#83 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
Fintologya (Bahrain/Fintech) raised $1M in a seed round to scale its cloud-based payments infrastructure and expand operations beyond Bahrain and Saudi Arabia into new GCC markets
Property Finder (UAE/Proptech) raised $525M led by Permira to accelerate product and regional expansion across MENA’s booming real estate market
CredibleX (UAE/Fintech) secured a $100M senior secured credit facility from Pollen Street Capital. The funding will expand CredibleX’s SME loan book and embedded finance partnerships following its $55M seed round in 2024
PRYPCO (UAE/Proptech) raised a major pre-Series A investment from General Catalyst, having facilitated nearly AED 10B in mortgages and supported 3,000+ Golden Visas
Metric (UAE/Fintech) secured funding led by A typical Ventures to scale “Max”, its conversational CF AI serving 130,000+ businesses in 190 countries on $4.2B of transactional data
Wahed (UAE/Fintech) raised a strategic investment from Phoenix Venture Partners, formalizing a long-term partnership ahead of a planned Series C as the Islamic investing platform grows beyond 300,000 clients across 9 licensed jurisdictions
TERN Group (UAE/Healthtech) raised $24M Series A co co-led by Notion Capital and EQ2 Ventures to expand its clinical AI workforce platform that cuts medical staff hiring from one year to under ten weeks across the GCC, Europe, and the UK
DawaDose (KSA/Pharma Tech) closed a pre-seed round from angel investors and set up its KSA headquarters to launch an integrated digital platform that connects consumers with pharmacies and drug warehouses across the Kingdom and the wider GCC
21Doctors (KSA/Healthtech) secured a pre-seed round from angel investors and established its KSA headquarters to scale an AI-driven healthcare network that links patients with doctors, pharmacies, and labs, with a focus on Arabic language medical tools
Bab Plus (Jordan/Customer Engagement) received funding and a year long support package from ZINC through Zain Al Mubadara, including 10,000 JOD cash, legal and technical advisory, branding, and market access to scale its omnichannel customer automation platform
Jobzyn (Morocco/Recruitment) raised an undisclosed round from Janngo Capital to scale its AI-powered recruitment platform across Africa
Rihal (Oman/Data & AI) secured $7.5M in the first close of its Series A, led by ITHCA Group, to scale its data and AI platforms across regional and global markets
Cyfr Capital (Oman) backed five startups through its Seed Fund in partnership with Oman Future Fund, including Firdous Biotech (Oman), AFAQ AI (Oman), Cassbana (Egypt), National Rocks (Oman), and Helpdesk (UAE), strengthening its portfolio across AI, biotech, fintech, and deep tech
CE Invests invested in Flipspaces (Contech) to support the company in developing its AI-led design platform, VR walkthroughs, and full-stack delivery model
QIA joined a $1B Series E for US quantum computing leader PsiQuantum. The round values the company at $7B as it races to build a 1M qubit photonic quantum computer
Rasmal Ventures (Qatar) backed AI logistics firm NEXX during the Belt & Road Summit in Hong Kong, to support the company in scaling its agentic AI logistics platform while strengthening Qatar’s role as a hub for cross-regional innovation
Viaka Angel Network (MENA) invested in Vessel, a VC infrastructure platform streamlining investor relations, fundraising, and reporting for fund managers, marking its third investment and reinforcing its thesis of backing high-impact ventures tied to the MENA ecosystem
Main Headlines
VentureSouq (UAE) closed its second fintech fund with backing from PIF’s Jada Fund of Funds, SVC, Mubadala, and Jordan’s ISSF
Sarat Ventures (KSA) launched a $50M Y Innovations Biotech Fund to back early-stage life sciences
ORA Technologies (Morocco) acquired last-mile delivery platform Cathedis to vertically integrate logistics into its e-commerce and fintech ecosystem
Oman announced a $265M AI and Advanced Technologies Zone in Muscat, spanning 100,000 sqm to attract global startups and position the Sultanate as a regional hub for AI innovation
Riyadh Valley Company invested in US-based FinTech Collective’s Fund IV, to expand exposure to global fintech innovation
Vision Invest (KSA) committed $700M to ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, marking its first direct investment in Africa to accelerate green and inclusive industrial ecosystems across 14 countries
Egypt × Tunisia signed an MoU to strengthen SME ecosystems through joint training, incubator creation, and trade exhibitions
Egypt launched the National Narrative for Economic Development, a private-sector-led strategy targeting 7 percent annual growth and an investment rate of 25–30 percent of GDP by 2030
Oman Investment Authority (Oman) announced plans for two new cross-border funds to strengthen investment corridors with China and Central Asia
Syrian Development Fund launched under Presidential Decree No. 112 to finance reconstruction and development across six sectors, enabling contributions from Syrians at home and abroad through formal donation channels
Ecosystem Updates
Mubadala × Antler × Hub71 (UAE) launched the National Founders Programme, a six-week venture-building track to convert breakthrough university research into startups
216 Capital (Tunisia) partnered with Plug and Play to launch the 216 Capital Venture Accelerator, a six-month program offering Tunisian startups €50K seed funding, mentorship, and access to Plug and Play’s global network
Falak Angels (KSA) signed a strategic partnership with Finjan Investments (Qatar) to build a cross-border investment corridor, co-investment syndicate, and investor education programs
Taibah University (KSA) launched an Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Madinah with Monsha’at, offering foundational workshops, intensive training, and expert mentorship
Sunbulah Accelerator (KSA) showcased 13 AgriTech and FoodTech startups from 8 countries at its Paris finale
Sanabil Accelerator by Orbit showcased 11 startups from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and Hong Kong, each backed with $100K seed funding, mentorship, and a global network
LAUNCH UP 2025 Bootcamp concluded its first phase in Hama with 30 startups and 60+ founders across healthcare, logistics, tourism, and edtech
Orange Jordan celebrated the graduation of 14 AI-driven startups from the second and third cohorts of its AI Incubator
Palestinian Youth Union launched the Empowering Women in Agricultural Entrepreneurship program across seven villages in Ramallah and Salfit, training women in modern farming, livestock, food processing, and financial planning
Startup Teen crowned its first winners in Egypt, with Team NextPay, Team BreScan, and Team ECOVOLTIX taking top prizes
BENEFIT (Bahrain) concluded the 4th MASAR FinTech Summer Programme, upskilling 40 Bahraini youths via hands-on projects, workshops, and field trips
Tunisia’s Youth dominated the 6th Arab Let’s Innovate competition in Amman, including Grand Prize for S-Drone, Best Educational Game for Play and Code, and Best Presentation for SOS Maison and Save Eat
Startups Highlights
NanoPalm (KSA/Biotech) won KPMG’s National Tech Innovator for its AI-driven, programmable lipid nanoparticle platform enabling in vivo gene therapy delivery
Talabat was suspended for one week by Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry over alleged consumer protection violations, including misleading practices and poor service quality
Fawry (Egypt/Fintech) partnered with Odoo’s Golden Partner CDS Solutions to plug its POS directly into Odoo ERP, streamlining acceptance, reconciliation, and reporting for thousands of SMEs and large enterprises
Shahbandr (KSA/E-commerce & AI) launched Shahbandr AI, the region’s first integrated Arabic-native generative AI toolkit—50+ preset tools for images, videos, voice-overs, copy, and SEO—free for 18,000+ stores across Saudi Arabia and Egypt
Ottu (Kuwait) launched ECHO, an AI-powered platform that autonomously manages dispute resolution, merchant support, and system configuration
Luxury For You (UAE/Luxury E-tail) launched a members-only, capital-light marketplace offering access to $300M+ inventory across 1,200+ brands,
Gathern (KSA/Traveltech) reached $2B+ in gross bookings and 44% share of Saudi short-term rentals, and preparing regional expansion into Kuwait and Bahrain
StashAway (UAE/Wealthtech) launched Shariah Global Portfolios offering four risk levels via compliant ETFs (equities, sukuk, gold), citing five-year annualized returns up to 13.7% and fees from 0.2%–0.8%, with no minimums or lock-ins
MoneyHash × noon Payments (MENA/Fintech) partnered to offer single-API access to local rails across KSA, UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, and Oman
Gainz × Watermelon Ecosystem (UAE/F&B Fintech) teamed up to close the F&B financing gap via Sharia-compliant crowdfunding integrated with a 1,000+ outlet network
The PartyPlatform (UAE) launched in Dubai as a digital marketplace streamlining event planning by connecting customers directly with vetted vendors and offering AI-driven recommendations
Open For Application
Zain Great Idea 2025 | Saudi Arabia
Flagship accelerator for Saudi tech startups; 14-day Silicon Valley bootcamp, mentorship, investor access, and technical support via ZainTECH.
Deadline: Sep 20
Algerian Agripreneurs Challenge 2025 | Algeria
National program selecting 65 winners across Idea and Growth tracks with tailored coaching, specialist services, and network.
Deadline: Sep 28
Egypt Entrepreneur Awards 2025 | Egypt
Top founders are invited to apply across 15 categories, including AI, Fintech, Logistics, Sustainability, Fashion, and Rising Entrepreneurs.
Deadline: Sep 30
Tremplin Maroc 17th Edition | Morocco
Offering expert mentorship, personalized coaching, and project structuring to turn ideas into viable startups.
Deadline: Sep 30
Game by Code (3-Month Incubator for Game Developers) | Saudi Arabia
Nationwide incubator by MCIT and NTDP for aspiring developers and entrepreneurs (Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Ahsa).
Deadline: Sep 30
rowth’Act+ (6-Month Acceleration, €750K Tickets) | Tunisia
Advanced program by WIKISTARTUP for later-stage GreenTech, AI, and BioTech startups.
Deadline: Oct 19
Techy Bytes
UAE announced the launch of K2 Think, an open-source reasoning model developed by MBZUAI and G42, endorsed by the President as a landmark step toward global AI leadership
Abu Dhabi’s EAD launched AI-powered avatars to enhance environmental awareness, featuring lifelike Emirati characters Souheil and Dana designed for bilingual, culturally-attuned public engagement
Oman launched Maeen, its first national AI model, alongside a dedicated AI zone, Green AI Alliance, and $109M in tech deals under Oman Vision 2040
UAE’s FAHR deployed an AI HR Assistant to automate 80% of federal government HR services, serving 50K+ employees and saving an estimated 170K working hours annually
Qatar launched the Technology Radar Initiative, starting with healthcare, to systematically adopt, test, and monitor emerging technologies
Qatar began public robotaxi trials in Doha with Mowasalat and Pony.ai, marking its first major step into autonomous mobility
Abu Dhabi launched the region’s first Executive Program for Chief AI Officers, a two-week ADSM–Polynome AI Academy initiative to train senior leaders on AI deployment, governance, and strategy
Iraq opened two new AI engineering colleges in Baghdad and at Middle Technical University, expanding national AI institutions to ten
HBMSU deployed agentic AI across faculty operations, automating course design, assessments, and student performance analysis, cutting admin load by 95% and boosting learning outcomes by 40%
Kuwait’s Academy X graduated its second cohort of young women in tech, with 14–18-year-old participants developing 50+ projects in AI, app development, and UI/UX
Lebanon granted Starlink a license to provide satellite internet, breaking the state monopoly and launching B2B services from $100/month to strengthen connectivity and competition
Morocco signed an agreement to develop a national AI platform and sovereign LLM, aligning with its legal, cultural, and linguistic context to ensure ethical, sovereign, and responsible adoption
Albania appointed Diella, an AI entity, as a symbolic cabinet minister for public procurement, aiming to eliminate corruption and increase efficiency in government tenders
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