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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Asia, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌏️
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📰 Important News
- NEOPAY launchedUAE SME POS loans with Wio Bank and partnered with Nymbl to roll out QR order and pay at table solutions for F&B merchants.
- Inception partnered with AppliedAI to build a unified AI workflow platform enabling agent-driven automation and execution for enterprises.
- Egyptian edtech eYouth expanded into Iraq, launching an Arabic-first workforce skills platform in partnership with Al-Majal Group.
- HUMAIN and Infra announced a $1.2 billion Strategic Financing Framework Agreement to expand AI and digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi healthtech firm SDM is pioneering AI-driven eye disease diagnosis and studying the eye microbiome in space with Cornell University.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Eat App raised a $10 million Series B extension from PSG Equity to expand its restaurant management platform in India.
- UAE-based OpenCX secured $7 million in Seed funding from Y Combinator and X by Unifonic to scale its AI customer communication platform.
- Saudi agritech startup Grove raised $5 million in Seed funding led by Outliers VC to revolutionize the Kingdom's fresh produce sector.
- Four agritech startups have won a $2 million prize in the UAE foodtech Challenge for their solutions in climate-smart agriculture.
- Breez AI landed $1.3 million in pre-seed funding led by Wamda Capital to expand its no-code voice orchestration platform.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Gushcloud International acquired a majority stake in TalentPlus Dubai to expand its creator management and monetization platform in the rapidly growing MENA region, capitalizing on the booming digital landscape and high social media engagement.
🏦 About Investors
- Qatar Investment Authority and Goldman Sachs are expanding their strategic partnership with a $25 billion investment target for private market strategies and direct opportunities in AI, fintech, and private credit.
- Gulf Partners Group launched in Bahrain as a management-led private markets firm, targeting middle market deals across private equity, credit, and real estate.
- Credit Oman and Hal Capital partnered to enhance financing access for MSMEs in Oman, boosting their operations.
- SICO Capital appointed Hashem Alsada as Head of Equities Asset Management in Riyadh, bringing over 12 years’ experience in the financial sector.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Eat App
Eat App, a UAE-based restaurant management platform founded in 2015 by Nezar Kadhem and David Feuillard, is building the operating system behind modern dining. Its cloud suite combines reservations, table management,and guest CRM to replace fragmented tools and unify guest data for restaurants worldwide. Led by CEO Nezar Kadhem, the company just raised a $10 million Series B extension, led by PSG Equity via Zenchef, bringing total funding tomore than $23 million. The capital is powering a major push into India, following the acquisition of ReserveGo and a commercial partnership with Swiggy, including the GroMax offering. Eat App’s mission is simple: help restaurants run smarter and grow faster.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Outliers Venture Capital
Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Riyadh, Outliers Venture Capital is an early-stage VC backing category-defining technology startups across MENA. Operator-led at its core, the firm focuses on overlooked but economically critical markets, partnering early with founders at the pre-seed and seed stages. Outliers recently led Grove’s $5 million seed round in Saudi Arabia, backing a vertically integrated, local-first fresh produce platform tackling deep supply chain inefficiencies. The firm has participated in nearly 200 investments to date. Led by Founder and General Partner Mohammed Almeshekah, Outliers brings rare operating, policy, and digital transformation experience, positioning itself as a long-term partner building foundational companies for the region’s next growth cycle.
🤑 Opportunities Expiring Soon
Alliance The Leading Crypto Accelerator and Founder Community
- 📢 Organizer: Alliance
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Finance & Insurance, Web3 & Blockchain, AI & Data
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 28, 2026
Accelerate Your Pre-Seed Vision with SE Ventures
- 📢 Organizer: SE Ventures
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Energy & Environment, Manufacturing & Materials, AI & Data
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
Google for Startups Accelerator Middle East North Africa and Turkey
- 📢 Organizer: Google for Startups
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Seed, Pre-Series A, Series A
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
TMF Beyond Boundaries EMEA Social Entrepreneurship Program 2026
- 📢 Organizer: The Mentorship Foundation (TMF)
- 🗂️ Category: Funding, Incubator, Award/Prize
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Health & Life Sciences, Energy & Environment, Education & Workforce, Social & Governance
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
PRME Students Innovation Studio
- 📢 Organizer: Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 31, 2026
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