🎧 Podcast🎧 Podcast
VC React Podcast (Episode #32)

VC React Podcast (Episode #32)

A dealmaking trifecta that cuts across edtech, crypto, and venture strategy — from the first signs of an M&A path in Arabic learning, to one of the largest token collapses MENA’s seen this year, to a global VC fund leaning into replication across emerging markets.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
From the Gulf to the UK

From the Gulf to the UK

Calo absorbs Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen in UK launch, Fluent Ventures announces $40M fund to back emerging market founders, Rebel Foods raises $25M from QIA at $1.4B valuation plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jamie Lane, +1
📰 News📰 News
Fluent Ventures announces $40M fund to back emerging market founders rebuilding proven models for local markets

Fluent Ventures announces $40M fund to back emerging market founders rebuilding proven models for local markets

Led by Alexandre Lazarow, the San Francisco-based firm is active across MENA, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
Calo absorbs Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen in UK launch

Calo absorbs Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen in UK launch

The move marks Calo’s first expansion beyond the Gulf and sets the stage for broader European growth.

Jamie Lane
🎙️ Interview🎙️ Interview
+1+1
Rewiring B2B finance in Pakistan and beyond

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.

Jamie Lane, +1
🗞️ Weekly round-up🗞️ Weekly round-up
Egypt’s $105M fintech fund pivots

Egypt’s $105M fintech fund pivots

Seesaw acquires Jordan’s Little Thinking Minds to deepen Arabic edtech push across MENA, BKN301 raises $23.8M to target UAE & Saudi expansion, Careem launches grocery delivery in Riyadh, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.

Jamie Lane, +1
📰 News📰 News
AWS and Manara to train 2,500 MENA engineers in cloud and AI with $3.6M upskilling push

AWS and Manara to train 2,500 MENA engineers in cloud and AI with $3.6M upskilling push

The programme follows AWS’s broader regional commitment, including a $5.3B investment in Saudi Arabia.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
Mantra’s OM token crashes 90% days after unveiling $108M ecosystem fund

Mantra’s OM token crashes 90% days after unveiling $108M ecosystem fund

The move comes just as Egypt’s Rabbit announced its entry into Saudi, joining a crowded field that includes Jahez, Ninja, Nana, Hungerstation, and Keeta.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
Careem launches grocery delivery in Riyadh as quick commerce battle heats up in Saudi Arabia

Careem launches grocery delivery in Riyadh as quick commerce battle heats up in Saudi Arabia

The move comes just as Egypt’s Rabbit announced its entry into Saudi, joining a crowded field that includes Jahez, Ninja, Nana, Hungerstation, and Keeta.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
BKN301 raises $23.8M to target UAE & Saudi expansion as MENA BaaS race intensifies

BKN301 raises $23.8M to target UAE & Saudi expansion as MENA BaaS race intensifies

Founded by Stiven Muccioli, BKN301’s platform powers core banking, payments, and AI integrations, with €18.4M in revenue in 2024, marking 51% YoY growth.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
Seesaw acquires Jordan’s Little Thinking Minds to deepen Arabic edtech push across MENA

Seesaw acquires Jordan’s Little Thinking Minds to deepen Arabic edtech push across MENA

The acquisition marks Seesaw’s deeper push into the MENA market, pairing its AI-driven PreK–12 tools with LTM’s Arabic curricula ahead of launching its first Arabic-language platform in 2026.

Jamie Lane
📰 News📰 News
DPI takes over $105M Nclude fintech fund, launches VC arm to double-down on early-stage push in Egypt

DPI takes over $105M Nclude fintech fund, launches VC arm to double-down on early-stage push in Egypt

Initially launched as an $85M vehicle to accelerate financial inclusion in Egypt in 2022, Nclude has since grown to $105M and deployed $28M across startups including Paymob, Khazna, FlapKap, Mozare3, and Lucky.

Jamie Lane
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