Hello and welcome to this week’s roundup of the MENA startup world 🚀

Dive into the latest insights, trends, and breakthroughs from across the Middle East and North Africa. From groundbreaking investments to innovative startups making waves, we’ve got everything you need to stay ahead in the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship

Here’s What’s Sparking Interest This Week:

• Hello and welcome to this week’s roundup of the ME …

• Weekly Funding Roundup

• In The News

• Upcoming Programs

• Cool Events

• Interesting Stuff

• Techy Bytes

• Hot Investment Picks

Weekly Funding Roundup

• Garbaliser (Lebanon) secures $436,000

• Mubadala (UAE) acquires Kelix Bio and invests in Avanse Financial Services

• ANAVA (Tunisia) commits to invest €4 million in Janngo Capital Startup Fund

• Sprints AI (Egypt) secures $3 Million Bridge Round for expansion of its AI Edtech platform

• MANTRA (UAE) completes $11 million round led by Shorooq Partners

• Ahlan App (Bahrain) secures $3 Million Funding

• The Saudi Public Investment Fund invested one billion dollars in Lucid Motors

• HAD (KSA) concludes $5 Million Pre-seed Round

In The News

• Oman invests $4bn in food and agri projects and launches a $5.2bn future fund to drive economic development

• UAE, Saudi Arabia ranked as leading global entrepreneurial ecosystems

• Sheraa launches Centers of Excellence to catalyze entrepreneurial growth

• Bahrain continues to lead the MENA region in economic freedom for the third consecutive year

• Qatar announces a new five-year residence permit for talented individuals and entrepreneurs

• The IOTA Foundation launches a new $10 million investment fund

Upcoming Programs

• Taqadam's eighth cohort is now open for registration

• Sidra offers 12 weeks of project development

• BetaLab program is your gateway to scaling in the Saudi market

• HasoubStartupsLab welcomes Arab entrepreneurs at the starting line

• Orange Corners helps elevate your project in Algeria

• ENGIE supports your journey from concept to launch with global support

• Fincubator 2nd Cohort is now accepting applications to kickstart your journey

Explore the full list of upcoming programs and opportunities here

Cool Events

• GLOBAL BLOCKCHAIN SHOW; Dive into the latest in blockchain tech in Dubai, April 16-17

• CRYPTOVSUMMIT: Explore the future of digital finance in Dubai, April 17

• TOKEN2049: Get the latest blockchain insights from top experts in Dubai, April 18-19

• DUBAI ESPORTS FESTIVAL: Experience esports and gaming at its best in Dubai, April 19 - May 5

• ETHDUBAI CONFERENCE: Join workshops and discussions on the latest in Ethereum in Dubai, April 20-21

Check the full list of upcoming events here

Interesting Stuff

• Breadfast: From delivering bread to raising $26 million

• Artificial Intelligence solves the nuclear fusion puzzle

• Success strategies in a cookie-less world

• The role of women in the green economy of the Middle East

• Your guide to entering the Saudi market smoothly

• Trends in the gaming industry to look out for in 2024

Techy Bytes

• TikTok launches a Ramadan guide to boost creativity and community

• Amazon invests $2.75 billion in AI firm Anthropic

• Facebook caught spying on Snapchat for competitive analytics

• Spotify dives into e-learning with new course offerings

• Microsoft and OpenAI unveil plans for a $100B "Stargate" AI supercomputer set for 2028

Hot Investment Picks

• Yalah (UAE): Transforming the world of food delivery

• JINO (UAE): Innovating the car dealership experience with digital tools.

• Eureeca (UAE): Connecting investors with emerging and pre-IPO businesses worldwide

Thanks for being with us this week. We hope we've inspired you and that you're as excited as we are about what's coming up next week.

Until next time!

The Startup3lMashi ستارتب على الماشي Team