Author: Editorial Board

Dubai-based Smart Bricks has closed a $5 million pre-seed round to redefine how real estate investments are discovered, underwritten, and executed. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Speedrun), with participation from prominent funds and angel investors across the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Founded in 2024, Smart Bricks operates as a frontier AI lab building agentic AI infrastructure for global real estate markets — positioning itself not as a marketplace, but as the intelligence layer powering modern property investing. Turning Real Estate into a Computable Asset Class Despite being one of the world’s largest asset classes, real…

Born in Chicago and raised by adoptive parents, Ellison’s journey was anything but traditional. He dropped out of college, moved to California, and immersed himself in the early days of Silicon Valley. What started as an idea to manage data would eventually become a multi-billion-dollar empire. The film traces Ellison’s rise from a restless outsider to one of the most influential—and controversial—figures in tech. His bold leadership style, willingness to take risks, and relentless competitiveness not only built Oracle but also shaped the enterprise software industry. By the 2000s, Ellison became the highest-paid executive of the decade, earning a staggering…

Early-stage technology investor e2vc has launched NextGen, Türkiye’s first entrepreneurship accelerator designed specifically for high school students. The program aims to introduce startup culture at a much earlier age by giving young founders hands-on experience, capital support, and direct access to the tech ecosystem. As part of the program, each selected high school team will receive a $1,000 grant, while the winning team at Demo Day will be awarded $10,000 in cash. e2vc’s portfolio includes five global unicorns, among them fal.ai, Insider, BillionToOne, and Carbon Health. To date, startups backed by e2vc have generated over $2 billion in export revenue…

Global mobility and delivery platform Uber has taken a major strategic step in Türkiye, announcing an agreement—reached with Mubadala Investment Company—to acquire Getir’s Türkiye-based food, grocery, local commerce, and water delivery operations. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The deal signals Uber’s long-term confidence in Türkiye and its belief in the country’s fast-growing e-commerce and on-demand delivery market. For Getir, it marks the start of a new chapter of growth, following a period of restructuring and renewed focus on core markets. Bringing Getir and Trendyol Go Together Under Uber Once approved, Uber plans to combine…

Saudi fintech SiFi, operating under Simplified Financial Solutions Company, has secured $20 million in Series A funding, led by Ra’ed Ventures. The round drew strong participation from a mix of global and regional investors, including QED Investors, existing backer Breyer Capital, and regional firm MEVP, alongside Sanabil Investments, Khawarizmi Ventures, SEEDRA Ventures, Rua Growth Fund, anb capital, and Tech Invest Com. Through its Saudi-based affiliate, Alhulul Almobassatah Financial Company, SiFi powers one of the Kingdom’s leading spend management platforms, helping finance teams gain control through automation, real-time visibility, and advanced analytics. The platform enables instant corporate card issuance and direct…

Riyadh-based fintech–proptech Safqah Capital has closed a $15.2 million seed round, marking one of the largest pure-equity seed financings in the Kingdom’s history and a standout deal in the region’s fast-growing fintech landscape. The round was co-led by Shorooq, anb Seed Fund, and Rua Growth Fund, with participation from Sharaka Capital, COTU Ventures, Sadu Capital, 500 Global, Suhail Ventures, MEVP, Waad Invest, JOA Capital, and others—underscoring strong investor conviction in Safqah’s role within Vision 2030’s real estate ambitions. While Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects dominate global headlines, Safqah is focused on a foundational gap: fast, transparent access to capital for SME developers…

Saudi B2B trade platform MUHIDE has closed its Series A funding round, securing strategic backing from Asyad Group at a significant valuation. The round marks a defining moment for MUHIDE as it scales its ambition to modernise how B2B commerce is governed across the Kingdom. MUHIDE is building infrastructure to govern, authenticate, and standardise B2B transactions across Saudi Arabia’s trade ecosystem—tackling long-standing challenges around trust, operational inefficiency, and fragmented workflows. The platform is designed to support enterprises operating at scale, offering improved transparency, stronger risk management, and greater control across complex trade relationships. Asyad Group, a long-established Saudi conglomerate with…

Dubai-based AI proptech startup Daleel has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding, backed by a prominent real estate investor and business angel with deep exposure to the Dubai property market. The round marks a strong early vote of confidence in Daleel’s ambition to redefine how real estate decisions are made across the GCC. Founded by Ilan Cohen and Ely Weichsel, Daleel is building an AI-native intelligence layer for the region’s fragmented real estate ecosystem. The platform brings together verified government transaction data and live property listings into a unified, auditable system—allowing investors, buyers, brokers, and developers to query the market…

Jordan-based Alefredo EdTech has acquired UK online tutoring platform Tutor House in a transaction valued at $600,000, marking a strategic step in its international expansion and deepening its footprint in the British education market. The deal is primarily structured through shares in Alefredo Holding Company, complemented by strategic and performance-based considerations. With this acquisition, Alefredo significantly scales its live tutoring and curriculum-aligned learning capabilities while reinforcing Jordan’s growing role as a regional EdTech hub. Tutor House brings a strong global footprint, with a network of 30,000+ teachers serving 15,000+ students worldwide. The platform’s expertise in one-to-one tutoring and live learning…

OneDome has secured $25 million in Pre-Series C funding, bringing the company’s total capital raised to $40 million, the company confirmed. The round was funded primarily by existing investors, alongside Channel 4 Ventures, whose participation was first announced in late 2025. The new capital will be deployed to support OneDome’s next phase of growth, including continued investment in technology, product development, and the expansion of its integrated housing and financial services platform. The raise follows a period of strong operating momentum for the company. OneDome was ranked the fourth fastest-growing fintech and the 17th fastest-growing technology business in the UK…