#103 This week In MENA's Startup Scene!
Dive into the latest Startup News, Trends & Opportunities shaping the MENA region
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