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Nine Lebanese startups have secured grants of €15,000–€21,000 under the EU-funded “From Innovation to Creation” programme, implemented by SPARK. The initiative targets ventures operating in sectors ranging from robotics and agritech to sustainable mobility and social impact, offering not just capital but structured support in an economy where funding remains scarce. ✅ LUXEED Robotics (€21,000) to advance its laser-based weeding technology and expand field testing while supporting local engineering talent. ✅ Electrip Lebanon (€21,000) to continue developing electric transport solutions despite difficult operating conditions. ✅ Bridge. Outsource. Transform (B.O.T) (€17,000) to strengthen its impact sourcing model connecting underserved talent to remote work opportunities. ✅ Additional selected startups to upgrade technical systems, refine digital operations, strengthen legal frameworks, and prepare for regional expansion across MENA. ✅ A broader SPARK mission combining funding, mentorship and market access to bridge early innovation with commercial scale in fragile and conflict-affected regions. While modest in size, these grants may provide critical stability at a defining moment, supporting talent retention, enabling regional growth, and reinforcing the resilience of Lebanon’s startup ecosystem. #Lebanon #Startups #Innovation #MiddleEast #EconomicDevelopment

Souhoola, the Egyptian consumer finance and BNPL provider, has opened a new branch at Cairo’s City Stars mall as part of its strategy to expand in high-traffic retail hubs. CEO Ahmed Alshanawany described the move as a pivotal step in strengthening proximity to customers, while Chief Business Officer Mohamed Gamal highlighted deeper merchant partnerships and a broader set of in-branch and digital offerings. ✅ New branch opened at City Stars on 15 May 2026, targeting one of Cairo’s busiest retail destinations ✅ Part of a wider expansion into high-footfall commercial centres across Egypt ✅ Focus on financial inclusion, offering flexible instalment plans to banked and unbanked customers ✅ Continued investment in digital approvals alongside in-branch service to support a hybrid model ✅ Founded in 2019, Souhoola now serves over 370,000 active customers with a capital base of EGP 400m As competition intensifies in Egypt’s BNPL market, a blend of physical presence and digital capability may prove a differentiating factor. #Fintech #BNPL #Egypt #FinancialInclusion #ConsumerFinance

Growthlabs has agreed to acquire Startup Gate EG in a deal valued at nearly EGP 35 million (c.$657,400), signalling further consolidation in Egypt’s startup ecosystem. The transaction brings Startup Gate’s platform under GrowthLabs’ Catalyst OS, with CEO Islam Orban positioning the move as a step towards building a regional “operating system” for entrepreneurship. The deal was supported by Maged Ghoneima, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at M-Empire, which acted as strategic intermediary, while Startup Gate Founder Emmy Tawfik joins GrowthLabs Holding as Chief Operating Officer. ✅ The integration aims to create a unified digital hub connecting founders, investors and incubation programmes across MENA. ✅ A key focus is real-time analytics to better measure impact, streamline investment readiness and strengthen innovation ecosystems. ✅ GrowthLabs plans to expand into five new markets in 2026 and launch seven corporate innovation programmes. ✅ The ambition is to build the region’s first fully integrated digital infrastructure for entrepreneurship, though cross-border execution and ecosystem adoption will be critical. ✅ The move highlights a broader trend towards consolidation, raising questions about openness, competition and long-term inclusivity within support platforms. #Startups #MENA #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #Innovation

Venture capital across the Middle East and Africa is on the rise, yet access remains uneven. While MENA funding climbed 74% to $3.8bn in 2025 and Africa recorded $4.1bn, early-stage founders outside a handful of hubs continue to face structural barriers. Against this backdrop, London-headquartered Dealfuze, founded by Mohamed Hassan Al Sheraie and Mustafa Zaghloul, with Mahmoud Al Anany as CTO, has launched a closed beta and announced what it describes as the region’s first algorithmically curated Online Demo Day, scheduled for 20 May 2026. The platform aims to match startups and investors based on data rather than personal networks. ✅ MENA venture funding reached $3.8bn in 2025, while Africa secured $4.1bn, its strongest year since 2022. ✅ Pre-seed funding in Africa remains limited, accounting for just 1.5% of total VC investment, with over 82% concentrated in four countries. ✅ Dealfuze’s AI-driven model matches startups and investors by sector, stage, geography and thesis, aiming to reduce reliance on warm introductions. ✅ Investors from firms including A-Typical Ventures, Blossom Capital, Emtech VC, Launch Africa Ventures, Pennington Promise Capital and Shorooq Partners are expected to attend the Online Demo Day. ✅ Research shows 65% of VC deals involve a mutual connection, reinforcing network-driven patterns that may exclude underrepresented founders. With venture capital rising but connectivity gaps persisting, the question is whether data-led infrastructure can broaden access without losing the trust that underpins early-stage investing. #VentureCapital #Startups #MENA #Africa #Innovation

Dubai-based food-tech startup Peekabox has closed an oversubscribed $1.5m seed round to expand its surplus food marketplace across the UAE and into the wider GCC. Founded by brothers Hasan Sarwar and Omair Sarwar, the company connects consumers with discounted “surprise boxes” of unsold food from restaurants and retailers, aiming to reduce waste while easing household costs. The board is chaired by Dr. Sameer Al Ansari, with advisers including Fares Akkad, Yasser Abdulmalak and Mahdi Shafiei. ✅ $1.5m seed round secured from regional operators and investors ✅ Marketplace model offering 50–70% discounts on surplus food ✅ Over 1,000 stores signed across 40+ brands, including Carrefour, Costa Coffee and Eataly ✅ Focus on UAE expansion, with Saudi Arabia identified as the next market ✅ Mission to address $3.5bn annual food waste in the UAE alongside rising living costs #FoodTech #Startups #Sustainability #MiddleEastBusiness #VentureCapital

stc Bahrain has become the first telecom operator in the Kingdom to introduce Mastercard’s Click to Pay within its My stc BH app, enabling one-click online payments for bills, add-ons and digital purchases. The move, developed in partnership with Mastercard, reflects a broader push to reduce friction in digital transactions while strengthening security through tokenisation and encryption. Karim T., Chief Consumer Officer at stc Bahrain, said the launch underscores the company’s focus on customer-first digital solutions. Saud Swar, Mastercard’s country manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and the Levant, highlighted the role of such partnerships in shaping the future of secure digital commerce across the region. ✅ First telecom operator in Bahrain to roll out Mastercard Click to Pay ✅ Seamless in-app checkout without repeatedly entering card details ✅ Tokenisation technology designed to enhance payment security ✅ Reflects telcos’ growing role as digital lifestyle and fintech platforms ✅ Signals continued momentum in Bahrain’s evolving digital payments landscape #DigitalPayments #Fintech #Bahrain #Telecoms #MENA

Welcome to “Who Got Funded?” (11 May- 18 May 2026), your punchy, no-nonsense recap of the week’s biggest MENA funding rounds, startup wins, and investor moves. Congratulation to all founders Abhishek Shah Husam Gibreel Ibrahim Aldlaigan Dana Alwadaani Shahed Jaber Guy Sheetrit Mohamed Oueida Arnaud Brodzki Cristian G. Pastrana

Mohamed Alabbar has announced that noon has opened its first official office in Damascus, marking a notable step in the company’s regional expansion. The Emirati founder said the move reflects confidence in Syrian technology talent and the country’s longer-term investment potential, while acknowledging the broader considerations that come with entering emerging markets. ✅ Noon has established its first official office in Damascus as part of its regional growth strategy. ✅ Mohamed Alabbar highlighted the strength of Syrian tech professionals, noting their ability to build globally competitive solutions. ✅ The announcement has prompted discussion across entrepreneurial circles, signalling confidence in local talent despite regulatory and geopolitical complexities. ✅ Alabbar encouraged regional and international companies to explore investment opportunities in Syria, pointing to its young and capable workforce. ✅ The move underscores a broader theme in entrepreneurship: balancing risk with belief when assessing new markets. #MiddleEast #Ecommerce #Investment #Entrepreneurship #TechEcosystem

Valu has partnered with ElTawkeel.com to launch what they describe as Egypt’s first fully integrated digital e-commerce platform for new cars, combining browsing, financing and insurance in a single online journey. The collaboration, delivered through Valu Shift, aims to streamline a traditionally fragmented purchase process. Mostafa El-Sahn, Chief Risk Officer at Valu, and Ali Shaaban, founder of ElTawkeel.com, position the move as a structural step towards greater transparency and efficiency in Egypt’s automotive market. ✅ Customers can select a vehicle, secure financing pre-approval within one hour and arrange insurance through a fully digital, documented process ✅ Valu Shift is embedded directly into ElTawkeel.com, integrating sales, finance and insurance into one system ✅ Valu (EGX: VALU.CA), backed in part by Amazon, continues to expand its consumer finance footprint, recently entering Jordan under a specialised finance licence ✅ The platform’s broader aim is to improve transparency, reduce paperwork and modernise vehicle ownership in a traditionally paper-heavy sector #Egypt #Fintech #Automotive #DigitalTransformation #MENA

Seven Palestinian startups have secured grants of up to €18,000 under the European Union-funded “From Innovation to Creation” programme, implemented by Stichting SPARK. The initiative is designed to help early-stage ventures strengthen product development, infrastructure and regional market access amid significant economic constraints. ✅ €18,000 awarded to Jusoor Labs to expand safe STEM learning experiences and strengthen local science education infrastructure ✅ €17,000 granted to Flowless - Sustainable Solutions to advance sustainable water management solutions and expand into new markets ✅ €15,000 allocated to Salon Beauty Booking (beauty-tech) to accelerate expansion and commercial growth ✅ Funding provided to Agritopia for Agricultural Technology Innovations to upgrade product development tools and technical capacity in agritech ✅ €15,000 secured by OliveryApp to enhance internal operations and delivery infrastructure ✅ Turqat - طرقات supported to reinforce long-term operational sustainability ✅ €14,995 granted to Kindiplus to navigate a critical growth stage and operational challenges While modest in size, such catalytic funding can help bridge the gap between early traction and scalable growth, particularly in high-friction environments where access to capital and networks remains limited. #Startups #Palestine #EUFunding #Entrepreneurship #MENA