Arab News
Arab news, Sun, Nov 02, 2025 | Jumada al-Awwal 11, 1447
Saudi startups surge ahead with bold deals, fresh capital
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia led this week’s startup activity,
with a surge of venture deals, strategic partnerships, and funding announcements
across key sectors including artificial intelligence, logistics, fintech, and HR
technology.
The wave of investment underscores the Kingdom’s
growing prominence as a hub for innovation and its continued push to diversify
its economy through technology-driven enterprises.
Saudi food delivery platform Jahez has partnered
with noon to integrate their services and enhance delivery speed, convenience,
and product choice across the Kingdom.
The collaboration enables users to access noon
Minutes through the Jahez app, offering a broad selection of products delivered
via noon’s dark store infrastructure, while Jahez’s food delivery services will
also be embedded within the noon platform.
According to both companies, the integration aims
to boost customer engagement, drive repeat orders, and strengthen loyalty,
positioning the partnership as one of the most extensive digital commerce
ecosystems in the region.
AI startup rmz.ai secures $100k pre-seed
Saudi generative AI startup rmz.ai has closed a
$100,000 pre-seed funding round led by Beyond.xyz, a local virtual production
studio.
Founded in 2025, rmz.ai develops intelligent tools
for managing image, audio, and video workflows through a unified interface aimed
at content creators.
The capital will support the development of the
company’s “Creative Agents,” AI-powered assistants designed to simplify content
production processes and enhance creative output quality.
Logexa raises $2m
Logistics platform Logexa has completed a $2
million pre-series A funding round led by SEEDRA Ventures, with participation
from Nour Nouf Ventures and angel investors.
Established in 2021 by Hussam Sindi and Hussam
Spano, the company optimizes underutilized warehousing and transport
infrastructure across Saudi Arabia.
The funds will be used to expand operations,
upgrade the digital platform, and launch a marketplace focused on shared
logistics and storage services.
PIF and Aramco move to combine AI assets
under Humain
The Public Investment Fund and Aramco have signed
a non-binding term sheet to combine their AI assets under Humain, a PIF-owned
entity launched in May.
Under the agreement, Aramco will acquire a
significant minority stake in Humain, while PIF retains majority ownership.
The strategic collaboration includes transferring
AI assets, talent, and capabilities to accelerate Humain’s growth and
international reach.
Humain is focused on building full-stack AI
capabilities across data centers, cloud infrastructure, advanced models —
including the Arabic large language model ALLAM — and AI solutions. The deal
remains subject to regulatory approvals and final agreements.
Tabby reaches $4.5bn valuation
Fintech company Tabby has completed a
secondary share sale involving existing shareholders, attracting investors such
as HSG and Boyu Capital.
The transaction, which did not involve the
issuance of new shares or proceeds to the company, values Tabby at $4.5
billion.
The deal reflects continued investor confidence in
Tabby’s growth trajectory and market positioning in the region’s buy now, pay
later sector.
BRKZ secures $30m in growth debt
Saudi construction technology firm BRKZ has
secured up to $30 million in growth debt from Stride Ventures to support its
expansion.
Founded in 2023 by Ibrahim Manna, BRKZ provides a
B2B platform for contractors and factories to access building materials and
flexible financing options.
The funding will accelerate the development of
AI-powered procurement tools, cloud manufacturing models, and global supplier
networks. BRKZ, which completed a $17 million series A extension earlier this
year, is part of the Saudi Unicorns Program.
Najeeb.ai raises pre-seed round to scale AI
insurance tools
Insurtech startup Najeeb.ai has raised an
undisclosed pre-seed round from regional angel investors.
Established in 2023 by Ahmed Yasmina and Hammam
Homsi, the company integrates artificial intelligence with insurance services to
drive transparency and operational efficiency.
Proceeds from the round will support the
development of AI-powered products, deepen insurer and healthcare integrations,
and prepare the company for regional market entry.
Squadio raises $3m
Human resources tech company Squadio has secured
$3 million in a pre-Series A round backed by Wa’ed Ventures, 500 Sanabil MENA,
and Nour Nouf Ventures, as well as SEEDRA Ventures, and NTDP.
Founded in 2019 by Khaled Senawy, the platform
connects companies with global, remote-first tech talent.
The investment will be used to improve Squadio’s
AI-matching engine, grow its presence in MENA, Africa, and Silicon Valley, and
expand its partner network. The company previously closed its seed round with
SEEDRA Ventures in 2022.
MidLyr raises $2.5m
US-based fintech MidLyr has raised $2.5 million in
pre-seed funding led by Silicon Badia, with participation from Wedbush Ventures,
Hustle Fund, DCG, and Story Ventures.
Founded in 2025 by Wael El-Sahhar and Ruochen Ren,
MidLyr helps banks transform regulatory text into AI-driven workflows for risk,
compliance, and marketing functions.
The new funds will drive product development,
expand bank partnerships, and scale hiring in the US and Middle East, leveraging
the region’s engineering and data science talent.
HALA Capital debuts as CMA-licensed private
capital firm
HALA Capital, formerly HALA Ventures, has
launched as a licensed private capital firm under the Capital Market Authority,
marking its transition from venture capital to a broader asset management
strategy. The firm now covers venture capital, private equity, and private
credit.
Founded in 2018 by Ali Abussaud and Hussain Al-Marhoon,
HALA Capital aims to support innovation, scale enterprises, and deliver
long-term impact across the Saudi and regional investment landscape.
The firm emphasizes agility and ecosystem
development as central to its investment approach.
Velents.ai raises $1.5m and launches Arabic
AI employee
HRtech startup Velents.ai has raised $1.5
million in a round backed by angel investors, including former executives from
Google and BCG.
The company also launched Agent.sa, described as
the first fully Arabic-speaking AI employee for businesses in the Middle East.
Founded in 2020 by Mohamed Gaber and Abdulaziz Al-Muhaydib,
Velents began in recruitment automation and now serves clients in both Egypt and
Saudi Arabia.
The capital will support expansion of the
company’s AI infrastructure and adoption ahead of a larger funding round planned
for early 2026.
KarmSolar enters Cyprus with $5.78m solar
project
Egypt-based renewable energy provider KarmSolar
has launched its first international expansion through the establishment of
KarmCyprus, marking its entry into the Cypriot solar energy market.
The move includes the development of a
7.6-megawatt solar PV plant in Monagroulli, southern Cyprus, backed by €5
million ($5.78 million) in project financing from Eurobank. Operations are
slated to commence by September 2026.
Founded in 2011 by Ahmed Zahran, Xavier Auclair,
Yumna Madi, and Randa Fahmy, KarmSolar supplies renewable energy across multiple
sectors in Egypt.
The company invested €2 million to establish
KarmCyprus and raised an additional €8 million from Egyptian and
international investors.
The expansion follows KarmSolar’s vertically
integrated model encompassing power generation, distribution, storage, and
e-mobility, positioning the firm as a credible player in the Mediterranean clean
energy sector.