🔍 Deep-dives

🎙️ Interview 🗞️ Weekly round-up 🔍 Deep-dives

Jan 29, 2025

Growing vegetables in the Saudi desert

Saudi Arabia’s reliance on food imports for 90% of its fresh produce is a problem. This startup thinks it has the food security solution.

Jamie Lane, +1

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Jan 22, 2025

Scaling and exiting MENA's top cloud kitchen

How an $80M Series B led to a strategic acquisition, the realities of navigating an exit, and starting fresh as a second-time founder.

Jamie Lane, +1

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Jan 15, 2025

The Future of FWDstart

Building in public, introducing eight new premium deep-dive formats, and sharing our vision for future coverage and analysis

Jamie Lane, +1

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Jan 08, 2025

MENA tech predictions for 2025

Saudi IPOs, more growth-stage funding from international investors, and AI everywhere – plus insights from four regional VCs.

Jamie Lane, +1

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Dec 11, 2024

Can Kitopi deliver on its $1 billion+ valuation?

As it approaches its sixth anniversary, the company sits in an awkward position — too large to be easily acquired, yet facing tepid public markets that are showing little appetite for new listings.

Jamie Lane

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Nov 27, 2024

The repeated reinvention of Kitopi

Kitopi’s journey has been one of relentless iteration. From its origins as a managed cloud kitchen to its transformation into a fully integrated food ecosystem, the company has continually adapted to challenges, market shifts, and consumer demands.

Jamie Lane

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Nov 13, 2024

The GCC's reinvention of restaurants

What makes the region such a fertile ground for food industry disruption, particularly in the realm of cloud kitchens?

Jamie Lane, +1

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Oct 30, 2024

FWDstart turns 1

The highs and lows of the past year, our triumphs and failures, and the lessons learned covering MENA's startup, VC and tech landscape over 82 editions.

Zoe O Dwyer, +1

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