#85 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
Erad (KSA/Fintech) secured $33M in a debt financing round led by India’s Stride Ventures, its first major investment in KSA, to scale Shariah-compliant SME financing across Saudi Arabia and the UAE
DOO (KSA/AI) closed a $1.7M round led by Merak Capital to scale its culturally-aware AI customer experience platform designed for Arabic dialects and GCC enterprises
Mada (Jordan/Fintech) raised $1.55M in a pre-seed round led by Vision Ventures to advance consumer finance solutions and roll out BNPL services
ADIA (UAE) participated in Empower Semiconductor’s $140M Series D to advance integrated voltage regulator chips that boost efficiency for data centers
CE-Ventures (UAE) co led a $7.7M Series A in India-based Distil to scale its R&D driven specialty chemicals platform and expand into MENA
Meedaf (UAE) invested in global fintech InDebted to expand its AI-powered debt resolution platform across the GCC through a new UAE hub
Arcapita (Bahrain) co-led a $1B Series C in US-based Figure AI, valuing the humanoid robotics startup at $39B and marking one of MENA’s largest deep tech bets
Emergent raised $23M in a Series A to expand its agentic AI coding platform globally, with MENA as a priority market under UAE and Saudi digital transformation initiatives
More rounds → here
Main Headlines
Presight and Shorooq launched Presight–Shorooq Fund I in UAE, a $100M global AI fund based in ADGM, pairing capital with G42 ecosystem access to accelerate AI ventures worldwide
Riyadh Valley Company invested in Japan’s Abies Ventures Fund II to tap into deep tech sectors, including robotics, materials, and advanced communications
Avanz Capital (Egypt) joined Algebra Ventures’ $100M second fund as a secondary LP, marking one of Egypt’s first secondary transactions and pushing for more local capital in VC
Fawry (Egypt) acquired Dirac Systems to form Fawry Dirac, launching cloud-based payroll and accounting solutions for SMEs, with plans to scale enterprise offerings
Stride Ventures (India) announced plans to deploy $200M in KSA over two years and $500M across the Gulf over four years, kicking off with a $33M round in Saudi fintech Erad
PayPal committed $100M to invest in digital commerce across MENA and Africa via PayPal Ventures, building on its Dubai hub and prior bets on Tabby and Paymob
MGX moved to acquire a 15 percent stake in TikTok’s US operations in a White House brokered $14B deal, joining Oracle and Silver Lake as co-investors to resolve national security concerns
Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledged $89M through SFD and QFFD to support Syria’s economic recovery, channelled via UNDP to fund public sector salaries and stabilize essential services
PIF joined an investor group led by Silver Lake in a reported $50B leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts, which would be the largest gaming acquisition in history!
More news → here
Ecosystem Updates
MISA launched the Saudi Startup Program, a national initiative offering streamlined setup, mentorship, funding incentives, and partnerships
CMA expanded its Fintech Lab to 50 registered companies with 68 experimental permits granted, positioning Saudi Arabia as a leading fintech hub under Vision 2030
TiE Women MENA named Aziza, Dosy Bikes, and Super Abla as winners of its Egypt track, with founders securing access to the TiE Women Global Accelerator and platforms at Expand North Star and the Grand Finals in Jaipur
Gulf Business Awards celebrated its 13th edition in Dubai, honoring Miral Group as Company of the Year, Rola Abu Manneh of Standard Chartered as Business Leader of the Year, and Gerald Lawless with the Lifetime Achievement Award
Sheraa concluded its Dojo+ Program in Sharjah, incubating 34 student startups from 14 universities and awarding AED 32K in grants to winners in AI, edtech, and sustainability, with top teams joining Sharjah Startup Studio
EGBANK graduated 17 startups from the 14th MINT Incubator cohort in Egypt, bringing its total to 157 graduated startups that have created 13,000+ jobs and collectively raised over $18M in funding
Startup Syria launched the Catalyst Bootcamp, a seven-day online program training 45 ecosystem builders across Syria in community facilitation, partnerships, and storytelling to strengthen local startup activity
Abu Dhabi Youth Business Council launched the Manarat Al Rowad initiative to fast-track 40 youth-led ventures with licensing support, SME financing, ADGM scholarships, and a premium membership in the Youth Business Gateway
Zain Bahrain launched its flagship Great Ideas Accelerator for the first time in Bahrain, offering training, mentorship, and a Silicon Valley immersion trip to help young founders scale
CDC × Smart Capital introduced the GreenTECH Tunisie initiative to finance 32 green startups and support 10 more SMEs, targeting 300+ jobs while promoting renewable energy, sustainable mobility, and eco-innovation
Jeel × Bahrain FinTech Bay partnered to build a bilateral fintech bridge, enabling startups to test in Saudi’s sandbox and expand into Bahrain
Kuwait Banking Association launched Mutawar, a national fintech initiative, offering dual tracks for ideas and MVPs, a 4-month bootcamp, and a KD 60K prize pool to foster youth innovation
Yasmeen AI Virtual Incubator launched in Syria as the country’s first AI-powered virtual incubator to provide non-profit incubation and diaspora-linked startup support
More updates → here
Startups Highlights
Tanami × Certify (Bahrain) won the 19th StartUp Bahrain Pitch, showcasing AI-driven investing and recruitment solutions, with Thobify, Lamea, and X-Scene among the finalists
Intella × Visa (MENA) partnered to deploy Arabic-first conversational AI across regional banks, rolling out intellaCX and paving the way for Ziila AI agents to transform customer interactions and compliance analytics
Space42 (UAE) announced the launch of the UAE’s first Sovereign Mobility Cloud with Core42 and Microsoft, enabling secure, regulation-compliant data hosting for autonomous transport and smart mobility systems
MNT-Halan (Egypt) introduced the country’s first digital investment-backed lending solution, allowing customers to borrow up to 80% of their investment value via the Halan App without liquidating assets
HyperPay (KSA) signed MoUs with Mastercard and Mozn to issue SME-focused business cards and integrate AI-powered compliance, strengthening Saudi Arabia’s digital payments ecosystem
Nabta Health (UAE) secured a place on TIME’s Top Global HealthTech Companies 2025 list, recognized for its AI-driven hybrid care model tackling women’s health equity gaps across MEA
Talabat (MENA) approved an interim dividend of ~$202M (3.2 fils/share), equal to 90% of H1 2025 net income, with payout slated for Oct 21, 2025
Careem (MENA) expanded its Dirhams for Delays campaign to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, automatically compensating late food deliveries via Careem Pay while maintaining safe driving standards for captains
Keeta (MENA) launched in Dubai, bringing Meituan’s global delivery expertise with 50% off first meals, long-term free delivery, and an on-time guarantee, intensifying competition in the UAE’s food delivery market
More highlights → here
Open For Application
Plug and Play Dubai Accelerator Program | UAE
Plug and Play invites post-revenue, scaling startups (focus on FinTech and Trade & Logistics) to join its new accelerator; benefits include corporate PoCs, market access, investor network, and Dubai workspace — deadline: Oct 12, 2025
Next Up Investment Program 2025 | Saudi Arabia
Annual national program for Saudi startups (2–5 years old) in the growth/expansion stage; benefits include investor access, funding up to SAR 500M, networking, and Demo Day in Riyadh; challenges in Jeddah, Madinah, Buraydah, Riyadh; deadline: Nov 13, 2025
StartSmart Competition 2025 (AI-Focused) | Saudi Arabia
Targeting AI-powered ideas, MVPs, and pre-seed startups; top 40 selected enter a 2-month virtual bootcamp with mentorship and roadshows across KSA; winners receive equity-free cash prizes (SAR 50K / 30K / 20K) — deadline: Nov 13, 2025
Thimar Investment Readiness Accelerator | Syria
An 8-week program preparing early-growth Syrian startups for funding; includes investment readiness training, tailored mentorship, and a Demo Day
Techy Bytes
UAE’s TII × Nvidia launched the Middle East’s first AI and robotics lab in Abu Dhabi, combining advanced GPU chips with humanoid and autonomous robotics research
HUMAIN unveiled the world’s first Agentic AI laptop, Horizon Pro, running on its HUMAIN ONE OS and powered by ALLAM, Saudi’s Arabic-first LLM, with an aggressive global market entry strategy
MBZUAI awarded its inaugural Honorary Doctorate to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, recognizing his global AI leadership and deepening Abu Dhabi’s role in international AI collaboration
Microsoft halted select cloud and AI services to the Israeli military after confirming misuse for Palestinian surveillance, setting a precedent for global tech compliance in conflict regions
Kuwait deployed AI-powered patrols equipped with facial recognition, license plate scanning, and mobile fingerprint tools to modernize law enforcement and enhance public safety
Algeria launched a robotics training program through its Ministry in Annaba, part of a national strategy to expand digital skills in AI, robotics, and cybersecurity
Morocco engaged OpenAI to explore collaborations in AI research and innovation, aiming to build a culturally aligned ecosystem and apply AI in education, governance, and sustainability
Omantel × Publicis Groupe launched the country’s first AI-powered AdTech platform, enabling data-driven campaign targeting and revenue optimization in line with Oman Vision 2040
Alibaba announced a new Dubai data center opening in 2026 as part of its global AI and cloud expansion, alongside facilities in Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia
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
More regions: KSA | UAE | Egypt | Syria | Morocco
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