UAE Fintech UPFRONT Raises $10 Million Pre-Seed in Debt Equity Mix

UAE based fintech, UPFRONT has raised $10 million in pre seed funding in a mix of equity and debt co-led by Palm Ventures and SABAH.fund with participation from strategic angel investors. The funding will support product development, hiring and scaling infrastructure for operations in the UAE with plans to expand to Saudi Arabia. Founded in May 2025 by Anas Qudah Abdullah Alghadouni and Mahmoud Abdel Fattah Moursy, the company is building a financial operating system that integrates with accounting software to provide real time analytics, automate receivables, orchestrate payments and unlock working capital. “Cash flow inefficiencies are one of the biggest growth bottlenecks for small and medium sized businesses in the Middle East and North Africa,” said co-founder and CEO Anas Qudah. UPFRONT said it has entered a strategic partnership with CredibleX - described as one of the regions leading embedded finance platforms - to gain access to more flexible capital structures and serve businesses with varying liquidity needs. The company cited a roughly $250 billion funding gap for SMEs in the Middle East and North Africa, driven by delayed receivables and operational inefficiencies across sectors, including food and beverage fast moving consumer goods retail and manufacturing.