Egypt-based property technology (proptech) company RentUp, has raised a six-figure pre-seed investment from Japanese private equity firm, Luqman Weise Capital, which specialises in technology development and fintech innovation.

UAE-based micromobility operator FENIX has completed its $5 million Seed round, after securing a $1.2 million second close led by Saudi Arabia’s Emkan Capital and UAE-based Panthera Capital Ventures, to be added to the $3.

UK-based international investment firm Hambro Perks has announced the launch and initial close of its Abu Dhabi-based $50 million VC fund, Oryx Fund, targeting early-stage startups in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

Leen Ashqar is a senior associate at Propeller, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Amman, Jordan As an active pre-seed and seed investor for the past four years, we have met a fair share of founders during the early days of their journeys.

Iraq-based e-commerce platform Orisdi, has raised a six-figure bridge round led by Innovest Middle East VC, with participation from a group of angel investors, including Amar Shubar, a partner of Management Partners Consulting and Omar Al-Handal, managing director of Al Handal International Group.

Bahrain-based open banking platform Tarabut Gateway has closed a seed funding round of $13 million, hailed to be the largest fintech seed round in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) to date.

By the Lebanon Outsourcing Initiative  All eyes have been on Lebanon over the past year, but for all the wrong reasons. One initiative is seeking to change the country’s narrative and reposition Lebanon as a prime outsourcing hub, servicing the world.

Source: Zawya UAE start-up Sprout FZCO, a plant-based food business aimed at children, has received $200,000 in funding. The fresh capital from Bahrain-based FA Holding will be used for retail expansion of products and services, the firm said.

Global venture capital firm 500 Startups has partnered with Saudi Arabia-based Sanabil Investments, a financial investment company focused on global private investments in venture capital, growth and small buyout, to launch the Sanabil 500 Mena Seed Accelerator Programme in Riyadh.

UAE-based trading platform for second-hand luxury products and electronics North Ladder, has raised a $5 million Series A funding round led by BECO Capital.

Jordan-based employee engagement and retention SaaS platform Engagesoft, has raised a six-figure pre-Seed round from a group of angel investors in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Flat6Labs Bahrain announced that eight startups have received $250,000 investment as part of its sixth cycle, which concluded after a four-month acceleration programme.

Saudi Arabia-based Hazen.ai, has received a follow-on investment from Wa’ed, the entrepreneurship arm of Aramco. The startup received its first-ever funding from Wa’ed back in 2019.

Source: The Spoon Natufia Labs, the Estonia-based automated kitchen garden startup, announced today that it is relocating to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) has launched the Sharjah Startup Studio (S3), the first government-backed startup studio in the UAE, which offers a hands-on approach to venture building.

Mahmood Ahmadu is the chairman of Innovate 1 Pay, a Nigerian financial technology (fintech) company established in 2012, providing online payment solutions for retail and wholesale mobile remittances, mobile money and currency card payments.