Startup Scene ME

They defy odds and champion change. #StartupScene is the story of the Middle East's fiercest entrepreneurs. A part of @MO4Network.

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

WTW, a Nasdaq-listed advisory, broking and solutions firm, has received approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate an investment business within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

https://t.co/3vAq2dGrhu

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

From coding bootcamps in Cairo to AI hiring platforms in Dubai, these MENA EdTech startups are reshaping how young people across the region access skills, jobs, and career mobility.

https://t.co/J1hyurnWR1

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

UAE-based data and AI company CNTXT AI has acquired Actualize, a UAE-based enterprise AI startup specialising in dialect-aware Arabic voice agents, integrating its technology and team to build sovereign voice AI for enterprise and government.

https://t.co/901L68RG9P

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Ansarada, an AI virtual data room firm, reported 196 mergers and acquisitions worth $23.3 billion across the Middle East during the first quarter of 2026.

https://t.co/mp5GKPMC4C

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Oman Arab Bank, an Oman-based commercial bank, has listed a $400 million Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond on the London Stock Exchange, attracting demand that exceeded $1.1 billion.

https://t.co/iXzUFlHRZR

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), a Bahrain-based aluminium producer, has agreed to acquire France's Aluminium Dunkerque for approximately $2.2 billion, in one of the largest international industrial acquisitions undertaken by a Bahraini company.

https://t.co/BGAt8V1HME

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Abu Dhabi-based investment manager Lunate is set to list its first GCC sharia-compliant, dividend-paying ETF on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on June 23rd, tracking the Solactive GCC Shariah Dividend Index with semi-annual payouts.

https://t.co/1PzXkA5sgl

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

du, a UAE telecom operator, has launched du Ventures, a $50M corporate venture capital fund focused on investing in technology startups across sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity, cloud services and enterprise software.
https://t.co/NhsZowdYEB

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, has entered a strategic partnership with French investment company TRAIL that will see it invest in SLAM, a private equity fund focused on the sport, luxury, arts and music sectors.

https://t.co/Nc3kZsoL53

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

In a world where founders are drowning in pitch advice, most of it fixates on the solution; the product, the market size, the unit economics. According to Mike Butcher, the single most overlooked lever in any pitch is something far more primal: the problem itself.

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

A new cohort of Emirati professionals is being selected this month for the National Experts Programme – AI Track, a leadership initiative designed to develop artificial intelligence expertise and support implementation of the UAE National AI Strategy 2031.
https://t.co/T5offoH2pJ

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has increased its investment in Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, by participating in the firm’s $65 billion Series H financing round, marking its third consecutive backing of the generative AI startup.

https://t.co/DANui8VMz2

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Positron AI, a US-based developer of artificial intelligence inference infrastructure, has opened its first international office at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) after securing a licence to operate in the emirate.

https://t.co/kUEwjDbc9D

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Driverless delivery vehicles have already been piloted on public roads in the UAE; now CargoX has raised $250M in a funding round led by BlueFive Capital to support the expansion of its driverless delivery network across the UAE and international markets.
https://t.co/5KdaRhGBt9

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Humain, the AI subsidiary launched by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has partnered with Nvidia on a multi-year programme focused on AI infrastructure, sovereign AI development and autonomous mobility technologies in the Kingdom.
https://t.co/nNlwSslavj

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Mawarid Finance, a UAE-based financial services company, and Fimple, a banking technology provider, have entered a strategic agreement to develop Banking-as-a-Service capabilities through a new composable banking platform.

https://t.co/Phce2tjfA3

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority reduced fees charged by Misr for Central Clearing, Depository and Registry to participants on digital platforms offering real estate investment fund certificates, lowering depository, registration and custody charges.
https://t.co/3onpkxyxfj

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Uber has invested $100 million to acquire an additional 12.5% equity stake in Careem from e&, a UAE-headquartered telecom group, reducing e&’s holding from 50.03% to 37.53%.

https://t.co/wslPRleddR

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

Inflation and currency weakness helped push crypto activity in Turkey to about $200 billion in transaction volume over the past year, making it the largest market in the Middle East and North Africa.

https://t.co/Se5mxYllOs

[Startup Scene ME @startupsceneme]

In the hustle of fundraising, founders have a habit of treating investor outreach as a numbers game, spraying decks at every venture capitalist with a working email. According to Ceasar Nyagah this scattergun approach is one of the biggest contributors to founder fatigue.