Talal Bayaa

At Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh, we joined a timely conversation on the foundations of lasting investor–founder partnerships. Alongside Bilal Abou-Diab, CFA, Vault's Co-founder (and an Outliers Venture Capital founder), and Ravishankar GV, Vault’s latest backer, the panel discussed why enduring partnerships in venture are rarely born in urgency. They’re seeded with conviction, tested by time, and held together by transparency. In a region where ecosystems are maturing rapidly, being intentional about who you bring on board is as critical as the capital itself. And in venture, capital undeniably enables growth, but the right alignment surely determines outcomes.

١٤٢

٣ تعليق

Numeral has acquired the team behind Ruby Card. Co-founders Shariar Kabir, Jordan Yaqoob, and Miguel Acero have joined Numeral post-acquisition and will work to accelerate their global sales tax and SaaS offerings. The companies first met during Y Combinator’s W23 batch. They became fast friends, given their shared experience building and supporting ecommerce brands. It turned out that Sam Ross wasn’t the only one who had dealt with the nightmare that is sales tax. Today, there are seven YC founders working at Numeral, the leading platform for US and global sales tax compliance. Congrats to the team! https://lnkd.in/ev_jCUv6

١١٥

١٥ تعليق

Maalexi secures up to $20M Islamic Credit Facility! The agreement enables Maalexi, the cross-border agri-trade end-to-end transaction platform, to scale in the #UAE and #SaudiArabia while investing in its proprietary #tech stack, including real-time payment #tokenization. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dvgqFBpy

٩٤

١٠ تعليق

If you’re a fintech founder looking for opportunity, Salah Hamawi has a message for you: look to the Middle East. Speaking to Inc. Arabia at this year’s edition of Money20/20 Middle East, Hamawi, who is a Partner at global consulting firm Kearney, pointed out that the region is fast emerging as a global fintech hub—and the opportunity it presents is ripe for the taking. For entrepreneurs thus wanting to make the most out of this ecosystem, Al Hamawi said that the most valuable currency they can make use of isn’t capital—it’s connection. “The one advice I would give fintech founders is network, network, network,” Hamawi said. “Money20/20 is a great example of a platform that brings together all the different players within the sector—you’ve got banks, regulators, consulting firms, and investors. This really is a forum for you to network, to engage, and really support in driving the momentum that we see in this sector.” Check out more of Hamawi's insights in the full video here: https://lnkd.in/dUYXa-Wq #fintech #finance #banking #SaudiArabia #KSA #GCC #MiddleEast #MENA #entrepreneurs #startups #business #leaders #tech #Money2020MiddleEast

٧٧

١ تعليق واحد

#DIFC and Partners for Growth (PFG) have announced a strategic growth debt partnership to scale Dubai’s next generation of technology companies. The collaboration brings together DIFC’s vision to drive the future of finance with PFG’s global expertise in private credit investing, unlocking new funding pathways for high-growth technology companies across Dubai and the GCC. Aligned with the D33 Economic Agenda and DIFC’s 2030 Strategy, the partnership will provide structured growth debt to innovation-driven businesses in sectors such as FinTech, HealthTech, InsurTech, PropTech, SME Digital Finance, and SpaceTech. This milestone reinforces Dubai’s position as a global hub for innovation, entrepreneurship and capital. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dqEd5D8N

٧٠

٩ تعليق

Exciting news! Plug and Play has signed an MoU with Zest Equity to strengthen support for our accelerator cohorts across KSA, UAE, and Egypt, during Money20/20 Middle East. Zest Equity offers full-stack digital infrastructure for private market transactions, helping clients streamline the transaction execution process, from onboarding to compliance, execution, and funding - all in one seamless platform. This partnership will enable our cohorts to navigate fundraising more efficiently and scale with confidence across the region and beyond. Special thanks to our PR Partner إنت عربي entARABI.

١٩٤

٦ تعليق

In the dynamic MENA startup landscape, Metric - Max CF-AI, a fintech enterprise from Abu Dhabi, has captured significant attention with its AI-driven financial platform, "Max." Founded by Meenah Tariq, Omar Parvez Khan, and Dr. Habiba - in 2022, Metric has attracted considerable investment from A-typical Ventures and others. This development signifies an important stride in the region's SME sector by converting complex financial data into actionable insights. ✅ A-typical Ventures has led a robust investment round in Metric, alongside notable players like 500 Global and Hub71. ✅ Metric's AI tool, "Max," is designed as a digital business co-pilot, analysing transactional data above $4.2 billion to aid SMEs with predictive financial insights and growth opportunities. ✅ The platform has quickly scaled, supporting over 130,000 businesses across 190 countries, with interfaces in both English and Arabic. ✅ Metric's approach connects entrepreneurs to financial products, fostering more accessible financial management for diverse businesses. ✅ Challenges remain, including market scaling and maintaining a human touch in financial decision-making led by AI. #Fintech #AI #MENAStartups #SMEs #Investment #Arageek

٨٠

١ تعليق واحد

🚨 UAE-based Holo secures $22 million Series A to expand digital mortgage solutions across GCC. It’s another strong signal that home financing is ripe for transformation. The Middle East’s property markets are growing rapidly (Saudi Arabia’s residential market is projected to hit $310B by 2030), and investors are clearly betting on tech to make homeownership simpler, faster, and more transparent. Congratulations to Michael Hunter and Arran Summerhill! At Cashew, we see the exact same dynamics playing out in Singapore. We’re building the digital mortgage infrastructure that consumers, agents, and partners can rely on. It’s encouraging to see more capital flow into this space — it validates the opportunity and pushes all of us to move faster in reshaping how people buy and refinance their homes. Exciting times for proptech and fintech across the region 🚀

٧١

١ تعليق واحد

📢 Stride Ventures backs erad’s $33M growth debt financing round in Saudi Arabia 🌍 We are delighted to announce that erad, a Riyadh-headquartered alternative financing platform for SMEs, has successfully raised $33 million in growth debt financing. This milestone round was led by Stride Ventures, furthering our commitment to empowering ambitious businesses in the GCC. Founded in 2022 by Salem Abu-Hammour, Faris Yaghmour, Abdulmalik Almeheini, and Youssef Said, erad enables small and medium-sized enterprises to access Shariah-compliant, tech-enabled working capital solutions. With a strong presence across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, erad supports diverse sectors including retail, healthcare, F&B, and e-commerce. This new funding will accelerate erad’s mission to close the region’s $250B SME credit gap, expand operations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and scale alternative financing solutions tailored to the needs of the GCC’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. 🚀 Closed at Money 20/20 in Riyadh, this round also coincides with Stride Ventures doubling its team size in the region and achieving the first close of its landmark ADGM fund, strengthening our long-term presence in the GCC. Congratulations to the founders and the entire erad team on this achievement! 👏 Read More: https://lnkd.in/g64-vBaU

٨٨

١ تعليق واحد