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\n\tRIYADH:\u00a0Startup investment across the Middle East and North Africa accelerated sharply in July, with total funding reaching $783 million across 57 deals.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe rise marks a 1,411 percent increase from June and more than double the amount raised in July 2024, positioning the third quarter of 2025 for robust regional growth, according to Wamda\u2019s monthly report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe increase was driven primarily by two megadeals, highlighting sustained investor appetite for later-stage, high-growth opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tSaudi Arabia led regional funding activity, securing $396.5 million across 16 deals, while the UAE followed with $359 million raised in 22 startups. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Kingdom\u2019s performance was boosted by three major rounds, including Q-commerce platform Ninja\u2019s $250 million raise led by Riyad Capital, propelling it to unicorn status, foodtech startup Calo\u2019s $39 million series B extension, and SaaS provider Lucidya\u2019s $30 million series B.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe funding landscape saw notable shifts among emerging ecosystems. Iraq claimed third place with a single $15 million transaction for InstaBank, moving ahead of the traditional heavyweight Egypt. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tMorocco followed in fourth, propelled by Ora Technologies\u2019 $7.5 million round. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tEgypt, once consistently in the top three, dropped to fifth place, recording just $4 million in funding across seven startups. Analysts cite macroeconomic headwinds, including currency instability, as contributing factors to Egypt\u2019s diminished share.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tBy sector, deeptech overtook fintech for the first time in several months, drawing $250.3 million from four deals. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tE-commerce matched deeptech in total funding, also raising $250 million, driven by Ninja\u2019s record-setting round. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tSoftware-as-a-service startups came third, attracting $89 million across 12 deals, while fintech dropped to fourth, with $61 million raised in 11 transactions. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe shift reflects a growing appetite for IP-heavy, innovation-led ventures and scalable consumer platforms, even as fintech funding cools,\u201d the report stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tTwo megadeals \u2014 Ninja and XPANCEO \u2014 accounted for 56 percent of total funding in July, skewing the overall numbers toward large-scale capital deployments. \u00a0 Series A rounds were notably strong, raising $267 million across three startups. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tLater-stage deals accounted for $158 million, while 26 early-stage companies raised a combined $36 million. \u00a0 Debt financing represented only 2 percent of the total, reaffirming the continued dominance of equity-based funding in the region.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tOur vision is to make high-impact technology radically accessible for agents everywhere.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tFouad Bekkar, founder and CEO of Coraly.ai<\/p>\n
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\n\tThe investment landscape also saw renewed interest in consumer-focused business models. Business-to-consumer startups captured $534 million in funding, reversing a trend from earlier this year when enterprise solutions and B2B ventures attracted more capital. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tBusiness-to-business startups raised $202.4 million across 32 deals, with the remainder distributed among direct-to-consumer and hybrid models.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tHowever, the gender gap in venture funding persisted. Startups led exclusively by male founders raised $774.5 million across 43 deals. Mixed-gender founding teams secured $5.8 million, while female-led ventures attracted just $3 million from eight deals. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tDespite increased visibility of women in entrepreneurship, funding distributions remain uneven, suggesting that systemic barriers continue to limit capital access for women-led startups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tWith seven months remaining in the calendar year, MENA startup funding has already surpassed the full-year total for 2024. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe momentum reflects the region\u2019s ongoing transition from nascent to mature innovation ecosystems, with capital flows expanding beyond traditional markets into emerging hubs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe sustained activity signals confidence from global and regional investors alike. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWith Saudi Arabia and the UAE drawing record-breaking rounds, and emerging markets like Iraq and Morocco making surprise appearances in the top rankings, investor interest is diversifying beyond traditional hubs,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n
\n\tCoraly.ai raises $2m pre-seed round\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tA proptech company focused on streamlining lead generation and conversion for real estate professionals, Coraly.ai has raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe investment was led by Salica Oryx Fund, managed by Salica Investments and based in Abu Dhabi Global Market, with participation from EQ2 Ventures and strategic angel investors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFounded as Coralytics and recently rebranded to Coraly.ai, the company uses artificial intelligence to simplify real estate sales workflows. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cReal estate agents globally are underserved by fragmented, outdated sales tools. Through Coraly.ai, our mission is to simplify growth with AI that just works,\u201d said Fouad Bekkar, founder and CEO of Coraly.ai. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis funding gives us the firepower to further accelerate product innovation and expand into key growth markets,\u201d Bekkar added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe capital will support the company\u2019s product development roadmap, including engineering hires and advanced AI features.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tThe Kingdom\u2019s performance was boosted by three major rounds, including Q-commerce platform Ninja\u2019s $250 million raise led by Riyad Capital, foodtech startup Calo\u2019s $39 million series B extension, and SaaS provider Lucidya\u2019s $30 million series B.<\/p>\n
\n\tCoraly.ai will also consolidate its position in the UAE, establish new operations in Saudi Arabia, and launch pilot programs in France and the US.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cSalica Oryx Fund is delighted to be an early supporter and investor in Coraly.ai. It represents a significant advancement in real estate marketing technology, offering an AI-powered platform that fundamentally transforms how properties are marketed and presented online,\u201d said Ivo Detelinov, general partner at Salica Oryx Fund.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tPatrick Thiriet, CEO of EQ2 Ventures, added, \u201cAI is about to leapfrog productivity across many industries where professionals still use ill-adapted legacy software products to run their business. The property market is one of those verticals, with real estate agents spending too much time on non-productive tasks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tCoraly.ai\u2019s international growth strategy is reinforced by a go-to-market partnership with SNPI, France\u2019s largest real estate union, representing over 14,800 agencies. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIn North America, the company has secured its first US-based multiple listing service partner, with pilots expected to launch shortly.<\/p>\n
\n\tBreadfast secures $10m to expand operations<\/p>\n
\n\tEgypt\u2019s quick-commerce grocery delivery platform Breadfast has raised $10 million as part of its Series B2 round.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe investment was led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with participation from Novastar Ventures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFounded in 2017, Breadfast has evolved from a bakery delivery service into a full-scale on-demand grocery and household goods provider. The new funding places its valuation between $382 million and $400 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe company will use the capital to expand fulfilment centres in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, and Mansoura, with plans to enter additional Egyptian cities. It is also investing in Breadfast Pay, a fintech extension offering digital savings, withdrawals, and branded payment cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe fintech unit supports the company\u2019s ambition to develop a broader super-app experience, integrating commerce and financial services to boost customer engagement and retention.<\/p>\n
\n\tImpact46 invests $6.66m in five MENA gaming studios\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tSaudi Arabia-based venture capital firm Impact46 has invested more than SR25 million ($6.66m) in five gaming studios \u2014 Fahy, NJD Games, Game Cooks, Starvania, and Alpaka \u2014 as part of its SR150 million Gaming Fund launched in March 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe studios span mobile, PC, console, and hybrid-casual gaming, reflecting the growing creative and technical capabilities of the MENA region\u2019s gaming ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe see gaming as more than a sector; it\u2019s a language of youth, culture, and creation,\u201d said Basmah Al-Sinaidi, managing partner at Impact46. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThrough these investments, we\u2019re backing builders who aren\u2019t just launching games but creating the infrastructure, stories, and platforms that define the next era of content in the region.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFahy and NJD Games are focused on mobile titles developed in Saudi Arabia. Game Cooks, now headquartered in Riyadh, has produced over 22 titles across VR, PC, and mobile platforms and has won multiple international awards. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tStarvania specialises in fantasy PC and console games, while Alpaka develops hybrid-casual mobile games in the action genre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThese investments follow earlier backing of Spoilz, which develops culturally inspired mobile games, and Spekter Games, a publisher building games for chat-based platforms with Web3 layers. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tTogether, the portfolio illustrates Impact46\u2019s commitment to fostering a homegrown gaming ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe initiative aligns with Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia\u2019s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to position the Kingdom as a global gaming leader. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tKey enablers include the Saudi Esports Federation, CODE, and the Esports World Cup Foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tPerle raises $9m seed round\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tUAE-based startup Perle, which is building a decentralized AI training data platform, has closed a $9 million seed funding round led by Framework Ventures.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe funding will support the launch of Perle Labs, a crypto-native ecosystem aimed at enhancing how humans contribute to AI model training.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tPerle uses blockchain infrastructure to provide transparent payments, on-chain attribution, and verifiable work histories for contributors. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAs AI models grow more sophisticated, their success hinges on how well they handle the long tail of data inputs \u2014 those rare, ambiguous, or context-specific scenarios,\u201d said Ahmed Rashad, CEO of Perle. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBy decentralizing this process, we can unlock global participation, reduce bias, and dramatically improve model performance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe company\u2019s platform supports the full AI development lifecycle, including multimodal data collection, reinforcement learning from human feedback, and assistant fine-tuning. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tIt combines human expertise with adaptive workflows to accelerate the accuracy and scale of training data.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tPerle is targeting developers and companies seeking more robust, transparent, and scalable AI data pipelines, with a long-term vision to decentralize the AI supply chain and empower global contributors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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