Weekly Market Highlights

4th of December 2025

This week marked another exciting step forward for the region’s most promising innovators, securing new investments, unlocking global expansion, and delivering smarter, faster digital solutions across finance, healthcare, and beyond.

Erad, a Saudi embedded-finance platform enabling Sharia-compliant working-capital solutions for SMEs, has secured a $125M scalable facility led by Jefferies with co-investment from Channel Capital ,Jefferies’ first major GCC asset-backed SME financing deal. Founded in 2022 in Riyadh, Erad has processed SAR 250M+ to date while achieving 6x YoY growth. The financing will support GCC expansion, point-of-sale embedded finance, and deeper partnerships with suppliers and B2B platforms.

Mastiska, a UAE-based fabless semiconductor startup, has raised $10M in seed funding, backed primarily by GCC sovereign wealth funds, to develop sovereign AI inference accelerators. Founded in 2024 by Suresh Sugumar, the company builds secure, audit-ready AI hardware with teams in Abu Dhabi and India. The new funding will support sovereign silicon development, FPGA card commercialization, and expansion across the GCC, South Asia, BRICS, and the Global South.

UAE-based foodtech startup Funch has raised $500K pre-seed led by Angelspark with participation from notable angel investors including Swvl founder Mostafa Kandil. Founded in 2025 by Ahmad Joehnny and Ghada Zanaty, the company offers an AI-powered lunch subscription with flat pricing and flexible controls. The funding will help scale its smart meal-delivery operations across the UAE.

Egypt-based fintech Paymob and Robusta Technology Group (RTG) have formed a strategic partnership to integrate digital payments with AI-driven product development. The collaboration supports digital transformation for merchants and enterprises across Egypt and the wider region in alignment with Egypt’s Vision 2030 goals. The partnership will enable rapid deployment of intelligent payment solutions while supporting both companies’ regional expansion plans.

Egypt-based healthtech Rology has closed a growth round backed by key global healthcare investors including Philips Foundation and Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures. Founded in 2017, Rology delivers AI-accelerated teleradiology services across 12 sub-specialties with diagnostic reports in as little as 30 minutes. The funding will support expansion across MEA, strengthen its presence in Saudi Arabia, and enhance access to radiology services in lower-income markets.

UAE’s Mubadala Investment Company has co-led an investment in South Korean cleantech firm NanoH2O, alongside Glenwood Private Equity and other investors. NanoH2O develops reverse osmosis membrane technologies for desalination and brackish water treatment, providing a more energy-efficient alternative to thermal systems. Mubadala says the investment reinforces its commitment to Asian markets and supports scaling sustainable water technologies globally.

Saudi cybersecurity startup COGNNA has raised $9.2M Series A led by Impact46 and co-led by BNVT Capital, with participation from Vision Ventures and Tali Ventures. Founded in 2022, the company uses AI and advanced analytics to detect and respond to cyber threats through its Agentic SOC platform. The funding will fuel product innovation, expansion in sales and operations, and global growth ambitions.

See you next week with more updates driving the future of technology and innovation.