#66 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.
What a week. Saudi’s going all-in on AI with $15B in deals, UAE just landed a $2.9B crypto exit, fintech is booming, and robotaxis are all making headlines.
And yes! Syria’s startup scene is officially back on the map.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Fundraising Roulette
WakeCap (UAE/ConTech) closed a $28M round to scale its AI-powered construction monitoring platform, driving digital transformation across project sites in the Gulf and beyond
Galaxy Racer (UAE/Gaming) secured a $20M investment to expand its presence in global esports, content creation, and digital entertainment across emerging markets
T-Gate (KSA/ SaaS) raised a new investment from Flat6Labs through its Saudi startup fund to enhance its digital trade platform and deepen support for Saudi-based SMEs
Green Desert (KSA/AgriTech) raised a new investment from Flat6Labs to scale its sustainable desert agriculture solutions and promote food security across the Gulf
Darwinz AI (Egypt/AI) secured funding from Flat6Labs to enhance its no-code AI automation platform for enterprises in MENA
Sand to Green (Morocco/AgriTech) won a $50K DeepTech grant to expand its innovative desert-to-farm model and pilot large-scale implementation across arid African landscapes
Classy Games Studios (KSA) received a new investment from Merak Capital to boost production of Saudi-developed mobile games and enhance its publishing capabilities
Mubadala (UAE) invested $400M into Kakao Mobility to tap into Asia’s smart transport sector
Ventura Capital (UAE) led a new funding round into TEKEVER to scale its drone-based surveillance solutions
IDO Investments (Oman) backed Lumotive (USA) to advance its optical semiconductor technologies for autonomous systems
Jordan Capital & Investment Fund acquired a 23% stake in Al Jazeera Agri to bolster Jordan’s food security and scale agri-industrial capabilities across the region
Main Headlines
Deribit (UAE) was acquired by Coinbase in a landmark $2.9B deal, marking one of the region’s largest crypto exits and reinforcing UAE’s role as a global crypto hub
Saudi Arabia unveiled its national AI champion Humain, a flagship venture designed to position the Kingdom at the forefront of Arabic-language AI innovation, launched ahead of a high-profile diplomatic visit
Humain (KSA) secured a staggering $15B investment from AMD and Amazon to build a cutting-edge Arabic-language AI ecosystem and compete with global AI giants
Humain and AWS launched a $5B AI Zone in Saudi Arabia to develop cloud infrastructure, host global model training, and attract top talent in artificial intelligence from across the MENA region and beyond
Oracle committed $14B in new investments to expand data centers and digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, marking one of the largest tech commitments in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 roadmap
Google partnered with Saudi-based STV to launch a regional initiative accelerating AI innovation across MENA, with a focus on startup collaboration, talent development, and ecosystem building
Syria opened its doors to foreign investors following the easing of US sanctions, signaling potential reintegration into global markets and new opportunities for reconstruction-focused ventures
EBLA Ventures launched a new venture platform to fund and empower Syrian entrepreneurs across the MENA region and diaspora
Egypt launched specialized tax units to improve compliance, streamline services, and restore business confidence, particularly among SMEs and startups operating in key sectors
Saudi Arabia and China signed 57 new bilateral agreements worth over $3.7B spanning energy, mining, finance, and infrastructure, reinforcing deepening economic ties between the two nations
MSMEDA & AAIB (Egypt) signed an EGP 150M financing agreement to expand lending for micro, small, and medium enterprises, aiming to stimulate local entrepreneurship and job creation
Gulf investors pledged $4T in capital commitments to the US over the next three years, spanning sectors such as energy, AI, and infrastructure
Ecosystem Updates
Dubai FinTech Summit generated over $9.25M in startup investments during the FinTech World Cup
DIFC (UAE) launched the 1 Million Learners initiative to deliver free sustainability-focused education to learners across the MENA region
UM6P (Morocco) hosted its first Hack the Future of Work hackathon, convening students, startups, and researchers to explore AI’s impact on MENA’s labor market
BuildPalestine kicked off its 6-month Root Program to support Palestinian social entrepreneurs through hands-on business development, workshops, and access to mentors
Startup Syria wrapped up the first edition of its Launchpad Program, and launched the first series of Meetups across Syrian cities
Syrian Computer Society launched a new Youth Entrepreneurship Bootcamp at Homs University, providing students with foundational training, team building, and early-stage innovation
Sanad Alshabab Initiative (Syria) opened applications for grassroots community project funding, offering young Syrians the opportunity to lead local development initiatives
Beirut hosted its first-ever National Entrepreneurship Summit, titled Power X, to showcase local founders, attract investor interest, and strengthen Lebanon’s recovery
Sheraa (UAE) kicked off the latest edition of the Access Sharjah Challenge (ASC), inviting global EdTech startups to co-develop solutions for Sharjah’s education sector
PIEC & Flow Accelerator (Palestine) co-hosted a Mingle & Pitch event, showcasing the latest cohort of incubated startups
Google & Hub71 (UAE) launched an AI Accelerator for 26 UAE-based startups, providing tailored mentorship and up to $300K in cloud credits
UAE launched the latest edition of its Make it in the Emirates campaign to boost domestic manufacturing and encourage local consumption of homegrown products
MIT Saudi Business Forum 2025 concluded in Boston, connecting Saudi innovators with global experts and investors
Startups Highlights
BitOasis (UAE) expanded operations to Bahrain after securing a license from the Central Bank, enabling the crypto platform to offer regulated digital asset services across the Gulf
Fawry (Egypt) released its Q1 2025 results, reporting solid growth in transactions and user adoption, while also announcing plans to roll out three new funds and expand operations into Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iraq
Thndr (Egypt) unveiled a suite of new financial products and raised $15.7M at Egypt’s first Fintech Keynote, signaling its ambitions to become a leading digital brokerage and investment platform across North Africa
NymCard (UAE) secured regulatory approval to operate as an Open Finance platform, becoming one of the first fintechs in the region licensed to offer API-based data sharing, embedded financial services, and real-time payments
Atiom (UAE) released a new insights report on GCC travel preferences, highlighting that hotel guests in 2025 prioritize flexibility, sustainability, and wellness-centric experiences
Bitgrit (UAE) launched the world’s first blockchain network for AI assets under the ADGM framework, combining decentralized infrastructure with proprietary datasets
Botim (UAE) launched its new Send Now, Pay Later feature, enabling UAE expats to make instant transfers and delay payment settlements
Surus Automotive & ASSAD (Tunisia) launched the locally built SURUS electric bike, targeting the delivery and logistics sector with a zero-emissions
Syrian Founders welcomed a new chapter for entrepreneurship as US sanctions were lifted, opening the door for investment, business registration, and cross-border growth
Techy Bytes
Dubai announced it will begin accepting cryptocurrency payments for select government services, and launched a suite of AI-driven platforms to automate and enhance public services
du introduced its new GPU-as-a-Service offering to support AI model training and development across UAE
Starlink received approval for aerial and maritime deployment in Saudi Arabia
Uber announced plans to launch self-driving vehicles in Saudi Arabia by the end of 2025
NVIDIA confirmed the sale of over 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia’s Humain
WeRide launched fully driverless robotaxi trials in Abu Dhabi, bringing autonomous mobility one step closer to commercial reality
Oman formed a national AI Committee to guide its digital transformation strategy, focusing on ethical AI governance, talent development, and public-sector digitization
UAE unveiled its first homegrown AI-powered satellite constellation to enhance space-based analytics, national security, and environmental monitoring
ADIA & LIST (UAE) launched a joint Agentic AI Sandbox to study and mitigate risks associated with multi-agent AI system
Qualcomm announced it will open a Global AI & IoT Engineering Centre in the UAE
Algeria launched specialized Digital Technology Training Academies to equip local talent with AI, cloud, and cybersecurity skills
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