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Weekly round-up

Apr 18, 2025

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14 min read

Egypt’s $105M fintech fund pivots

Seesaw acquires Jordan’s Little Thinking Minds to deepen Arabic edtech push across MENA, BKN301 raises $23.8M to target UAE & Saudi expansion, Careem launches grocery delivery in Riyadh, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

News

AWS and Manara to train 2,500 MENA engineers in cloud and AI with $3.6M upskilling push

Apr 18, 2025

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1 min read

AWS and Manara to train 2,500 MENA engineers in cloud and AI with $3.6M upskilling push

The programme follows AWS’s broader regional commitment, including a $5.3B investment in Saudi Arabia.

News

Mantra’s OM token crashes 90% days after unveiling $108M ecosystem fund

Apr 18, 2025

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2 min read

Mantra’s OM token crashes 90% days after unveiling $108M ecosystem fund

The move comes just as Egypt’s Rabbit announced its entry into Saudi, joining a crowded field that includes Jahez, Ninja, Nana, Hungerstation, and Keeta.

News

Careem launches grocery delivery in Riyadh as quick commerce battle heats up in Saudi Arabia

Apr 18, 2025

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1 min read

Careem launches grocery delivery in Riyadh as quick commerce battle heats up in Saudi Arabia

The move comes just as Egypt’s Rabbit announced its entry into Saudi, joining a crowded field that includes Jahez, Ninja, Nana, Hungerstation, and Keeta.

News

BKN301 raises $23.8M to target UAE & Saudi expansion as MENA BaaS race intensifies

Apr 18, 2025

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1 min read

BKN301 raises $23.8M to target UAE & Saudi expansion as MENA BaaS race intensifies

Founded by Stiven Muccioli, BKN301’s platform powers core banking, payments, and AI integrations, with €18.4M in revenue in 2024, marking 51% YoY growth.

News

Seesaw acquires Jordan’s Little Thinking Minds to deepen Arabic edtech push across MENA

Apr 18, 2025

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1 min read

Seesaw acquires Jordan’s Little Thinking Minds to deepen Arabic edtech push across MENA

The acquisition marks Seesaw’s deeper push into the MENA market, pairing its AI-driven PreK–12 tools with LTM’s Arabic curricula ahead of launching its first Arabic-language platform in 2026.

News

DPI takes over $105M Nclude fintech fund, launches VC arm to double-down on early-stage push in Egypt

Apr 18, 2025

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2 min read

DPI takes over $105M Nclude fintech fund, launches VC arm to double-down on early-stage push in Egypt

Initially launched as an $85M vehicle to accelerate financial inclusion in Egypt in 2022, Nclude has since grown to $105M and deployed $28M across startups including Paymob, Khazna, FlapKap, Mozare3, and Lucky.

Interview

Apr 18, 2025

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6 min read

Trubuild’s blueprint to build better

Trubuild’s CEO Bisrat Degefa on what makes construction tech such a tough sell, why most tools fail in the field, and what meaningful disruption actually looks like in one of the world’s most traditional industries.

Interview

Apr 16, 2025

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8 min read

Building a band-aid for cancer

Seven years, 959 rejections, and a circuitous journey from San Diego to New York to Abu Dhabi – Khatija Ali MD and BioSapien’s mission to deliver chemotherapy locally is as much about persistence as it is about innovation.

Podcast

Apr 14, 2025

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3 min read

VC React Podcast (Episode #31)

Exploring what it looks like when founders expand with intent — from cross-border B2B consolidation and fintech infrastructure built for Gulf markets, to Cairo-born chips powering AI data centres, and the next phase of online grocery competition in Saudi Arabia.

Weekly round-up

Apr 11, 2025

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16 min read

The battle for Saudi quick commerce

Inside Rabbit’s Saudi expansion with CEO Ahmad Yousry, Saudi’s Sary and Bangladesh’s ShopUp merge to launch SILQ, a B2B commerce platform, with $110M in fresh funding, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Interview

Apr 11, 2025

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6 min read

Inside Rabbit’s Saudi Expansion

Rabbit’s CEO Ahmad Yousry on localising dark stores, rejecting discount wars, and why winning quick commerce in MENA is a supply chain challenge — not a marketing one.

News

Maseera acquires Egypt’s ADVA to power North Africa fintech expansion

Apr 11, 2025

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2 min read

Maseera acquires Egypt’s ADVA to power North Africa fintech expansion

Founded in 2020 by former Careem Egypt GM Rania Gaafar, ADVA allows consumers to access short-term credit for essential services like healthcare and education through a buy now, pay later model.

News

Pakistan supply chain fintech Haball secures $52 million pre-Series A to expand to GCC

Apr 11, 2025

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2 min read

Pakistan supply chain fintech Haball secures $52 million pre-Series A to expand to GCC

The round includes $5 million in equity led by Zayn VC and $47 million in shariah-compliant debt from Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s largest Islamic bank, alongside participation from Saudi private investors.

Interview

Hubpay: Building the financial backbone of MENA and beyond

Apr 9, 2025

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32 min read

Hubpay: Building the financial backbone of MENA and beyond

The long road to fintech infrastructure in MENA, the overlooked power of remittance corridors, why stablecoins are no longer a sideshow – and what it really means to build a business from the trenches of regulatory complexity.

News

Saudi’s Sary and Bangladesh’s ShopUp merge to launch SILQ, a B2B commerce platform, with $110M in fresh funding

Apr 9, 2025

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2 min read

Saudi’s Sary and Bangladesh’s ShopUp merge to launch SILQ, a B2B commerce platform, with $110M in fresh funding

The round was jointly led by Sanabil Investments, the venture arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Valar Ventures LLC, founded by Peter Thiel.

Weekly round-up

Apr 4, 2025

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14 min read

Egypt's semiconductor renaissance

InfiniLink raises $10M seed round to build next-gen optical connectivity chips for AI data centres, Fuse raises $6.6M to bring virtual IBANs to MENA, PayLater becomes first BNPL firm licensed by Qatar Central Bank, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

News

Fuse raises $6.6M to bring virtual IBANs to MENA, simplifying cross-border payments for global businesses

Apr 4, 2025

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3 min read

Fuse raises $6.6M to bring virtual IBANs to MENA, simplifying cross-border payments for global businesses

The round was led by MediaTek – the Taiwanese semiconductor giant – alongside Sukna Ventures, with participation from Egypt Ventures and angel investors from the US, Europe, and MENA.