MENA region funding in July in reaches $95 million largely driven by the UAE startups 

CAIRO: Startups throughout the Center East and North Africa accrued a strong $95 million throughout 31 offers in July 2023, marking a slight lower from final yr’s $105 million for a similar month, but demonstrating a strong 167 p.c month-on-month surge from June’s $35.6 million.  

Whereas the deal quantity decreased by 31 p.c, the numbers yield a unique perspective when factoring out the UAE’s electrical car startup One Moto’s $40 million lease financing spherical. 

Excluding that, the whole fairness funding for July recalibrates to $55 million, reflecting a 55 p.c development from the previous month.  

Furthermore, UAE startups led the month with $64.7 million raised, because of One Moto’s spherical.  

Saudi Arabia got here in second with $18 million raised through 5 offers. The very best funding for the month was clinched by Riyadh-based foodtech Kaso, amassing $10.5 million in a seed spherical. 

Egypt and Morocco held the third and fourth positions, securing $7 million and $2 million in funding, respectively. 

Seed and pre-seed stage startups took the lion’s share with 15 offers. Nevertheless, late and growth-stage startups witnessed a funding contraction, contributing to the slowdown in enterprise capital actions in July. 

The mobility sector emerged because the top-funded sector in July, pushed by One Moto’s vital spherical.  

The meals expertise business cornered $17 million throughout 5 offers, propelled by a burgeoning adoption of enterprise software program options within the sector. 

When dissected gender-wise, funding stays restricted for female-founded startups, with most capital funneled by accelerators and incubators. Just one deal, with Jordanian proptech Nomad, went to a female-led startup in July. 

Blended-gender founding groups fared higher, drawing $12 million throughout six offers. All-male-led startups amassed 87 p.c of whole funds, raking in $84 million.  

US-based buyers proved essentially the most energetic international members, with ten offers. Regionally, buyers from Egypt and the UAE participated in eight offers every, with Saudi buyers partaking in seven. 

Past pure funding, July witnessed a number of notable acquisitions, together with Saudi Arabia’s HyperPay take over of Riyadh-based Sanad Money and the UAE’s EDGE Group’s acquisition of Abu Dhabi’s OrxyLabs.  

In a major transaction, Germany’s Supply Hero procured the remaining shares of Saudi Arabia’s HungerStation for $297 million. 

Different highlights embrace the introduction of a $54 million foodtech-focused fund by Agthia Group, and a novel accelerator program focusing on Egypt-based accelerator and incubator managers, launched by 500 International. 

UAE’s LVL Wellbeing secures $10m in a sequence A funding spherical, eyes Saudi growth 

LVL Wellbeing, a company platform based mostly within the UAE, has closed its sequence A funding spherical at $10 million led by MG Wellness Holding, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi-based Multiply Group. 

The newly acquired funding will probably be used to bolster the expansion of LVL Wellbeing, enabling it to turn out to be a number one wellness platform throughout the office atmosphere. 

It will embrace the addition of thrilling new options, reminiscent of an Arabic language model of the app, anticipated to launch within the second half of 2023. 

“This funding will permit us to prioritize creating distinctive, immersive experiences in company areas. Our members could have the chance to concentrate on their well-being whether or not at residence, within the workplace, or whereas touring,” Gary Blowers, CEO of LVL Wellbeing, stated. 

Blowers additionally revealed plans to broaden into Saudi Arabia as a part of the corporate’s natural regional development technique. 

The infusion of funds may also facilitate the combination of HealthierU, a Multiply Group subsidiary, into LVL Wellbeing’s operations.  

HealthierU, a market platform connecting people with wellness consultants worldwide, has demonstrated spectacular ends in decreasing continual illness dangers amongst predisposed people. 

“The combination of HealthierU into the LVL Wellbeing ecosystem will allow us to mix forces to supply essentially the most complete preventative well being and wellbeing companies to our members and purchasers,” Blowers added.  

The LVL Wellbeing app provides a number of engagement options designed to help members on their wellbeing journey and supply real-time knowledge to company purchasers. 

Furthermore, LVL Wellbeing has developed a digital wellbeing studio to ship content material on to company areas, with studios in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Palm Jumeirah, and additional areas within the pipeline. 

UAE’s UDENZ raises $5m in a sequence A spherical because it goals to digitize dental healthcare 

UDENZ, a digital dental well being platform headquartered in Dubai, has secured a $5 million sequence A funding spherical from Hakim Capital Holding, Techcelerate Investments LLC, Inspira Administration, and Dubai Enterprise Company. 

Launched in 2016 by Hisham Safadi, UDENZ is a digital healthcare platform that integrates 26 companies into one platform and has catered to over 100,000 dentist search requests and confirmed greater than 5,000 bookings. Its database boasts almost 8,000 dentists from throughout the MENA area.   

UDENZ plans to make the most of the funding to expedite a free platform service for over 50,000 dentists throughout the area. 

“This vital funding will empower us to construct on our imaginative and prescient to revolutionize dental companies, making them extra accessible and efficient for each practitioners and sufferers. It’s a validation of our efforts and a catalyst for our future development,” Safadi stated.