Weekly round-up
Oct 31, 2025
•
15 min read
BRKZ secures $30M growth debt from Stride Ventures, new $250M Saudi biotech growth fund, first casualty in Saudi food-delivery price wars, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.
Saudi Arabia
+2
2 min read
The collaboration marks SAB Invest’s move into startup-focused investments and SME financing.
Startups
+3
Oct 29, 2025
29 min read
Meet 50 of the world’s highest-potential tech startups led by MENA diaspora founders.
21 min read
Meet 50 of the world’s highest-potential startups led by diaspora founders.
3 min read
The firm, founded earlier this year by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced that Saudi Aramco will acquire a significant minority stake in the company while PIF retains majority ownership.
Fintech
+4
The deal comes just months after Tabby’s $160 million Series E in February 2025, which valued the company at $3.3 billion
Contech
Oct 28, 2025
The new facility follows its $17 million Series A extension in February and brings total capital raised to over $52 million.
Oct 24, 2025
16 min read
Property Finder secures $250M in debt financing; backs Stake, Cercli raises $12M Series A to build AI-native HR stack for MENA, 1001 AI raises $9M to build sovereign AI, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.
Oct 23, 2025
1 min read
Thecommitment from Ares Credit Funds will be used to accelerate regional expansion and product innovation, with spend earmarked for AI-driven solutions, marketing, branding, and strategic partnerships.
News
+1
According to analysts, the delay reflects a mismatch between valuation expectations and investor appetite, underscoring a maturing regional IPO market.
Oct 22, 2025
12 min read
As global investors look to deploy into the Gulf, Key Capital’s London Trek has quietly become one of the region’s most effective bridges between mandate and deployment. Behind its small, curated format sits a deliberate architecture designed to convert interest into capital flow.
Oct 21, 2025
Founded in 2019 by Leila Al Marashi, CADO combines creativity, logistics, and technology to modernise corporate gifting, with the goal of making it more intelligent and emotionally meaningful.
The move comes alongside the appointment of Rakhil Fernando as Head of CE-Creates, signalling a more aggressive build-out of the platform.
Founded by Muhamed Ashhar and Faizy Ahmed, Astra Nova develops tools that allow creators to launch interactive blockchain-based experiences without technical expertise.
The acquisition comes shortly after Qashio raised approximately $19.8 million in fresh funding in May.
Founded by Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, 1001 AI is developing an AI-native operating system designed to automate operational decision-making in aviation, logistics, construction, and oil & gas.
Foodtech
Founded in 2024 by Mohammed Jaber, Mohammad Khleifat, Shadi Daboor and Mohamad Ababatain, TabSense develops a platform that uses autonomous AI agents to act like digital employees
