#76 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!
This week’s roundup brings you the most important funding rounds, ecosystem updates, and emerging tech stories shaping the MENA region’s innovation landscape.
Let’s dive in:
Fundraising Roulette
Qlub (UAE/Foodtech) raised $30M to expand its contactless payment platform for restaurants with frictionless checkout tools
Lime (UAE/Fintech) launched in Egypt with a $9.4M investment by FAB, offering digital banking services tailored for youth and early-stage users
Journify (UAE/HRtech) secured fresh funding that doubled its valuation to $30M, backing its mission to scale employee wellness and productivity tools across MENA
Space42 (UAE/SpaceTech) secured $695.5M to develop next-gen satellite technologies
Synervest (UAE/Fintech) raised $4M in Series A funding to fuel its global expansion, offering AI-powered portfolio management tools tailored to emerging market investors
Flend (Egypt/Fintech) raised $3M to scale its embedded finance solutions for SMEs, aiming to simplify access to credit and unlock growth opportunities across Egypt’s underserved business sector
ZabonEx (Egypt/E-commerce) secured a $100K pre-seed round to support regional expansion of its AI-powered e-commerce platform,
SafaQat (Oman/ImpactTech) raised an undisclosed round to support its expansion across the GCC
Rehablex (Jordan/HealthTech) received JOD 15,000 in funding and a year of logistics support from Zain Jordan, enabling it to scale digital rehabilitation services for Arabic-speaking users
National Printing Company (Egypt) secured a cornerstone investment from Saudi Arabia ahead of its upcoming IPO
Attijariwafa Ventures (Morocco) invested in Affinity Africa, a Ghana-based digital bank
Main Headlines
Saudi Arabia and Syria signed $6.4B in bilateral agreements, marking a turning point in regional cooperation and paving the way for joint projects in infrastructure, energy, and technology
UAE presented its global vision for sustainable development beyond 2030, reinforcing long-term priorities around innovation, green growth, and impact investment
Saudi Public Security launched new digital services on Absher, simplifying procedures for residents and enabling startups to integrate security, licensing, and citizen services through API-powered platforms
Future Fund Oman unlocked $2.5B in capital to support diversification projects across healthcare, fintech, tourism, and logistics
Saudi Sports Clubs Investment Company (KSA) is preparing for a landmark IPO on the Kingdom’s exchange
Aumet Financial (Kuwait) unveiled the country’s first securities crowdfunding platform, enabling Kuwaiti startups and SMEs to raise capital through a fully regulated marketplace
Egypt launched a unified national roadmap to strengthen entrepreneurship and fintech, integrating policy, education, and investment reforms to support startup scalability and financial inclusion
Onepoint announced the launch of an AI Centre of Excellence in Casablanca
Ecosystem Updates
PIEC Accelerator (Palestine) kicked off its second cycle with 7 new startups in digital solutions, creative industries, and sustainable development
TASMU Accelerator (Qatar) announced a QAR 2.9B portfolio powering digital transformation across smart cities, healthcare, and logistics
Saudi Arabia launched Your Energy Accelerator (مُسرِّعة طاقتك) to back early-stage startups building energy solutions
Sunbulah Program welcomed its second cohort of agrifood startups in Saudi Arabia
Masdar City Free Zone secured property ownership rights in Dubai for its registered firms, enabling startups and international businesses based in Masdar to own real estate
INJAZ and IRC hosted a demo showcase for 15 Jordanian startups from diverse sectors, including agritech, fintech, and social impact
Fintech Rally (Jordan) crowned top university founders building fintech and digital solutions in Jordan
Investcorp sponsored a new entrepreneurship center at AUBH in Bahrain
Monsha’at (KSA) launched a new media and marketing initiative to help Saudi SMEs increase visibility, reach wider audiences, and strengthen their branding capabilities
GEA launched a new entrepreneurship program to boost innovation in Saudi’s entertainment sector
Ofoq Association (KSA) introduced a series of summer programs for young female entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia
Startups Highlights
Botim (UAE) unveiled a major interface upgrade and rebranding
Paymob and Fawry (Egypt) earned global fintech accolades, with both companies featured among the world’s top 150 fintech innovators
HiRemoters (Egypt) achieved an 80% reduction in recruitment costs by leveraging AI tools
Beban and Gainz (Bahrain) forged a strategic alliance to scale equity crowdfunding across GCC
Valu (Egypt) formed a partnership with Aspire to equip Egyptian youth with digital skills
Lune (UAE) partnered with United Arab Bank to deliver a new mobile banking experience, leveraging AI and personal finance insights to enhance digital customer engagement
Kashat (Egypt) formed a strategic alliance with Mastercard to boost financial inclusion by integrating digital lending solutions for underserved communities
Deed (UAE) launched a new PropTech platform, allowing fractional ownership in Dubai real estate, with investments starting from AED 500
Lumofy and Inovest (Bahrain) launched a landmark AI upskilling program, equipping Bahrain’s workforce with future-ready digital competencies
Dinarak (Jordan) accelerated digital finance access by teaming up with Mastercard, aiming to drive mobile wallet adoption and expand inclusive financial services across Jordan
Open For Application
UAE AI Awards 2025 | UAE/Global
The UAE has opened nominations for its 2025 Artificial Intelligence Awards
Plug and Play Accelerator Morocco | Morocco
Morocco’s Technopark and Plug and Play have launched a new accelerator program for early-stage tech startups, offering market validation, global investor access, and tailored mentorship from Casablanca
StartIT Incubation Program | Egypt
TIEC is offering Egyptian founders up to EGP 480,000 in equity-free support through training, coworking space, and tech support
Open Start AI Innovation Program | Morocco
Open Start by Wenov has launched a new AI innovation program in to support Moroccan startups working on applied AI and machine learning
MENA Founder University | Saudi/MENA
Sanabil Investments and LAUNCH have opened applications for MENA Founder University, offering curated learning, mentorship, and a founder-focused experience
Damascus Chamber Incubator Relaunch | Syria
Damascus Chamber of Commerce has relaunched its startup incubator, offering workspace, mentorship, and training for new business ideas
Startup Scale-Up Jordan by Forward·Inc | Jordan
Forward·Inc has launched a Startup Scale-Up program in Jordan, designed to help tech-driven ventures build growth strategies, refine business models, and expand regional impact
Techy Bytes
CBUAE and Presight formed a joint venture to drive AI adoption in the UAE’s financial infrastructure, targeting enhanced regulatory systems, risk analytics, and operational efficiency
Saudi Arabia unveiled a sovereign AI inference platform, offering national-level AI compute services for startups, government, and enterprise use
Governata launched as Saudi Arabia’s first Arabic-language data governance platform to help public and private institutions manage data compliance and AI readiness
KAUST (KSA) unveiled DeepBlastoid, a deep-learning model that automates embryo assessment, enhancing precision in reproductive medicine and biotechnology research
Riyadh launched a 12-month robotaxi trial
Zain Bahrain launched a super app powered by Omniflow AI, offering integrated telecom, financial, and lifestyle services through a unified platform
Saudi Arabia introduced the Qari’e digital platform to support visually impaired readers, offering AI-powered text-to-speech capabilities and accessibility tools for inclusive digital engagement
Egypt’s EUI launched the first wave of tech graduates to strengthen Egypt’s innovation pipeline with globally competitive digital talent
Algeria announced a new digital portal to enable real-time monitoring of public infrastructure projects
Apple debuted its first official online store in Saudi Arabia, offering localized shopping, delivery, and product customization options for Saudi consumers
Uber launched Senior Accounts in MENA, enabling families to book rides for older adults and track their trips in real-time
OpenAI launched a general-purpose agent in ChatGPT, enabling users to delegate tasks across tools and documents
Google tested Opal, a new coding app designed to teach programming through vibes and aesthetic interaction
Amazon acquired Bee, a voice-first AI wearable that continuously records speech
Alibaba launched Qwen3-Coder, an open-source AI coding model designed to support multi-language code generation and developer productivity
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