Analysis
Analysis
+2
Dec 11, 2025
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34 min read
The Rise of Egypt’s Semiconductor Industry (Part I)
Egypt’s semiconductor ecosystem has transformed from a quiet cluster in Heliopolis into a world-class engineering powerhouse, built slowly, deliberately, and mostly out of sight.
Analysis
+1
Nov 26, 2025
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6 min read
The MENA Tech IPO Tracker
Here's our list of likely prospects, target exchanges, the last known valuations, the appointed banks, and the key quotes from leadership. We'll update it regularly, tracking companies' plans and progress.
Startups
+3
Oct 29, 2025
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29 min read
The MENA Diaspora 50
Meet 50 of the world’s highest-potential tech startups led by MENA diaspora founders.
Analysis
+2
Sep 17, 2025
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4 min read
Advice for the solo (for now) founder
If you are still searching for the right co-founder, or weighing up whether to go it alone, know that you are far from the only one.
Analysis
+2
Sep 17, 2025
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7 min read
How to choose a co-founder with complementary skills
Finding a complementary co-founder is about balance. Know what you need and what you don’t have – then find someone you respect enough to handle that realm completely.
Analysis
+3
Sep 17, 2025
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11 min read
How to find the right co-founder
Co-founders are like a marriage, the cliché goes. But beyond the saying, how do you actually choose the person (or people) you’ll build with? And how do you set that relationship up for long-term success?
Analysis
+2
Sep 17, 2025
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3 min read
How to get partnership terms right: legal and equity considerations
Spelling out the hard stuff early; equity division, vesting schedules, roles and titles, decision rights, departure clauses – can save enormous pain down the road.
Analysis
+2
Sep 17, 2025
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4 min read
How to manage co-founder conflict
Even the “perfect” co-founder pairing will run into friction. In fact, you should expect it. A bit of creative tension is often the hallmark of a strong founding team. The difference lies in how you handle it.
Analysis
+2
Sep 17, 2025
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4 min read
How to test for co-founder compatibility and alignment
A variety of approaches, from gut-feel heuristics to deliberate trial periods, to vet a co-founder match.
Fintech
+4
Sep 15, 2025
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10 min read
How Lean Technologies builds around the merchant’s hierarchy of needs
Lean’s Mehdi Tazi on why revenue in Saudi still skews to data while the UAE is driven by payments, how the firm applies Maslow’s hierarchy to merchant needs, and what A/B testing reveals about consumer trust.
Op-ed
+1
Sep 11, 2025
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11 min read
Property Finder and the Last Mile of Venture Investing
Venture investing is won and lost in the final stretch. Using Careem and Property Finder as case studies, Amir Farha explores how compounding, timing, and investor courage determine whether funds deliver liquidity or leave multiples on the table.
Analysis
+2
Sep 3, 2025
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9 min read
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.
Analysis
+2
Aug 20, 2025
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9 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.
Analysis
+1
Aug 1, 2025
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4 min read
MENA’s new playbook for non‐dilutive funding
Murabaha mark‐ups instead of interest, revenue‐share buybacks instead of rigid instalments, and new structures like NICE and WAQFA that keep funding both founder‐friendly and Shariah‐compliant.
Analysis
+3
Jul 30, 2025
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7 min read
The rise and rise of venture debt across the Gulf
What's behind the increase in new venture debt funds launching across the Gulf, promising “founder-first,” non-dilutive capital? Who are the players rewriting the playbook? And what does all of this mean for founders, investors, and LPs?
Fintech
+4
Jul 17, 2025
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4 min read
Tabby's tightrope: inside the numbers
Unpacking Tabby’s Q1 2025 numbers in Saudi Arabia – profit surge, credit‐loss drag, break‐neck revenue growth, and the leverage‐heavy funding stack behind the Middle East’s most valuable VC‐backed fintech company.
Fintech
+6
Jun 25, 2025
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9 min read
Valu and the Discipline Engine
Inside Valu’s EGX debut: With Amazon now on the cap table, we unpack the model behind Egypt’s most disciplined fintech, covering product strategy, underwriting logic, unit economics, investor dynamics, and the operators running the machine.
Analysis
+1
Jun 19, 2025
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4 min read
Why Careem’s ride-hailing chapter in Pakistan is ending after nearly a decade
In 2019, Pakistan was the company’s single largest market, accounting for nearly 30% of its billion cumulative rides. Six years later, Careem's ride-hailing days in Pakistan are numbered.
