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- MEA Tech & Startup Digest: Issue #106
MEA Tech & Startup Digest: Issue #106
Mehmet Gonullu
February 16, 2025
Welcome to the 106th edition of βThe CTO Showβs MEA Tech & Startup Digestβ!
From Salesforce's $500M Saudi investment to record-breaking MENA startup funding, this week's digest captures the innovative spirit and growing investment confidence in our region's tech ecosystem.
Whether you're one of our 2,365 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!
π Feature Stories: Major Moves
β’ MENA's Record-Breaking January
MENA startups attracted $863 million in investments during January 2025, with 89% coming from debt financing. Saudi Arabia led with $435 million across 13 deals, followed by the UAE with $290 million across 22 deals, and Egypt with $120 million across 14 deals. π Read More
β’ Salesforce's Saudi Arabia Push
Salesforce has announced a $500 million investment in Saudi Arabia at LEAP 2025. The initiative includes introducing Hyperforce platform with AWS and training 30,000 Saudi citizens in AI, with a focus on increasing female workforce participation through Princess Nourah University partnerships. π Read More
β’ Tabby's Unicorn Milestone
UAE-based BNPL platform Tabby has closed a $160 million Series E funding round, reaching a $1.5 billion valuation. With over 10 million active users and 30,000+ brand partnerships across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Egypt, the company is now eyeing an IPO. π Read More
π° Notable Funding Rounds
β’ Growth & Series
UAE's AppliedAI has secured $55 million in Series A funding led by G42, with participation from Palantir and others. The Abu Dhabi-based company specializes in automating office tasks for regulated industries. π Read More
Nigerian Fintech Raenest has raised $11 million in Series A funding led by QED Investors. The company has processed over $1 billion in payments, serving 700,000+ individuals and 300 businesses. π Read More
Saudi's BRKZ has completed a $17 million Series A funding round, including venture debt from Capifly. The construction tech startup serves 850+ contractors across major projects like Neom. π Read More
β’ Early Stage & Seed
Ghana's Affinity has secured $8 million led by TLG Capital to scale its digital banking services, serving 200,000+ customers. π Read More
TeamSec has secured $7.6 million from Deniz Ventures and Rasmal Ventures for its AI-powered security solutions. π Read More
BuildNow has raised $9.7 million led by STV for its construction tech platform in Saudi Arabia. π Read More
UAE's PieShip has raised $2.1 million in seed funding led by Nama Ventures for its last-mile delivery solutions. π Read More
Saudi's LAHINT has secured $1 million in pre-seed funding at LEAP 2025 for its government services automation platform. π Read More
Saudi's Rasmal has secured $4.8 million in pre-Series A funding led by Wa'ed Ventures for its SME financing platform. π Read More
Unipal, a Saudi B2B e-commerce platform for F&B, has closed its pre-Series A round led by Merak Capital. π Read More
π€ Strategic Moves & Initiatives
β’ New Funds & Investments
Waad Investment has onboarded an Omani LP for its $200 million MENA-focused VC fund. π Read More
Suhail Ventures has launched a $50 million fund targeting Saudi and MENA startups. π Read More
Joa Capital has established an $80 million fund focused on Saudi Arabia's construction sector. π Read More
StarkWare has launched a venture fund targeting African blockchain startups. π Read More
β’ Regional Growth
Salla has acquired Sweply, rebranding it as Salla Ads to enhance its e-commerce advertising capabilities. π Read More
Mush Social has acquired Pubbles to expand its social media presence in Saudi Arabia. π Read More
Yandex Turkey has announced a $400 million investment to support Turkish publishers and content creators. π Read More
β’ African Ecosystem
Saviu II has secured β¬25 million for African startup investments, targeting 20-25 companies. π Read More
Madica has invested $800,000 in four early-stage African startups, spanning Tanzania, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. π Read More
β’ Market Insights
MENA InsureLab, a Dubai-based insurtech accelerator, has secured backing from Technology Innovation Capital to boost the region's insurance innovation. π Read More
Taager, an Egyptian social commerce platform, has raised $6.75 million in pre-Series B funding, serving 45,000+ social sellers. π Read More
π Worth cheching out:
- Elon Muskβs xAI to Unveil Grok 3 Chatbot: Elon Musk announced that xAIβs latest chatbot, Grok 3, will be showcased in a live demo on Monday, February 17, 2025, at 8 p.m. Pacific Time
- Apptronik Secures $350 Million for Humanoid Robots: U.S. startup Apptronik has raised $350 million to develop humanoid robots designed for various applications, including manufacturing and logistics. This investment underscores the growing interest in robotics solutions to address labor shortages and enhance operational efficiency.
ποΈEpisodes Recap:
In this episode, we dive into the world ofdigital twins and AI-driven facility management with Marek Kozlak (CEO & Founder of SIMLAB) and MichaΕ Szopa (Product Owner & Project Manager at SIMLAB). They share how their cutting-edge technology transformsconstruction, facility management, and real estate operations by creatingreal-time, interactive digital twins of buildings..
In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Daniel Andor , a seasoned product designer and founder of Durran, a product design studio specializing in early-stage tech startups. With 15 years of experience in UX and product design, Daniel shares his insights onlean product design,common startup mistakes, andhow to build products that truly engage users. If youβre a founder, product leader, or UX enthusiast, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways to improve your design approach and enhance user experience.
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Thank You π: Your engagement drives our shared journey forward. Here's to another week of innovation and growth!
Best, Mehmet