Global Startup Watch: Quit the social, call your angel, and cut down on the hype The world of entrepreneurship news is a complex one, with people ever ready to give their two cents on how you should be running your... Rachel Williamson • 20 October, 2016 Softbank Softbank Vision Fund iraq
Tunisia Turning pro: Tunisian game makers eye the big time From the local playrooms to a Tunisian start-up dedicated to the making of video games, the gaming community in Tunisia is growing step by... Lilia Blaise • 19 October, 2016 Gaming tunisia Polysmart
Saudi Arabia KAUST launches new accelerator to support entrepreneurship King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) launched Taqadam last week, a new university startup accelerator... Abdulghani Kataya • 19 October, 2016 KAUST Saudi Arabia ksa
U.A.E Did the world’s thinnest phone just launch at GITEX Dubai? Carbon Works, a UAE-based startup, launched what they say is the world’s thinnest smartphone at Dubai’s GITEX Summit 2016 on... Maysaa Ajjan • 19 October, 2016 carbon works Carbon fiber Telecommunication
Turkey Bridging the Armenian-Turkish divide at Startup Istanbul From keynote speeches to chatter at the booths, Startup Istanbul was an expo not only for Turkey’s startup prowess, but for its... Alexandra Locke • 18 October, 2016 startup istanbul Armenia turkey
U.A.E 3D medical printing finds its footing in Dubai’s future Launched in October 2015, Medativ is a Dubai-based 3D anatomical model printing company. The company name is a play on its products... Archana Menon • 18 October, 2016 MEMakersGE Healthcare 3d printing
Turkey Turkish wedding marketplace Dugun sets its sights on KSA with Zafaf.net Turkish wedding marketplace Dugun sets its sights on KSA with Zafaf.net It was the bras that ruffled some feathers. CEO Emek... Alexandra Locke • 18 October, 2016 dugun zafaf Saudi Arabia
Global The wrong way to introduce people over email This is an edited crosspost from Harvard Business Review. When I was young and just starting out in my career, one of the... Harvard Business Review • 17 October, 2016 harvard business review Networking email introduction
Iraq Fertile ground for mobile wallets: Iraq Hussein Kanber agha says his company has built a user friendly mobile wallet that will allow Iraqis to make payments using their... Lucy Knight • 17 October, 2016 iraq wallet ideal payments Zain Group
U.A.E Innovation 4 Impact gets a divine win Divine Connect, a US-based company building translation devices, won $20,000 at the Global Islamic Economy Summit’s Innovation 4... Archana Menon • 16 October, 2016 GIES Islamic economy divine connect
Lebanon Toy platform wins Seedstars Beirut, heads to Switzerland to compete for $500K Toy design and building platform Makerbrane inched closer to a potential investment of $500,00 after winning Seedstars Beirut third annual... Maysaa Ajjan • 16 October, 2016 seedstars Makerbrane Riego
Palestine Gaza game maker Baskalet eyes Saudi success Facing tough economic conditions and unsatisfying day jobs in Gaza, Baskalet founders Mohammed Madhoun and Osayd Madi took the leap to do... Rafat Abushaban • 16 October, 2016 Baskalet Gaza palestine
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, Japan investor create $100B fund Saudi Arabia and Japan’s Softbank have signed a deal to create a $100 billion technology investment fund, making it one of the largest p... Rachel Williamson • 14 October, 2016 Saudi Arabia Softbank japan
Global R2-D2 and Ayah Bdeir share the spotlight at Disney Demo Day Littlebits founder Ayah Bdeir announced a new partnership with Disney on Thursday for a children’s online video series encouraging... Dana Ballout • 14 October, 2016 littlebits Disney Hardware
Regional You need more than a website to save the world [Opinion] Aspiring social entrepreneurs need to understand that the tech component of solving a social problem is only a very small part of... Kamel Al-Asmar • 13 October, 2016 Opinion Social Entrepreneurship Pepsico
Jordan Home-cooked food gets a taste of delivery services in Jordan When Marwan Oklah Al Zou'bi and Adam Barghouti were studying indoors during Canada’s harsh winters, ordering homemade food... Tala El Issa • 13 October, 2016 Jordan Delivery Homecooked meals
Global Startup Watch: How to get more dates on Tinder, why Egyptian investors must unite, and VR Facebook emojis Here’s a roundup of what we’ve been reading this week on how to get more dates on Tinder, VR spreading its Ocu-pus legs across... Dana Ballout • 13 October, 2016 Startup Watch Theranos tinder
Regional Holidayme.com secures $7M funding, a boost for regional travel industry UAE online travel agency Holidayme.com has raised $7 million in Series A funding from Silicon Valley-based Accel Partners, Saudi... Dana Ballout • 12 October, 2016 Travel holidayme Geet Bhalla
Lebanon Tripoli-based startup brings online retail to local merchants Lebanon’s northern coastal city of Tripoli, once the center of trade in the region, is now too often associated with political... Maysaa Ajjan • 12 October, 2016 Tripoli lebanon Navybits
Syria Syrian inventor on his journey of making a solar-powered washing machine [Q&A] Twenty-two-year old Syrian inventor Yaman Abou Jeib has the entrepreneurship community buzzing over him, and for good reason too. Aside... Maysaa Ajjan • 12 October, 2016 Glean Yaman Abou Jeib Cleantech
U.A.E Has Falafel Games raised the largest round for a gaming startup in MENA? Falafel Games, one of the first gaming studios to emerge in the Middle East, just closed a round of $2.6 million. The funding round was... Lucy Knight • 11 October, 2016 falafel games MEVP Investment
U.A.E A step in the ecotourism direction This year Dubai and Abu Dhabi topped the list of most sustainable cities in MENA. On the global ranking list, however,... Archana Menon • 11 October, 2016 MEMakersGE uae eco resort group
Iran Iran startup Snapp raises $22M Series A Iranian ride sharing startup Snapp has secured a 20 million euro (US$22 million) Series A investment. The deal, reported in Tech... Rachel Williamson • 10 October, 2016 Snapp Iran Internet Group Rocket Internet
Bahrain Bahrain’s Eat raises $2M Editor’s note: this article was updated on October 12 to include a comment from Reserve Out. In what they are labelling... Lucy Knight • 10 October, 2016 Eatapp eat Bahrain