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- MEA Tech & Startup Digest: Issue #115
MEA Tech & Startup Digest: Issue #115
Mehmet Gonullu
April 20, 2025
Welcome to the 115th edition of “The CTO Show’s MEA Tech & Startup Digest”!
We’ve seen another action-packed week across the tech and VC landscape. From M&A deals and AI breakthroughs to fintech surges and regional partnerships, the momentum is real across MENA and beyond. Here’s your curated pulse on what’s shaping innovation right now — from 🇸🇦 Saudi ConTech to 🇲🇦 Moroccan healthtech, and the AI arms race heating up between Huawei and OpenAI.
Whether you’re one of our 2,521 subscribers or a first-time reader — grab your coffee and let’s dive into what’s shaping tech and venture this week! 🚀
On April 24-25 3PM UTC onward, I’ll be joining 1,000+ US/EU/RoW investors — including $1M+, $100M+, and $1B+ Family Offices, angels, LPs & GPs of VC/PE/RE funds, FoFs, and HNWIs — at the Capital Networking Virtual Conference, hosted by Max Pog
📬 Register here: inniches.com/c?568
EdTech 📚
Seesaw Acquires Little Thinking Minds to Expand Learning Solutions Globally Seesaw, a global PreK-12 learning platform, acquired MENA-based edtech Little Thinking Minds to enhance Arabic literacy solutions and expand into government-level education initiatives. The acquisition enables data-rich dashboards and personalized student portfolios, aligning with MENA’s digitized education agendas. Read More
FinTech 💸
Sadq Raises $1.5M Pre-Series A Led by X by Unifonic Fund Saudi Arabia-based digital signature platform Sadq secured $1.5 million to enhance its legally recognized e-signature and workflow authentication solutions. The funding, led by X by Unifonic Fund, will support technology upgrades, talent acquisition, and market expansion. Read More
DPI Acquires Egypt Fintech Fund Nclude, Launches Africa-Focused VC Arm Development Partners International (DPI) acquired Nclude, an Egypt-based fintech fund, to bolster its investment in African fintech innovation. Nclude also launched an Africa-focused VC arm to support scalable, high-impact startups across the continent. Read More
Wafeq Partners with Comfi to Fuel SME Growth in UAE UAE-based fintech Wafeq partnered with Comfi to provide seamless financial solutions, empowering SMEs with enhanced payment and cash flow management tools. The collaboration aims to drive digital transformation for small businesses in the region. Read More
Visa Deepens African Footprint with Investment in Morocco’s Paytic Visa invested in Moroccan fintech Paytic to expand its digital payment solutions across Africa, strengthening financial inclusion. The partnership aims to enhance Paytic’s payment processing capabilities for businesses and consumers in Morocco and beyond. Read More
Pakistani-Founded Fintech Metric Secures Seven-Figure Seed Funding Metric, a Pakistani-founded fintech startup, raised seven-figure seed funding to expand its financial analytics platform into the Gulf and Asia. The platform helps businesses streamline financial decision-making with AI-driven insights. Read More
ConTech 🏗️
Saudi Contech TruBuild Secures $1 Million Seed Round TruBuild, a Saudi-based construction tech startup, raised $1 million to scale its AI-powered platform, which reduces delays and cost overruns in large-scale projects. Backed by Wa’ed Ventures and Dar Ventures, the company plans to expand across Saudi Arabia and global markets. Read More
AI & DeepTech 🤖
Viseur AI Wins Turkey’s AI for Good Innovation Factory Viseur AI, a Turkish startup, won the AI for Good Innovation Factory, showcasing its potential to address societal challenges through artificial intelligence. The victory highlights Turkey’s growing role in AI-driven innovation. Read More
Hong Kong’s ViAct Raises $7.3M Series A for MENA and Europe Expansion ViAct, a Hong Kong-based AI startup, secured $7.3 million to expand its AI-powered construction monitoring solutions into MENA and Europe. The funding will enhance its technology and support regional partnerships. Read More
IFC, Proparco Commit $40M to EmergingTech Ventures Fund II at GITEX Africa IFC and Proparco invested $40 million in EmergingTech Ventures Fund II to support African tech startups, focusing on AI and deep tech innovations. The fund aims to drive digital transformation and economic growth across the continent. Read More
PropTech 🏠
Dubizzle Expands Real Estate Intelligence with Property Monitor Acquisition UAE-based Dubizzle acquired Property Monitor to enhance its real estate intelligence capabilities, offering advanced data analytics for property market insights. The move strengthens Dubizzle’s position in the MENA proptech sector. Read More
Blockchain & Crypto 🧱
The Dealflow Den Returns to Istanbul Blockchain Week The Dealflow Den, a hub for blockchain startups and investors, will feature at Istanbul Blockchain Week, fostering connections in the crypto ecosystem. The event highlights Turkey’s growing influence in blockchain innovation. Read More
HealthTech 🩺
Morocco’s Vove.ID Secures Funds for Expansion Ambitions Moroccan healthtech startup Vove.ID raised fresh funding to expand its digital health solutions, focusing on improving access to healthcare services. The investment will support regional growth and technology enhancements. Read More
Cloud & Workforce Development ☁️
AWS Collaborates with Manara to Develop Cloud Talent in MENA Amazon Web Services (AWS) partnered with Manara to train and upskill MENA’s workforce in cloud computing, addressing the region’s digital skills gap. The initiative aims to prepare professionals for high-demand tech roles. Read More
ADIO and Abu Dhabi DoH Partner with Hub71 to Boost HealthTech The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Department of Health collaborated with Hub71 to support healthtech startups, fostering innovation in digital health. The partnership aims to position Abu Dhabi as a global healthtech hub. Read More
👁️ Eye on Tech – April 14–20, 2025
🌍 Global Trends & Market Signals
· 💸 VC funding hit $113B in Q1 — but 1/3 was just OpenAI’s $40B! AI scooped up 53% of all VC money.
· 🧠 AI is everywhere — OpenAI’s new models (o3/o4-mini) praised for reasoning, but plagued by hallucinations.
· 🌪️ US-China trade war escalated with 145% tariffs — causing tech market volatility & reshaping supply chains.
🚀 Big Tech on the Move
· 📺 YouTube expands AI auto-dubbing across languages — but no opt-out yet is frustrating users.
· 💾 Huawei launched the Ascend 920 AI chip — a bold move to counter Nvidia H20 after the US ban.
· 🏗️ Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta to spend over $320B in 2025 on AI infra — the arms race is real.
· 🥊 Meta x UFC = Meta becomes UFC’s “Fan Tech Partner” — immersive fan experiences incoming.
🧠 Venture Capital Pulse
· 🔋 Crux raised $50M for clean energy finance tools.
· 🧬 Assort Health got $22M for AI voice agents in healthcare.
· 🛠️ Revel exited stealth with $30M for hardware control software.
· 🛡️ Exaforce raised $75M for cybersecurity AI — signaling strong investor appetite.
📈 M&A & Exits
· 🧠 OpenAI reportedly eyeing Windsurf (AI coding) for $3B.
· 🏎️ Lyft to acquire Freenow for €175M — taxi app consolidation continues.
· 🧑💼 Checkr bought Truework (HR/ID verification).
· 🎭 Infinite Reality scooped up Touchcast (gen AI) for $500M.
⚖️ Regulation Watch
· 🇺🇸 US-China tariffs shake global tech — Nvidia takes $5.5B charge; Apple stock hit.
· 🇪🇺 EU delays action on Meta & Apple — hinting at behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
· ⚡ Foxconn’s $2.5B Indian factory project highlights regionalization amid trade tensions.
📊 Key Trends
· 🔄 Consolidation is accelerating: M&A beats IPOs in this climate.
· 🌐 Global VC = concentrated in AI, US, & later stages.
· 💣 AI infra cost is now a moat — startups need more capital than ever to compete.
📚 Source: Weekly analysis from PitchBook, Techmeme, Crunchbase, and others.
🎙️Episodes Recap:
In this high-impact episode, Mehmet sits down with Jess Schultz 📣 , a fractional CRO/CMO and angel investor, to unpack what truly drives early-stage startup success. From the importance of founder-led sales to building a go-to-market (GTM) motion that actually works, Jess shares practical advice that bridges theory and execution.
In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Lucas Lovell , VP of Product at Paddle, to unpack the powerful yet often overlooked role of payments in SaaS growth. From navigating tax compliance and pricing localization to optimizing for global expansion, Lucas shares product leadership insights and the future of billing in an AI-powered world.
In this thought-provoking episode, Mehmet sits down with Joel Quintela , a business psychologist and former computer systems engineer, to break down the biggest hiring blind spots—and how to fix them. Joel shares how psychology, structured assessments, and poker strategies can help founders and leaders hire better, retain top talent, and create winning teams.
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Best, Mehmet