Author: Editorial Board

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…

Qureos, an AI-powered hiring platform founded in the Middle East, has raised $5 million in seed funding to accelerate its growth across the MENA region. The round was led by Prosus Ventures and Salica Oryx Fund, with participation from Oraseya Capital, Plus VC, F6 Ventures, BDev Ventures, Sunny Side Venture Partners, and Daniel Tyre, an early HubSpot executive who helped scale the company from inception through IPO. Existing investors COTU Ventures and Globivest also participated in the round. Founded by Alexander Epure and Usama Nini, Qureos was built around a core insight: hiring delays are driven less by volume and…

The Qatar Investment Authority is set to invest in five new venture capital funds as part of its expanded $3 billion venture capital program, reinforcing Qatar’s ambition to position Doha as a regional venture capital hub. The selected funds—Greycroft, Ion Pacific, Liberty City Ventures, Shorooq, and Speedinvest—are expected to establish offices in Doha as part of the initiative, according to a statement from QIA. The investments fall under Qatar’s Fund of Funds initiative, launched in 2024 to attract international VC managers, strengthen the local startup ecosystem, and support economic diversification beyond hydrocarbons—mirroring similar strategies adopted across the Gulf. The program’s…

Shorooq, a leading tech-focused, multi-strategy investment firm, today announced the launch of its $200 million late-stage growth fund under the Qatalyst Series, backed by Qatar Investment Authority alongside a group of sovereign and institutional partners from the GCC and Asia. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Web Summit Qatar. The fund is purpose-built to support companies at a critical inflection point—businesses with proven scale, strong unit economics, and clear pathways to exit, particularly through the IPO route. By bringing long-duration, institutional capital to late-stage and pre-IPO opportunities, the Qatalyst Series is designed to address a longstanding gap in…

Uzbekistan-based technology company OX Group has raised $900,000 in new funding from regional venture investors IT Park Ventures and United Ventures, with IT Park Ventures contributing $400,000 to the round. The fresh capital will be used to strengthen OX Group’s IT infrastructure, further develop its technology stack, and expand operations across Central Asian markets, as demand grows for data-driven retail and supply-chain solutions in the region. Powering smarter retail operations At the core of OX Group’s offering is Ox System, an end-to-end platform designed to automate procurement, inventory management, and point-of-sale (POS) operations. The system consolidates business data into a…

AI deeptech startup Zehn has announced the successful close of its $300,000 pre-seed funding round, valuing the company at a $15 million post-money, during the official launch of Area AI 1.0 in Dushanbe. The round attracted backing from a mix of international and regional investors, including Battery Road Digital Holdings (US), FIFTYFIVE GROUP (Tajikistan), and Accelerate Prosperity (Tajikistan)—highlighting growing confidence in Zehn’s approach to solving one of artificial intelligence’s most persistent challenges. Building AI for the edge cases that matter Zehn focuses on outlier-centric AI modeling, targeting scenarios that traditional datasets often overlook. Working across large language models (LLMs) and…

Epoint has officially entered the Georgian market after obtaining a license from the National Bank of Georgia to provide card payment acquiring services across the country. With this move, Georgia becomes the company’s first international market, marking a major milestone in Epoint’s global expansion strategy. The expansion follows a strong performance in its home market. In 2025, Epoint processed AZN 500 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) in Azerbaijan, reaching another significant milestone and reinforcing its position as one of the country’s fast-growing fintech players. According to the company, Epoint’s team spent nearly a year preparing for the Georgian launch,…

Web Summit Qatar opened its doors on Sunday, 1 February 2026, marking its largest edition to date and firmly cementing Doha’s position as a global meeting point for technology, capital, and innovation. Held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, the event welcomed 30,274 attendees, 1,637 startups, and 931 investors from 127 countries, underscoring the growing gravitational pull of the Middle East within the global tech ecosystem. In just two years, Web Summit Qatar has recorded 100% growth in attendance, rising from 15,000 participants to more than 30,000—clear evidence of rising international appetite to explore opportunities in Qatar and the…