Wamda

Regional

Why is there a lack of investment in startups founded by women?

In January and February of 2022 alone, startups in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) raised $622 million. To have broken the half a...

women entrepreneurs Investment

Regional

Mena’s startup euphoria is more fragile than it looks

Tarek Sakr is a former investment banker and CEO of Kuwait’s largest classifieds company – 4Sale Market participants are now...

valuations

Regional

How have NFTs impacted the Middle East’s art world?

Rarely a day goes by without the announcement of a new NFT [non-fungible token] project, artwork or even a culinary digital...

NFT crypto

Regional

What we learned at Step's tenth show in Dubai

It has been 10 years since Step held its first startup conference and festival in Dubai, a time when the entrepreneurship sector in the...

STEP

Regional

A breakdown of Mena exits in 2021

Last year, 39 startups based in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) exited, through both acquisitions and mergers. Most were based...

exits

Regional

Mena startups raised $247 million in January 2022

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) raised $247 million across 46 deals, a 20 per cent increase month-on-month and a...

Investment

Regional

UAE ranked world’s most supportive entrepreneurship environment: GEM Report

The UAE was ranked top in the world in the 2021/2022 Global Entrepreneurship Mentorship (GEM) report in terms of countries that allow for...

GEM

Regional

Anghami: Success built on localisation

When Eddy Maroun was skiing in a Lebanese mountain resort back in 2011, accessing music was a cumbersome affair. Music players like the...

anghami

Regional

Wamda works with The Financial Times to bring global insights in English and Arabic to Mena’s technology ecosystem

Wamda’s knowledge platform integrates global publisher The Financial Times’s content into its thought leadership strategy...

wamda FT

Regional

Key exits of 2021 and what they mean for Mena's startup ecosystem

The year 2021 witnessed a major fillip to the region's tech ecosystem, both in terms of the amount of money raised and the number of...

exits

Regional

Investment in women-founded startups at 1.2 per cent of $2.87 billion raised in 2021

It was a year in which many records were broken - the largest funding round to date, the highest number of deals, and the arrival of...

wamda Investment

Regional

How can the GCC countries become digital leaders?

Tarek El Zein is a partner with Strategy& Middle East, part of the PwC network The digital economies of GCC countries have...

GCC Innovation

Regional

REEF to launch cloud kitchens across Mena

REEF Technologies, a US-based operator of delivery kitchens, logistics and proximity hubs, has announced plans to launch cloud kitchens...

Reef technology Cloud kitchens

Regional

Mena startups raised $206 million in December 2021

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) raised $206 million in December 2021 across 44 deals, a 27.5 per cent decrease...

Investment

Regional

Trends to expect in 2022

After two years of ongoing uncertainty, the investor hesitancy that defined the beginning of the pandemic has dissipated entirely, as...

Trends

Regional

Our top stories from 2021

This past year has been an incredibly dynamic one for the entrepreneurship ecosystem across the Middle East and North Africa. We have...

wamda

Egypt

Aumet acquires Egypt's Platform One

Jordan-born and US-headquartered B2B healthcare marketplace Aumet has acquired Egypt-based healthcare supply chain solutions startup...

Aumet Paltform one

Regional

Has last-mile delivery reached its saturation point? [Part two]

In the first part of this feature, we charted the growth of last-mile delivery in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). In this second...

Last-mile delivery Logistics Last mile

Regional

Last-mile delivery startups in North Africa and the Levant

Wamda has mapped 51 last-mile delivery startups in North Africa and the Levant region. Of these, 28 are based in the Egypt, the...

Last-mile delivery Logistics

Regional

Last-mile delivery startups in the GCC

Wamda has mapped 51 last-mile delivery startups based in the GCC. Of these, 22 are based in the UAE and 16 in Saudi Arabia. The majority of...

Last-mile delivery

Regional

Last-mile delivery startups in numbers

Over the past couple of years, the last-mile delivery sector has witnessed a spike of new startup entrants, with most operating an...

Last-mile delivery

Regional

A look at last-mile delivery in Mena [Part 1]

The final leg of the product shipping journey, defined as last-mile delivery, is the least efficient and costliest part of the product...

Last-mile delivery Last mile Logistics

Regional

Mena startups raised $284 million in November 2021

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) raised $284 million in November 2021 across 71 deals, an 89 per cent...

investments

Regional

Opontia raises $42 million in Series A

UAE-based e-commerce enabler Opontia has raised $42 million in equity and debt in a Series A round led by STV. Opontia, founded by...

Opontia

Thought Leadership

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