Happy Eid al-Fitr everyone! 🌙

Celebrate the festive spirit with the latest happenings in the MENA startup ecosystem. From investment buzz to breakthrough innovations, we're here to keep you at the forefront of entrepreneurship and opportunity.

Here’s What’s Sparking Interest This Week:

• Weekly Funding Roundup

• In The News

• Upcoming Programs & Opportunities

• Cool Events

• Interesting Stuff

• Techy Bytes

Weekly Funding Roundup

• Daleel (Bahrain) gets an investment from Spring Studios

• GFH Partners (Bahrain) invests $450M in healthcare

• OSN+ (UAE) completes its buyout of a major share in Anghami (Lebanon)

• Commercial International Bank (UAE) invests in Zypl.ai

• Mubashir (Oman) secures new funding from ITHCA

• PIF (KSA) invests $133m into South Korea’s AhnLab

In The News

• TGA starts regulating the order delivery sector in Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia witnesses a 59% jump in commercial registrations and reduces plans for its Line project

• UAE to develop Iraq’s port and economic zone, while its economy is predicted to grow by 5.2% in 2025

• Dubai introduces 'golden' business licenses to encourage growth

• Muslim Aid teams up with Wahed to support Palestinian startups.

• Halal Angels Network joins FasterCapital to help tech startups

Upcoming Programs & Opportunities

• Apply for the AgriTech Egypt Innovation Challenge

• Compete in the Visa Everywhere Initiative to win $100,000

• Explore growth with Berytech's Startup10 Program

• Register for Taqadam's Cohort 8 to accelerate your startup

• Sign up for Sidra’s acceleration program

• Scale your business in Saudi with the BetaLab program

• Join the HasoubStartupsLab Accelerator for Arab entrepreneurs

• Elevate your project in Algeria with Orange Corners

• Apply now for Fincubator's 2nd Cohort

• Egyptian startup? Check out the GovTech Accelerator Program

Explore the full list of upcoming programs and opportunities here

Cool Events

• Global Blockchain Show: Dubai, April 16-17

• Global AI Show: Dubai, April 16-17

• Middle East Energy: Dubai, April 16-18

• CRYPTOVSUMMIT: Dubai, April 17

• Strumming Through Stress: April 18 by AstroLabs

• DSC MENA 24: Cairo, April 18-20

• TOKEN2049: Dubai, April 18-19

• Network Mixer in Dubai: April 19 by Viaka

• DUBAI ESPORTS FESTIVAL: Dubai, April 19 - May 5

• V-Lab Summit: Cairo, April 20

• ETHDUBAI CONFERENCE: Dubai, April 20-21

• World Blockchain Summit Global Series: Dubai, April 22-23

• AVPN Global Conference, Abu Dhabi, April 23-25

• Navigating Lebanon’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Beirut, April 25

• How to recruit (for non-recruiters): Online, April 25 by Viaka

• DRIFTx: Abu Dhabi, April 25-26

• VC Weekend by Gingo Partners: Dubai, April 25-26

Check the full list of upcoming events here

Interesting Stuff

• Real Madrid CF launches a startup accelerator

• Understanding how private equity compares to venture capital

• A guide on calculating startup valuation

• How Spotify became the king of personalization

• Expert tips for increasing visibility in 2024 with SEO

Techy Bytes

• Musajjel aims to transform podcasting

• Saudi-based Funding Souq gets a crowdfunding license

• Google upgrades its Find My Device tool and considers buying HubSpot

• AI responses in search set to become more common

• Elon Musk plans to unveil a Tesla robotaxi on August 8, while X launches Grok chatbot for premium subscribers

As we wrap up this week's edition, we wish you a joyful and prosperous Eid al-Fitr. May this special time bring peace, happiness, and success to you and your ventures.

Stay tuned for more insights and opportunities from the bustling MENA startup ecosystem next week.

Until next time,

The Startup3lMashi ستارتب على الماشي Team