RIYADH: Startups and technology companies across the Middle East and North Africa announced funding rounds, acquisitions, appointments and partnerships led by deals in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Sirdab raises $10m for GCC expansion
Saudi logistics startup Sirdab raised $10 million in a series A round co-led by Public Investment Fund-backed Elm and BECO Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, COTU Ventures and D Global Ventures.
Founded in 2022 by Naif Al-Zahri and Abdulrahman Al-Namlah, Sirdab will expand its warehousing and transport network across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council and develop AI-based logistics tools.
FlyAkeed secures $25.15m in growth funding
Saudi corporate travel platform FlyAkeed secured SR94.3 million ($25.15 million) through equity and Murabaha sukuk financing. Sanabil Investments led the equity portion, joined by Artal Capital, tali ventures and Aljazira Capital, while Artal led the sukuk component.
The company will develop an embedded deferred-payment service for large enterprises and currently serves more than 150 Saudi corporate clients.
OmniOps and HPE agree sovereign AI partnership
Saudi AI infrastructure company OmniOps signed a memorandum of understanding with Hewlett Packard Enterprise at LEAP 2026 to combine HPE’s locally produced servers with OmniOps’ Saudi-developed platforms.
The planned stack will support in-country deployment for government and enterprise customers, including cloud, on-premises and isolated environments, while keeping infrastructure, data and AI management within Saudi jurisdiction.
COFE Tech closes pre-IPO round at $178m valuation
Kuwait-founded COFE Tech closed an undisclosed pre-IPO round at a $178 million valuation, co-led by Wa’ed Ventures, Aditum Investment Management, Masarrah Investment Company and Alyasra Foods.
The company, founded by Ali Al-Ebrahim in 2018, plans further regional expansion and is targeting a Saudi Exchange listing by 2029. It serves more than 1,000 clients across 3,000 Gulf outlets.
BitOasis appoints Jonathan Rigg as CEO
Digital asset platform BitOasis appointed Jonathan Rigg CEO, succeeding co-founder Ola Doudin. Rigg previously held roles at HSBC, Deutsche Bank and Fuze Finance.
The CoinDCX-owned business said it has recorded about $8.5 billion in spot trading volume and served more than one million customers. Its regulated operations include the UAE and Bahrain, where it launched in 2025.
Enhance raises $18.2m for US expansion
GCC fitness technology company Enhance raised $18.2 million in equity and venture debt, with Global Ventures providing equity and Stride Ventures supplying debt.
Founded in Dubai in 2018 by Tarek Mounir, the software company will accelerate its US expansion.
Enhance said its platform operates in more than 700 US clubs and supports 15,000 trainers and over 500,000 monthly bookings globally.
3C Coding School raises $3m seed round
Egyptian education technology startup 3C Coding School raised $3 million in a seed round led by MRG Economic Group, with Amr Saad and angel investors participating.
Founded in 2015 by Hossam Hosny and Ahmed Khallaf, the company will enter Saudi Arabia and develop an AI-powered personalised learning platform.
It said it has reached 120,000 students and recorded 230 percent revenue growth.
Abwaab acquires Egyptian edtech Eduact
Jordan-based Abwaab acquired Egyptian education technology startup Eduact for an undisclosed amount.
Eduact provides independent teachers and learning centres with tools for content, grading, payments and online-offline workflows.
Abwaab will integrate the software and expand it across its six MENA markets. The transaction follows its 2026 acquisition of Egyptian university admissions platform Apex Education.
Ibtikar Fund invests in Churn Solution
Ibtikar Fund made an undisclosed seed investment in Palestinian AI customer-retention startup Churn Solution.
Founded in 2025 by Abdulhafeth Salah, Mahdi Washha and Walaa Kashou, the platform helps subscription companies manage cancellations, reactivation and failed payments.
The funds will support product development, commercial hiring, MENA expansion and possible e-commerce integrations. The company reports paying customers across eight countries.
Remedium raises $1.5m pre-seed round
Saudi climate tech startup Remedium raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed round led by Kaltaire Investments.
Founded in 2021 by Fawaz Abu-Ghazaleh, the company will develop AI-based risk modelling, forecasting and document generation, add water, waste and energy accounting modules, and expand Saudi computing infrastructure to keep client data inside the Kingdom.
Arada forms $7bn Syrian development venture
UAE developer Arada formed a joint venture with the Syrian Sovereign Fund for a $7 billion mixed-use development in New Damascus.
The 4-million-square-metre site is planned to include 11,000 homes, 500 hotel rooms, 1,000 serviced apartments, a hospital, schools and commercial space. The project lifts Arada’s pipeline across the UAE, UK, Australia and Syria to $42 billion.
Arabic.AI receives investment from Humain
Arabic.AI secured an undisclosed strategic investment from Humain, a Public Investment Fund company.
The partnership combines Arabic.AI and Tarjama’s language technology with Humain’s AI infrastructure and models.
Initial work will cover Arabic-first translation management, archive digitisation and document intelligence for contracts, tenders, filings and compliance, with the first products scheduled to be unveiled at LEAP 2026.
Aajil Capital obtains Saudi investment management licence
Aajil Capital received a Capital Market Authority licence to manage investments but will begin regulated activity only after completing commencement requirements.
The firm plans Shariah-compliant strategies offering exposure to Saudi industrial small and medium-sized enterprises, using transaction data from sister company Aajil.
The financing platform said it had supplied SR600 million of materials by Aug. 31.
