Ivory Coast How Ivory Coast is attempting to lead Francophone-African entrepreneurial ecosystems A review by the World Economic Forum has identified three major trends expected to prompt Africa’s economic growth in the upcoming... Rana Freifer • 22 May, 2018 Ivory Coast startups africa
Egypt Egyptian online fashion rental platform raises $1M from Algebra Ventures and 500 Startups La Reina, an Egyptian online platform for rental couture, announced receiving $1 million in a Series A funding round led by Egypt’s... Staff writer • 30 April, 2018 Egypt La Reina Algebra Ventures
Global Africa, a missed opportunity for MENA investors? Every country has its own identity and challenges, let alone a continent. For most of the investors and stakeholders who are solely... Reine Farhat • 01 May, 2018 africa Afrikonnect Startup your Life
Global Insider launches Growth Management Platform and receives $11M Series B led by Sequoia Insider recently announced the launch of its Growth Management Platform (GMP), which raised an $11 million Series B investment. Insider... Staff writer • 03 April, 2018 Insider Sequoia series B
U.A.E How to increase your exit chances, widen your audience and keep it simple: Insights from #STEP2018 Entrepreneurs don’t need to refine their pitches or have everything figured out when approaching investors, because great products... Reine Farhat • 01 April, 2018 Step Conference 2018 startups
Egypt Egyptian e-learning platform raises over $800,000 from UK and US angel investors Knowledge Officer, an e-learning platform, raised £600,000 (US$ 833,500) from UK and US angel investors Ian Hurlock from Fox and... Rana Freifer • 13 March, 2018 Egypt uk Knowledge Officer
U.A.E Dubai-based certified car marketplace raises another $1M CarSwitch.com, the UAE’s first marketplace for certified cars, has secured an additional $1 million investment led by Dubai Angel... Staff writer • 08 March, 2018 uae carswitch.com marketplace
U.A.E What free licensing could mean for Dubai startups? A ‘free business license’ and other subsidized costs would be great to have for a startup, and it’s not as far-fetched as... Nader Sabry • 06 March, 2018 Hardware Startups Licensing Opinion
Saudi Arabia Beauty ecommerce platform Golden Scent to expand following Series A funding round Golden Scent, one of the leading Saudi beauty ecommerce platforms, plans on further growing the business after receiving a Series A funding... Staff writer • 21 February, 2018 ksa Golden Scent ecommerce
U.A.E Abu Dhabi is getting ready for an innovation-loaded takeoff This article is a crosspost from Fikra Labs. If it wasn’t for all the great aviation innovations that the world... Reine Farhat • 18 February, 2018 abu dhabi Travel Tourism
Kuwait Armada delivery solutions closes a pre-Series A round with Sharq Ventures Armada Delivery Solutions, a tech logistics company, closed a pre-Series A round with Sharq Ventures. The company solves the last mile... Staff writer • 13 February, 2018 Armada Logistics Arzan VC
Global TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington on cryptocurrencies, ICOs, and tech in the MENA [Podcast] Since 2005, TechCrunch, founded by Michael Arrington, has been a primary source for global tech and innovation news, trends, and... Staff writer • 13 February, 2018 techcrunch Michael Arrington ICO
U.A.E Karaoke app Ghinwa closes a US $3 million funding round Ghinwa, an in5-incubated Arabic karaoke and selfcast app, announced the close of a US$3 million funding round, which included 500... Staff writer • 12 February, 2018 Ghinwa Investment
Kuwait Zain Kuwait and Brilliant Lab draw the global roadmap for local startups When great minds think alike, brilliant startups come together. Brilliant Lab (BL), a Kuwait-based accelerator, has been working since... Reine Farhat • 04 February, 2018 Brilliant Lab Zain Zain Great Idea
Regional When NGO grants become a stress-less seed funding channel Prior to early stage funding rounds, or even being structured enough for VC funding, startups could go through an intermediary funding... Rana Freifer • 01 February, 2018 Unicef Grants Funding
Regional Investment funding platforms to match between startups and investors Funding is almost an unavoidable burden most startups would encounter during their evolution. It is the phase where the startup’s... Rana Freifer • 30 January, 2018 Lead Angels VC Funding
Egypt Egypt’s fintech startups are growing in number, value, and specialization “The wave of innovation sweeping through the world of financial technology promises nothing short of revolution … It will... Rana Freifer • 24 January, 2018 Egypt Fintech startups
Saudi Arabia Ecommerce eyewear platform is betting on growing niche markets The global eyewear market was valued at $109 billion in 2016 and is projected to exceed $170 billion by 2022. In the Middle East, a... Rana Freifer • 17 January, 2018 uae ksa eyewa
Saudi Arabia Badir-incubated Saudi tech startups raised almost $13M in 2017 The technology startups incubated by Badir Program, one of the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology’s main initiatives,... Staff writer • 17 January, 2018 Badir ksa Investment
U.A.E International Blockchain Capital invests in Acumen Advertising Dubai-based fintech group International Blockchain Capital (IBC) Group Limited bought into homegrown media brand Acumen Advertising as part... Staff writer • 15 January, 2018 Acumen International Blockchain Capital Fintech
Regional UAE startups attracted $400 million of VC funding in 2017 2017 witnessed 134 funding deals of 129 startups in 12 countries across the MENA, which brought in around $475 million worth of... Rana Freifer • 14 January, 2018 MENABytes Dubai MENA
U.A.E Floral marketplace Floranow closes its first funding round Floranow, the region’s online B2B floral marketplace, successfully raised its first round of financing from Jabbar Internet Group,... Staff writer • 20 December, 2017 Floranow Wamda Capital Jabbar Internet Group
U.A.E Majid Al Futtaim and Image Nation Abu Dhabi participated in financing an LA-based VR startup Dreamscape Immersive, the location-based VR startup backed by some of Hollywood's biggest players, announced closing a $30M Series B... Staff writer • 19 December, 2017 uae US VR
U.A.E One Click Delivery raises an undisclosed round led by MEVP Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP) has made an undisclosed investment in Dubai-based One Click Delivery, a last-mile delivery startup... Staff writer • 12 December, 2017 OneClick MEVP