🗞️ Weekly round-up🗞️ Weekly round-up
Gulf funds are betting on biotech

Gulf funds are betting on biotech

ClearGrid emerges from stealth with $10M to modernise debt collection, QED leads NymCard $33m Series B round, Yango Group launches $20m VC fund, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jamie Lane, +1
📰 News📰 News
Yango Group launches $20m VC fund to back startups across MENA, Africa, and Latin America

Yango Group launches $20m VC fund to back startups across MENA, Africa, and Latin America

The fund will focus on O2O (online-to-offline), B2B SaaS, and fintech, aiming for high-growth opportunities without taking control stakes.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
NymCard raises $33m in Series B led by QED to scale banking infrastructure across MENA

NymCard raises $33m in Series B led by QED to scale banking infrastructure across MENA

Founded in 2018 by Omar Onsi, NymCard is a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider that enables fintechs, banks, and enterprises to issue and process payment cards, provide embedded lending, and facilitate digital transactions without relying on traditional banking infrastructure.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
Gulf sovereign wealth funds are betting big on biotech – why?

Gulf sovereign wealth funds are betting big on biotech – why?

QIA just backed Latigo Biotherapeutics’ $150 million Series B, meanwhile ADIA participated in Lila Sciences’ $200 million seed round. This isn’t just a passing interest – there’s a very clear pattern emerging across Gulf SWFs.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
ClearGrid emerges from stealth with $10M to modernise debt collection in MENA with AI

ClearGrid emerges from stealth with $10M to modernise debt collection in MENA with AI

Dubai-based ClearGrid has emerged from stealth with $10 million in pre-seed and seed funding, aiming to modernise debt collection and recovery with AI-driven automation.

Jamie Lane
🎙️ Interview🎙️ Interview
+1+1
Rise, fall & reinvention

Rise, fall & reinvention

An honest reflection with Idriss Al Rifai on Fetchr’s hypergrowth, what went wrong, the isolation of being a founder, and the emotional cost of tying self-worth to a company, plus hard-won lessons on hiring, scaling, and the $140 billion SME financing opportunity in MENA.

Jamie Lane
🎧 Podcast🎧 Podcast
VC React Podcast (Episode #28)

VC React Podcast (Episode #28)

Breaking down Talabat’s unusual acquisition of InstaShop, a rumoured billion-dollar funding round for Saudi q-commerce outfit Ninja, and the evolution of BNPL in Saudi Arabia.

Jamie Lane
🗞️ Weekly round-up🗞️ Weekly round-up
A 10x return for Saudi VC

A 10x return for Saudi VC

Lean banks Series B extension funding, Aramco Ventures doubles down on direct air capture, travel-tech Lokalee acquired for $12.8 million plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jamie Lane, +1
📰 News📰 News
Aramco Ventures doubles down on direct air capture with investments in Spiritus and Ucaneo

Aramco Ventures doubles down on direct air capture with investments in Spiritus and Ucaneo

Established in 2012 and headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Aramco Ventures manages multiple VC programmes with a total allocation of $7 billion. ​

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
Saudi VC Impact46 announces 10x exit from Tadawul-listed Rasan

Saudi VC Impact46 announces 10x exit from Tadawul-listed Rasan

The offering included 17.16% of Rasan’s issued share capital, priced at $18.40 per share, with a total size of $245 million, covered multiple times.

Jamie Lane
🎙️ Interview🎙️ Interview
+1+1
Tapping into the potential of Palestinian youth

Tapping into the potential of Palestinian youth

TAP’s transformation from manual job placement to AI-driven talent acceleration, how it's sustaining financial viability without compromising impact, and the realities of scaling a company in the face of relentless adversity.

Jamie Lane, +1
🗞️ Weekly round-up🗞️ Weekly round-up
MENA quick commerce is heating up

MENA quick commerce is heating up

Talabat acquires InstaShop, Ninja targets $1BN+ pre-IPO valuation, and Saudi BNPL Tamara receives SAMA license for consumer finance, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jamie Lane, +1
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