#96 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
Rain (Bahrain/FinTech) secured $250M, pushing its valuation to $1.95B, to scale stablecoin-based payments, card issuance, and instant settlement infrastructure across new markets
Mal (UAE/FinTech) secured $230M Seed to build an AI-native Islamic digital bank, advance regulatory licensing, and prepare for a phased UAE launch ahead of global expansion
Flooss (Bahrain/FinTech) secured $22M credit facility to expand Sharia-compliant digital consumer financing, scale its loan book, and strengthen AI-driven underwriting
Governata (KSA/Enterprise SaaS) closed $4M Seed to advance AI-ready data governance, align enterprise data with national regulations, and expand across KSA and MENA
Oasys Health (Egypt/HealthTech) raised $4.6M total funding to scale its AI-powered mental health operating system, automate clinical workflows, and integrate real-time biometric data into care delivery
Khosouf Studio (UAE/Gaming) secured SAR 2.2M Seed led by Merak Capital to relocate operations to KSA, scale original game IPs, and strengthen the Kingdom’s growing gaming ecosystem
Resquad AI (KSA/HRTech) raised $1.5M Seed to scale its AI-powered tech recruitment marketplace, accelerate GCC expansion, and prepare for global launch
Madeed (KSA/HealthTech) raised $400K Pre-Seed to launch a preventive health and longevity platform built on advanced biomarker testing and personalized care plans
Nutra-GreeniX (Syria/Agritech) closed $200K to expand sustainable livestock nutrition solutions, scale production capacity, and strengthen food security through clean energy-driven processes
Yamm (KSA/E-commerce) closed a seed round to automate returns, refunds, and exchanges for merchants while reducing operational friction in post-purchase workflows
Prosperity7 Ventures (KSA) backed Horizon3.ai (Global) to fortify AI datacenters and critical infrastructure using autonomous offensive security and real-world attack simulation
More rounds → here
Main Headlines
eFlow (UAE/EdTech) acquired by EDT&Partners to scale AI-powered conversational learning and expand workforce and institutional training across MENA and global markets
Jadwa Investment (KSA) launched a $200M private credit fund to expand non-bank financing, support mid-market companies, and deepen private debt markets across the GCC
Creators HQ and Alfan launched an AED 5M Social Content Fund to finance family-focused digital creators and strengthen the UAE’s purpose-driven content ecosystem
Hashgraph Ventures (UAE) pledged $1M to back African Web3 and AI startups through the Hedera Africa Hackathon
Moroccan Government unveiled its AI Made in Morocco strategy targeting $10B GDP impact, 50,000 jobs, and 200,000 AI-trained graduates by 2030
Syrian Government unveiled a new investment law aimed at attracting foreign capital, easing entry for investors, and mobilizing private sector funding for national reconstruction
Abu Dhabi Government launched L’imad, its fourth sovereign investment platform, to diversify revenues and deploy capital across strategic global sectors
Public Investment Fund consolidated its $12B gaming portfolio under Savvy Games Group to centralize ownership of global gaming assets
More updates → here
Ecosystem Updates
makesense MENA supported 10 Lebanese social enterprises with grants of up to $20K each through the Nabad Program
Fikra Ventures and Hub71 partnered to build and scale AI-native startups from Abu Dhabi through venture creation
Creators HQ and Amazon launched the Amazon Creators Foundry to help UAE-based creators build, launch, and scale consumer brands
Zain Kuwait concluded an immersive Silicon Valley tour for 11 MENA startups, connecting founders with global tech leaders and investors
Flow Accelerator launched Flow Ventures to bridge early-stage funding gaps and strengthen deal flow for Palestinian startups
Flat6Labs concluded the sixth Riyadh Seed Program cycle, deploying $17M+ across 60 startups and unlocking significant follow-on funding within KSA’s ecosystem
Creators HQ and 500 Global concluded the Creators Ventures Accelerator, graduating 21 creator-led startups collectively valued at $130M+
QSTP and Merck launched a FemTech Accelerator to support up to 30 deep-tech startups advancing women’s health innovation across Qatar and MENA
Risin Ventures concluded the AIX Summit and Hackathon in Doha, bringing together 300+ innovators to build enterprise-ready AI solutions for fintech, investment, and industry
More updates → here
Startups Highlights
KARTY (Qatar) secured a Payment Service Provider license from the Qatar Central Bank to expand regulated digital payments and e-money services
Botim Money (UAE) partnered with Mastercard to enable global remittances to 150+ countries
Thawani (Oman) partnered with Monak to advance embedded finance across public and private platforms
Arabic.AI partnered with Replit to launch free, fully localized Arabic coding courses
HyveGeo won the UAE FoodTech Challenge 2026 with its AI-powered tree monitoring solution supporting climate-smart food production
Syspos secured first place at the Ignyte du Business Challenge held at the Museum of the Future
Jade Autis won the Zayed Sustainability Prize for Health, recognizing its AI-powered platform for early detection and support of neurodivergent children
Granite (Egypt) secured an FRA fintech license to launch Egypt’s first fully digital money market account, enabling liquid cash management with daily returns and no lock-ins
Jisr (KSA) surpassed 700,000 users as Saudi businesses accelerate HR digitization amid strong hiring growth and expanding enterprise adoption
More highlights → here
Open For Application
SCALE7 Pre-Acceleration and Acceleration Programs Wave 6 | Hybrid/Doha
A seven-week hybrid program with two tailored tracks for creative and cultural startups, offering mentorship, ecosystem access, in-kind support, and funding of up to USD 100K
Sheraa x NAC Agriboost Incubation Program | Sharjah
A six-week agri tech incubation program for early and seed stage startups, offering AED 15K participation support, free co-working space, expert mentorship, and market access
Jada30 Jadathon Challenge | KSA
A four-day challenge at Forsati Forum supporting idea holders to build MVPs across FinTech, logistics tech, cybersecurity, real estate, and business outsourcing
Pitch Afloat by Startup Grind Doha | Doha
An invite-only pitching experience on a traditional Qatari dhow, selecting five funded growth stage startups to pitch directly to VCs and angels in a highly curated networking setting
Hult Prize Student Startup Challenge | Global
The world’s largest student startup competition offering $1M in funding, mentorship, and global networking
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub | Global
An open-access startup support platform offering up to $150K in Azure credits, free GitHub and Microsoft 365 tools, OpenAI credits, and expert mentorship
More Programs and Opportunities → here
Techy Bytes
Dubai RTA granted Baidu Apollo Go the emirate’s first permit for fully driverless vehicle trials on public roads
Sama X secured a national license to deliver Starlink satellite internet across Bahrain
Technology Innovation Institute (UAE) released 15 Tiny Falcon open source models designed to power specialized AI use cases with high efficiency and minimal compute
Zoho launched its first UAE data centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, strengthening data sovereignty, local compliance, and cloud performance
OpenAI acquired health records startup Torch, signed a $10B compute agreement with Cerebras, and introduced targeted ads on ChatGPT’s free tiers to fund large-scale AI deployment
Nvidia and Eli Lilly announced a $1B AI co-innovation lab to compress drug discovery timelines
Wikimedia Foundation signed paid data partnerships with Big Tech and leading AI labs to license Wikipedia content for model training
Elon Musk seeking up to $134B in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft
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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