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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
- EmCoin launched as the UAE’s first onshore CMA-regulated multi-asset platform spanning crypto, equities, forex, and commodities.
- Qatar and Germany launched DEEP Qatar in Doha to support deep-tech ventures, science-led innovation, and cross-border technology transfer.
- Yuno partnered with MENA’s Tap Payments to provide its enterprise merchants with a turnkey solution for seamless expansion into the GCC.
- Saudi startup WHJ.ai launched its AI platform, Sanam, to connect systems and automate operations while ensuring data privacy.
- AlBalad AlAmeen partnered with Sary to establish a unified digital platform that organize food supply chains for the Hajj and Umrah sectors.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Kitopi raised $50 million in a debt round led by EvolutionX to accelerate its regional expansion and franchising strategy across the GCC.
- Qureos secured $5 million in a seed round led by Prosus Ventures to develop its AI, expand its team, and accelerate geographic expansion.
- SkipCash closed a $4 million Series A funding round to accelerate the development of its smart payments infrastructure and Gulf expansion.
- Daleel landed $3 million in a pre-seed round to develop its AI platform that unifies government data with property listings across the GCC.
- Saudi-based Mersal Media Capital obtained $1.3 million inits first funding round to support growth and build media partnerships.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Alefredo EdTech acquired Tutor House to build a unified AI-powered education ecosystem across EMEA and expand its market presence.
- Tarabut acquired Bahrain-based Servable to integrate its capabilities, and evolve into a full-stack, AI-native financial platform for the region.
🏦 About Investors
- BlueFive Capital closed its $3 billion Onyx Fund I, an ADGM-registered fund targeting opportunistic technology and growth capital investments.
- Qatar's sovereign wealth fund tripled its venture capital Fund of Funds to $3 billion to attract global fund managers and entrepreneurs.
- UAE-based investment firm Shorooq launched a $200 million late-stage growth fund under its Qatalyst Series, backed by Qatar Investment Authority.
- SC Ventures and Sanabil Studio signed an MoU to build and scale SME-focused fintech ventures in Saudi Arabia.
- TVM Capital Healthcare appointed Jad Halaby as Operating Partner to leverage his experience in building and scaling healthcare platforms.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Kitopi
Kitopi, the Dubai‑based food tech powerhouse launched in 2018, has rapidly transformed from a regional cloud kitchen pioneer into a full‑stack food and beverage ecosystem, blending proprietary technology with hospitality to serve customers across the GCC. Backed by notable investors including SoftBank, BECO Capital, and Chimera, the company recently secured $50 million in debt financing led by Temasek‑ and DBS Bank‑backed EvolutionX, marking the fund’s first Gulf investment and reflecting Kitopi’s profitability and strong growth trajectory. Under CEO and co‑founder Mohamad Ballout and his founding team, Kitopi is deploying this capital to expand its homegrown brands and accelerate franchising while scaling its loyalty app.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
BlueFive Capital
BlueFive Capital, launched in late 2024 out of Abu Dhabi by seasoned investor Hazem Ben‑Gacem, has quickly made its mark as a global alternative investment firm with a sharp focus on technology and growth opportunities across developed markets. Known for bridging Gulf sovereign capital with Western innovation, this private equity and growth investor just closed its landmark $3 billion Onyx Fund I, anchored by GCC capital and registered with the Abu Dhabi Global Market, to back frontier sectors like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced computing in the U.S. and Europe. Led by Ben‑Gacem alongside an experienced leadership group, BlueFive is differentiating itself by connecting institutional capital with high‑impact tech ventures, reinforcing its mission to fuel transformative growth across the global ecosystem.
🤑 Opportunities Expiring Soon
xG-Incubator
- 📢 Organizer: xG-Incubator
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Connectivity & Networks, DeepTech
- 📅 Application Deadline: February 9, 2026
Y Combinator — Spring 2026 Batch
- 📢 Organizer: Y Combinator
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator, Funding
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: February 10, 2026
Programa de Aceleração de Startups do Grupo Boticário (GB Ventures)
- 📢 Organizer: GB Ventures (Grupo Boticário)
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Revenue-generating, Seed, Pre-Series A
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Retail & Consumer, Health & Life Sciences, Finance & Insurance
- 📅 Application Deadline: February 11, 2026
Scale Your Impact with Start it @KBC
- 📢 Organizer: KBC Group
- 🗂️ Category: Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Stage Agnostic
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: February 16, 2026
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