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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Middle East, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌍

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📰 Important News

• Qatar launched a $1 billion program to provide financial support for companies, covering up to 40% of eligible investment expenses over 5 years.

• China-UAE JV opened a $33 million AgriTech hub in Al Ain, using smart farming and renewables to boost climate-resilient food output.

• Moniify named Lana Sawiris CEO to lead its pivot to video-first financial education for Gen Z and millennials.

• Lalamove expanded to the UAE, offering tech-enabled delivery for SMEs and entering its 14th global market.

• Mashreq launched an API Marketplace to support open banking and faster fintech integration under the UAE Open Finance Framework.

💸 Top Funding Rounds

• Tarjama raised $15 million in Series A funding to scale its Arabic-first AI platform Pronoia V2 and launch an AI Academy for regional talent.

• VUZ landed $12 million from the IFC to expand globally and advance its AI-powered immersive streaming in MENA, Africa, Asia, and the US.

• Circle closed a $6 million Series A round to scale its under-20-minute q-commerce delivery model across the region by 2026.

• SARsatX bagged a $2.6 million seed round led by TONOMUS to grow its SAR satellite fleet for disaster and urban monitoring.

• Ziadah secured a seed round to boost behavior-based marketing tools and expand merchant offerings across MENA.

💰️ Notable Exits

• US-based Elevate acquired RISE Group to enter MENA’s growing sports and entertainment market, retaining local leadership post-deal.

• MAGRABi acquired Kefan Optics in Kuwait, adding 37 stores and strengthening its leadership in MENA’s eyewear retail sector.

• Tawoos Group acquired NMC Oman, including hospitals and clinics, to expand its footprint in private healthcare across the country.

🏦 About Investors

• EQIQ doubled its fund to $30 million to support Iraqi startups in fintech, logistics, and e-commerce, building a full-stack digital ecosystem.

• EDB launched a $272.2 million Growth Fund to back UAE SMEs with long-term capital, targeting key sectors and sustainable national growth.

• Riyadh Valley Company announced investing in MEVP’s Fund IV to back tech and fintech startups aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 goals.

• SC Ventures and DIFC launched the National Venture Studio in Dubai, using VBaaS to accelerate startup creation across the region.

🚀 Startup of the Week

Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆

Tarjama

UAE-based language tech startup Tarjama has raised $15 million in Series A funding, led by Global Ventures with participation from Wamda Capital, TA Ventures, and others, to scale its Arabic-first AI ecosystem and launch an AI Academy. Founded in 2009 by Nour Al Hassan, Tarjama specializes in advanced language solutions across 50+ languages and 22 Arabic dialects, and recently launched Pronoia V2, a state-of-the-art Arabic LLM that outperforms GPT-4o on Arabic tasks. The investment will fuel the expansion of Arabic.AI, strengthen sovereign infrastructure, and support talent development to meet rising demand for Arabic-focused AI across the MENA region’s fast-digitizing economy.

💼 Investor of the Week

Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆

EQIQ

Abu Dhabi-based EQIQ has doubled its fund size to $30 million to accelerate investments in Iraq’s digital economy, focusing on e-commerce, logistics, and fintech. Co-founded by Mohamed Al-Hakim and Said Rahmani, EQIQ combines venture capital and venture building, having already deployed $8.5 million across five startups, three of which it co-created with founding teams. With a vision to build an interconnected digital ecosystem tailored to Iraq’s underserved market, EQIQ aims to bridge the gap between capital and opportunity by supporting scalable, tech-enabled solutions for millions of Iraqis.

🤑 Opportunity Radar

Call for Applications: Entrepreneurs for Resilience programme

Apply to the Entrepreneurs for Resilience programme by June 1st, 2025, to accelerate your social enterprise’s impact in healthcare. This opportunity supports ventures using innovative brick-and-click delivery models that combine in-person and virtual care to improve access to quality primary healthcare for low-income communities in low- and middle-income countries. Partnering with leading organizations like the Digital Connected Care Coalition (DCCC), UBS Optimus Foundation, and Sanofi’s Global Health Unit, the programme offers funding, expertise, and a powerful network to scale your solution. Submit your application in English before the deadline and join a movement dedicated to bridging healthcare gaps globally.