Latest MENA startup, tech and VC news

Weekly round-up

May 23, 2025

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15 min read

Egyptian startup funding is surging

G42 partners with OpenAI, Nvidia & Cisco to launch Stargate UAE, Tarjama raises $15 million Series A funding to scale Arabic AI, QIA-backed unicorn Builder.ai files for insolvency, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

News

G42 partners with OpenAI, Nvidia & Cisco to launch Stargate UAE, a 1GW AI megaproject

May 23, 2025

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2 min read

G42 partners with OpenAI, Nvidia & Cisco to launch Stargate UAE, a 1GW AI megaproject

Stargate UAE builds on the $500 billion Stargate project first unveiled in January and marks the latest in a flurry of high-profile G42 partnerships.

News

QIA-backed unicorn Builder.ai files for insolvency despite $450M in funding

May 23, 2025

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1 min read

QIA-backed unicorn Builder.ai files for insolvency despite $450M in funding

Once hailed as a billion-dollar AI unicorn, UK-based Builder.ai has filed for bankruptcy after investors seized $37M from its accounts, leaving just $5M in cash.

Analysis

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Why are we suddenly seeing a surge in funding for Egyptian startups?

May 23, 2025

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2 min read

Why are we suddenly seeing a surge in funding for Egyptian startups?

As of mid-May, Egyptian startups have raised $124 million across at least six major deals, a 406% YoY surge and a staggering 8,000% MoM increase.

Interview

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Building the AI voice for global storytelling

May 21, 2025

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11 min read

Building the AI voice for global storytelling

Why localisation is the hardest problem in GenAI, how to build foundational AI in an ecosystem still playing catch-up, and why Dubai doesn’t need more capital, it needs more conviction.

News

UAE-based Tarjama raises $15 million in Series A funding to scale Arabic AI for enterprise in MENA

May 21, 2025

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3 min read

UAE-based Tarjama raises $15 million in Series A funding to scale Arabic AI for enterprise in MENA

Founded by Nour Al Hassan in 2008, Tarjama has evolved from a translation company into an AI-first enterprise, focused on solving Arabic language business problems at scale.

Podcast

May 19, 2025

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3 min read

VC React Podcast (Episode #35)

We unpack the flood of AI announcements coming out of Saudi, from the launch of HUMAIN and multi-billion-dollar chip deals with NVIDIA, to new AI focused venture funds from Wyld VC and STV.

Weekly round-up

May 16, 2025

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15 min read

Saudi’s AI ambition goes full-stack

STV launches $100M AI fund backed by Google, Egypt’s proptech Nawy secures $75M to scale, and nsave opens access to secure financial accounts for Syrians, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

News

WakeCap raises $28M Series A to expand AI-powered construction intelligence platform globally

May 16, 2025

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3 min read

WakeCap raises $28M Series A to expand AI-powered construction intelligence platform globally

Founded in 2017 by Dr. Hassan Albalawi, WakeCap has developed an IoT and AI-powered project controls platform that delivers visibility into workforce activity, safety, productivity, and site progress across large-scale infrastructure and development projects.

News

YC-backed, London-based nsave opens access to secure financial accounts for Syrian users following sanctions lift

May 16, 2025

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1 min read

YC-backed, London-based nsave opens access to secure financial accounts for Syrian users following sanctions lift

Co-founder and CEO Amer Baroudi called it “the moment I started nsave for,” as the company begins onboarding Syrians via a new waitlist – offering early access to the first 10,000 signups.

News

Tala Al-Jabri launches MENA’s first AI-native VC fund, Wyld VC, with $50M to back early-stage AI talent across the region

May 16, 2025

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1 min read

Tala Al-Jabri launches MENA’s first AI-native VC fund, Wyld VC, with $50M to back early-stage AI talent across the region

Backed by the family office of Lawrence E. Golub, the fund will invest in AI middleware and application-layer tools rather than foundation models, with a focus on early-stage startups.

News

Egypt’s Nawy secures $75M in equity and debt to scale its full-stack proptech platform across MENA

May 15, 2025

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3 min read

Egypt’s Nawy secures $75M in equity and debt to scale its full-stack proptech platform across MENA

Founded in 2019 by Mohamed Abou Ghanima, Abdel-Azim Osman, Ahmed Rafea, Aly Rafea, and Mostafa El Beltagy, Nawy has evolved from a listings platform into a vertically integrated real estate ecosystem.

News

STV launches $100M AI fund backed by Google, marking tech giant’s first VC bet in MENA

May 15, 2025

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1 min read

STV launches $100M AI fund backed by Google, marking tech giant’s first VC bet in MENA

MENA’s largest VC firm, with over $900M in AUM, also recently launched a $100M non-dilutive NICE Fund in partnership with SAB Invest.

News

Saudi Arabia launches HUMAIN to anchor AI leadership, signs landmark deals with NVIDIA, AMD, and AWS

May 15, 2025

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3 min read

Saudi Arabia launches HUMAIN to anchor AI leadership, signs landmark deals with NVIDIA, AMD, and AWS

Its executive team includes former leaders from Microsoft, Nokia, and Groq, and it is closely aligned with SDAIA, the Saudi Data and AI Authority.

Deep-dives

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How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers

May 14, 2025

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13 min read

How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers

An 18,000-word playbook drawn from interviews with 7 of MENA’s top post-Series A founders, tackling how to build trust before brand equity, validate before users, retain in transient markets, and know when to follow data – and when to trust your gut.

Deep-dives

+1

How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers (#2)

May 14, 2025

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2 min read

How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers (#2)

An 18,000-word playbook drawn from interviews with 7 of MENA’s top post-Series A founders, tackling how to build trust before brand equity, validate before users, retain in transient markets, and know when to follow data – and when to trust your gut.

Deep-dives

+1

How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers (#3)

May 14, 2025

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2 min read

How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers (#3)

An 18,000-word playbook drawn from interviews with 7 of MENA’s top post-Series A founders, tackling how to build trust before brand equity, validate before users, retain in transient markets, and know when to follow data – and when to trust your gut.

Podcast

May 12, 2025

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3 min read

VC React Podcast (Episode #34)

Two stories that hint at how exits are evolving in the region — from a cybersecurity acquisition that keeps the core team and tech intact, to a surprise IPO push from one of Silicon Valley’s most controversial founders, now looking east.