#64 This week In MENA's Startup Scene!
Dive into the latest Startup News, Trends & Opportunities shaping the MENA region
Hello and welcome back, MENA founders.
It’s been a busy week across the region. New funds launched, serious rounds were raised, AI is reshaping how we build, and startups are moving fast!
Here’s what happened
Fundraising Roulette
MoneyFellows (Egypt/FinTech) raised $13M to take its group savings model outside Egypt
Nqoodlet (KSA/FinTech) raised $3M Seed to accelerate the development of their technology and broaden their operations across MENA
Fuze (UAE/Web3) closed a $12.2M Series A to build compliant digital-asset infrastructure for financial institutions, and expand across new MENA markets
True Gamers (UAE/Gaming) raised $5M Seed round to scale its network of eSports clubs across MENA
BloomPath (UAE/EdTech) closed a $1.3M Pre-Seed round to develop AI-driven upskilling and hiring platforms for fresh graduates and early-career professionals in the Middle East
Zest Equity (UAE/FinTech) secured $4.3M Pre-Series A to enhance its secondary-share transaction platform, helping founders, employees, and investors unlock liquidity across MENA
erad (KSA/FinTech) secured $16M Pre-Series A to bridge the SME credit gap in MENA by leveraging real-time revenue analytics and data underwriting for fast, non-dilutive capital access
Tuba (KSA/FinTech) launched operations in Saudi Arabia with an $8M investment, offering Islamic-compliant investment products and savings tools targeting underbanked users and retail investors
Miran & Welnes (KSA) merged to create a unified health & fitness app combining Miran’s personalized AI coaching with Welnes’ nutrition and community-based wellness tracking
Darbak Plus (Oman/MobilityTech) closed a Pre-Seed investment round from undisclosed investors to scale its ride-hailing and transportation services across Oman
iQ Cars (Iraq/AutoTech) raised a 7-figure Seed round from undisclosed investors to scale its automotive marketplace, offering digital vehicle listings, finance tools, and dealership services across Iraq
Chefaa (Egypt/Healthtech) awarded a significant grant to further scale its AI-driven platform dedicated to simplifying medication access and management for chronic patients
CleanMob (Morocco/Mobility) raised $1.3M to scale its fleet-optimization software and electric vehicle maintenance solutions across North Africa
Rasmal Ventures (Qatar) and Joa Capital (KSA) invested in MedIQ (Pakistan) to expand its virtual care infrastructure and AI-powered patient engagement tools across MENAP
Triple Helix Capital (UAE) invested in Credilab (Malaysia) to accelerate its AI-powered credit scoring and expansion into emerging markets
Kamco Invest (Kuwait) marked a major milestone exit from Mercury (USA)
Main Headlines
STV launched a new $100M fund to back early and growth-stage tech startups in Saudi Arabia, focusing on AI, fintech, SaaS, and infrastructure ventures
MEVP & Partners launched a $25M VC fund to invest in early-stage startups focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) and artificial intelligence
UAE Ministry of Finance waived late-registration fines for corporate tax filings submitted before June 1
GCC Secretariat unveiled Tawasul, a new digital platform to drive regional economic integration, streamline customs procedures, and support joint ventures across member states
Oman & Netherlands launched a bilateral Innovation Consortium, bringing together startups, research centers, and corporates to collaborate on agri-tech, energy transition, and maritime innovation across both markets
Morocco launched a 2025 support program targeting industrial and tech clusters, offering financial incentives, infrastructure, and market-readiness tools
Ecosystem Updates
Startup Garage expanded to Morocco, launching a new office in Casablanca to support North African founders with funding access, go-to-market strategies, and mentorship across key tech verticals
KAUST (KSA) launched the Future Mobility Sandbox, a real-world testbed for startups to pilot autonomous vehicles, electric mobility tech, and AI-enabled transport solutions under Vision 2030
Bahrain honored the winners of the 2025 Excellence Award for Startups and SMEs, recognizing innovation, impact, and resilience across high-growth sectors and early-stage ventures
Playbook (Bahrain) won the Entrepreneurship in Leadership Empowerment Award at the UK House of Lords
Jordan hosted the Green Entrepreneurship Forum, focused on inclusive and sustainable employment creation through climate innovation, youth empowerment, and green SME development
Wa’ed Ventures signed a strategic MoU with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture to co-launch initiatives supporting green entrepreneurship, sustainable agritech, and resource-efficient business models
Union of Arab Chambers announced the launch of an Arab–Chinese Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, designed to boost cross-border collaboration, tech transfer, and investment between Arab markets and China
Shark Tank Arabia returned to Dubai TV for a new season!
Startups Highlights
Musafir.com (UAE) launched musafirtag, an AI-powered B2B booking tool, allowing travel agents to access real-time inventory, dynamic pricing, and instant custom itineraries
Qashio (UAE) launched Qashio for Travel with Visa to streamline global travel payments
Fawry (Egypt) partnered with Truecaller to improve customer communication via verified caller ID, branded SMS, and fraud prevention tools
Dubizzle (UAE) introduced Sell with AI, using generative AI to simplify listings by auto-filling product details, writing compelling ad copy, and enhancing images
Shezlong (Egypt) launched an AI therapy assistant to expand mental health access across MENA, offering users 24/7 support, symptom tracking, and cognitive behavioral tools tailored to Arabic-speaking communities
Tamawal (KSA) received official licensing from SAMA to operate as a finance aggregator, allowing it to offer consumers real-time access to credit products, comparison tools, and loan applications across Saudi financial institutions
Daleel (UAE) became the first financial marketplace in the Middle East to integrate Binance’s crypto products
Unipal (Bahrain) won Startup of the Year at the 2025 Excellence Awards, in recognition of its impact on student engagement across the GCC
Bokra (Egypt) issued $58.9M in Sukuk to expand its Islamic fintech services, supporting Sharia-compliant investment products and capital access for SMEs in Egypt
Ziina (UAE) launched Tap to Pay in the UAE, enabling businesses to accept in-person payments directly on iPhone without additional hardware
Open For Application
NVIDIA Studio Nights | UAE
Social Entrepreneur Fellowship | Morocco
Khatwa Program | MENA
NGFP MENA Fellowship 2025 | MENA
The Catalyst Accelerator | Global
Refugee Fellows Program 2025 | Global
BeChangeMaker 2025 | Global
KPMG Global Tech Innovator 2025 | Global
Techy Bytes
Morocco committed $1.1B to develop advanced data centers across key regions
Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality launched 17 new digital agricultural services via the Oun app, enabling farmers and agri-businesses to access real-time support for licensing, pest control, irrigation requests, soil analysis, and subsidy programs
Saudi Arabia launched a new Ihram recycling initiative to repurpose garments worn by pilgrims into sustainable products
Abu Dhabi expanded its RoboTaxi trials, bringing the driverless vehicles closer to a city-wide launch by 2026
Qatar Airways unveiled an Arabic-enabled AI cabin crew assistant and a new VR inflight experience at ATM 2025
Google released new AI-powered language learning tools, offering personalized lessons, real-time pronunciation feedback, and gamified progress tracking
Meta launched a standalone AI assistant app to compete with ChatGPT and announced that its Llama models have been downloaded 1.2B times
Amazon launched its first 27 internet satellites into space under Project Kuiper, aiming to rival SpaceX’s Starlink and expand global broadband access in underserved regions
China opened the world’s first AI hospital featuring 14 AI doctors
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