The CTO Show Brief: Issue 124

Author

Mehmet Gonullu
June 22, 2025

Welcome to the 124th  edition of The CTO Show Brief!

From AI-driven real estate in the UAE to blockchain-powered remittances in Nigeria, the MEA startup scene is pulsing with momentum. Over $35M in fresh capital poured into sectors spanning proptech, logistics, fintech, and HR tech, with UAE continuing to anchor regional innovation. Meanwhile, cross-border activity is intensifying—Egypt, Algeria, and Nigeria are stepping into the spotlight with global ambitions. On the global stage, venture capital is pivoting toward infrastructure and verticalized AI, while the IPO window begins to reopen with precision medicine and insurtech plays. Whether you’re tracking M&A strategy, evaluating climate tech, or positioning your next AI-native disruptor, this week’s edition maps the signals behind the headlines.

Whether you’re one of our 2,653 subscribers or a first-time reader—grab your coffee, and let’s dive into what’s shaping tech and venture this week!

MEA Tech Momentum

Startup Investments & Raises

  • UAE’s Prop-AI Secures $1.5M Pre-Seed: UAE proptech startup Prop-AI raised $1.5M in pre-seed funding, led by Plus VC, to enhance AI-driven real estate solutions. The funds will support product development and market expansion. Read More

  • DisrupTech Backs Nigeria’s Winich: DisrupTech Ventures invested in Nigeria-based agri-fintech Winich to support its MENA expansion, focusing on digital farming solutions. The funding aims to enhance Winich’s supply chain and financial inclusion efforts. Read More

  • Sukna Fund Provides $20M to Octa: UAE’s Sukna Fund granted a $20M credit facility to Octa to digitize financial services for MENA’s real estate sector. The deal aims to streamline property transactions and boost market accessibility. Read More

  • UAE’s Darwinz AI Closes $325K Seed: Darwinz AI, a UAE-based startup, raised $325K in seed funding to fuel AI-driven recruitment solutions across the Gulf region. The round supports regional expansion and product refinement. Read More

  • Egypt’s Octane Raises $5.2M: Egyptian logistics startup Octane secured $5.2M to digitize fleet payments across MENA, led by Algebra Ventures and Shorooq Partners. The funds will enhance its platform for fuel and fleet management. Read More

  • UAE’s Xfolio Closes $2M Seed: Xfolio, a UAE-based investment platform, raised $2M in seed funding, backed by MEVP, to simplify retail investing. The funds will drive product enhancements and regional growth. Read More

  • UAE’s SaturnX Closes $3M Seed: SaturnX, a UAE fintech, raised $3M in seed funding to expand its Gulf-South Asia payment corridor, focusing on remittances. The round was led by Vision Ventures and aims to enhance cross-border transactions. Read More

  • Algeria’s Talenteo Raises Funding: Algerian HR tech startup Talenteo secured an undisclosed amount in a funding round led by 216 Capital to enhance its talent management platform. The funds will support product development and market entry in North Africa. Read More

  • Nigeria’s Hizo Secures $100K Seed: Hizo, a Nigerian fintech, raised $100K in seed funding to transform intra-Africa remittances with blockchain technology. The funds will support platform scaling and regulatory compliance. Read More

Ecosystem Developments

  • Novare Holdings Anchors R2.8B Investment: Novare Holdings led a R2.8B ($155M) investment to boost South African tech and innovation ecosystems. The fund targets high-growth startups to drive regional economic impact. Read More

  • Senegal’s Logidoo Expands to Belgium: Senegalese logistics startup Logidoo expanded its Casablanca-Dakar corridor to Belgium, enhancing cross-continental trade. The move strengthens Africa-Europe supply chains via its digital logistics platform. Read More

  • Morocco Targeted by $132M Climate Fund: Morocco is among the top five African countries targeted by a $132M climate fund to support sustainable tech startups. The fund aims to drive green innovation and climate resilience in the region. Read More

Other Notable Updates

  • Saudi’s Floward Acquires Nabati: Saudi-based Floward acquired UAE’s Nabati to expand its gifting and e-commerce platform across MENA. The acquisition strengthens Floward’s regional presence in the online gifting market. Read More

🌍 Global Tech & VC Pulse

The week of June 16, 2025: A market at an inflection point, where Artificial Intelligence is the central force driving a resurgent capital market, product innovation, and diverging global regulation.

 

Venture Capital Highlights

Investment focus is maturing from foundational models to AI infrastructure and vertical-specific applications in sectors like energy and healthtech.

 

 

IPO Window Reopens

The IPO market is showing clear signs of a rebound, rewarding tech-enabled companies with strong fundamentals. Click cards for details.

Caris Life Sciences (CAI)  $494.1M ▼

An AI TechBio company pioneering precision medicine with a platform combining sequencing and AI for tumor profiling.

Slide Insurance (SLDE)  $408M ▼

An insurtech using a proprietary AI platform and vast dataset to underwrite complex coastal property risk.

Jyong Biotech (MENS)  $20M ▼

A Taiwan-based developer of plant-derived drugs with promising clinical pipelines.

ENIGMATIG LTD (EGG) $14.2M ▼

A Singapore-based consultancy specializing in cross-border licensing and RegTech.

Fuxing China Group (FFFZ) $10.35M ▼

An established Chinese zipper manufacturer uplisting from the Singapore Exchange to NASDAQ.

Strategic M&A: Acquiring Capabilities

The week's major M&A activity shows a critical trend: acquiring core technological capabilities is now the primary driver for strategic consolidation. Qualcomm's acquisition of Alphawave, a leader in high-speed connectivity IP, is a direct response to the demands of the AI era. This move strengthens Qualcomm's data center offerings, highlighting the race among tech giants to build complete, end-to-end AI infrastructure stacks. The focus has shifted from buying market share to buying essential, hard-to-build technology.

Industry Deep Dive: AI Remakes Insurance

The traditionally conservative insurance sector is a prime case study for AI's transformative power, with staggering investment and quantifiable impact.

⏱️ Days to 12.4 Mins

AI slashes average underwriting decision time.

📈 3-6% Point Drop

Improvement in combined ratio for insurers using AI.

🛡️ Up to 90%

Of fraudulent claims prevented from payout by AI systems.

Strategic Outlook

For VCs: The next unicorns will be found by investors who deeply understand industries like insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing. Focus on companies using AI to solve tangible business problems and build data moats. Also, fund the "picks and shovels": AI governance, security, and compliance platforms.

For Strategists: Shift M&A strategy from market share consolidation to acquiring critical, missing pieces of your AI tech stack. Internally, begin a thorough audit for EU AI Act compliance now—a potential pause is a head start, not a hall pass.

For Founders: If in a traditional industry, position yourself as an "AI-native" disruptor with quantifiable metrics. If a pure tech company, show how you are a critical piece of AI infrastructure. For all, a clear, credible path to profitability is now a prerequisite, not an option.

🎙️Episodes Recap:

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, Naga Ravi Vadrevu , Chief Technology Officer at Wonderschool and former engineering leader at Square, Adobe, and Autodesk, shares his journey from big tech to startup disruption. Naga dives deep into how he applies AI and machine learning to revolutionize childcare access in the U.S., and why modern CTOs must evolve from coders to orchestrators. He also reflects on the tough decisions leadership demands, including disbanding QA teams and embracing lean, impact-focused engineering.

Mehmet sits down with Nahed Khairallah , founder of Organized Chaos, to discuss why startups that reach initial traction often stall or fail due to people-related blind spots. With experience advising over 150 startups globally, Nahed unpacks the tactical, cultural, and strategic layers of building scalable teams that last.

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with Michael Cutajar , CEO of AI Partners, who’s on a mission to fix the broken world of accounting through the power of AI agents. From his early days as a PwC accountant in Malta to founding multiple startups—including a VR venture and now an AI-driven automation company—Michael shares what it takes to go from employee to entrepreneur, how to close six-figure enterprise deals, and why cultural resistance to failure is holding regions like Europe and MENA back.

 Let’s Stay Connected

🎙️ Have a unique POV on tech or venture? I’m always looking to feature sharp minds on The CTO Show — founders, operators, investors, or ecosystem builders.

 

🤝 Exploring new markets or strategies? I’m open to conversations around go-to-market, venture insights, and cross-border growth — especially between MEA and global hubs.

 

📩 Enjoyed this brief? Forward it to someone thinking deeply about where innovation, capital, and technology intersect.

 

Thanks for reading — and for being part of this growing, global-minded network.

 

— Mehmet