Why Careem’s exiting Pakistan, Endeavor Catalyst targets $300M fifth fund, Replit and HUMAIN team up to localise AI in Saudi, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.
The collaboration will integrate HUMAIN’s Arabic-first large language model (LLM), ALLAM, into Replit’s generative AI development platform.
The credit facility will allow OCTA to embed short-term working capital financing directly into its platform.
Launched in 2012, Endeavor Catalyst invests exclusively in Endeavor-selected founders at Series A–C stages, co-investing alongside VCs like Prosus, STV, and General Atlantic.
In 2019, Pakistan was the company’s single largest market, accounting for nearly 30% of its billion cumulative rides. Six years later, Careem's ride-hailing days in Pakistan are numbered.
Founded in 2024 by Mirnas Brescic, SaturnX acts as a backend API layer for B2B money transmitters, corporates, and financial platforms.
What it takes to build a startup in Iraq, lessons from launching Careem, and why fragmentation, not TAM, is the real signal for venture-scale opportunity in frontier markets.
Co-founded in 2022 by Amr Gamal and Ziad El Adawy, Octane enables fleets to manage day-to-day on-road spending through a unified digital wallet and analytics engine.
Founded by Attai Riches, Winich Farms is one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing agri-fintech companies, helping over 180,000 smallholder farmers improve access to both markets and finance.
Founded in 2021 by Emad Elazhary and Mohy Aboualam, Darwinz AI is building Dima, an Arabic-first AI copilot designed to help marketing and PR teams operate more effectively. The platform offers real-time sentiment analysis, crisis detection, and media coverage insights.
This week on VC React, it’s all about second-time founders in MENA, from Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani, the duo behind Expensya’s $120M exit, returning with ThunderCode and a $9M seed round, to Spotii’s Anusha Iqbal and Ziyaad Ahmed launching legal tech startup Qanooni.
Talabat CEO on why the company isn’t rushing into Saudi Arabia, Stargate UAE AI campus deal far from finalised, Kuwait releases Open Banking framework, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.
The framework supports Kuwait’s broader digitisation agenda under “New Kuwait 2035” and will enable Open Banking Service Providers licensed by CBK to operate in the market.
Since 2019, Super Capital has invested over €30 million in more than 150 European startups, supporting companies in industries ranging from healthtech to fintech and cleantech.
Founded in 2020 by Andrea Marino, Ramon Rodriguez, and Lars Henrik Friis Molin, Nova connects top-tier talent through a platform that requires members to pass a rigorous selection process. This model ensures a high-quality, professional community.
A 12,000-word playbook built from interviews with eight of MENA’s top investors, breaking down the founder traits VCs prioritise, frameworks for high-quality inbound dealflow, and strategies for spotting breakout startups before they exist.
Six months after its blockbuster IPO, Talabat is prioritising margins, loyalty, and strategic M&A over market conquest.
The platform simplifies drafting and reviewing legal documents by integrating directly into tools like Outlook and Word. This approach ensures lawyers can continue using the tools they are already familiar with while benefiting from AI that adapts to their tone, style, and standards.
Expensya founders return with Thunder Code, raise $9M to automate software testing with AI, Khwarizmi Ventures eyes $100M+ Fund II to back early-stage startups, plus this week’s MENA startup, VC, and tech news round-up.
