After 11 years of being forcibly displaced, I’ve returned to Syria and found a country that has endured years of collapse yet feels ready to rebuild. Every entrepreneur I’ve met has expressed not only their willingness but also their determination to help their country rise from its devastation. What I heard wasn’t just enthusiasm—it was…

UAE-based visa-as-a-service platform VISARUN.AI has raised $700,000 in pre-seed funding from unnamed angel investors.  Founded in 2024 by Vladimir Indjikian and Alena Iakina, VISARUN.AI is a visa-as-a-service platform that streamlines visa processing, which reduces manual labour by up to 70%. The investment will fuel the company's platform development, sales team expansion, and stretching footprint in…

Press release: Yuze, a UAE-based fully digital business banking platform, is set to expand its operations to India in the second quarter  of 2025. Designed to serve the needs of micro and small businesses (SMEs) and freelancers, Yuze offers  comprehensive financial solutions aimed at supporting local businesses and fuelling growth in India’s fast-evolving  economy.  India’s…

Egypt-based Beltone Venture Capital, the VC arm of Beltone Holding, has invested in Morocco’s LNKO for an undisclosed amount. Founded in 2020 by Maha Bennani, LNKO provides direct-to-customer (D2C) eyewear options, including sunglasses and optical frames, and claims to have served over 100,000 clients. LNKO plans to use the investment to uphold expansion plans across…

Meta AI officially launches in the MENA region Fully available in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Iraq—with more countries launching soon Accessible for free without prior registration across all Meta’s apps Now available in Arabic Press release: Today, Meta announced the expansion of its AI assistant, Meta AI, to the Middle East…

The MENA e-commerce market saw a 30%+ increase in online orders, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), according to Flowwow & Admitad Report. The UAE’s online orders grew by 7%, and Saudi Arabia’s by 9%, outperforming the MENA average of 5%. The regional Average Order Value (AOV) increased from…

UAE-based healthtech BioSapien has extended its pre-Series A funding round  to $7 million, joined by new investors like Golden  Gate Ventures, marking the first deployment of its dedicated MENA Fund.  Founded in 2018 by Khatija Ali, BioSapien offers a flagship product, MediChip™, which is a drug delivery, 3D-printed, slow-release delivery platform attachable to any tissue…

Egypt-based loyalty and rewards solutions provider Dsquares has acquired a majority stake in the Egyptian B2B SaaS loyalty platform Prepit for an unknown value. Founded in 2012 by Ayman Essawy, Marwan Kenawy and Momtaz Moussa, Dsquares is a B2B loyalty solutions provider that specialises in creating tailored loyalty solutions for industries including banking, telecom, FMCGs, and retail. Prepit, founded in 2022 by Karim Hussein…

Saudi Arabia-based e-services platform Nabeeh has raised an undisclosed investment from Ibtikar Fund. Founded in Palestine in 2021 by Saber Samara and Fawaz Samara, Nabeeh is an online platform that allows users to book housekeeping, cleaning services, maintenance, repairs, and renovation services. With this funding round, Nabeeh aims to double its user base, expand its…