Discover MENA Startups

Developer-backed finance specialist providing project and developer finance facilities to real estate firms.

Regional organisation focused on advancing women in cybersecurity; represented in the article by a founding partner commenting on the Open Secure AI Alliance.

An AI-native construction intelligence platform that automates pre-construction planning, optimises cost estimation, analyses engineering drawings and tender documents, and provides real-time project intelligence.

Investment vehicle/owner involved in sports infrastructure and stadium projects; majority owner of radia and active in Saudi stadium development.

Venue services platform to cover lifecycle of Saudi stadiums and precincts, launched to service stadiums ahead of the 2034 World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup milestones.

Leading university and research institution providing health coverage, continuous education and stable academic roles.

One of the Big Four professional services firms offering intensive training and experience in accounting, consulting and risk management.

Engineering and consulting firm providing exposure to large-scale infrastructure, energy and urban planning projects worldwide.

Large industrial conglomerate with international operations in manufacturing and packaging, noted for job stability and long-term development.

Major operator of international retail brands in the Middle East offering diverse roles across retail functions.

Global healthcare company recognized for stability, work-life balance and continuous investment in training and skill development.

Pharmaceutical company praised for employee health initiatives, inclusive policies and global career pathways.

Pioneering delivery and e-commerce platform from Lebanon, noted for innovation-driven culture and rapid growth attractive to young professionals.

Leading financial technology firm known for high salaries, specialized training and advanced technology projects for global financial institutions.

Startup and ecosystem ranking platform cited for UAE startup counts and unicorn tallies.

Data provider and platform tracking startups, funding rounds, investors and ecosystem metrics used as the article's data source.

Product-first IP protection tooling integrated into engineering workflows (example used to illustrate customer-focused product design).

Listed among notable rounds/exits spanning finance and related sectors.

Healthtech platform enabling patient booking, pharmacy access and diagnostics; cited as having raised more than $63 million.

A Bahrain-based digital mobile wallet offering payments, transfers and financial services to consumers and businesses.

An AI-powered communication tool offering personalised reply suggestions and private coaching to help men phrase difficult conversations more clearly and thoughtfully.

Major Saudi bank with a growing sustainable finance portfolio financing renewable energy, green hydrogen, transport and water-efficiency projects tied to Vision 2030.

Wealth management and capital partners firm catering to high-net-worth individuals with access to global asset classes and wealth structuring services.

A regional aircraft lessor acquired by DAE in 2025, known for turboprops and regional aircraft leasing.

An aircraft leasing company that DAE has announced an agreement to acquire, which will increase DAE's fleet above 1,000 aircraft.

A Dubai-based aircraft lessor and MRO operator with a large global leasing fleet and heavy-maintenance facilities in Amman.

AI-driven travel insurance/insurtech company focused on claims processing.

Voice-agent platform and enterprise AI company reporting rapid ARR growth.

AI infrastructure / agent orchestration startup.

AI agent orchestration/infrastructure startup.

Sovereign-backed Fund of Funds expanded to around USD 3 billion to attract international VC activity and deepen the domestic VC ecosystem.

State-backed institution providing seed and growth funding and incentives for relocation or expansion.

USD 30 million co-investment vehicle inside Qatar Science & Technology Park focused on deep tech pre-seed and seed investments.

Government-run incubator offering in-kind support: workspace, mentorship, training and grants rather than fixed equity tickets.

Cohort-based incubator offering capital (standard package ~QAR 250,000), mentorship and workspace to move founders from concept to market-ready business.

Local club/network connecting founders with private backers; operates from Aziziya, Doha.

Visible angel network targeting early-stage technology startups (AI, SaaS, fintech, digital products) and writing cheques in the USD 25k–250k band.

A Bahrain-licensed insurtech platform that lets users find, compare and purchase insurance policies from leading local insurers within a single digital app.

International governing body of association football; proposed the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan to sell stakes in a World Cup commercial company to private investors.

Launched watt.ma, a platform to manage and monetise electric vehicle charging infrastructure with OCPP 1.6J support, live monitoring, session and tariff management, and QR-code local payments.

Arabic-language digital content and technology platform leveraging AI and data to scale content and digital product offerings.

Garment manufacturing company established in Jordan in 2003 with large-scale production and significant regional exports.

A multinational pharmaceutical company producing medicines for regional and global markets; operates in more than 50 countries and exports to US and Europe.

Research institute that developed the Falcon family of open-weight large language models and drives foundation-model development in the UAE.

One of Abu Dhabi’s largest sovereign wealth funds proposing the up-to-¥1 trillion investment for the Akita AI data centre.

Regional arm of Sony providing professional imaging and audio equipment, technology and educational programmes for businesses and creators.

A free zone and founder-focused ecosystem offering company formation, licensing, visas, banking partnerships and post-license business support for startups and SMEs.

Spanish-born AI company building efficient language models and compression tools (CompactifAI) to run models on local hardware for energy-efficient, sovereign AI.

Syrian companies (including a super app) that together contributed materially to Syria moving ahead of Morocco in July funding totals.

A Moroccan super-app category company that was the country's sole July deal, securing funding that placed Morocco fifth for the month.