Flat6Labs and Barclays launch a fintech accelerator in Egypt

Ahmad Alfi speaking during the launch of Accelerator 1864. (Image via Flat6Labs) Yesterday Cairo-based Flat6labs announced the...

Eman Mostafa • 31 May, 2016

Flat6LabsCairo fin-tech accelerator

Palestine's $12M Ibtikar fund launches, announces 8 investments

The Ibtikar Fund's management team, investors and startups. (Image via Christina Ghanim) Palestinian pride is providing the fuel for...

Christina Ganim • 31 May, 2016

5QHQH Tasameem ArabiAuto

Arab girls defy stereotypes at Microsoft Imagine Cup

Two teams from Tunisia alongside one from Bahrain will represent MENA at the global final in Seattle. (Images via Eduard Cousin) Malak...

Eduard Cousin • 31 May, 2016

microsoft imagine cup microsoft Egypt

Lebanese scientist finds a potential treatment for jetlag

A techie bedtime. (Image via Lumos Tech) This article is a crosspost with MIT Technology Review Arab Edition. Jet lag is a temporary...

MIT Technology Review • 30 May, 2016

Sleep Lumos Tech MIT Technology Review Arab Edition

Tracking Palestine's tech talent at AngelHack

The AngelHack Gaza competition produced some interesting ideas. (Images via Gaza Sky Geeks) Coding is increasingly becoming a...

Rafat Abushaban • 30 May, 2016

coding competition Angelhack Ramallah palestine

Zombies in Egypt: Epic VR brings the undead to malls

This was the reaction when students first tested Epic VR in an event at the American University in Cairo. (Images via Epic VR) Virtual...

Eman Mostafa • 29 May, 2016

Zombies EpicVr MEMakersGE

US-based Affectiva raises $14M Series D

Affectiva's software can differentiate between a smirk, a happy smile, and a polite smile. (Images via Affectiva) Emotion...

Rachel Williamson • 27 May, 2016

emotion recognition Rana el Kaliouby Affectiva

Will this social network maintain your privacy?

More social networks outside of Facebook? (Images via Begether) According to the US-based tech news site The Information Facebook users...

Eman Mostafa • 26 May, 2016

Begether Chaino privacy

Kuwait’s Boxit gets seed funding, looks to tackle UAE and KSA

This article is a crosspost with Nuwait.  The core team. From left to right: Lijo Antony, head of product development,...

Reine Farhat • 25 May, 2016

Boxit Wamda Capital Arzan VC

FOO's timing curse: when being ahead of the game is a problem

Foo founders Elie Nasr and Ghady Rayess. (Image via Brooke Anderson) Being early to the market can be both a blessing and...

Brooke Anderson • 25 May, 2016

app development Foo lebanon

Tunis-based Expensya raises seed round in France

Expensya's team in their office in Cogite coworking space, Tunis. (Image via Expensyia) On Monday, almost a year after their launch,...

Aline Mayard • 25 May, 2016

seed round expense reports expensya

Exploring the frontiers of Arabic natural language processing

Humans and machines, such a beautiful pairing. (Image via Sdtimes.com) A monetized mobile app that crowdsources the digitization of Arabic...

Samuel Wendel • 25 May, 2016

Sakhr Arabic Snippets NYU Abu Dhabi

Bitoasis secures seed funding led by Wamda Capital

Fintech startup Bitoasis has announced its first round of funding, an undisclosed sum led by Wamda Capital. The round included Barry...

Maya Rahal • 24 May, 2016

Coindesk Wamda Capital Bitcoin

Cantalop signs on for $100,000 angel investment

Egypt is brimming with job search sites on the cusp of expansion. (Image via Cantalop) Two years after its launch, Egyptian job search...

Eman Mostafa • 24 May, 2016

youth unemployment Egypt unemployment rate job search

Changing MENA with the 'sharing economy'

HBR Creative Platform puts collaboration at the center. (Imave via HBR Creative Platform) This article is an edited crosspost from...

Asmaa Guedira • 24 May, 2016

What I know about game publishing: Joseph Shomali

The profits to be made in gaming are not to be sniffed at. But that's generally for countries outside of the Middle East. In 2014...

Lucy Knight • 23 May, 2016

games xp babil games Joseph Shomali

Cairo delivery sector heats up as Goodsmart seeks expansion

Opening the fridge after a long day at work and realizing someone has taken the last cold drink, or coming home to find you’ve...

Sara Aggour • 23 May, 2016

Awfar Markets Knock Mart Egypt

How one company grabbed 70% market share in Yemen

Amazon, Tesla Motors and Tupperware are amongst some big company names that didn’t turn a profit for years, and are proof that if...

Lucy Knight • 23 May, 2016

Oxfam Care International Unicef

What do Egyptian shoppers want? [Infographic]

Egypt: MENA's largest market by far. (Image via Wamda) This is a crosspost with Yaoota Magazine. Egyptian shoppers are a...

Rachel Williamson • 22 May, 2016

State of Payments 2016 yaoota Payfort

How is this startup bootstrapping solar and water solutions?

Alto Solution has entered the tough B2B market for energy and water products. (Image via Alto Solution) How can we continue humanity’s d...

Aline Mayard • 22 May, 2016

renewables solar desalination desalination

Is Alexandria coming out of Cairo's shadow?

Alexandria still has Cairo hustle, but not the size. (Image via Pinterest) Alexandria is Egypt’s second largest city - its five million p...

Eman Mostafa • 19 May, 2016

Crowdfunding, an increasingly popular option for MENA

Crowdfunding, or raising money from multiple donors through an online platform, has seen a bumpy start in the Middle East. This may be...

Daria Solovieva • 19 May, 2016

AFKARMENA eureeca zoomaal

Global incubator 1776 announces Dubai location

The number of startups coming out of the UAE is on the rise closely followed by coworking spaces, incubators and accelerators. The...

Archana Menon • 18 May, 2016

Government support 1776 incubators

How Jeeran monetized its digital content by going offline

The Jeeran team at their Egypt launch in 2015. (Image via Wamda) As internet penetration in MENA skyrockets, demand for local digital...

Samuel Wendel • 18 May, 2016

The Gamefiers Yelp Uturn