Founding MENA
Story

How Peak Games Became a Starting Point for Turkey’s Next Gaming Companies

In 2019, five employees left Peak Games to build another mobile gaming company in Istanbul.
Story

What It Takes to Take a Gulf Restaurant Brand Abroad

At Harrods in London, Somewhere serves guacamole hummus, kunafa-wrapped shrimp and beef shawarma with beetroot rice.
Story

Tabby vs Tamara: The Competition Is Moving Beyond Buy Now, Pay Later

Tabby and Tamara became familiar to Gulf shoppers through a simple offer: buy something now and spread the payment across instalments.
Story

Why Gulf Startups Are Building Around the Corner Shop

A neighbourhood shop can look like a small customer for a technology company.
Story

How MENA Consumer Brands Find Customers Abroad

Huda Beauty began selling false lashes after Huda Kattan had spent years publishing beauty advice.

Countries & Sectors

FM featuredFM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

Tabby

Buy now, pay later and money app for shoppers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

$6.5bnValuation
FM featuredFM30 Saudi ArabiaRetail

Ninja

Saudi quick commerce app delivering groceries and essentials in minutes

$1.5bnValuation
FM featuredFM30 EgyptFintech

MNT-Halan

Egyptian fintech offering loans, payments and e-commerce to underbanked customers

$1.4bnValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

HALA

HALA provides Saudi SMEs with banking, POS, payments and expense management, and raised $157 million Series B at a $900 million valuation.

$1.1bnValuation
FM featuredFM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

Tamara

Saudi buy now, pay later and shopping app serving the Gulf

$1bnValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

Foodics

Foodics provides a cloud-based restaurant POS and payments platform serving the MENA food and beverage sector, with over $170 million raised to date.

$1bnValuation
FM30 UAEFintech

Fasset

Fasset is a Dubai-headquartered stablecoin-powered neobank offering USD accounts and cross-border settlement, valued at $1 billion after its Series C led by SBI Group.

$1bnValuation
FM featuredFM30 UAEFood & hospitality

Kitopi

Dubai-based multi-brand restaurant group that began as a cloud kitchen platform

$1bnValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaRetail

Salla

Salla is a Saudi e-commerce SaaS platform that lets merchants build Arabic-first online stores, and raised $130 million in a pre-IPO round led by Investcorp.

$715mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaRetail

Nana

Nana is Saudi Arabia’s leading digital grocery platform, backed by Kingdom Holding Company and operating in Riyadh and other cities.

$600mValuation
FM30 UAERetail

eyewa

eyewa is the MENA region’s largest omnichannel eyewear retailer, and its $100 million Series C led by General Atlantic reinforced its position.

$600mValuation
FM featuredFM30 Saudi ArabiaLogistics

TruKker

Digital freight network matching shippers with trucks across the Middle East and beyond

$600mValuation
FM30 EgyptRetail

Breadfast

Breadfast is Egypt’s leading online grocery and quick-commerce platform, with a $50 million pre-Series C round led by Novastar Ventures.

$382mValuation
L
FM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

Lean Technologies

Lean Technologies builds MENA open banking and payments APIs, licensed by SAMA and ADGM, and raised $67.5 million in Series B led by General Catalyst.

$371mValuation
A
FM30 UAEAI

AppliedAI

AppliedAI builds Opus, an agentic AI workflow platform for regulated industries, headquartered in Abu Dhabi and backed by G42 and Mubadala.

$355mValuation
FM30 UAEProptech

Huspy

Huspy is a UAE proptech platform for home buying, selling and mortgage financing, expanding across Saudi Arabia and Europe.

$325mValuation
FM featuredFM30 UAEFintech

Wahed

Sharia-compliant investing app offering halal portfolios, ETFs and property investments

$300mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaRetail

Zid

Zid is a Saudi e-commerce enablement platform that lets merchants launch online stores, with over 10,000 merchants using its services.

$275mValuation
FM featuredFM30 Saudi ArabiaProptech

Gathern

Saudi marketplace for booking chalets, farms and private homes online

$266mValuation
FM30 EgyptProptech

Nawy

Nawy is an Egyptian proptech platform for new and off-plan residential developments, with an IFC equity investment supporting its expansion.

$260mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaFood & hospitality

Calo

Calo delivers personalised meal plans designed by nutritionists, headquartered in Riyadh and expanding across the GCC.

$250mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

PetroApp

PetroApp provides NFC-based fuel payment and fleet expense management for Saudi enterprises, with a $50 million round led by Jadwa Investment.

$250mValuation
S
FM30 UAERetail

SellAnyCar

SellAnyCar.com is the Middle East’s largest car buying service, offering instant valuations and 30-minute guaranteed purchase across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

$210mValuation
FM30 UAEFintech

YAP

YAP is a UAE-based digital banking and payments platform that lets consumers manage money, cards and payments through a single app.

$205mValuation
N
FM30 UAEFintech

NymCard

NymCard builds MENA payments infrastructure including card issuing, lending and money movement, with a $33 million Series B led by QED Investors.

$182mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaFood & hospitality

COFE

COFE App is the region’s on-demand coffee and agentic commerce super app, founded in Kuwait and now headquartered in Saudi Arabia.

$178mValuation
FM30 UAEFintech

FlapKap

FlapKap provides revenue-based financing for MENA SMEs, with a $34 million pre-Series A led by BECO Capital.

$170mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaLogistics

Salasa

Salasa is a Saudi e-commerce fulfilment platform handling warehousing, packaging and delivery for merchants, with a $30 million Series B.

$165mValuation
FM30 Saudi ArabiaAI

Lucidya

Lucidya is a Saudi AI-native customer experience management platform serving clients across 13 countries, with a $30 million Series B.

$165mValuation
FM30 JordanEdtech

Jo Academy

Jo Academy is Jordan’s largest e-learning platform, founded in 2014 and backed by Jordan Capital and Investment Fund.

$154mValuation
FM30 BahrainEdtech

Wafa Al Obaidat

P
Founder and CEOPLAYBOOK

Magazine editor turned founder of PLAYBOOK, a network helping women connect, learn and…

FM30 UAEHealthcare

Sophie Smith

N
Founder and CEONabta Health

Former Accenture consultant whose Nabta Health blends digital tools with conventional care…

FM30 PalestineProptech

Rowan Alawi

Founder and CEOTrase

Mechatronics engineer and third-generation builder digitizing how construction projects in…

FM30 MoroccoRetail

Maha Bennani

L
Co-founder and CEOLNKO

Co-founded Match Glasses in Montreal before launching LNKO, a direct-to-consumer eyewear…

FM30 UAELogistics

Lauren Hamilton

R
Founder and General ManagerRide Skipper

Started Ride Skipper, a UAE chauffeur service using customers' own cars, after a C-section

FM30 UAEAI

Caroline Hazlehurst

B
Co-founder and CEOBase

Scaling executive; former Moove President and Calo COO, now Co-Founder and CEO of Base, AI…

FM30 TunisiaLogistics

Bassem Bouguerra

I
Founder and Chief Innovation OfficerIntiGo

Ex-Yahoo product director combining scooter taxis and last-mile delivery at Tunisia's IntiGo

FM30 Saudi ArabiaProptech

Saleh Al-Ghamdi

G
Co-founder and CEOGhanem

Ex-Lean Technologies GM offering fractional ownership of income-generating Saudi properties…

FM30 Saudi ArabiaAI

Djamel Mohand

G
Co-founderGovernata

Former Foodics COO building Arabic-language data-governance software for Saudi…

FM30 EgyptFintech

Ayman El Tanbouly

E
Co-founder and Managing DirectorExits MENA

Former EBRD investment banker matching startups and SMEs with investors and buyers at Exits…

FM30 AlgeriaLogistics

Kamel Haddar

T
Founder and CEOtemtem

Former BearingPoint consultant who grew temtem from Algerian mobility into a multi-service…

FM30 IraqLogistics

Mehrshad Pezeshk

B
Co-founderBoxy

Former AloPeyk CTO building one shipping platform for Iraq's fragmented courier sector at…

FM30 QatarLogistics

Wisam Costandi

E
Co-founder and CEOEMMA Systems

Founder of Qatar's IQ whose EMMA platform brings airport operations information into one…

FM30 EgyptFintech

Ayman Essawy

C
Founder and CEOConnect Money

Dsquares co-founder now building embedded-finance infrastructure for other businesses at…

FM30 Saudi ArabiaFintech

Hatem Kameli

R
Co-founder and CEOresal

Founded iCLICK and co-founded Lucidya before steering Resal into prepaid rewards software

FM30 AlgeriaTalent

Louai Djaffer

T
Co-founder and CEOTalenteo HR

Co-founded recruitment platform Emploitic, then Talenteo, which automates HR administration…

FM30 Saudi ArabiaFood & hospitality

Umair Khalid

K
Co-founder and CEOKitchenara

Moved from operations roles at Careem and HungerStation to video-led food discovery at…

FM30 UAEDeep tech

Misha Hanin

3
Co-founder and CEO31 CONCEPT

Technology executive building UAE-based 31 CONCEPT to see inside encrypted network traffic

FM30 UAEProptech

Christian Kunz

P
Co-founderProp-AI

Former McKinsey associate partner and DIFC strategy chief who co-founded real-estate AI…

FM30 KuwaitFintech

Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi

K
Founder and ChairmanKrti

Went from engineering work at Kuwait Airways to founding Kuwaiti payments startup Krti

FM30 QatarFintech

Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon

P
FounderPayLater

Former Vodafone strategy head now building PayLater, a Sharia-compliant instalment-payment…

FM30 JordanFintech

Saed Khawaldeh

D
Co-founderDESAISIV

Biomedical engineer with an Oxford research background applying AI to corporate health…

FM30 OmanFood & hospitality

Aankush Bhatia

K
Founder and CEOKitchenomiKs

Hospitality operator of 25 years who built a cloud-kitchen platform in Oman

FM30 BahrainFintech

Saad Ahmed

L
Founder and CEOLocal

Building QR-based payments for restaurants, hotels and healthcare providers across the GCC

FM30 UAEProptech

Alexander Pinheiro Liakos

M
Co-founder and CEOMifta

Former venture capitalist and Antler founder co-building Mifta, an AI rental brokerage in…

FM30 UAERetail

Daniel Alimov

R
Co-founder and CEORetailhub

Built a grocery delivery startup acquired by X5, now turning shelf photos into retail…

FM30 UAELogistics

Denis Konoplev

R
Co-founder and CEORSA XB

Seafood Souq co-founder now running RSA XB, a software-first cross-border logistics spin-out

FM30 UAEFintech

Nauman Ali

O
Co-founder and CEOOrbii

Computer scientist building credit infrastructure that helps lenders originate and manage…

FM featuredFM30 JordanAI

Mohammad Alsufi

C
Co-founderCortad

Sold AI learning platform NoNerds to JoAcademy, now co-founding Cortad, intelligence…

FM30 OmanAI

Khalifa Manaa

S
Co-founderSampo Pricing

Repeat founder and startup mentor who co-founded Sampo, an Oman-born e-commerce pricing…

Latest

Newest first
Story
How Peak Games Became a Starting Point for Turkey’s Next Gaming Companies
In 2019, five employees left Peak Games to build another mobile gaming company in Istanbul.
4 Nov 2026
Story
What It Takes to Take a Gulf Restaurant Brand Abroad
At Harrods in London, Somewhere serves guacamole hummus, kunafa-wrapped shrimp and beef shawarma with beetroot rice.
1 Nov 2026
Story
Tabby vs Tamara: The Competition Is Moving Beyond Buy Now, Pay Later
Tabby and Tamara became familiar to Gulf shoppers through a simple offer: buy something now and spread the payment across instalments.
31 Oct 2026
Story
Why Gulf Startups Are Building Around the Corner Shop
A neighbourhood shop can look like a small customer for a technology company.
30 Oct 2026
Story
How MENA Consumer Brands Find Customers Abroad
Huda Beauty began selling false lashes after Huda Kattan had spent years publishing beauty advice.
29 Oct 2026
Story
Why Global Companies Are Opening Middle East Headquarters in Riyadh
For years, multinational companies serving the Middle East typically ran their regional operations from Dubai. Saudi Arabia wanted to change that.
28 Oct 2026
Story
Iran’s Hidden Unicorns: The Tech Giants the Global Market Has Never Priced
1 billion. 3 billion. Souq sold to Amazon for $580 million. Inside Iran, companies offering many of the same services have grown to comparable, and in some cases larger, operating scale.
26 Oct 2026
Story
Why So Many Indian Entrepreneurs Built Fortunes in the UAE
Some of the UAE’s biggest business empires were built by Indian entrepreneurs. LuLu, Aster, major jewellery chains, education groups and construction businesses all grew out of the same broader pattern.
21 Oct 2026