15 Top Tech Entrepreneurs and Founders in the Middle East

The Middle East’s technology landscape is being shaped by a group of founders who have built native platforms across fintech, mobility, logistics, healthtech, food tech and digital entertainment. Entrepreneurs such as Hosam Arab (Tabby), Abdulmajeed Alsukhan (Tamara), Mudassir Sheikha (Careem), Mostafa Kandil (Swvl) and Amir Barsoum (Vezeeta) launched companies between 2008 and 2020 that now serve millions of users and institutional customers across the Gulf and North Africa. Notable milestones include Careem’s sale to Uber for $3.1 billion in 2020 and Anghami’s Nasdaq listing in 2022.

"The era of importing Western software to run Middle Eastern businesses is over," the report states, arguing that founders who integrate with regional banking rails and state infrastructure are building durable businesses tailored for Arabic-language markets and local regulatory environments.

Context and profiles of leading founders

Fintech and digital payments are a dominant theme. Hosam Arab co-founded Tabby in 2019 in Riyadh to let shoppers split payments while giving merchants digital payment tools; Tabby has since grown into a major regional fintech with millions of users. Abdulmajeed Alsukhan co-founded Tamara in 2020, also headquartered in Riyadh, which became Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown fintech unicorn by focusing on flexible payments for shoppers and merchants. In Egypt, Ashraf Sabry founded Fawry in 2008, building an electronic payments network that later listed on the Egyptian Exchange.

Mobility and transportation founders turned consumer pain points into scale. Mudassir Sheikha co-founded Careem in 2012 and expanded the company into food delivery and payments before the $3.1 billion acquisition by Uber. Mostafa Kandil founded Swvl in 2017 to offer shared transport solutions out of Cairo; Swvl later listed on Nasdaq, extending an Egyptian-founded venture onto the global stage.

• Logistics and freight tech: Omar Hagrass and Ali El Atrash launched Trella in 2019 in Cairo to match businesses with truck operators. Gaurav Biswas founded TruKKer in 2016 in Abu Dhabi, building a digital freight network across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. Idriss Al Rifai founded Fetchr in 2012 in Dubai, pioneering GPS-based last-mile delivery despite the company later ceasing operations.
• Food and cloud kitchens: Mohamad Ballout co-founded Kitopi in Dubai in 2018, helping restaurant brands expand via cloud kitchens; Kitopi became one of the UAE’s notable unicorns.
• Healthtech and marketplaces: Amir Barsoum founded Vezeeta in 2012 in Cairo to digitize medical bookings and expand into Saudi Arabia and other MENA markets.
• Digital entertainment and content: Elie Habib (with Eddy Maroun) founded Anghami in 2012 in Beirut; with its focus on Arabic music it expanded across MENA and reached US public markets via Nasdaq in 2022.
• B2B commerce and retail tech: Talha Ansari, Wahaj Ahmed and Mohammad Nowkhaiz launched Retailo in 2020 in Riyadh to digitize supply chains for small retailers after experience at Careem.

Outlook

These founders illustrate a pattern: products built for regional payments systems, Arabic-first experiences and integration with local trade corridors can scale into large tech companies. With companies that have achieved exits and public listings, the model of local-first platforms appears to be validated. The next phase for the region’s tech leaders will likely focus on deeper integration with banking rails, regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions, and scaling platformed services — from logistics networks to cloud kitchens — beyond single-country footprints.