Author: Editorial Board

Dubai is doubling down on its ambition to become a global startup powerhouse. The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy have entered a multi-year strategic partnership with global venture capital firm Antler to launch a new entrepreneurship residency program in the emirate. The initiative will be hosted at the recently established Dubai Entrepreneurs Hub, positioning the city as a launchpad for early-stage, VC-backed technology startups. Over the coming years, the program is expected to upskill more than 600 entrepreneurs and catalyze the creation and funding of a new generation of startups in…

Instagram’s chief executive has publicly rejected claims that social media is clinically addictive, as he testified in a landmark California trial examining the industry’s impact on young users. Adam Mosseri became the first senior executive to take the stand in a series of lawsuits filed against Meta, Snap Inc., TikTok and YouTube. Families and school districts allege the platforms were deliberately designed with addictive features that have harmed minors’ mental health. “Clinical Addiction” vs. “Problematic Use” Testifying in Los Angeles, in proceedings centred on a 20-year-old plaintiff identified as KGM, Mosseri told the court it was crucial to distinguish between…

UAE-based fintech omnispay has secured $2 million in Pre-Series A funding, led by Infinity Value Capital Group, as it accelerates its evolution from a rapid-settlement payments provider into a comprehensive SME finance platform. The raise marks a strategic shift for the company, which is expanding beyond payments into integrated cash-flow management and embedded credit — combining collect, pay, and borrow workflows within a single digital infrastructure. From Fast Settlements to Embedded Finance Over the past 12 months, omnispay has demonstrated strong growth momentum: The company attributes this performance to its data-driven operating model and merchant-centric product design. At the core…

Zain Group, a leading provider of innovative ICT and digital lifestyle communications operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, hosted Demo Day as the decisive and concluding milestone in the journey of its flagship startup accelerator Zain Great Idea (ZGI), opening the door to partnerships and investment for entrepreneurs from six Arab countries where the Group operates across the regional map. At the event, founders from 11 tech startups across six of Zain’s regional markets (Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) delivered pitches to a select audience of investors, business partners, and executive leaders…

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…

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…