#95 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
eMushrif (Oman/Smart Mobility) secured $7.5M to expand smart school transport safety across KSA and the UAE using AI and IoT
Aamar (KSA/PropTech) closed $4M+ Seed round to automate rental operations and scale AI-powered leasing
MilkStraw AI (UAE/CloudTech) raised $2M Seed funding to scale AI-driven cloud cost optimization for high-growth startups and enterprises
FitXpert (Egypt/SportsTech) closed a strategic investment to accelerate product development and expand its vertical SaaS platform for fitness and nutrition
Business For Teens (Egypt/EdTech) secured a six-figure Pre-Seed to expand entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs for teens and scale school partnerships
Doushesh (Syria/Classifieds) closed Pre Seed to scale a safer, more trusted classifieds marketplace, strengthen infrastructure, and expand into high-value verticals like real estate and automotive
Qatar Investment Authority joined xAI’s $20B Series E alongside a global syndicate to back Grok’s scale-up, expand data center capacity, and accelerate next-generation AI model development
More rounds → here
Main Headlines
Red Sea Global partnered with Bunat Ventures to launch a new AI-focused venture fund targeting 25 startups
Ethmar International Holding partnered with Guggenheim Brothers Media to launch a multi-million dollar creative fund in Abu Dhabi
NEOM backed five Saudi gaming studios through its largest Level Up accelerator cohort to scale local game development
Moroccan Government approved MAD 1.28B in funding for 89 SME investment projects expected to generate around 5,000 jobs nationwide
Badir Fund (Kuwait) backed MEVP’s Fund IV to channel growth capital into technology startups and accelerate digital transformation across MENA
Omani Government approved the launch of the Oman Global Financial Centre to attract foreign capital and accelerate financial sector-driven economic diversification
UAE Ministry of Economy unveiled major company law reforms, allowing multi-class shares for LLCs and seamless movement between free zones
Syrian Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade raised minimum capital requirements for new businesses as part of a broader effort to restructure and regulate the private sector
More updates → here
Ecosystem Updates
EGBANK welcomed 18 startups into the 14th cycle of its zero equity MINT Incubator, supporting founders with product validation, tailored tracks, and funding readiness
Start Smart Competition (KSA) selected 40 AI-focused ideas from 1,000 applicants to join an intensive two-month bootcamp
Field Ready unveiled an Innovation and Digital Manufacturing Lab at the University of Aleppo to enable prototyping, digital fabrication, and hands-on engineering education
Forbes Middle East featured six Moroccan leaders on its 100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen list across finance, industry, and retail
Parachute16 concluded the Ghiras Accelerator Demo Day, showcasing sustainability-focused startups including iRama, Logihub, c mass, VEGO Group, and DROP ROOT
Aram Lab defined 2025 as a critical inflection point for Syria’s startup ecosystem, highlighting 200+ active ventures, rising diaspora engagement, and persistent bottlenecks in legal, payments, and infrastructure
SRTI Park launched the Base 39 Creative Accelerator in Sharjah to scale product-led ventures across design-driven industries, starting with furniture and collectible design
Orange Jordan and JoPACC united to accelerate fintech innovation and talent development through applied training, joint projects, and education
More updates → here
Startups Highlights
Pay10 and Commercial Bank of Dubai launched a landmark open finance initiative to enable secure data sharing and accelerate next-generation financial services in the UAE
Abhi (UAE) partnered with LuLu Exchange to expand earned wage access and improve employee salary liquidity across the GCC
Saal.ai and Nutanix (UAE) unveiled SovereignGPT to deliver secure, compliant, and regionally hosted generative AI for governments and regulated enterprises
valU (Egypt) secured final regulatory approval to launch in Jordan
Keeta launched its on-demand delivery platform in Bahrain, marking the latest step in Meituan-backed regional expansion across the GCC
Maalexi (UAE) announced plans to launch the world’s first agricultural asset token exchange, enabling tokenized trade of real-world food commodities on blockchain infrastructure
Ziina (UAE) launched Ziina Violet, a lifestyle membership bundling everyday perks and zero FX fees
Cassbana (Egypt) partnered with Orbii to integrate AI-driven credit intelligence and expand data-powered SME lending infrastructure across MENA
More highlights → here
Open For Application
Coffee With a Mentor by Startup Grind Doha | Qatar
A weekly in-person mentorship series connecting founders with experienced mentors and investors for focused 1 on 1 feedback, networking, and guidance over coffee
Dates: Saturdays in January 2026
Orange Corners Baghdad Cohort 12 | Iraq
A fully funded six-month incubation program for early-stage Iraqi startups offering training, mentorship, co-working space, and access to investment opportunities
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Morocco Accelerator Batch 2 by Technopark & Plug and Play | Morocco
An equity-free three-month accelerator for Pre-Seed to Series A Moroccan and diaspora startups, offering global network access, 1 on 1 mentorship, office space, and IT perks to scale from local traction to international markets
Deadline: February 17, 2026
AngelSpark $100K+ Investment Cycle | Global
An angel investment opportunity for Pre Seed and Seed stage startups, offering $100K+ funding, access to 50+ angels, and a fast 24-hour decision after a live pitch
Flow Accelerator x Gaza Sky Geeks Blockchain Bootcamp | Online
An intensive online blockchain bootcamp for students, developers, and founders focused on smart contracts, dApps, mentorship, and hands-on ideation
Deadline: January 15, 2026
Oraseya Capital Zero to One Startup Pitch Competition | Dubai, UAE
A high-profile pitch competition for early-stage tech startups with UAE ties, offering an AED 100K equity-free grant and direct access to regional VCs during DUNE Venture Days
Deadline: January 31, 2026
More Programs and Opportunities → here
Techy Bytes
Technology Innovation Institute (UAE) launched Falcon-H1 Arabic models using a hybrid Mamba Transformer architecture to push Arabic LLM performance while cutting compute needs
UAE Ministry of Education embedded AI as a formal subject from kindergarten to Grade 12 starting the 2025 to 2026 academic year
Qatar Council of Ministers Secretariat General and MCIT launched the Smart Legislative Advisor to accelerate drafting, comparison, and review of laws using AI-powered legal analysis tools
Nvidia launched Alpamayo, an open source stack of reasoning VLA models, simulation tools, and driving datasets to help teams train for rare edge case scenarios and accelerate Level 4 autonomy
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health to help users securely manage medical records and wellness data with privacy isolated from core model training
Google unveiled major AI upgrades for Gmail, including a personalized AI Inbox, conversational search, and built-in proofreading tools
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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