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Talabat revenue surges, Saudi's gaming push

Talabat revenue surges, Saudi's gaming push

Breaking down H1 earnings for Talabat, Valu, Jahez and Presight, HUMAIN to launch Arabic-centric LLM by end of August, Impact46 invests $6.6M+ across five gaming studios, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Aug 15, 2025

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14 min read

Abu Dhabi eyes $25B AI fund, Saudi hosts OpenAI models

Abu Dhabi eyes $25B AI fund, Saudi hosts OpenAI models

Alaan raises $48M Series A to scale AI finance agents, Egypt-born founder's startup jumps to $3.1B valuation, Salasa closes $30M Series B, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Aug 8, 2025

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14 min read

Revolut eyes Morocco, Breadfast's valuation jumps

Revolut eyes Morocco, Breadfast's valuation jumps

Calo closes $39M Series B extension, MENA’s new playbook for non‐dilutive funding, Breadfast valuation jumps 31% to $382M in six months, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Aug 1, 2025

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15 min read

Anthropic's Gulf flip-flop, 500 Global's Abu Dhabi expansion

Anthropic's Gulf flip-flop, 500 Global's Abu Dhabi expansion

500 Global launches $300M Sustainable Growth initiative, Qlub raises $30M Series B, foreign startups flock to Saudi Arabia as VC funding hits $860M in H1, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jul 25, 2025

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14 min read

Musk eyes Saudi servers, AI talent scramble

Musk eyes Saudi servers, AI talent scramble

Meta acquires US-based PlayAI, founded by Egyptian engineer Mahmoud Felfel, Elon Musk’s xAI targets Saudi Arabia for its next wave of data centre expansion, Lucidya lands a $30M Series B, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jul 18, 2025

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16 min read

Jahez’s $245M Qatari splash, Valu eyes Jordan roll-out

Jahez’s $245M Qatari splash, Valu eyes Jordan roll-out

Jahez enters Qatar with $245M Snoonu deal, Egypt’s Valu secures go-ahead for Jordan entry, and Huspy lands $59 for Saudi expansion, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jul 11, 2025

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15 min read

Saudi's new unicorn, Replit on Rogan

Saudi's new unicorn, Replit on Rogan

What led to Ninja's Ebrahim Al-Jassim’s exit from HungerStation, Dubai lures SpaceX challenger, Iraq’s next-gen digital bank emerges from stealth, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jul 4, 2025

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12 min read

Amazon finds Valu, Impact46 goes gaming

Amazon finds Valu, Impact46 goes gaming

Valu surges 852% on EGX debut as Amazon joins the cap table, AppliedAI closes oversubscribed $55M Series A, Impact46 backs Spekter Games from $40M gaming fund, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jun 27, 2025

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14 min read

Careem's long goodbye, Endeavor's new $300M fund

Careem's long goodbye, Endeavor's new $300M fund

Why Careem’s exiting Pakistan, Endeavor Catalyst targets $300M fifth fund, Replit and HUMAIN team up to localise AI in Saudi, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jun 20, 2025

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13 min read

Talabat talks Saudi, Stargate stalls

Talabat talks Saudi, Stargate stalls

Talabat CEO on why the company isn’t rushing into Saudi Arabia, Stargate UAE AI campus deal far from finalised, Kuwait releases Open Banking framework, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jun 13, 2025

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15 min read

AI agents, $120M early-stage funds, and more chips

AI agents, $120M early-stage funds, and more chips

Expensya founders return with Thunder Code, raise $9M to automate software testing with AI, Khwarizmi Ventures eyes $100M+ Fund II to back early-stage startups, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jun 6, 2025

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15 min read

Saudi SPACs, $10B AI Funds, and Musk meddles

Saudi SPACs, $10B AI Funds, and Musk meddles

HUMAIN to launch $10B VC fund for global AI startups, Elon Musk tried and failed to blow up Stargate UAE, what you need to know about Saudi SPACs, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

May 30, 2025

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15 min read

Egyptian startup funding is surging

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.

May 23, 2025

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15 min read

Saudi’s AI ambition goes full-stack

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.

May 16, 2025

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15 min read

AI, autonomy, and MENA cybersecurity

AI, autonomy, and MENA cybersecurity

A rare MENA cybersecurity startup exit, Money Fellows raises $13M pre-Series C, and Nama Ventures becomes first foreign VC licensed by Saudi CMA, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

May 9, 2025

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14 min read

Saudi’s IPO pipeline and $100M venture debt push

Saudi’s IPO pipeline and $100M venture debt push

STV launches $100 million venture debt fund, iMENA raises $135M in pre-IPO round, and Travis Kalanick’s CloudKitchens eyes IPO for Middle East unit, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

May 2, 2025

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14 min read

Egypt’s $105M fintech fund pivots

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.

Apr 18, 2025

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14 min read

The battle for Saudi quick commerce

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.

Apr 11, 2025

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16 min read

Egypt's semiconductor renaissance

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.

Apr 4, 2025

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14 min read

Preventing illness with AI

Preventing illness with AI

UAE-based reverse logistics platform Cartlow acquired by Basatne, Warner Bros. invests $57 million in OSN+ for minority stake, UAE Central Bank unveils new dirham symbol, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Mar 28, 2025

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14 min read

Gulf funds are betting on biotech

Gulf funds are betting on biotech

ClearGrid emerges from stealth with $10M to modernise debt collection, QED leads NymCard $33m Series B round, Yango Group launches $20m VC fund, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Mar 21, 2025

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18 min read

A 10x return for Saudi VC

A 10x return for Saudi VC

Lean banks Series B extension funding, Aramco Ventures doubles down on direct air capture, travel-tech Lokalee acquired for $12.8 million plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Mar 14, 2025

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14 min read

MENA quick commerce is heating up

MENA quick commerce is heating up

Talabat acquires InstaShop, Ninja targets $1BN+ pre-IPO valuation, and Saudi BNPL Tamara receives SAMA license for consumer finance, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Mar 7, 2025

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15 min read

5 VCs to set up MENA hubs in Doha

5 VCs to set up MENA hubs in Doha

Dubai-based Flow48 secures $69M, Seez acquired for $46.2 million, Disrupt.com to invest $100m to fuel AI-first startups, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Feb 28, 2025

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14 min read

Qatar's $1BN fund draws global VCs

Qatar's $1BN fund draws global VCs

Saudi VC hits first close of $30 million debut early-stage fund, Dubizzle continues pre-IPO acquisitions, Nice One surpasses $2 billion market cap, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Feb 21, 2025

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16 min read

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