Author: Editorial Board

Talabat Bahrain has signed a new partnership with Lazer Car Services, one of the Kingdom’s largest car service and vehicle inspection providers, to introduce exclusive automotive benefits for its tPro subscribers. Under the agreement, tPro users will receive a 10% discount across all Lazer Car Services offerings, including vehicle washing and inspection services. The benefit is available exclusively to tPro members and can be redeemed at all 10 Lazer Car Services locations across Bahrain. The collaboration marks talabat’s continued push to expand the value proposition of its subscription product beyond food and grocery delivery, integrating services that align more closely…

Egypt-based fintech EasyKash has crossed a major milestone, processing more than EGP 1 billion in transactions over the past year, as the company prepares to expand into GCC markets within the next 12 to 18 months. Founded to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), EasyKash delivers digital payment solutions combining ease of use, strong security standards, and competitive pricing. According to CEO Mourad El Ashry, the platform currently serves over 15,000 active merchants and more than 500,000 end users across Egypt. But EasyKash’s ambitions go far beyond operating as a traditional payment gateway. “We are building a fully integrated digital…

US-based healthtech startup Patientdesk.ai has secured $1 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by Y Combinator, with participation from E2VC. Founded by Emre Kaplaner, Öncel Özgül, and Fikri Şan Köktaş, Patientdesk.ai is building voice AI-powered solutions to automate patient intake processes for healthcare clinics. The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate product development and expand its international integrations. As part of its growth roadmap, Patientdesk.ai is also preparing to open a Seed round in the near future. Y Combinator is known for backing global technology leaders such as Airbnb, Uber, and Stripe at early stages…

Cloud kitchen operator Paket Mutfak has secured $3.8 million in fresh funding, bringing its total capital raised to $12.3 million as it continues to scale its delivery-native food ecosystem in Istanbul. Founded by Tali Salhon and Eytan Nahmiyas, the company operates a multi-brand cloud kitchen network built exclusively for delivery — a segment that continues to grow rapidly across Türkiye, yet often struggles with operational consistency and quality control. The round saw continued backing from existing investors including Nokta Yatırım Holding A.Ş., ÜNLÜ & Co, and Fırat İşbecer, alongside new investors such as Ali Sabancı, Sip & Bite GSYF, Robert…

Moroccan legal tech startup Charikaty has secured MAD 1.5 million (approximately $150,000) during Season 3 of “Qui Veut Investir Dans Mon Projet?”, the country’s leading startup investment show broadcast on national channel 2M. The investment came from Ilan Benhaim, co-founder of Veepee and Chairman of Endeavor Morocco, alongside Karim Amor, President of MeM by CGEM and founder of Epineon.ai, following a pitch that spotlighted Charikaty’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity in Morocco’s company formation market. Founded by Amr Mouaqit (CEO) and Driss Sijelmassi (COO), Charikaty offers fully digital company formation and compliance services in Morocco. The platform manages…

Egypt-founded e-commerce logistics and enablement platform Flextock has secured $12.6 million in Series A funding, led by TLcom Capital, with participation from Conjunction Capital, Capria Ventures, Access Bridge Ventures, Foundation Ventures, BY Venture Partners, JIMCO, Alter Global, and MSA Capital, among others. Founded in 2021 by Mohamed Mossaad and Enas Siam, Flextock is building what it describes as a unified operating system for e-commerce merchants. The platform integrates fulfilment, last-mile delivery aggregation, cross-border trade enablement, marketplace access, and embedded merchant financing under one technology layer. Currently operating across Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Flextock enables merchants to manage logistics, sales channels,…

Saudi-based cybersecurity startup Solidrange has secured $2.4 million in Seed funding to accelerate its mission of modernising Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) through AI-driven automation. The round was led by Sharaka Capital, with participation from Sadu Capital, SEEDRA Ventures, and Tali Ventures, the investment arm of stc. Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Riyadh, Solidrange is led by Jamal M. Labani and has quickly emerged as one of the Kingdom’s rising cybersecurity players. The company already serves more than 50 enterprise clients, including government entities, publicly listed firms, and major organisations across both public and private sectors. Scaling AI-Driven Cyber…

Dubai-based digital real estate investment platform Stake has closed an oversubscribed $31 million Series B round, led by Emirates NBD. The round also saw participation from a strong syndicate of regional and international investors, including the MENA Venture Capital Fund at Mubadala Investment Company, Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), Property Finder, STV NICE, Wa’ed Ventures, GFH Partners, and Ellington Properties. With this raise, Stake’s total funding now reaches $58 million, reinforcing its position as one of the region’s fastest-growing fintech platforms modernising real estate ownership. Building the infrastructure for borderless real estate investing The Series B marks a strategic inflection…

On 19 February, the Road to INMerge officially launches its 2026 journey in Istanbul. Following a strong 2025 roadshow across Georgia, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, INMerge returns with a renewed regional ambition — connecting startups, institutional capital, and ecosystem leaders across Türkiye, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and MENA. The first stop takes place at Dotshub Istanbul in Beşiktaş, positioning Istanbul once again as a strategic bridge between innovation markets. Opening Remarks The event opens with welcoming remarks from: Their opening session will frame the strategic importance of cross-border innovation collaboration and set the tone for a high-level day of dialogue…

The founders of Getir have filed a lawsuit against Mubadala Investment Company, seeking at least $700 million in damages over an alleged breach of a 2024 restructuring agreement. According to a report by the Financial Times, Getir co-founders Nazım Salur and Serkan Borançılı filed a claim at London’s High Court, arguing that Mubadala failed to transfer key assets as previously agreed. The Core of the Dispute The legal action centers on a June 2024 restructuring deal in which Mubadala injected $250 million into Getir and assumed majority control of its Turkish grocery operations. Under the agreement: However, the founders claim…