Wamda

Saudi Arabia

PayFort launches new Saudi payments option

Payfort's Saudi customers now have a new way to pay. (Image via Alsiasi) PayFort has integrated a new feature into its FORT...

SADAD The FORT Payfort

Egypt

Quora announces first acquisition, Wael Ghonim’s Parlio

Wael Ghonim during a TEDtalk in December 2015. Q&A site Quora announced today their acquisition of Parlio, a discussions platform....

Quora Parlio Wael Ghonim

Qatar

Looking to build an ecosystem, Qatar Foundation

“I met with a Jordanian minister a few years ago and he told me that he wanted the country to have 10,000 PhDs in the next few years,...

ARC'16 Qatar Foundation techwadi

Egypt

Egypt's cash crunch is affecting startups

All Egyptians have struggled for US dollars since capital controls were imposed, but this year has been particularly difficult. (Image via...

black market foreign exchange forex

Yemen

Building startups from Yemen’s ruins

The 10 winning startups of Yemen's second Afkar Award. (Images via Rowad Foundation) Talking about startups in Yemen, a country racked...

National Company for Biogas Units Alashia Alshamsiah Mhlli

U.A.E

Twofour54 acquires a stake in online art marketplace Collectionair

Twofour54 announces its second investment this month. Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment free zone Twofour54 has...

Collectionair DASH Ventures investement

Regional

Careem's 4 big things for 2016 [Wamda TV]

2015 was certainly a great year for Careem and they say localization was the key. They acquired Saudi-based home delivery...

Mudassir Sheikha wamda mix n mentor dubai growth

Regional

Flat6Labs launches $5.6M fund

Sawari Ventures partners: Hany Sonbaty, Ahmed Alfi, Wael Amin. (Image from archive) Flat6Labs Egypt announced yesterday that they are...

fund Sawari Ventures Flat6Labs

Lebanon

Equipping the next generation of Lebanese girls with STEM

Event participants take a group photo during the closing ceremony of the event (Image via Girls Got IT) "I used to think technology was...

STEM Girls Got IT MEMakersGE

Kuwait

Talabat cofounders acquire Q8flowers.com for $3M

Cofounders of Talabat.com has accquired florist delivery site Q8flowers.com for one million Kuwaiti dinar (US$3 million). The deal,...

Q8flowers talabat acquisition

U.A.E

Twofour54 and Ycombinator invest in gaming developer Unnyhog

Four years after investing in social gaming sites Jawaker and Tahadi, and almost two years after investing in Arabic online game...

Unnyhog YCombinator TwoFour54

Saudi Arabia

Building a real estate startup in Saudi's stagnant market

The decrease in oil prices also affected the real estate market. (Image via news.weetas.com) Online real estate platform Lamudi,...

lamudi hellofood Carmudi

U.A.E

Crowd Analyzer wins Startup Alley pitching competition at #DubaiLynx

From left to right: Ahmed Saad CEO and Bahaa Galal CTO, happy winners. (Images by Maya Rahal). New startups need contacts, and the...

Exhibition Startup Alley Dubai Lynx

Maghreb

Deadline for application to Espace Bidaya incubator in Casablanca

Amine Slaoui taking the mic at the kickoff ceremony (image via Espace Bidaya) Following the launch of their coworking space in Casablanca...

espace bidaya

Maghreb

Droidcon Tunis, the government backs startups

The Tunisian minister drop the suit for the fifth edition of Droidcon in Tunisia. (image via Tekiano) Over the weekend, huge crowds of...

noomen fehri Droidcon Tunisia Taher Mestiri

Global

Governments and startups, where the two can merge

Amongst the snow capped Swiss mountains a crop of startups selected from emerging markets descended on the chilly town of Lausanne for the...

Government reform Omniup Merchandiser

Lebanon

Robots and races at ArabNet maker day

Teens displayed their car robots in a Robotic fight show at ArabNet Beirut. (Image via Kalimat) The maker movement is gathering pace...

Axel Space Alex hackerspace panels

Egypt

Egyptian contests put innovation front and center

Prolimb, the winning project, picks up nerve impulses to help the wearer move his or her fingers. (Images via...

Rimagine EbniAccelerator Esha 3almashy

Lebanon

Content was king at ArabNet Beirut

Full house. (Image via Hasna Frangieh) Content was king at ArabNet Beirut this year and it didn’t take Quantum...

Arabnet Beirut 2016 content Online video

Regional

Network International to acquire Emerging Markets Payments for $340M

Private equity firm Actis confirmed today its agreement to sell EMP (Emerging Markets Payments), a payments business in Africa and the...

Emerging Markets Payments Network International acquisition

U.A.E

GE, MENA startups come together on common ground [Video]

During the last quarter of 2015, Wamda and General Electric (GE) kicked off a new common activity, the ‘GE MEMakers Mentorship Program’. Th...

MEMakers GE Venture Program MEMakers program

Regional

Zain Group acquires strategic stake in Lebanese company FOO

In the picture from left to right: Emre Gurkan (Zain Group Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer), Scott Gegenheimer,...

neXgen Zain Group Foo

Regional

How low oil prices are battering MENA [Crosspost]

This is an edited crosspost from Knowledge@Wharton. In late 2015, Saudi Arabia announced a record budget deficit of $98 billion, its...

AstroLabs Dubai oil prices crosspost

Jordan

Dissecting Jordan’s diverse fintech scene

Madfoo3atCom, EMP, and CBJ celebrate the launch of eFawaterCom. (Image via MadfooatCom) In May 2015, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ)...

eFawateerCom central bank of jordan fin-tech

Thought Leadership

All the information you need to navigate Mena's startup ecosystem

Thank you