Weekly Market Highlights

12th of February 2026

This week reflected strong startup momentum across fintech, AI, proptech, logistics, and defense, driven by funding activity, strategic moves, and regulatory developments,signaling continued ecosystem growth and investor confidence across MENA.

Jordan-based Alefredo EdTech has acquired UK tutoring platform Tutor House in a $600,000 transaction primarily structured as equity in Alefredo Holding Company. The acquisition significantly expands Alefredo’s global tutoring capabilities through Tutor House’s network of 30,000+ tutors serving 15,000+ students, while strengthening Alefredo’s presence in the UK market. Strategically, the deal completes Alefredo’s AI-enabled learning ecosystem, integrating tutoring, assessments, analytics, and adaptive learning paths.

Tactful AI has raised $1 million in a pre-Series A round co-led by Foras AI and M Empire. The company provides an agentic AI-powered CX platform that enables enterprises to automate and resolve customer requests end-to-end. The funding will drive growth in Egypt, expansion across EMEA, and further R&D.

Safqah Capital has raised $15.2M in a seed round led by Shorooq to scale its Shariah-compliant real estate financing platform for SME developers. The funding will expand financing capacity, enhance the platform, and advance AI-driven underwriting tools.

InvestSky has expanded into Saudi Arabia after securing a $4M seed round and receiving a CMA Fintech Experimental Permit, supported by a strategic partnership with anb Capital. The platform provides social-first trading with access to Saudi and U.S. equities, targeting retail investors. The funding will support Saudi scaling, broader market access, and product enhancements.

ThrowMeNot, a UAE-based surplus and near-expiry goods marketplace, has raised $550K in a pre-seed round led by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mana Al Maktoum. Founded in 2025, the startup focuses on reducing food waste by redistributing discounted surplus inventory. The funding will support team expansion and scaling delivery and fulfilment operations across the UAE.

SiFi, a Saudi-based spend management fintech, has raised $20M in a Series A round led by Ra’ed Ventures, with participation from global and regional investors. The company provides startups and SMEs with corporate cards, expense automation, and vendor payment solutions. The funding will support market expansion, enhanced AI capabilities, and development toward a full-suite finance management platform.

Zain Group hosted Demo Day for its Zain Great Idea accelerator, featuring 11 startups from six Arab markets pitching to investors and partners. The event underscored Zain’s focus on investment and commercial outcomes, with Zain Ventures exploring opportunities and ZainTECH supporting startups through AI and technology expertise.

omnispay has raised $2M in a pre-Series A round led by Infinity Value Capital Group to expand beyond SME payments into a broader SME finance platform. The funding will support product expansion, embedded credit capabilities, and GCC growth, including Saudi Arabia.

Routech Express, a Saudi-based logistics tech startup, has raised $1M (SAR 3.75M) in a pre-seed round led by Q Fund. Founded in 2024, the company operates a unified digital shipping platform enabling price comparison, booking, payments, and tracking across multiple carriers. The funding will support platform development, carrier integrations, and regional expansion.

Nutra-GreeniX, a Syria-based agritech startup, has raised $200K in a seed round led by EBLA Ventures with participation from Syrian and Saudi angels. Founded in 2024, the company provides clean energy-powered nutritional solutions for the livestock sector. The funding will support operational expansion, increased production capacity, and technology development.

Jazr.io, a Saudi-based F&B SaaS platform, has raised $213K (SAR 800K) in a pre-seed round backed by angel investors. Founded in 2024, the company provides accounting and inventory management solutions for restaurants and cafés. The funding will support AI-driven automation, compliance tools, and product development.

Smart Bricks, a UAE-based proptech startup, has raised $5M in a pre-seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Speedrun). Founded in 2024, the company is building an AI-native infrastructure layer for real estate investing, enabling end-to-end discovery, underwriting, and execution via agentic AI. The funding will support platform development, expansion of AI-driven workflows, and scaling across global markets.

Juspay has expanded its Middle East operations by establishing a regional headquarters at DIFC, strengthening its focus on enterprise and banking payments infrastructure across the GCC. The move positions Juspay to capitalize on rising demand for payment orchestration and enterprise-grade payment solutions, supporting merchants and financial institutions navigating multi-currency and regulatory complexity in the region.

CADO has expanded into Qatar, reinforcing its GCC presence. The company offers a technology-driven platform for corporate merchandise management, supporting sourcing, logistics, and cross-border execution.

AngelSpark has announced its latest investment in XSquare, a platform focused on simplifying B2B financial operations. XSquare unifies regulated banking and payment tools into a single interface, enabling account-to-account payments, card rails, cross-border transactions, invoicing, and payouts. The investment reflects AngelSpark’s focus on scalable solutions addressing inefficiencies in financial infrastructure.

QuicKart has raised $1.5M in a Seed round led by Orbit Ventures to scale its fresh goods marketplace. The company connects consumers and businesses directly with local farms, focusing on supply chain optimization, logistics expansion, and faster direct-to-home delivery across the UAE.

MASNA Ventures has launched MASNA Ventures Fund I, a $100M defense-focused VC fund, targeting the localization of advanced U.S. and allied defense technologies in Saudi Arabia. The fund will invest primarily in newly established Saudi defense companies, supporting the transition from deployable systems to scalable local manufacturing capabilities aligned with Vision 2030.

Rasmal Ventures has welcomed Hamad Al Hajri (Snoonu) as an investor in its Rasmal Innovation Fund I, reinforcing the fund’s strategic and operational ecosystem. The move highlights growing alignment between regional founders and institutional VC platforms, supporting Qatar’s ambition to build globally scalable technology ventures.

Mubadala Capital-led investors have agreed to acquire Clear Channel Outdoor in a $6.2B all-cash deal (including debt) at an 11% premium. The transaction expands Mubadala’s footprint into U.S. media assets, backed by a financing structure combining consortium equity and Apollo/JPMorgan-led debt.

DIFC has issued new VCC regulations, increasing flexibility for private investment structures. The framework allows NAV-based share issuance, capital distributions, and asset segregation without requiring DFSA licensing for non-regulated activities, making it attractive for family offices and sophisticated investors.

iBLOXX Studios has raised $5.4 million to complete development of StrayShot, a mobile third-person shooter integrating blockchain-based digital asset ownership. The funding will support global marketing, live operations, content updates, and expansion to additional platforms, including consoles.

Egypt has introduced the Egypt Startup Charter, a government-backed framework defining startups, targeting $1B in financing, supporting 5,000 startups, and creating 500,000 jobs over five years.

Overall, the week highlights sustained investment activity, strategic consolidation, and supportive regulatory momentum, reinforcing the region’s shift toward a more mature and globally connected technology ecosystem.