Author: Editorial Board

The MENA restaurant technology company is expanding into full-service dining with a new platform connecting reservations, floor management, ordering, kitchen operations and payments. Saudi Arabia-based restaurant technology company Foodics has unveiled Foodics Black, a new all-in-one platform built specifically for full-service restaurants, as it looks to capture a growing segment of the region’s hospitality market. Announced at LEAP in Riyadh, Foodics Black targets fine-dining and contemporary casual restaurants, bringing together the different stages of the guest journey — from making a reservation to settling the bill — within a single technology ecosystem. The launch marks an expansion of Foodics’ offering…

Uzbekistan-based FMCG distribution technology company Smartup has secured investment from Silicon Valley venture capital and innovation platform Plug and Play, adding a major international investor as the company accelerates its expansion into the MENA region and advances its AI capabilities. Smartup, a portfolio company of IT Park Ventures, develops an enterprise platform designed to automate FMCG distribution and sales operations, bringing field sales, warehouse management, finance, marketing and other distribution processes into a single system. The company has built a significant footprint across Central Asia and beyond. Today, Smartup says its platform is used by more than 28,000 professionals across…

Saudi traveltech company FlyAkeed has secured SAR 94.3 million ($25.15 million) in growth funding, combining equity investment with Murabaha sukuk financing as it looks to expand its enterprise travel and payment capabilities. The equity round was led by Sanabil Investments, the investment company wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), with participation from Artal Capital, stc Group’s corporate venture capital fund tali ventures, and Aljazira Capital. Artal Capital also led the Murabaha sukuk financing. The financing was announced at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh. Founded in 2015 by Bassam Almohammadi and headquartered in Riyadh, FlyAkeed has built a corporate…

Kuwait-born COFE Tech has closed a pre-IPO funding round at a $178 million valuation, marking another major step in the company’s transformation from a consumer coffee marketplace into an AI-powered enterprise technology platform. The round was co-led by Wa’ed Ventures, Aditum Investment Management, Masarrah Investment Company and Alyasra Foods. The amount invested was not disclosed. The new capital will support COFE Tech’s expansion across the Middle East and its preparations for a targeted listing on the Saudi Exchange by 2029. Founded in Kuwait in 2018 by Ali Al-Ebrahim, COFE originally built its name as a consumer platform connecting coffee drinkers…

The LEAP agreement will combine Saudi-made computing infrastructure with locally developed AI platforms, targeting government and enterprise deployments that require greater control over data, models and infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s push to build a locally controlled artificial intelligence ecosystem is moving deeper into the technology stack, as OmniOps and HPE join forces on sovereign AI infrastructure. Saudi AI infrastructure company OmniOps has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HPE at LEAP 2026 to develop sovereign AI solutions combining locally produced computing infrastructure with Saudi-developed AI platforms. The partnership brings together HPE’s “Saudi Made” infrastructure with OmniOps’ AI software and in-country deployment…

MENA digital asset platform BitOasis has appointed Jonathan Rigg as Chief Executive Officer, marking a leadership transition as the company looks to deepen its regional footprint and expand its product offering. Rigg succeeds Ola Doudin, who co-founded BitOasis in 2016 and helped build the company into one of the region’s most established cryptocurrency platforms. The appointment comes as BitOasis enters a new stage of growth following its acquisition by Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX in 2024. The platform has recorded approximately $8.5 billion in spot trading volume and serves more than one million customers, ranging from retail investors to family offices…

GCC-born fitness technology company Enhance has raised $18.2 million in a combination of equity and venture debt, as the company looks to accelerate the US expansion of its personal training operating platform. The financing includes equity investment from MENA-focused venture capital firm Global Ventures and venture debt from Stride Ventures. Founded in Dubai in 2018 by Tarek Mounir, Enhance began as a personal training services business before evolving into a technology platform designed to help large gym operators manage and scale their personal training operations. The company is now positioning itself as an operating system for the personal training industry,…

Egyptian EdTech platform 3C Coding School has raised $3 million in Seed funding as it prepares to enter Saudi Arabia and accelerate the development of its AI-powered personalised learning platform. The round was led by MRG Economic Group, with participation from investor Amr Saad and a group of strategic angel investors. Founded in 2015 by Hossam Hosny and Ahmed Khallaf, 3C Coding School provides technology education for children and young people, with programmes spanning software development, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, game development and cybersecurity. The company has grown its learning ecosystem to more than 120,000 students and reported…

More than 6,000 participants and 200 speakers from 74 countries gathered in Tashkent as Uzbekistan unveiled an ambitious fintech roadmap spanning digital payments, CBDCs, Islamic finance, investment and financial infrastructure. Tashkent became a meeting point for the global financial technology industry as the inaugural Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum brought together policymakers, regulators, investors and technology leaders from 74 countries. Co-hosted by the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), the three-day event attracted more than 6,000 participants and around 200 speakers, highlighting Uzbekistan’s growing ambition to establish itself as one…

The travel technology company co-founded by Azerbaijani entrepreneur Garib Mehdiyev has acquired New Zealand-based Tourwriter, adding more than two decades of bespoke travel software expertise to its growing platform. WeTravel has acquired Tourwriter, a New Zealand-based software company serving luxury and tailor-made tour operators, as it accelerates its push to build an AI-powered operating system for the multi-day travel industry. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded by Johannes Koeppel, Azerbaijani entrepreneur Garib Mehdiyev and Zaky Prabowo, WeTravel has evolved from a booking and payments platform into a broader technology infrastructure provider for travel businesses. Mehdiyev currently…