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BEHIND THE STARTUP

Kuwait Fintech Startup Kem Raises $1 Million Pre-Seed

04 Sep 2023
Kem offers instant payment services through its digital application, facilitating secure money transfers via QR codes. [...]
How Egyptian Startup TileGreen is Creating Tiles From Plastic Waste

How Egyptian Startup TileGreen is Creating Tiles From Plastic Waste

14 Aug 2023
Egyptian startup TileGreen is on a mission to revolutionise the construction industry in the Middle East. [...]
The Palestinian Entrepreneur Fuelling MENA’s Second-Hand Market

The Palestinian Entrepreneur Fuelling MENA’s Second-Hand Market

08 Aug 2023
Palestinian startup Dawerha brings a digital approach to second-hand products, with hopes of encouraging a circular mindset in the region’s hyper consumerist culture. [...]
The Jordanian Startup Using AI to Save Palm Trees

The Jordanian Startup Using AI to Save Palm Trees

02 Aug 2023
After seeing his family farm in Jericho affected by red palm weevils, Zeid Sinokrot founded Palmear to detect the pests with AI. [...]
How Cequens Transformed Business Communication in Egypt & Beyond

How Cequens Transformed Business Communication in Egypt & Beyond

30 Jul 2023
This week’s edition of Startup Spotlight sees CEO Karim Korshed discuss the challenges of growing a business abroad. [...]
Rahet Bally: The Startup Empowering Mothers Across MENA

Rahet Bally: The Startup Empowering Mothers Across MENA

30 Jul 2023
In this week’s Startup Spotlight, we speak with Rahet Bally founder Nadia Gamal El Din on meeting the needs of motherhood. [...]
The Future of Egyptian E-Commerce With B.TECH's Mohamed Khattab

The Future of Egyptian E-Commerce With B.TECH's Mohamed Khattab

23 May 2023
We speak to Mohamed Khattab, Executive VP of b_labs & Digital Commerce at B.TECH, about the driving forces behind Egyptian e-commerce. [...]
The E-Commerce Platform Empowering Social Sellers Across MENA

The E-Commerce Platform Empowering Social Sellers Across MENA

10 May 2023
Serving as a one-stop shop for both merchants and suppliers, Taager is empowering people to become social sellers. [...]
How Educational Platform Playbook is Closing the Gender Gap

How Educational Platform Playbook is Closing the Gender Gap

16 Oct 2022
Bahraini entrepreneur Wafa Al Obaidat has always played by her own rules. Now she’s created a ‘Playbook’ for women across the region… [...]
The Palestinian Entrepreneur 3D Printing a Brighter Future for Gaza

The Palestinian Entrepreneur 3D Printing a Brighter Future for Gaza

20 Sep 2022
Creating medical and educational equipment through 3D printing technology, Mohammed Abu Matar and his startup Tashkeel 3D seeks to overcome barriers that so often endanger the Palestinian people. [...]
AI-Powered Instant Commerce App Botit Could Change the Way We Shop

AI-Powered Instant Commerce App Botit Could Change the Way We Shop

13 Sep 2022
This new AI-powered e-commerce app promises to change the way we shop forever… [...]
How Online Marketplace Esorus Revolutionises Egypt's Design Industry

How Online Marketplace Esorus Revolutionises Egypt's Design Industry

05 Sep 2022
Breaking the mould by serving as an intermediary on multiple levels between designers and consumers, the platform connects people with some of the biggest names in the region’s interior design sphere. [...]
How Pure Harvest is Addressing the Region’s Food Security Challenges

How Pure Harvest is Addressing the Region’s Food Security Challenges

15 Aug 2022
In this exclusive interview, May El Habachi speaks to CEO Sky Kurtz about the company’s rise and raise, and how they're leading the charge to bring the future of farming to the MENA region. [...]
How Stllr Network is Introducing Freelancing 3.0 to the Middle East

How Stllr Network is Introducing Freelancing 3.0 to the Middle East

08 Aug 2022
Capitalising on the rising trend of freelancers in the Middle East, Stllr Network is a first-of-its-kind platform dedicated to connecting companies with savvy freelancing digital marketers. [...]
How Seavo is Leading the Green Transition of Egypt’s Marine Sector

How Seavo is Leading the Green Transition of Egypt’s Marine Sector

27 Jul 2022
With e-scooters powered by AI, Egypt-based startup Seavo seeks to make Egypt’s marine sector safer for sea life, as well as the environment. [...]
How Palestinian Startup Tawazon Capitalises on MENA's Wellness Trend

How Palestinian Startup Tawazon Capitalises on MENA's Wellness Trend

17 Jul 2022
Mindfulness and meditation has become a multi-billion dollar global business and Palestine based startup Tawazon is manifesting a piece of the pie… [...]
How empoweromics Gets Budding Real Estate Agents Through the Door

How empoweromics Gets Budding Real Estate Agents Through the Door

29 Jun 2022
We spoke with CEO Omar Fateen and his team of industry professionals and tech innovators to see what the future has in store for real estate in Egypt and beyond. [...]
Impactyn: The New Platform Reshaping Egypt’s Social Media Marketing

Impactyn: The New Platform Reshaping Egypt’s Social Media Marketing

31 May 2022
Ahead of its official public launch, we talk to the multi-facted, multi-talented founding team of an innovative startup looking to disrup the way brands and social media users connect. [...]
How Egypt’s Comin is Harnessing Tech to Take Insurance into the Future

How Egypt’s Comin is Harnessing Tech to Take Insurance into the Future

01 Feb 2022
Digitisation was seeped into every corner of our lives - but what about insurances? We speak to General Partner of Comin, Roger Zaccar, to find out more about Comin [...]
Rabbit: The Egyptian Startup Sprinting Through the Q-Commerce Race

Rabbit: The Egyptian Startup Sprinting Through the Q-Commerce Race

24 Jan 2022
We sit down with the founding team of an Egyptian startup that, after raising a record pre-seed round in 2021, is poised to lead the q-commerce race in one of MENA's largest markets. [...]
How This Egyptian Entrepreneur Built an Empire by Breathing

How This Egyptian Entrepreneur Built an Empire by Breathing

06 Dec 2021
We sit down with Egyptian serial entrepreneur, Walid AboulNaga, to dive deep into his unique journey, one that has found him at the crossroads of entrepeneurship and healing. [...]
How Nawy is Using Tech to Unlock Real Estate Investment for the Masses

How Nawy is Using Tech to Unlock Real Estate Investment for the Masses

08 Sep 2021
StartupScene sits down with members of the founding team of a proptech startup that is looking to break down barriers and inject innovation in the real estate sector. [...]
Proteinea: Egypt's Globally-Acclaimed Biotech Trailblazer

Proteinea: Egypt's Globally-Acclaimed Biotech Trailblazer

01 Aug 2021
We pay a visit to the lab of one of Egypt's most unique startups, one that is on the cusp of triggering a biotech revolution in the Middle East. [...]
Masr Afdal: Online Platform Championing Egyptian Products Worldwide

Masr Afdal: Online Platform Championing Egyptian Products Worldwide

16 Apr 2021
StartupScene speaks to Hamed El Ghool, the founder of a platform that is putting Egypt on the global e-commerce map by connecting manufacturers with marketers across the world. [...]
Cleo Laboratories: World-Class Cosmeceuticals in a Local Market

Cleo Laboratories: World-Class Cosmeceuticals in a Local Market

06 Apr 2021
From sharing a single desk, to selling over 1 million units across two countries, the story of Egypt-based medical dermatology and cosmeceuticals specialist, Cleo is a winding tale. [...]
SIGMA Fit: The Trailblazing Tech Startup Driving the Evolution of Sportswear

SIGMA Fit: The Trailblazing Tech Startup Driving the Evolution of Sportswear

26 Jan 2021
We sit down with the rowdy, co-founding trio of SIGMA Fit to find out more about a rollercoaster journey filled with rural housewives, criminal roommates and part-time Uber driving. [...]
Meet NAQLA: The First Egyptian Startup to Address the Needs of an Aging Shipping Industry

Meet NAQLA: The First Egyptian Startup to Address the Needs of an Aging Shipping Industry

20 Jan 2021
Launched in 2016, NAQLA can be considered something of a trailblazer in Egypt, as it continues to make strides in simplifying the often complex process of shipping. [...]
Beatbox-ing for Beirut: Meet the Three Creatives Lifting Lebanon Through Entrepreneurship

Beatbox-ing for Beirut: Meet the Three Creatives Lifting Lebanon Through Entrepreneurship

30 Nov 2020
Offer startups world-class design services at affordable prices. Bring more foreign currency into Lebanon. Stop the country's brain drain. Just a few of the lofty ambitions for the founders of Beatbox Design. [...]
Pstyled: The Egypt-Based Fashion Consultancy Service Fusing Psychology and AI

Pstyled: The Egypt-Based Fashion Consultancy Service Fusing Psychology and AI

19 Nov 2020
With years of fashion psychology experience under her belt, Yasmina Nessim started Pstyled as a means to allow women to not only look – but more so feel their absolute best. [...]
Thndr: The Mobile Platform Simplifying the Art of Investing

Thndr: The Mobile Platform Simplifying the Art of Investing

16 Nov 2020
We go behind the scenes of the innovative Egyptian app with co-founders Seif Amr and Ahmed Hammouda. [...]
Isqan: How Two Friends Elevated the PropTech Game in Egypt

Isqan: How Two Friends Elevated the PropTech Game in Egypt

11 Sep 2020
We speak to the founders of Isqan on the road to creating what could be Egypt's biggest proptech accelerant to date. [...]
Kapturise: The Story Behind UAE’s Newly Launched On-Demand Photography Startup

Kapturise: The Story Behind UAE’s Newly Launched On-Demand Photography Startup

26 Aug 2020
Since the platform’s launch earlier this month, 400 photographers have registered, and the startup’s already turning heads with their innovative service. We speak to founder and CEO Habeeb Furqan on the inspiration behind the venture. [...]
Mayday: The Egyptian Startup Ushering Tech into Roadside Assistance

Mayday: The Egyptian Startup Ushering Tech into Roadside Assistance

24 Aug 2020
We speak to the founders of Mayday on the journey to creating a consumer-friendly solution for road assistance in Cairo, and how has the startup fared in the past two years during the country’s tech boom. [...]
Hazen.ai: The Saudi-Based Startup Revamping Traffic Monitoring in MENA

Hazen.ai: The Saudi-Based Startup Revamping Traffic Monitoring in MENA

09 Aug 2020
We talk to the creators of the innovative and holistic tech solution for bettering traffic safety across the world. [...]
Chefaa: How Two Best Friends Created Egypt’s Foremost Pharmacy App

Chefaa: How Two Best Friends Created Egypt’s Foremost Pharmacy App

05 Aug 2020
We speak to the founding partners behind Chefaa, the Egyptian pharmacy app with over 1.5 million active users, to learn about the journey to over $8 million in sales and a seven-figure pre-seed funding round. [...]
Lemonade Fashion’s Made-to-Measure Marketplace Makes Global Fashion Accessible

Lemonade Fashion’s Made-to-Measure Marketplace Makes Global Fashion Accessible

04 Aug 2020
Born in Lebanon, and now headquartered in the USA, Lemonade Fashion has just scored pre-seed funding to help develop its unique bespoke fashion offering. We talk to CEO Arthur Bizdikian to find out how they got ready for investment and what’s next for the team. [...]
How Lockdown Helped Egyptian Furniture Brand Drowzy Boom

How Lockdown Helped Egyptian Furniture Brand Drowzy Boom

30 Jul 2020
We speak to co-founder Alaa Khalil on how the startup raked in a six-figure investment for the Cairo-born online furniture store. [...]
HOT Technologies: The Kuwaiti Startup Ushering in the Dawn of Arabic Fitness Content

HOT Technologies: The Kuwaiti Startup Ushering in the Dawn of Arabic Fitness Content

29 Jul 2020
We speak to founder Nezar Al Saleh on how months and years of planning helped HOT Technologies not only be pandemic-proof, but resilient enough to be one of the few Arabic e-fitness apps and landing a $1.1 million investment in the midst of a global crisis. [...]
Cairo-Born Startup Ordera is on the Path to Eliminate Queues in a Corona-Hot F&B Industry

Cairo-Born Startup Ordera is on the Path to Eliminate Queues in a Corona-Hot F&B Industry

27 Jul 2020
We chat with Ordera founder, Noha Bassiouny, on how a journey to fill a market gap back in September 2019, was immediately catapulted by the pandemic to become what could be a turning point for queues in Egypt’s cafes and restaurants. [...]
Zedny: How This E-Learning Startup is Localising Global Knowledge to Empower Arabic Speakers

Zedny: How This E-Learning Startup is Localising Global Knowledge to Empower Arabic Speakers

26 Jul 2020
We speak to the founding team behind of Zedny, the Middle East’s latest and most robust e-learning platform, about their vision to empower businesses and individuals alike, by speaking their language. [...]
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Week Month Year

US-Based VC Fund P1 Ventures Completes $25M Close of Its Second Fund

The VC fund focuses on African companies building transformational business in fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, SaaS and AI. [...]

Canadian Adtech Group ClearPier Acquires UAE’s MQuest for $35 Million

The deal is part of Clearpier’s recent acquisition spree, which began with its May 2022 acquisition of PubPlus for $60 million. [...]

Egyptian Fintech Services Provider valU Will Expand to Jordan in 2024

This move follows valU's acquisition of Paynas, a company providing financial services to micro to medium enterprises in Egypt. [...]

Deeptech Company Intella Secures $3.4M to Expand Arabic Voice Tech

The capital will help propel the Egyptian company’s expansion in Saudi Arabia, where it recently relocated its headquarters. [...]

Egyptian Digital Home and Décor Brand ariika Secures Series A Round

ariika has closed its Series A round backed by Beltone Venture Capital’s acquisition of 20% stake in the company to accelerate expansion to [...]

UAE-Based Zero Carbon Ventures Closes $5 Million Seed Round

The company has also appointed His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana bin Khalifa Al Maktoum as a strategic investor and chairman. [...]

Kuwait Fintech Startup Kem Raises $1 Million Pre-Seed

Kem offers instant payment services through its digital application, facilitating secure money transfers via QR codes. [...]

How UAE Agritech Graze-it is Disrupting the Food Value Chain in MENA

By supplying companies with “feed as a service”, Graze-it aims to reduce reliance on imported feed stock and cut over 35% of carbon [...]

Startups Bringing New Life to Waste in the MENA Region

As sustainability becomes a priority for governments and businesses in the Middle East, startups are coming up with innovative solutions to [...]

Entrepreneur & Mentor Dina El Mofty Launches Business Bootcamp

Injaz founder, Dina El Mofty, launched a Business Bootcamp to support entrepreneurs in developing a growth mindset. [...]

Women’s Career Conference ‘Carerha Summit’ Launches in Downtown Cairo

Scheduled to take place in the GrEEK Campus, the one-day summit looks to help women achieve an ideal work-life balance. [...]

How Educational Platform Playbook is Closing the Gender Gap

Bahraini entrepreneur Wafa Al Obaidat has always played by her own rules. Now she’s created a ‘Playbook’ for women across the region… [...]

Interview with ‘What I Did Next’ Creators Malak Fouad & Chirag Desai

Journalist Malak Fouad and entrepreneur Chirag Desai take a turn in the hot seat in this exclusive interview. [...]

How to Put Together a Stellar Team for Your Startup

Here's what to consider when building a team that will allow you to set up a solid foundation for any startup to grow. [...]

US-Based VC Fund P1 Ventures Completes $25M Close of Its Second Fund

The VC fund focuses on African companies building transformational business in fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, SaaS and AI. [...]

Canadian Adtech Group ClearPier Acquires UAE’s MQuest for $35 Million

The deal is part of Clearpier’s recent acquisition spree, which began with its May 2022 acquisition of PubPlus for $60 million. [...]

Egyptian Fintech Services Provider valU Will Expand to Jordan in 2024

This move follows valU's acquisition of Paynas, a company providing financial services to micro to medium enterprises in Egypt. [...]

Deeptech Company Intella Secures $3.4M to Expand Arabic Voice Tech

The capital will help propel the Egyptian company’s expansion in Saudi Arabia, where it recently relocated its headquarters. [...]

Deeptech Company Intella Secures $3.4M to Expand Arabic Voice Tech

The capital will help propel the Egyptian company’s expansion in Saudi Arabia, where it recently relocated its headquarters. [...]

Egyptian Fintech Services Provider valU Will Expand to Jordan in 2024

This move follows valU's acquisition of Paynas, a company providing financial services to micro to medium enterprises in Egypt. [...]

US-Based VC Fund P1 Ventures Completes $25M Close of Its Second Fund

The VC fund focuses on African companies building transformational business in fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, SaaS and AI. [...]

Canadian Adtech Group ClearPier Acquires UAE’s MQuest for $35 Million

The deal is part of Clearpier’s recent acquisition spree, which began with its May 2022 acquisition of PubPlus for $60 million. [...]

UAE-Based E-Sports Startup Fanzword Secures $1.2 Million Pre-Seed

Fanzword’s virtual stadium allows football fans to follow their teams whilst earning rewards. [...]

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