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- MEA Tech & Startup Digest: Issue #101
MEA Tech & Startup Digest: Issue #101
Mehmet Gonullu
January 12, 2025
Welcome to the 101st edition of “The CTO Show’s MEA Tech & Startup Digest”! 🎉
Starting 2025 with a deep dive into the region's latest developments, from major funding rounds to market analysis. Let's explore what's shaping the MENA tech ecosystem this week.
Whether you're one of our 2,288 subscribers or new to our community, we're excited to share these valuable insights into tech, startups, and entrepreneurship.
Grab your coffee and let's unpack what's making headlines!
🌟 Feature Stories: Major Moves
• 2024 Market Analysis
· Saudi Arabia leads MENA with $750M in VC funding, 40% market share 🔗 Read More
· Regional VC funding declines 29% to $1.5B across 461 deals 🔗 Read More
I highly recommend to have a look at the latest MAGNiTT report to get more insights
• Strategic Partnerships
· Mintiply Capital partners with Fuel Venture Capital for GCC startups 🔗 Read More
💰 Notable Funding Rounds
• Series A & Growth
· Saudi's Zension Technologies Inc. raises $30M led by Wa'ed Ventures 🔗 Read More
· Türkiye's Grand Games secures record $30M Series A 🔗 Read More
• Early Stage & Seed
· UAE's MilkStraw AI raises $600K pre-seed 🔗 Read More
· Saudi's Vreal closes pre-seed for AR/VR solutions 🔗 Read More
📊 Market Intelligence
• African Startup Ecosystem
· Africa attracts $2.2B in 2024, Kenya leads with $638M 🔗 Read More
· Nigeria follows with $410M, Egypt and South Africa secure $400M and $394M
· "Big Four" countries capture 84% of continent's funding 🔗 Read More
• Regional Initiatives
🎙️Episodes Recap:
In this thought-provoking episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we explore the intersection of AI, blockchain, and economic systems with Barbara Biro , an award-winning expert in digital transformation and finance, and Paul F. Dowding , a veteran in financial infrastructure and blockchain innovation. Together, we dive deep into the challenges of legacy systems, the rise of decentralized solutions, and the pressing question of whether universal income is inevitable in the AI era.
In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with tom altman , a seasoned fractional CTO and founder of Altus, to explore the critical role of aligning technology with business strategy. Tom shares his fascinating journey from radio DJ to tech leadership and offers actionable insights on preparing for the AI tidal wave in 2026.
🔗 Useful Resouces:
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Thank You 🙏: Your engagement drives our shared journey forward. Here's to another week of innovation and growth!
Best, Mehmet