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Featured Posts
How to get (and keep) your first 100 customers
An 18,000-word playbook drawn from interviews with 7 of MENA’s top post-Series A founders, tackling how to build trust before brand equity, validate before users, retain in transient markets, and know when to follow data – and when to trust your gut.
Rewiring B2B finance in Pakistan and beyond
What it means to build in a market where volatility isn’t a risk – it’s a cyclical certainty, why going top-down beats direct-to-MSME, and how you build real moats in enterprise fintech — not with UX, but with trust, switching friction, and time.
Egypt to roll out unified startup reporting system with support from World Bank and top VCs
Egypt’s MSMEDA, backed by the World Bank, has partnered with Visible.vc and leading VCs including Foundation Ventures, Algebra, Sawari, Shorooq, and Endure to launch a unified portfolio reporting system for startups.
Khwarizmi Ventures eyes $100M+ Fund II to back early-stage startups
Speaking to Alarabiya Business, Managing Partner Abdulaziz Al-Turki called it a “golden opportunity” for early-stage investing, pointing out that MENA went from zero unicorns a decade ago to eight today, and could reach 60 by 2035.
Expensya founders return with Thunder Code, raise $9M to automate software testing with AI
Founded by Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani, the team behind Expensya, Thunder Code is their follow-up to one of Africa’s biggest tech exits. Expensya was acquired by Swedish procurement platform Medius in 2023 for a reported $120 million+.
Abu Dhabi-based eVoost raises Seed funding from Qora71 to scale its AI-native real estate sales platform globally
Founded in 2024 by Cristian G. Pastrana, eVoost replaces the traditional real estate sales funnel with AI-powered virtual agents that personalise buyer journeys through emotional profiling.
VC React Podcast (Episode #37)
We break down the UAE’s AI strategy following the launch of OpenAI and G42’s Stargate UAE, examine the collapse of QIA-backed unicorn Builder.ai, explore what it takes for diaspora founders to succeed in Silicon Valley, and discuss why Iraq’s emerging startup scene is gaining momentum.
Egyptian founder Ozzie Osman’s Monarch raises $75M Series B to become the new leader in personal finance
Founded in 2018 by Osman, Val Agostino (formerly of Mint), and Jon Sutherland, Monarch was designed from day one as a subscription-based alternative to ad-supported personal finance tools.