Jamie Lane

Jamie Lane

Jamie Lane is the co-founder of FWDstart, a Gulf/MENA-focused tech and venture publication aiming to be the region’s referential source for rigorous analysis and original reporting. Based in Abu Dhabi, Jamie’s coverage spans AI, fintech, and the evolving capital stack in MENA. He also hosts the VC React podcast. Before FWDstart, he led digital strategy at a pan-European B2B publishing house, overseeing editorial, subscriptions, and commercial operations.

The Gulf’s new space race for sovereignty

Why sovereignty in space matters, the divergent bets of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the players shaping the race, and whether these efforts will coalesce into a regional ecosystem, or remain a contest for supremacy.

Sep 3, 2025

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9 min read

Qatar’s QIA backs Anthropic’s record $13B round at $183B valuation

The raise, led by Iconiq Capital with co-leads Fidelity Management & Research Company and Lightspeed Venture Partners, nearly triples Anthropic’s valuation from just six months ago.

Sep 3, 2025

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3 min read

Justyol secures $1M to scale Moroccan e-commerce platform with Turkish roots

Founded in Morocco, Justyol connects Turkish fashion and lifestyle products with North African consumers, while recently branching into electronics and household goods.

Sep 2, 2025

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2 min read

UAE’s WheelsOn raises $12.5M to expand deposit-free digital car rental platform

Founded in 2023 by Nikolay Melnichuk, Adlet Shagirov, and Maxim Olivson, WheelsOn operates a fully digital, deposit-free car rental platform designed to eliminate hidden fees, paperwork, and large upfront security deposits – pain points that continue to frustrate customers in the region’s traditional rental market.

Sep 2, 2025

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2 min read

Tunisia’s Addvocate.AI raises strategic investment from 216 Capital to scale AI sales platform

Founded in 2024 by Ridha Mami and Sofyan Chekir, the Franco-Tunisian company is building what it calls a “Sales Performance OS” – an AI-native platform that consolidates sales data, delivers behavioural nudges, and generates actionable insights to prepare teams for client meetings and unblock stalled deals.

Sep 2, 2025

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2 min read

Saudi AI startup Intella raises $12.5M Series A to scale Arabic speech intelligence

Founded in Egypt in 2021 by Nour Taher (CEO) and Omar Mansour (CTO), Intella develops AI models designed for Arabic dialects, offering enterprise transcription, analytics, and customer engagement tools across more than 25 dialects.

Sep 2, 2025

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2 min read

Dubai’s Seraya raises $1.8M seed to scale premium serviced apartments

Founded in October 2024 by Pepijn Haima and Ibrahim Shami, Seraya operates design-led, fully serviced apartments targeting the premium short-term rental segment.

Sep 2, 2025

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2 min read

YC-backed Munify raises $3M seed to build cross-border neobank for Egyptians abroad

Founded in 2025 by Khalid Ashmawy, Munify enables Egyptians abroad, particularly in the U.S., U.K., Europe, and the Gulf, to send money home instantly at lower cost, while offering residents in Egypt access to U.S. banking services such as accounts and cards using only a local ID.

Sep 1, 2025

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3 min read

VC React Podcast (Episode #49)

This week on VC React, the theme is localisation: we unpack Impact46’s $53M bet on Kammelna and whether Saudi gaming IP can scale globally, dissect Gathern’s $72M Series B to test if domestic tourism can fuel an IPO, stress-test Holo’s $22M mortgage play as it enters Saudi, and debate whether Allam 34B gives Arabic a true edge in the foundation model race.

Sep 1, 2025

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3 min read

HUMAIN sells out AI capacity, Mistral sizing up GCC

Overseas clients drive 99% of HUMAIN AI infra demand, Impact46 invests $53M in Saudi gaming studio Kammelna, proptech Holo raises $22M Series A to fuel Saudi expansion, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Aug 29, 2025

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15 min read

Maalexi secures $20M shariah-compliant credit facility from Amwal Capital Partners to scale SME food trade

Founded in 2021 by Dr. Azam Pasha and Rohit Majhi, Maalexi connects small food and agricultural SMEs to cross-border trade by offering risk-mitigated solutions—such as AI-driven risk intelligence, digital contracts, IoT traceability, and blockchain-secured documentation.

Aug 28, 2025

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2 min read

Mistral eyes $1B raise as Gulf ties deepen with Sanabil, Damac, and potential backing from Mubadala, MGX, and PIF

The startup’s current Gulf investors include Saudi Arabia’s Sanabil and UAE’s Damac, with reported talks underway with Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s new AI investment vehicle MGX, and potentially Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Aug 28, 2025

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3 min read

HUMAIN sells out AI infrastructure; overseas clients drive 99% of demand

The company has laid out an aggressive roadmap, targeting an expansion from 1.9 gigawatts of capacity by 2030 to 6 gigawatts by 2034.

Aug 28, 2025

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2 min read

Inside the shifting landscape of debt financing in the Gulf

Armineh Baghoomian, Managing Director and EMEA Head at PFG, reflects on the $300M they’ve deployed across MENA, the region’s debt literacy evolution, why Tabby was an obvious bet, the typical ranges in the Gulf for spreads, fees, warrants, and covenants, the green (and red) flags they watch for when founders come knocking, and what excites her most about RNPL and B2B BNPL.

Aug 27, 2025

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10 min read

Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN launches ALLaM 34B and HUMAIN Chat app, its first Arabic foundation model

The rollout marks the first time internet users in the Kingdom can access the latest version of ALLaM, a sovereign Arabic-centric LLM trained and fine-tuned specifically for Saudi culture, values, and language use.

Aug 27, 2025

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3 min read

VC React Podcast (Episode #48)

This week on VC React, we unpack Robinhood’s push into the GCC, ask whether global unicorns upend MENA’s copycat playbook or force founders to compete head-on, dissect Impact46’s gaming spree, probe Merak’s full-stack capital model, and debate whether Saudi developers should lead with local stories or go global first.

Aug 26, 2025

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2 min read

Saudi Arabia’s Zetta Technologies raises $12M to scale Device-as-a-Service platform

Founded to simplify IT hardware access through subscription-based models, Zetta’s platform enables businesses to lease devices bundled with integrated software, lifecycle management, and support services.

Aug 25, 2025

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2 min read

UAE proptech Holo raises $22M Series A to fuel Saudi and GCC expansion

Founded in 2020 by Michael Hunter and Arran Summerhill, Holo provides digital mortgage services, enabling buyers and homeowners to explore financing and refinancing options through its platform.

Aug 25, 2025

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2 min read

Impact46 invests $53M in Saudi gaming studio Kammelna

Kammelna has built a strong position in culturally rooted Saudi games, with Baloot and Jackaroo downloaded more than 6 million times and over 1 million monthly active users

Aug 24, 2025

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2 min read

Gathern lodges $72M, Robinhood sets sights on Dubai

The largest ever round for a female-led GCC startup, Dubai’s VARA fines Fuze over anti-money laundering failures, even more funding for Saudi gaming startups, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Aug 22, 2025

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14 min read

Rebellions establishes Saudi unit to supply Aramco AI centres

The Riyadh hub will act as an operational base to deliver Rebellions’ 5nm neural processing unit (NPU) products while also exploring partnerships with Saudi telecom and IT firms.

Aug 22, 2025

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3 min read

Jahez secures $40M Shariah-compliant facility from NBB

Founded in 2016, Jahez operates one of Saudi Arabia’s leading food delivery and q-commerce platforms, with additional operations in Bahrain and Kuwait. Its platform spans restaurant ordering, last-mile logistics, digital solutions, and cloud kitchens.

Aug 22, 2025

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3 min read

The battle to own Arabic AI voice

Why voice is arguably the most important AI communication interface; how Arabic dialectical diversity complicates matters; the regional use cases and verticals; the competitive landscape; and what might come next.

Aug 20, 2025

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9 min read

Saudi short-term rental platform Gathern raises $72M Series B led by Sanabil Investments

The raise values the Riyadh-based company at more than SAR 1 billion ($266 million), and paves the way for a potential IPO on the Saudi stock exchange.

Aug 20, 2025

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2 min read

Saudi Arabia’s Fahy Studios raises $1.75M from Impact46 and Merak Capital to fuel hybrid-casual mobile game development

Founded in 2023 by Hani Hashem, Owis Alsaour, and Fahad Alshibl, Fahy has quickly emerged from NEOM’s LevelUp accelerator program and inked a publishing partnership with UK-based Kwalee.

Aug 19, 2025

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3 min read