

Manhat (UAE/ClimateTech) was named among the Change 100 as a top global impact startup to watch in 2026 for its sustainable water distillation technology

Snoonu (Qatar/Q-commerce) inked a deal with NAMA to give local entrepreneurs access to its platform, logistics infrastructure, and growth support services

Chari (Morocco/FinTech) powered a new digital business account for SMEs with Visa and Zazu, bringing faster onboarding and modern financial tools to Moroccan businesses

Ora Technologies (Morocco/FinTech) partnered with Mastercard and Lana Cash to launch the first international payment card issued by a Moroccan startup

ValU (Egypt/FinTech) partnered with the Egyptian government to offer instalment payments for mobile phone customs fees and reduce friction around handset compliance

Labayh (KSA/HealthTech) surpassed 3M users as it scaled mental health support across consumer, corporate, and education segments in the Kingdom

ItsRaw.ai (UAE/MarTech) launched an AI-powered PR platform to help UAE restaurants generate media coverage and tap into the country’s $1B F&B marketing market

More highlights → here

Open For Application

Scale-Beyond Growth Program | Jordan-based
A 9-month growth program for Jordan-based tech startups, offering tailored mentorship, investment readiness support, and market access to the GCC, EU, and US
Deadline: May 3

Orange Corners Sudan Cohort 9 | Sudan
A 6-month incubation program for Sudanese founders, offering one-on-one coaching, coworking access, and up to €5K in financial support
Deadline: April 30

Wiki StartUp 2026 Incubation Program | Tunisia
A tailored incubation program for entrepreneurs and startups at all stages, offering mentoring, training, coworking access, and strategic support through customized service packs
Deadline: April 30

Exel Gaming Accelerator Cohort 3 | KSA
A 16-week gaming accelerator for early-stage startups, offering up to $300K in funding, AI-focused mentorship, and direct access to investors and publishers
Deadline: May 21

TikTok x Blossom SME Empowerment Program | KSA
A hackathon and accelerator program for AI-native startups in KSA, offering funding access, expert mentorship, and TikTok-powered visibility for ambitious founders

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Techy Bytes

Dubai launched 100 autonomous taxis across Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim, advancing its driverless mobility strategy and expanding real-world urban AV deployment

Khalifa University unveiled RF-GPT, a breakthrough AI model that translates radio signals into plain language and opens new possibilities for spectrum intelligence and AI-native wireless networks

MBZUAI launched PaperCircle, an open-source AI system to help researchers manage literature overload through automated discovery, analysis, and multi-agent paper review

Egypt tapped Microsoft for an AI overhaul of its national food subsidy system to modernize public service delivery through data and digital infrastructure

Qatar University tapped Huawei to launch AI-powered smart classrooms and build a more interactive, data-driven hybrid learning model

Saudi Ministry of Justice bet on AI to overhaul the national judiciary, aiming to improve procedural efficiency, support decision-making, and upgrade judicial services under a new institutional framework

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | Events | Entrepreneurship | Proptech | Arabictech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Qatar | Egypt | Syria | Morocco | Palestine

Connect with us: Website| LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

GAGA (KSA/EdTech) secured $2.5M Pre-Series A to scale AI-powered live learning for Arabic-speaking students across the Kingdom

MovitOn (UAE/Logistics) secured $2M in pre-sale funding to roll out its decentralized logistics infrastructure and cut cross-border shipping costs through AI and blockchain

HiT (UAE/CollectiblesTech) landed strategic backing to scale its collectibles authentication infrastructure

zypl.ai (UAE/FinTech AI) raised $5.5M bridge round at an $80M valuation to expand its synthetic data platform and enter new international markets

ADGT (UAE/FinTech) secured $250M from Blackstone to build a regulated payments infrastructure and expand globally from Abu Dhabi

GoSwap (Morocco/MobilityTech) secured Seed funding to expand its EV battery-swapping network and accelerate electric mobility adoption across North Africa

ALTÉRRA (UAE) invested in Wireless Logic to scale IoT-enabled decarbonization and accelerate emissions reduction across energy-intensive sectors

Sheikh Hamad joined Neura Robotics’ $1.2B mega-round alongside Amazon and Tether

Prosperity7 Ventures (KSA) backed Gimlet Labs Series A to advance next-generation AI infrastructure

Crescent Enterprises (UAE) co-led $30M Series C in XCath to accelerate surgical robotics R&D

Silicon Badia invested in Scalvy (USA) to address critical energy bottlenecks in compute infrastructure

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

Saudi Public Investment Fund preparing a new 5-year strategy to mobilize global private capital, scale co-investment models, and accelerate international partnerships across key sectors

Phoenix Venture Partners (UAE) completed the third close of PVPIF backed by global investors, to expand early-stage tech investments in MENA

Adenia Partners (Africa) closed a $180M fund to back African SMEs, scale founder-led businesses, and drive institutional growth across the continent

Attijariwafa Bank (Morocco) exploring a strategic stake in Mistral AI to secure access to sovereign AI infrastructure and expand its role in global tech ownership

Solutions by STC (KSA) secured a $372M supercomputing deal with Aramco to deploy high-performance computing systems and accelerate AI-driven upstream operations

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Sheraa awarded AED 500K to 12 women founders as the first Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship concluded in Sharjah

Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research launched Technology Valleys to commercialize academic research and back university-born startups

Damascus Chamber of Commerce unveiled a new economic empowerment strategy for Syrian women to expand access to funding, incubators, and mentorship

Female Fusion crowned the top UAE women entrepreneurs at its inaugural 2025 awards

Orange launched the 16th Social Ventures Prize to support impact startups across MENA and Africa

Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park processed 7,500+ licensing transactions in early 2026

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

Mezza (UAE/FoodTech FinTech) launched a debt-free restaurant funding platform to provide upfront capital in exchange for dining credits, helping F&B operators scale without loans or equity dilution

Alaan (UAE/FinTech) launched an AED 3M SME relief initiative to cover utility and telecom bills, reduce operational costs, and support businesses with free access to its corporate spend platform

Ninja (KSA/Q-commerce) advanced its Tadawul IPO plans as a unicorn, expanding across the GCC and engaging global investors ahead of a potential public listing

Navid (KSA/AI) launched a human-rated Arabic text-to-speech leaderboard to benchmark voice models through native speaker evaluation and improve Arabic AI voice quality through open community testing

Prop-AI (UAE/PropTech) launched the Dubai Deal Index to track real estate market data, surface pricing shifts, and help investors navigate the property market with real-time intelligence

Sham Cash (Syria/FinTech) denied a security breach amid controversy over its state adoption, defending its infrastructure as scrutiny grows around Syria’s digital payments rollout

Peekapak (EdTech) grants free access to its wellbeing platform for GCC schools, supporting student mental health and aligning with the UAE’s Year of the Family 2026

XCath (HealthTech) completed the world’s first telerobotic stroke surgery, enabling remote neurovascular procedures and advancing global access to critical care

More highlights → here

Open For Application

Zaka Agentic AI Bootcamp | Online
An 8-week AI bootcamp focused on building real-world AI agents, offering hands-on projects, certification, and practical automation skills for professionals and entrepreneurs.
Deadline: April 1

Misk Challenge for Change Program | Hybrid, KSA
A 7-week accelerator and grant program for non-profits and social enterprises, offering mentorship, bootcamps, and up to SAR 1M in funding per track.
Deadline: April 4

Aqaba Sword-Fish Fund (ASFF) | Aqaba, Jordan
An investment readiness and accelerator program for Jordanian startups, providing mentorship, business model development, and direct access to investors and strategic partners

TechnoPark AI Research Award 2026 | Birzeit, Palestine
A research competition and innovation award for Palestinian researchers, offering cash prizes, incubation opportunities, and global exposure during AI Week 2026.
Deadline: April 10

Agentic AI Challenge 2026 | Birzeit, Palestine
An AI hackathon and innovation challenge for developers, researchers, and low-code builders, offering technical mentorship, cash prizes, and exposure during Palestine AI Week.
Deadline: April 1

Social Innovation Lab 2026 | Hybrid, Yemen
A social innovation lab and incubation program for Yemeni entrepreneurs tackling Blue Economy challenges, offering a $5K equity-free grant, 3 months of incubation, and investor access.
Deadline: April 10

LaunchX Expansion Support Program | Morocco / Africa
A market entry and execution support program for corporates and investors expanding into Morocco and Africa, offering de-risking, local partner access, and hands-on growth support.

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Techy Bytes

Morocco joined WIPO’s global AI infrastructure initiative to protect digital IP rights

NYU Abu Dhabi mapped the Sun’s hidden magnetic waves in a breakthrough discovery, enabling better space weather prediction and advancing global astrophysics research

HUMAIN (KSA/AI) partnered with Turing to launch an enterprise AI agent marketplace, enabling businesses to deploy and monetize autonomous AI workflows across functions

Louvre Abu Dhabi launched a museum curriculum portal to digitize UAE school learning, map global artworks to subjects, and integrate cultural assets into classrooms

Saudia integrated Google Find Hub to enhance baggage recovery, enabling real-time item tracking and improving airline operational efficiency

OpenAI shut down the Sora social app after six months, as user retention dropped and moderation challenges exposed limits of AI-first consumer platforms

Meta launched Meta Small Business to drive AI adoption among SMEs,

WhatsApp rolled out AI-generated chat responses and media tools to automate messaging and enhance content creation

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech

More regions: KSA | UAE | Egypt | Syria | Morocco

Connect with us: Website | LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Property Finder (UAE/PropTech) secured $170M led by Mubadala to accelerate regional expansion, deepen data and AI capabilities, and strengthen its position

Kitopi (UAE/FoodTech) raised $50M strategic debt to fuel regional expansion, scale its franchise model, and accelerate international growth without equity dilution

Yakeey (Morocco/PropTech) secured $15M Series A to digitize real estate transactions, modernize brokerage, and expand its proptech platform across MENA

Vennre (KSA/WealthTech) closed $9.6M Pre-Series to expand Shariah-compliant access to private markets and scale its wealth platform

SkipCash (Qatar/FinTech) secured $4M Series A led by Qatar Development Bank to scale its Tap-to-Phone payment infrastructure, and expand digital payments across the GCC

Enakl (Morocco/MobilityTech) raised $2.3M Seed to scale intelligent shared transport systems and expand public and enterprise mobility deployments

Mantas (UAE/InsurTech) raised $1.77M Pre-Seed to launch parametric insurance for cloud downtime, enable automated payouts during outages, and protect from unpriced infrastructure risk

Yozo (UAE/E-commerce) raised $1.7M to build an AI-powered revenue engine that optimizes pricing, demand forecasting, and growth performance for global e-commerce brands

Declic (KSA/AI Social) secured $1M Seed to scale its AI-driven social platform, enhance creator monetization tools, and expand user engagement across regional markets

Juthor (KSA/E-commerce) secured $500K Pre-Seed to streamline multi-channel commerce operations, unify inventory, and scale its AI-driven analytics platform across KSA

Rkiza (KSA/SaaS) raised $133K Pre-Seed to accelerate early product development, expand its digital solutions portfolio, and support local businesses

Receiptable (UAE/RetailTech) secured Seed funding to digitize retail receipts, unlock post-purchase data for merchants, and modernize customer engagement across MENA

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

CedarBridge Capital (UAE) launched a $150M third fund to scale platform businesses across the GCC, with selective expansion into the UK and Europe

NowPay (Egypt/FinTech) entered the Saudi market through a $20M NowAccess joint venture to scale payroll-linked financial wellness solutions

Abwaab (Jordan) acquired Egypt’s Apex Education to expand end-to-end student services spanning tutoring, test prep, and elite global university admissions

Zahid Group (KSA) completed a $1.3B acquisition of South Africa’s Barloworld to expand its industrial footprint across Africa

Glamera (KSA) acquired Booker Group to consolidate booking, payments, and AI-powered operations across GCC

Qoyod (KSA) acquired POS platform Flavours to enter the F&B sector and integrate accounting, payments, and operations

Seventh Decimal (UAE) acquired by Ipsos to scale OOH audience measurement technology across global media and research markets

Merit Incentives (KSA) acquired Australia’s Synchro Marketing to expand globally, deepen enterprise capabilities, and accelerate Asia-Pacific growth

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

Paragon, Adeer and B-Maistro launched the $5M PropteX Accelerator to support proptech startups across Egypt, KSA, and GCC

Moroccan Government announced national AI hackathons and new digital regulations to mobilize local talent

Startup Grind Doha honoured Qatar’s top founders, startups, and ecosystem leaders at the 2025 Tech Startup Community Awards

JoPACC celebrated the graduation of JOIN Fincubator’s third cohort through a six-month incubation journey and Demo Day in Amman

UNDP, Flat6Labs, and New Silk Roads welcomed the fourth GGJAP cohort in Egypt, selecting 26 sustainability-focused SMEs

Qatar Development Bank launched the Reyada Portal to centralize advisory and training services, connect entrepreneurs with service providers, and expand SME support

AUC Venture Lab concluded its Fall 25 Demo Day, graduating 17 startups across AI, fintech, sustainability, and industrial innovation

Tasmu Accelerator graduated its third cohort in Qatar, showcasing 10 startups and generating QAR 330M+ in local sales opportunities

Flow Ventures launched Flow Angels to activate up to $2M in 2026 angel capital for Palestinian Pre-Seed and Seed startups

Leancubator ranked Algeria’s #1 incubator for 2025 after a national evaluation across 192 incubators

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

MoneyHash (UAE) partnered with Spare to enable Pay By Bank for merchants

Madak (KSA) launched a fractional ownership real estate platform under a regulatory sandbox

iSchool (Egypt) partnered with the Financial Regulatory Authority to deliver AI and technology education to employees’ children

Careem Pay (UAE) expanded its global remittance service to Egypt, Lebanon, and the Philippines

Qadi (UAE) partnered with Core42 to power the region’s first sovereign AI RegTech platform

Universal (UAE) secured Central Bank approval to launch USDU, the UAE’s first regulated USD-backed stablecoin

More highlights → here

Open For Application

Sanabil Accelerator by 500 Global (Batch 11) | MENA
A 12-week accelerator for MENA-based tech startups with early traction, offering growth-focused mentorship, market expansion support. Deadline: March

SCALE7 Pre-Acceleration and Acceleration Programs | Hybrid
A seven-week hybrid program with two tailored tracks for creative and cultural startups, offering mentorship, ecosystem access, in-kind support, and funding of up to USD 100K. Deadline: Feb 18

Digital Incubation Center Program | Doha
A 6-month incubation program for tech and ICT startups, starting with a mandatory 4-week Idea Camp, offering mentorship, office space, and legal support

Yasmeen AI Virtual Incubator Program | Remote
A fully virtual pre-seed incubation program for Syrian founders, combining AI-powered technical support, structured training, mentorship, and cash prizes. Deadline: Feb 10

Wathba Business Accelerator | Yemen
A women-focused business accelerator supporting Yemeni female founders building digital startups, offering business development, market readiness, and sustainability training

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Techy Bytes

Mowasalat (Karwa) completed a successful public robotaxi trial in Doha

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence released K2 Think V2, a new open-source reasoning model with full transparency

Government of Algeria mandated a new public-sector cybersecurity framework requiring independent security units across agencies

Arabic AI and Stanford unveiled HELM Arabic, a transparent benchmarking framework to rigorously evaluate Arabic language models across open and commercial LLMs

Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah issued a landmark fatwa banning AI tools from Quranic interpretation

Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre launched a 38,000+ title Arabic digital library on Amazon

Notion launched full Arabic language support across its platform

Anthropic upgraded Claude with deep workplace integrations, including Slack, Canva, Figma, and Asana

Elon Musk weighed early merger scenarios that could combine SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI into a single tech platform

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | BIBAN

More regions: KSA | UAE | Egypt | Syria | Morocco

Connect with us: Website | LinkedIn | Share your story

Welcome back to MENA Startup Digest!

We are bringing you the latest round-up of startup news, updates, and opportunities in the MENA region.

Fundraising Roulette

Rain (Bahrain/FinTech) secured $250M, pushing its valuation to $1.95B, to scale stablecoin-based payments, card issuance, and instant settlement infrastructure across new markets

Mal (UAE/FinTech) secured $230M Seed to build an AI-native Islamic digital bank, advance regulatory licensing, and prepare for a phased UAE launch ahead of global expansion

Flooss (Bahrain/FinTech) secured $22M credit facility to expand Sharia-compliant digital consumer financing, scale its loan book, and strengthen AI-driven underwriting

Governata (KSA/Enterprise SaaS) closed $4M Seed to advance AI-ready data governance, align enterprise data with national regulations, and expand across KSA and MENA

Oasys Health (Egypt/HealthTech) raised $4.6M total funding to scale its AI-powered mental health operating system, automate clinical workflows, and integrate real-time biometric data into care delivery

Khosouf Studio (UAE/Gaming) secured SAR 2.2M Seed led by Merak Capital to relocate operations to KSA, scale original game IPs, and strengthen the Kingdom’s growing gaming ecosystem

Resquad AI (KSA/HRTech) raised $1.5M Seed to scale its AI-powered tech recruitment marketplace, accelerate GCC expansion, and prepare for global launch

Madeed (KSA/HealthTech) raised $400K Pre-Seed to launch a preventive health and longevity platform built on advanced biomarker testing and personalized care plans

Nutra-GreeniX (Syria/Agritech) closed $200K to expand sustainable livestock nutrition solutions, scale production capacity, and strengthen food security through clean energy-driven processes

Yamm (KSA/E-commerce) closed a seed round to automate returns, refunds, and exchanges for merchants while reducing operational friction in post-purchase workflows

Prosperity7 Ventures (KSA) backed Horizon3.ai (Global) to fortify AI datacenters and critical infrastructure using autonomous offensive security and real-world attack simulation

More rounds → here

Main Headlines

eFlow (UAE/EdTech) acquired by EDT&Partners to scale AI-powered conversational learning and expand workforce and institutional training across MENA and global markets

Jadwa Investment (KSA) launched a $200M private credit fund to expand non-bank financing, support mid-market companies, and deepen private debt markets across the GCC

Creators HQ and Alfan launched an AED 5M Social Content Fund to finance family-focused digital creators and strengthen the UAE’s purpose-driven content ecosystem

Hashgraph Ventures (UAE) pledged $1M to back African Web3 and AI startups through the Hedera Africa Hackathon

Moroccan Government unveiled its AI Made in Morocco strategy targeting $10B GDP impact, 50,000 jobs, and 200,000 AI-trained graduates by 2030

Syrian Government unveiled a new investment law aimed at attracting foreign capital, easing entry for investors, and mobilizing private sector funding for national reconstruction

Abu Dhabi Government launched L’imad, its fourth sovereign investment platform, to diversify revenues and deploy capital across strategic global sectors

Public Investment Fund consolidated its $12B gaming portfolio under Savvy Games Group to centralize ownership of global gaming assets

More updates → here

Ecosystem Updates

makesense MENA supported 10 Lebanese social enterprises with grants of up to $20K each through the Nabad Program

Fikra Ventures and Hub71 partnered to build and scale AI-native startups from Abu Dhabi through venture creation

Creators HQ and Amazon launched the Amazon Creators Foundry to help UAE-based creators build, launch, and scale consumer brands

Zain Kuwait concluded an immersive Silicon Valley tour for 11 MENA startups, connecting founders with global tech leaders and investors

Flow Accelerator launched Flow Ventures to bridge early-stage funding gaps and strengthen deal flow for Palestinian startups

Flat6Labs concluded the sixth Riyadh Seed Program cycle, deploying $17M+ across 60 startups and unlocking significant follow-on funding within KSA’s ecosystem

Creators HQ and 500 Global concluded the Creators Ventures Accelerator, graduating 21 creator-led startups collectively valued at $130M+

QSTP and Merck launched a FemTech Accelerator to support up to 30 deep-tech startups advancing women’s health innovation across Qatar and MENA

Risin Ventures concluded the AIX Summit and Hackathon in Doha, bringing together 300+ innovators to build enterprise-ready AI solutions for fintech, investment, and industry

More updates → here

Startups Highlights

KARTY (Qatar) secured a Payment Service Provider license from the Qatar Central Bank to expand regulated digital payments and e-money services

Botim Money (UAE) partnered with Mastercard to enable global remittances to 150+ countries

Thawani (Oman) partnered with Monak to advance embedded finance across public and private platforms

Arabic.AI partnered with Replit to launch free, fully localized Arabic coding courses

HyveGeo won the UAE FoodTech Challenge 2026 with its AI-powered tree monitoring solution supporting climate-smart food production

Syspos secured first place at the Ignyte du Business Challenge held at the Museum of the Future

Jade Autis won the Zayed Sustainability Prize for Health, recognizing its AI-powered platform for early detection and support of neurodivergent children

Granite (Egypt) secured an FRA fintech license to launch Egypt’s first fully digital money market account, enabling liquid cash management with daily returns and no lock-ins

Jisr (KSA) surpassed 700,000 users as Saudi businesses accelerate HR digitization amid strong hiring growth and expanding enterprise adoption

More highlights → here

Open For Application

SCALE7 Pre-Acceleration and Acceleration Programs Wave 6 | Hybrid/Doha
A seven-week hybrid program with two tailored tracks for creative and cultural startups, offering mentorship, ecosystem access, in-kind support, and funding of up to USD 100K

Sheraa x NAC Agriboost Incubation Program | Sharjah
A six-week agri tech incubation program for early and seed stage startups, offering AED 15K participation support, free co-working space, expert mentorship, and market access

Jada30 Jadathon Challenge | KSA
A four-day challenge at Forsati Forum supporting idea holders to build MVPs across FinTech, logistics tech, cybersecurity, real estate, and business outsourcing

Pitch Afloat by Startup Grind Doha | Doha
An invite-only pitching experience on a traditional Qatari dhow, selecting five funded growth stage startups to pitch directly to VCs and angels in a highly curated networking setting

Hult Prize Student Startup Challenge | Global
The world’s largest student startup competition offering $1M in funding, mentorship, and global networking

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub | Global
An open-access startup support platform offering up to $150K in Azure credits, free GitHub and Microsoft 365 tools, OpenAI credits, and expert mentorship

More Programs and Opportunities → here

Techy Bytes

Dubai RTA granted Baidu Apollo Go the emirate’s first permit for fully driverless vehicle trials on public roads

Sama X secured a national license to deliver Starlink satellite internet across Bahrain

Technology Innovation Institute (UAE) released 15 Tiny Falcon open source models designed to power specialized AI use cases with high efficiency and minimal compute

Zoho launched its first UAE data centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, strengthening data sovereignty, local compliance, and cloud performance

OpenAI acquired health records startup Torch, signed a $10B compute agreement with Cerebras, and introduced targeted ads on ChatGPT’s free tiers to fund large-scale AI deployment

Nvidia and Eli Lilly announced a $1B AI co-innovation lab to compress drug discovery timelines

Wikimedia Foundation signed paid data partnerships with Big Tech and leading AI labs to license Wikipedia content for model training

Elon Musk seeking up to $134B in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft

More tech → here

That’s a wrap for this week!

We hope this week’s digest of the latest funding, insights, and ecosystem news helps you stay ahead in the fast-paced MENA region.

Stay tuned for more insights next week

More Topics: AI | Gaming | Fintech | Femtech | BIBAN

More regions: KSA | UAE | Egypt | Syria | Morocco

Connect with us: Website | LinkedIn | Share your story