Wamda

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

Regional

The regional race for content creators

The arrival of social media platforms has not only changed the advertising and marketing sector, but entertainment too. Combined with...

Creative Industry Summit TikTok Peace Cake

Regional

PepsiCo launches Mena edition of Greenhouse accelerator programme

PepsiCo has launched the Mena edition of its global greentech accelerator programme in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Climate...

Pepsico

Regional

One-third of Mena’s femtech companies are based in the UAE

Kate Batz is the director of FemTech Analytics, managing partner at Longevity Capital as well as director of strategy and business...

femtech healthtech

Regional

What are the most in-demand skills among startups in Mena?

Talent remains one of the biggest challenges facing startups in the Middle East. Good talent is difficult to find and can be very costly....

recruitment talent Astrolabs

Regional

VentureSouq launches $50 million fund

GCC-based VC firm VentureSouq has launched the $50 million Mena FinTech Fund I, aiming to invest in early-stage fintech and SaaS...

VentureSouq Fintech

Regional

How open banking is changing the payments landscape in Mena

Abdulla Almoayed is the founder and CEO of open banking platform Tarabut Gateway, which recently closed a $12 million pre-Series A round...

Open banking Tarabut Gateway

Regional

Startups in Mena raised $150 million in October 2021

Startups in Mena raised more than $150 million in October across 42 deals, a 55.5 per cent month-on-month decline in terms of value, but a...

investments VC funding

Regional

The startup fighting for open finance in Mena

Mirna Sleiman is on a mission to revolutionise the Middle East’s banking and financial sector. Having spent more than eight years...

open finance Open banking Fintech Galaxy

Regional

Can direct-to-consumer commerce maintain its momentum in Mena?

“Swipe up”, an Instagram term that has become so synonymous with online shopping that it is hardly considered an instruction or...

direct-to-consumer D2C eyewa

Regional

Illegal data collection, financial data theft are major concerns for GCC consumers, GPI study shows

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have among the world’s largest prepaid markets according to Ding’s bi-annual Global Prepaid Index...

GPI Ding GCC

Regional

Organon, Flat6Labs launch accelerator to support female-focused healthtech in Mena

Flat6Labs has partnered with Organon to launch the Femtech Accelerator Programme to help healthtech startups focused on women’s...

Organon Flat6Labs

Regional

Shoutout platforms and the growing personalisation of celebrities

Social media platforms proved to be a powerful tool for celebrities across the world to engage directly with their fans, dictate their own...

Social Media

Regional

Gitex Future Stars: North Stars in the making

Gitex, the Middle East’s largest technology exhibition is one of the most important events for those in the technology sector. It is...

GITEX GITEX Future Stars

Regional

Azimut, GELLIFY launch joint $50 million VC fund to support B2B Mena startups

The Italian management group Azimut (ME) Limited ADGM, in partnership with GELLIFY Middle East is launching a VC fund targeting a fund...

Azimut GELLIFY VC

Regional

Tourist VCs and their impact on emerging market ecosystems

There is a rising number of foreign VCs investing in the Middle East. Of the 10 Egyptian startups that raised investment in September, four...

Egypt Investment

Regional

Four Mena startups receive Village Capital’s Sustainability Mena 2021 investment

Four startups have won $20,000 each as part of Sustainability Mena 2021, a three-month investment readiness programme run by Village...

Village Capital Sustainability Mena 2021

Regional

Flat6Labs: A decade of accelerating startups

Once Hany Sonbaty and Ahmed Alfi launched their venture capital firm, Sawari Ventures, in Egypt back in 2010, the pair were often hounded...

Flat6Labs

Regional

Young Arab entrepreneurs need govt’ support, increased access to funding

Amid today’s challenging labour market and lack of access to high quality education, young people across the Arab World are...

Arab youth

Egypt

Fawry invests in Sudan-based classifieds marketplace alsoug.com

Fawry, Egypt’s leading provider of e-payments solutions and digital banking services, has acquired a minority stake in Sudan-based...

fawry Alsoug

Regional

Women cannot have it all...

Julie Nguyen is the founder of Crunchmoms, a professional network based in the UAE for talented, working mothers. There is...

Women empowerment

Regional

Mental health startups in Mena

To mark World Mental Health Day, we have mapped the mental health startups in the Middle East and North Africa. Wamda also recently...

mental health

Thought Leadership

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