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.

etisalat marks Careem at half Uber’s price, Silkhaus winds down UAE rentals

Saudi overtakes the UAE as Delivery Hero’s biggest MENA market, BY Venture Partners closes $60M third fund, AdalFi plans Pakistan’s first fintech listing, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up

Oct 30, 2026

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6 min read

Pakistani fintech AdalFi plans IPO to expand Islamic and SME lending

The digital lending platform, backed by COTU Ventures and Chimera Ventures, has facilitated more than PKR110 billion in loans through partner banks.

Oct 30, 2026

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2 min read

Saudi Arabia becomes Delivery Hero’s largest MENA market by orders

The HungerStation market reached the milestone as regional transaction growth accelerated to 20.6%, with MENA accounting for almost a third of the group’s global GMV.

Oct 30, 2026

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3 min read

SCOOP: etisalat’s retained Careem stake valued at less than half the level implied by Uber deal

New accounts reveal a substantial gap between the price Uber paid to take control and the value assigned to etisalat’s remaining stake, alongside further losses at the Everything App.

Oct 30, 2026

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4 min read

Dubai’s BY Venture Partners closes $60M third fund for global AI-native startups

Dubai Future District Fund anchors the vehicle, following earlier funds that backed Huspy, NymCard, Toters and Onfido.

Oct 29, 2026

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2 min read

Mubadala Capital’s venture chief Ibrahim Ajami to leave and launch $500M fund

The head of ventures is expected to leave next year to launch Noha, with backing from Mubadala Capital and a predominantly US investment mandate.

Oct 28, 2026

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1 min read

Reflections on FWDstart's three year anniversary

Some overdue personal news, what we've learned, and where we want to take the publication next.

Oct 28, 2026

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16 min read

Solving the Gulf’s startup exit problem

Startup exits, founder selection and why Shorooq's Shane Shin thinks the follow-on cheque matters more.

Oct 27, 2026

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2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: VC-backed proptech Silkhaus to wind down UAE short-term rental business

The Dubai-based startup, which raised more than $10 million before securing further funding last year to fuel an expansion to Saudi, reportedly plans to end its operations on November 11.

Oct 27, 2026

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3 min read

How barq got so big, Snoonu’s appetite for video, 44.01’s carbon economics

The distribution and economics behind barq’s rapid rise, whether 44.01’s $11.7 million Frontier deal offers a dependable business model for carbon removal, and why Snoonu is buying a startup to turn food videos into orders.

Oct 26, 2026

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8 min read

ADGM revises VC fund rules with $200M manager cap and new capital requirement

The new framework replaces a $100 million cap per fund with a $200 million ceiling across a manager’s funds. Existing venture firms have until March 2027 to comply.

Oct 26, 2026

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2 min read

Ziina secures UAE approvals for merchant payments and international transfers

The fintech says it processes more than $1.5 billion in annualised payments as it expands beyond its digital wallet into a broader financial platform.

Oct 26, 2026

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1 min read

Robinhood heads for Dubai, Saudi regulator wants VC funds to show their exits

FII pushed to 2027 as security concerns mount, Snoonu buys YC-backed BiteSight in its first international acquisition, General Atlantic eyes a $10B IPO, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up

Oct 23, 2026

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6 min read

Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan pares IPO gains after heavily subscribed listing

Shares ended their first three trading sessions about 2% above the offer price, after an EGP 7.84 billion share sale drew strong institutional and retail demand.

Oct 23, 2026

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2 min read

Property Finder, Fresha, eyewa backer General Atlantic eyes $10B IPO valuation

The growth investor has deployed more than $3 billion in the Middle East and secured a $500 million commitment from QIA as it broadens its business beyond private equity.

Oct 23, 2026

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3 min read

Saudi regulator proposes fuller VC fund disclosures on valuations and exits

Draft rules would require venture capital and private equity funds to give investors details of individual holdings and realised returns, alongside broader reforms to Saudi capital markets.

Oct 23, 2026

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2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Huspy’s playbook for taking on Europe's property market

Huspy thinks it's cracked the code for expanding across Europe's fragmented property market. Not everyone is pleased. In Spain, the Dubai-born upstart says incumbents have tried to block its rise.

Oct 21, 2026

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5 min read

How SPICE is shaking up Saudi dining

After exiting ifood.jo and POSRocket, Zeid Husban is back with SPICE, a Saudi dining platform that gives restaurants cash upfront in exchange for dining credit. We get into how the model works, why it offers diners 20% cashback, and what building a third startup has taught him.

Oct 20, 2026

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2 min read

CapQuest raises $1M pre-seed to help startups manage ownership and employee equity

Oraseya Capital and AMKM Family Office led the round for the Dubai-based company, whose customers span 11 countries.

Oct 20, 2026

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1 min read

Saudi fintech Vrtx raises $3.6M pre-seed to help businesses launch wallets and cards

Founded by former Tweeq colleagues, the fintech has backing from Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures and preliminary SAMA approval for an electronic money licence.

Oct 20, 2026

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1 min read

UAE’s CNTXT AI expands into Silicon Valley with $300M in committed revenue

The company, which raised $60 million from AI71 and BlueFive Capital in June, is building a US commercial team to sell Arabic voice technology and robotics training data.

Oct 20, 2026

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2 min read

Palmer Luckey’s banking on Syria, and why noon is cashing out of payments

Why Syria’s banking system remains broken despite sanctions relief, whose interests Palmer Luckey’s Erebor’s arrival could serve, and what noon’s payments sale reveals about NEOPAY’s regional ambitions and noon’s priorities ahead of a potential IPO.

Oct 19, 2026

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8 min read

Nabta Health adds PVP backing to $3M pre-Series A as it expands into employer healthcare

Phoenix Venture Partners led the second close of the UAE healthcare company’s ongoing $3 million pre-Series A, combining fresh funding with purchases of existing shares.

Oct 19, 2026

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2 min read

SoftBank courts Gulf for $100B fund, YoLa Fresh shuts down

Oraseya Capital doubles its fund to $272M, Phoenix Venture Partners closes debut fundraise at $23M, MNT-Halan’s IPO book is 11x oversubscribed ,plus this week's MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Oct 16, 2026

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6 min read

Activate Capital to open Doha office with backing from QIA’s $3B venture programme

The US energy and infrastructure technology investor, which manages more than $1 billion across three funds, becomes the latest firm drawn to Qatar by the sovereign wealth fund.

Oct 16, 2026

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2 min read