Welcome to Your Weekly Dose of MENA’s Startup Ecosystem🚀

Ramadan Kareem! As we welcome the start of Ramadan, let's also dive into the heart of the MENA startup ecosystem.

This week, we're packed with groundbreaking news, transformative trends, and golden opportunities.

Get ready for a journey through innovation and entrepreneurship!

Here’s What’s Sparking Interest This Week:

• Weekly Roundup

• In The News

• Trendy, Trendy, Trendy

• LEAP 2024 Digest

• Upcoming Programs

• Cool Events

• Techy Bytes

Weekly Roundup

• RemotePass (UAE) gets $5.5M Series A

• CAI Concierge (UAE) gains an undisclosed round

• dkilo (Egypt) secures $3.2M

• Salla (KSA) lands a $130M pre-IPO from Investcorp

• BRKZ (KSA) secures $8M in Series A

• Buildnow (KSA) collects $9.4M in seed funding

• Rakeez Capital (KSA) closes a SAR 7.5M Seed round led by Core Vision

• Arzag Plus (KSA) gains SAR 12M led by Sanaya Investments and Abturn Ventures

• Moyasar ميسر (KSA) wraps its first investment round at SAR 78.75M

• LAWAZEM | لوازم (KSA) closes a Pre-Series A of SAR 30M led by Merak Capital

• fanZ (KSA) app raises SAR 5.6M in a Pre-Seed round

• Mazadak | مزادك (KSA) receives $10M

• talabatcomapp طلباتكم (KSA) secures Seed funding from a consortium of Saudi investors

• RABEH || رابح (KSA) Financial secures a SAR 3M Seed

In The News

• Hub71 Merges with Stride Ventures to fuel Abu Dhabi's startup scene

• stc Group's Tali Ventures dives into emerging tech

• Saudi's Investment Program aims to be a global tourism leader

• Revival Lab and Falak Startups launch Upturn Ventures

• Gaming & Esports Boost with Saudi's $120M investment

• Egypt’s Khazna expands into Saudi Arabia

Trendy, Trendy, Trendy

• Exploring emerging industries in the UAE for 2024

• Unpacking trends and opportunities in the UAE's evolving landscape

• Saudi's Non-Profit sector sees unprecedented early 2024 growth

• Middle East and Africa brim with fintech opportunities

• Neom is set to unleash its first green hydrogen production

LEAP 2024 Digest

• AWS: $5.3bn investment in a new cloud zone in Saudi Arabia

• InvestCorp: Announced a $500 million fund focusing on investing in growing Saudi companies

• Datavolt: $5bn investment for constructing new data centers in the Kingdom

• IBM: $250bn for establishing a global software development center

• Arcapita sets up a $500M logistics fund

• Impact46 sets up a SAR 150M gaming fund

• Dell Technologies: Inauguration of a manufacturing and fulfillment center in Saudi Arabia

• ServiceNow: $500m to localize its regional services in Saudi Arabia

• Aramco: Establishment of the Saudi Accelerator Innovation Lab (SAIL)

• Merak Capital and Impact46: announced $80 million and $40 million in funds, respectively

• Plug and Play Tech Center: Announced a pioneering $50 million fund

• Takamol Ventures: Announced a $53 million venture capital fund

• Seedford Partners: Is planning to launch a $100 million to $150 million space fund

• Unifonic is set to launch a $15 million fund focusing on SaaS B2B startups in MENA

• Datadog Academy: Establishment of its inaugural cloud solutions academy in Saudi Arabia

• Uipath: Announcement of the first regional automation academy

• Zoho Corp: The company has set up two Middle East data centers in Saudi Arabia

Upcoming Programs

• Falak Startups and ROOTS Venture Studio's Climate Tech Accelerator focuses on climate technology innovations, offering investment and support to early-stage startups

• Eileen Brewer's Tech Accelerator in Iraq aims to boost the MENA startup ecosystem by empowering tech innovations

• ENGIE's Venture Studio enhances climate tech startups across the Middle East with investments and expertise

• Hub71+ ClimateTech Initiative in the UAE revolutionizes climate innovation with comprehensive support for startups

• Mega Green Accelerator supports climate solutions by regional startups, fostering eco-friendly innovations

• in5 Tech Incubator nurtures tech startups with resources, mentorship, and community support

For a comprehensive list of upcoming Programs & Opportunities, visit our Programs Page

Cool Events

• Building a Startup With No Tech Background - Online, 12 Mars

• The State of Digital Transformation in the Middle East - Dubai, 22 Mars

• Global AI Show - Dubai, 16-17 April 2024: AI innovations on display

• RiseUp Summit Saudi - Riyadh, 27 April 2024: Connect with the heart of Saudi's startup ecosystem

• MENA InsurTech Summit 2024 - Doha, 11-13 May: Explore the future of insurance in the MENA region

• Startups Without Borders Summit - Cairo, 10 May 2024: Where startups meet to break boundaries and innovate

• RiseUp Summit Egypt - Cairo, 16 May 2024: Egypt's landmark event for entrepreneurs and creators

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit our Events Page

Techy Bytes

• Apple dazzles with new MacBook Airs, iOS 17.4 upgrades, and VisionOS 1.1

• WhatsApp ventures into third-party chats

• OpenAI enhances iOS ChatGPT with read-aloud, welcomes back CEO Sam Altman, amid Elon Musk's legal challenge over AI's nonprofit mission, who is getting sued himself by a former Twitter CEO

• Google Pixel teases a Satellite SOS feature

• X now allows Premium+ users and organizations to publish articles

• Aramco announced a new language AI model called AramcoMetabrain, based on 90 years of accumulated company data

Thanks for diving into this edition with us! Your enthusiasm fuels our journey through the startup universe. Keep that curiosity alive, stay fueled by inspiration, and never stop innovating

Warmly,

The Startup3lMashi ستارتب على الماشي Team