Corporates are a necessity in the startup journey. They provide entrepreneurs with the work experience required to understand business and industry, they can end up being a startup’s client or investor and they are crucial to the overall development of the private sector.

Source: WAYA Dresscode, a Cairo-based e-commerce retail startup has raised USD six digits in Seed funding from Egypt Ventures. DC is on a mission to transform the lifestyle and fashion retail shopping industry.

Beirut-based startup NAR Technologies, a portfolio company of Leap Ventures, has been acquired by US-based B3Bar. Founded by Charlie El Khoury and Nicolas Zaatar, NAR works on automating drone inspection management processes using technologies like unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) analytics for real-time data analysis and management.

Darren Hodgkin, CEO of Digital&Code E-commerce has made massive gains during the Covid-19 pandemic. Consumers were forced to purchase online at the height of the crisis, and confidence has been slow to return for bricks and mortar stores.

UAE-based audiobook platform Kitab Sawti was recently acquired by Storytel. In this exclusive piece for Wamda, Kitab Sawti's founder Sebastian Bond outlines the opportunity for audiobooks in the Middle East Literacy has and will always be a key indicator of progress for nations around the world.

Source: Menafn Qatar SportsTech (QST), a leading startup accelerator and hub for innovative sportstech companies in Qatar, has announced the launch of its new Pre-accelerator programme, EntelaQ.

Kuwait-based food vertical accelerator Savour has participated in a $600,000 seed round raised by Turkey-based digital ordering and restaurant management platform FineDine.

Morocco-based institutional investor ASMA Invest has invested in SEAF Morocco Growth Fund (SMGF). The amount raised remains undisclosed. Launched in September 2018, the SMGF focuses on investing in early-stage startups and SMEs based in and outside Morocco.