Wamda

Egypt

Saudi Arabia's magnetic pull: should Egypt be concerned about startup migration?

Last month, Egyptian business tycoon Samih Sawiris announced that he would halt all new investments in Egypt and will instead shift his...

Saudi Arabia

Iraq

1001: The Iraqi startup looking to displace Shahid and Netflix

Iraq is a market that still elicits a sense of pity and fear for many, but for those operating in Iraq, the opportunities are endless. The...

Media streaming

Kuwait

COFE: Digitising the coffee experience from bean to cup

There has been an increased shift towards customisation and convenience over the past few years which has resulted in a rise in vertical...

COFE foodtech

Libya

UNDP launches Deraya initiative to boost Libyan ecosystem

The Libyan government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the European Union and the African...

Deraya undp Flat6Labs

Global

Running in parallel, the Russian startup ecosystem in Dubai

Four years ago, several Russian diplomats landed in Dubai to open the Russian Centre of Digital Innovation and ICT, a space intended to...

Russia Dubai

Syria

Is there any hope for Syria’s startups?

It has been 12 years since the civil war in Syria devastated the country and its economy. What was once a promising middle income country...

syria Harbuk Gwand

Egypt

The startup braving the odds in Upper Egypt

Opportunities for young graduates are limited in Upper Egypt, that is in the southern governorates of the country, which account for some...

Upper Egypt Sal7lyy

Sudan

Sudanese startups either pivot or migrate as fighting rages on

On the third day of the civil war in Sudan, the team at research and data platform DataQ, launched Neda’a, which translates...

Sudan

U.A.E

How two founders turned their frustrations into a startup

For Ibrahim Abudyak and Hiba Balfaqih, it was utter frustration with the state of their lives and mental health that led to the...

Smash Room Failure

Global

An essential guide to cap tables

Wamda and Clara have teamed up to bring you, startup founders, this essential guide to capitalisation (cap) tables. If you are...

cap tables

Morocco

Babelmdina: Bringing life back to Morocco’s handicrafts sector

It was common for Moroccan duo Anass Lamouri and Imane Radid to pay the Old Medina of Casablanca (the Old City) a weekly visit, navigating...

Babelmdina

Global

How Muzz lost a battle but won market share

In the quest to innovate, disrupt and offer something new, startups can often agitate and annoy incumbent players. For Muslim-focused...

Muzz

U.A.E

Making a case for Abu Dhabi

Ryaan Sharif is the general manager at Flat6Labs UAE “The backbone of the world economy.” Read any article about startups...

Flat6Labs abu dhabi

Egypt

Egypt's economic crisis in focus at RiseUp's 10th summit

For the past decade, RiseUp has been one of the most influential startup events in Egypt and the wider Middle East and North Africa region....

RiseUp

Tunisia

Is Tunisia poised to become a leading deeptech hub in Africa and the Middle East?

Rym Baouendi is a senior advisor at the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT Tunisia, a small country located in...

deeptech

Jordan

Flat6Labs launches ‘StartMashreq’ initiative to support entrepreneurs across the Levant region

Seed investor and accelerator Flat6labs, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the government of the...

Flat6Labs ifc

Regional

Mena startups raised $760 million in February 2023

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) raised $760 million across 48 deals, up from 22 deals worth $104 million in...

Investment

Yemen

Yemen's pursuit of an e-commerce sector

The growth of entrepreneurial activity witnessed across most parts of the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) has recently permeated...

Yemen E-commerce

Regional

Wafeq: the fintech catering to regional standards

It was in 2018 when Nadim Alameddine was preparing to file his first ever tax return that the idea for an accounting software came to him....

Wafeq Fintech

Regional

Mena startups raised $103 million in January 2023

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) raised $103 million in January 2023 across 22 deals, a 17 per cent decline...

investments

Regional

A breakdown of Mena exits in 2022

In total, 57 Mena-based startups exited through M&As in 2022, a 30 per cent increase from the previous year. A further...

exits

Regional

Hope Ventures invests in YAS Holding and RestHero

UAE-based social commerce startup has raised $200,000 from Bahrain-based VC firm Hope Ventures and Saudi investor and co-founder of...

Hope Ventures Yas Holding Rest Hero

Global

How influence is increasingly breeding entrepreneurship

Baha Hamadi,is a board member of the Public Relations & Communications Association You may have noticed a new breed of...

influpreneur

Regional

Mena startups raised $125 million in December, pushing 2022 total to $3.6 billion

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) raised $125 million in December 2022 across 38 deals, taking the total amount...

Investment

Thought Leadership

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

Thank you