#94 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
VBooking (UAE/TravelTech) raised $5M to expand its AI-powered travel ecosystem, launch an AI concierge, and develop TUSD for commission-free cross-border payments
Lucid Capital (UAE/FinTech) closed $2.5M Seed round to scale AI-driven quantitative trading, alongside $200M in capital commitments for proprietary strategies
Oumla (KSA/FinTech) extended its seed round with participation from Wa’ed Ventures, Sanabil 500, KAUST Innovation Ventures, and Plus VC to scale sovereign digital asset infrastructure
Newera.ai (KSA/AI) closed $2.1M Pre Seed to scale enterprise-focused generative AI solutions aligned with Vision 2030
BookaHospi (KSA/HealthTech) secured strategic angel investment from Falak Angels Network to digitize cross-border healthcare recruitment and workforce management
Promamec (Morocco/HealthTech) secured $8.5M commitment from AfricInvest’s Transform Health Fund to strengthen Morocco’s national medical supply chain and expand working capital
Woliz (Morocco/CommerceTech) raised $2.2M Pre Seed from Sanlam Morocco to modernize proximity commerce and drive financial inclusion across local retail networks
LAB7 (KSA) invested in Halide Energy (Finland) to advance copper-based grid-scale battery storage technology
More rounds → here
Main Headlines
Public Investment Fund sealed a landmark $55B acquisition of Electronic Arts to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position in the global gaming industry
Paragon, Adeer, and B maistro launched $5M PropteX fund to accelerate PropTech startups across Egypt, KSA, and the wider MENA region
TECOM Group invested $167M into Phase 4 of Dubai Internet City’s Innovation Hub to expand Grade A office capacity and support Dubai’s digital economy agenda
Edafa Venture Capital acquired Boutique to accelerate startup scale-up and drive regional expansion into the UAE and Egypt
International Holding Company (UAE) acquired a 70% majority stake in payments technology firm Peko Holdings to strengthen its digital services and fintech portfolio
More updates → here
Ecosystem Updates
General Entertainment Authority (KSA) concluded its inaugural Entertainment Innovations Challenge, awarding SAR 300K in prizes and over $1M in in in-kind support
Flat6Labs concluded the three-year StartMashreq program after supporting 4,500+ entrepreneurs and enabling $28M in startup funding across the Levant
Flow Accelerator secured over $2.3M in funding for 107 Palestinian startups in 2025 through its end-to-end incubation, acceleration, and expansion programs
Orange Corners Sudan and 249Startups secured over 500M SDG in growth funding for eight startups across agriculture, healthcare, and renewable energy
Jordanian Ministry of Digital Economy and Rainmaking launched the JoGlobal program to prepare high-potential Jordanian startups for international expansion and growth capital
Syrian Society for Startups and Research (SySSR) crowned three winning teams at the Innovative Entrepreneurship Factory finale and connected participants to incubation pathways
More updates → here
Startups Highlights
SpeakUp (UAE/EventTech/) landed a landmark investment live on The Final Pitch Dubai, becoming the only startup to sign a deal on air this season
MNT-Halan (Egypt) launched a fully digital real estate investment fund with Azimut Egypt to democratize access to property assets under FRA regulation
Anghami and Samsung (MENA) launched I Am The Scene, a regional initiative to support emerging MENA artists through mobile-first music creation and mentorship
Fin-Game (Egypt/FinTech) claimed first place at ElevateLab Demo Day for its gamified financial literacy platform targeting Gen Z users
valU (Egypt/FinTech) partnered with Tactful AI to unify customer experience across WhatsApp, web, app, and social channels using AI-driven engagement tools
More highlights → here
Open For Application
Flow Accelerator Formation & Development Cycle 5 | Palestine
A pre-incubation and incubation program for early-stage founders from idea to MVP, offering structured validation, product development support, and expert mentorship
Deadline: January 8, 2026
SEF x 1TANK Pitch Competition | Sharjah
A high-impact pitch competition for market-ready startups at Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival, offering an AED200K equity-free grant pool, investor exposure, and mentorship
Deadline: January 8, 202
Egypt AI & IoT Challenge – 10th Edition | Egypt
A nationwide innovation challenge for startups, senior university students, and STEM students building AI and IoT solutions across smart cities, healthcare, mobility, agriculture, and commerce
Hitachi eMobility Startup Challenge 2026 | Global
A corporate innovation and PoC program for eMobility startups and scaleups, offering PoC funding, executive access to Hitachi leadership, mentorship, and global visibility
Deadline: January 15, 2026
More Programs and Opportunities → here
Techy Bytes
Presight (UAE) secured a $118.5M multi-year deal to build Albania’s nationwide AI-powered smart nation infrastructure
Elon Musk discussed AI strategy and future ventures with UAE leadership amid growing Gulf investment and SpaceX IPO speculation
Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies unveiled the DALLA open source framework to cut Arabic AI training and inference costs by up to 75%
MCIT and Microsoft partnered to accelerate SME digital transformation through the SMEs Go Digital program, aligned with Qatar’s Digital Agenda 2030
Syrian Association for AI and Entrepreneurship launched as the country’s first official AI body to drive practical AI skills, training, and tech entrepreneurship
Dubai Charitable Activities Department greenlit cryptocurrency donations for all registered charities, modernising philanthropy and expanding digital giving channels
Sama X secured regulatory approval to roll out Starlink satellite internet across Jordan, extending high-speed connectivity to remote and underserved areas
BioEnergy Arabia (KSA) unveiled a scalable waste-to-energy technology at KFUPM to convert used cooking oil into biofuel, advancing circular economy solutions
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 | BIBAN
More regions: KSA | UAE | Egypt | Syria | Morocco
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