Middle East
Agritech company Iyris helps growers across eleven countries globally increase crop yields, reduce input costs, and extend growing seasons.
Dubai-based early-stage venture capital firm COTU Ventures is announcing that it has raised $54 million for its inaugural fund to support startups in the Middle East from pre-seed to seed…
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is launching a $1 billion venture capital fund of funds for international and regional venture capital funds, the sovereign wealth fund announced on Monday at…
Tamara, a buy now, pay later platform for consumers in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region, has raised $340 million in a financing round that values the fintech at…
Immensa, a MENA-based additive manufacturing and digital inventory platform, raises $20 million
The global energy spare parts market is valued at over $90 billion, with the Middle East representing about 35% of this sector. This sector remains largely untapped by existing additive…
On October 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, with hundreds taken hostage. The attack prompted a deadly response from the Israel Defense…
The past year and a half have witnessed multiple startups facing valuation cuts as funding from VCs waned in an environment of rising interest rates. In this context, fintechs, especially…
Featured Article
African VCs and startups are eyeing the Middle East for new capital, but there’s a catch
African startup funding has seen a significant decline of more than 50% over the past three quarters compared to the previous year, as reported by The Big Deal. To date, startups on the continent have secured funding in the range of $2.5 billion to $3.4 billion, based on data from…
For Chinese electric car manufacturers, Europe has long been a priority destination for international expansion. With its affluence, environmental consciousness and relatively friendly attitude toward China, the continent has attracted…
IFC launches $225M platform to back early-stage startups in Africa, Central Asia, Middle East
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has today launched a $225 million venture capital platform to back early-stage startups in Africa, Middle East, Central Asia and Pakistan. The IFC, a member…
Stockholm’s EQT Growth closes $2.2B to fund scaling European startups like Vinted, Mambu and Epidemic Sound
The days of European startups relocating to the U.S. if they want to grow (and raise money to do so) have been receding in the rearview mirror for a while…
A new report examing the impact of Apple’s privacy feature, App Tracking Transparency, indicates Apple’s ads business appears to have financially benefitted as a result of the feature’s launch. Now…
Dubai-based Stake raises $8 million to let people across the globe invest in local properties
Dubai-based startup Stake is offering retail investors from across the globe the opportunity to buy fractions of rental property in UAE’s marquee city and earn regular income. The startup, founded…
In the post-2016 U.S. election world, secretive online campaigns designed to influence global politics are nothing new. And while U.S. adversaries like Russia, Iran and China have been linked to…
Hong Kong-based drug discovery and development company Insilico has secured fresh capital at a time that its CEO described as a “biotech winter.” The firm has raised $35 million on…
H.E. Al Olama recently spoke about the burgeoning Emerati startup and venture capital ecosystem, and the country’s approaches to attracting U.S. VC investment.
An ongoing cybercriminal operation is targeting digital marketing and human resources professionals in an effort to hijack Facebook Business accounts using a newly discovered data-stealing malware. Researchers at WithSecure, the…
Security researchers have linked the discovery of an actively exploited but since-fixed zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome to an Israeli spyware maker targeting journalists in the Middle East. Cybersecurity company…
Sequoia Capital’s China affiliate has pulled in $9 billion in fresh capital to back the country’s tech companies across all stages, The Information first reported. The raise arrived at a…
This week, the Walt Disney Company continues to gain ground in the global streaming market as it launches Disney+ in 16 markets across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).…
Yahya Bouhlel started coding in his early teens. Within this timeline, he interned at several companies in Palo Alto, California. Most of his work revolved around building apps and iPhone…
Backbase raises its first funding, $128M at a $2.6B valuation, for tools that help banks with engagement
Larger banks and other financial service providers are getting a lot more serious when it comes to competing with upstarts that are disrupting their businesses with fresher approaches and newer…
New report examines Africa’s growth in the digital economy and VC investment landscape
A new report from Endeavor Nigeria reveals that Africa’s digital economy and tech ecosystem is set to experience exponential growth periods. The report is dubbed “The Inflection Point: Africa’s Digital Economy is…
While much of the recent capital has targeted the consumer-facing, or downstream side, the firm believes future investments will go into technologies closer to the farm or lab.
CleverTap, a retention marketing platform which has raised $76.6 million to date, is to fully acquire Bulgarian-originated but San Francisco-based Leanplum, a customer engagement platform which has raised $131.2 million,…
Hello friends and welcome to Daily Crunch, bringing you the most important startup, tech and venture capital news in a single package.
Edtech startup Manara has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding for its cohort-based training platform geared toward growing the tech-talent pool in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.…
Egyptian fintech Paymob, which enables merchants to accept digital payments online and in-store, announced today it has raised $50 million in Series B funding. PayPal Ventures, the global corporate venture…
Tofino Capital, a venture capital firm targeting early-stage startups in emerging markets, has launched its $10 million fund. It is announcing the first close of this fund at $5 million…
Per reports, Egyptians spend about 30% of their income on food in a $17 billion restaurant industry, one of the largest in Africa and the Middle East. Yet restaurants in this…
