UAE-Based Fintech Startup Zest Equity Raises $3.8 Million Seed Round

UAE-based fintech company Zest Equity has raised $3.8 million in a seed round led by Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), with participation from the Dubai Future District Fund (DFDF) and DASH Ventures.

Founded in 2021 by Rawan Baddour and Zuhair Shamma, Zest Equity offers a platform that allows ecosystem participants, such as founders and venture capitalists, to trade their secondary shares online. Zest Equity’s venture-backed technology provides digital infrastructure for private market transactions, and enables entrepreneurs to access digital tools to manage their transactions and consolidate their investors into a unified legal framework. Their platform aims to offer a comprehensive solution for private market stakeholders to conduct transactions and access liquidity in the MENA region.

“In a relatively short time, Zest Equity has already proven to be a valuable and dependable solution for digitizing private market transactions in the Middle East,” Walid Mansour, Co-CEO of MEVP, tells StartupScene. “As more startups and investors mature, they inevitably seek more avenues to liquidity and opportunity. This clearly illustrates that our ecosystem’s need for this solution is growing. Rawan and Zuhair understand this need firsthand and have built an incredible team and product in response.”

This funding will aid the startup's expansion strategy, targeting emerging markets in North Africa, South Asia, and Turkey, and brings their total funding to $5.7 million.