• UAE-based fintech UPFRONT has raised $10 million in pre-seed funding, a mix of equity and debt, to address cash flow inefficiencies holding back SMBs in MENA. The round was co-led by Palm Ventures and SABAH.fund, with participation from strategic angel investors.
• Founded in May 2025 by Anas Qudah, Abdullah Alghadouni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah Moursy, UPFRONT is building a financial operating system that integrates with accounting software to provide real-time analytics, automate receivables, orchestrate payments, and unlock working capital.
• With operations in the UAE and plans to expand to Saudi Arabia, the fresh funding will go towards product development, hiring, and scaling infrastructure to bridge the region’s $250 billion SMB funding gap.

Press release:

Dubai-based fintech startup UPFRONT has secured a $10 million pre-seed round, a mix of equity and debt allocation, to tackle one of the most persistent pain points for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the MENA region, which is cash flow inefficiencies.

The round was led by venture capital funds Palm Ventures and SABAH.fund, with participation from a network of strategic angel investors. The funding will fuel product development and hiring across the UAE and soon Saudi Arabia.

Launched in May 2025 by serial entrepreneurs Anas Qudah, Abdullah Alghadouni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah Moursy, whose prior experience spans Careem, Dubizzle, Property Finder, Nana, and Cartona. UPFRONT is building what it calls a “next-generation financial operating system” for MENA’s underserved SMB sector.

Its platform integrates seamlessly with existing accounting software to deliver real-time financial analytics, automate receivables, orchestrate payments, and unlock working capital, all while reducing Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and friction around cash flow.

“Cash flow inefficiencies are one of the biggest growth bottlenecks for SMBs in MENA,” said Anas Qudah, UPFRONT’s co-founder and CEO. “We’re building financial infrastructure that gives these businesses real-time visibility, faster access to credit, and tools that enable them to operate with more confidence and less manual overhead.”

In under six months, UPFRONT has attracted top regional and international investors and secured a strategic partnership with CredibleX, one of the region’s leading embedded finance platforms, giving it access to more flexible capital structures to serve SMBs with varying liquidity needs.

According to UPFRONT, the funding gap for SMBs in MENA sits at roughly $250 billion, largely driven by inefficient financial operations and delayed receivables across industries like F&B, FMCG, retail, and manufacturing.

Radwan Abudawood, General Partner at Palm Ventures, echoed the sentiment, pointing to Saudi Arabia’s rapidly maturing fintech landscape, “The Kingdom’s fintech ecosystem is hitting an inflection point,” Abudawood said. “UPFRONT is tackling foundational gaps in SMB financial infrastructure, and their execution so far makes them one of the most promising players we’ve seen in the space.”

Abbas Kazmi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at SABAH.fund, said the firm was drawn to UPFRONT’s approach to solving this “invisible tax” on regional SMBs, “Their innovative blend of revenue-based financing, payment orchestration, and accounts receivable automation directly targets the critical liquidity issues choking business growth,” Kazmi said. “We are truly excited by UPFRONT’s vision and believe that they have the right team in place to deliver on this huge promise and create lasting impact.” 

With operations in both the UAE and soon Saudi Arabia, UPFRONT plans to use the new capital to grow its engineering and go-to-market teams, and double down on building infrastructure that empowers SMBs to grow sustainably, without the constraints of outdated financial workflows.