Participated · Seed · Aug 2024

MealPlanet is an Emirati food-tech company operating in the broader food and dining sector. The firm has positioned itself within the Middle East’s growing technology ecosystem by leveraging innovative approaches to food services, though specific product details were not disclosed in the article. Its recent capital infusion underscores investor confidence in the region’s food-tech opportunities. The company attracted backing from prominent regional and international investors, signalling the potential for accelerated growth. While the article did not provide operating metrics such as revenue, user counts, or unit economics, the successful seed raise indicates early market traction. MealPlanet’s Emirati roots situate it in a strategically significant market with access to both GCC and wider MENA consumers. The fresh funding is expected to support product development and market expansion initiatives. Future financial milestones were not outlined in the article.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2023

COGNNA delivers AI-led Cybersecurity as a Service through its "Nexus" platform, which blends AI, automation, and human expertise to offer proactive, predictive protection for enterprises and SMEs. The platform claims 200% faster threat detection and resolution, up to 50% lower security-operations costs, and enterprise-ready deployment in under 30 minutes. Branded as an “Agentic SOC,” Nexus is designed not just to respond to attacks but to anticipate them in real time. The leadership team comprises seasoned cybersecurity specialists from Fortune 500 companies and global technology firms. With new funding, COGNNA intends to advance its AI automation R&D, scale product, sales, and operations, and hire additional engineering and SOC talent. The company also plans to expand beyond the MENA region into global markets, positioning itself to compete internationally in the rapidly growing cybersecurity sector.

Participated · Series B · Oct 2022

VUZ builds and distributes immersive, 360-degree video experiences for live events and creator content, viewable on mobile apps, the web, VR headsets like Apple Vision Pro and Oculus, and smart TVs. The company has signed exclusive immersive streaming deals with La Liga and the Professional Fighters League and works with over 100 content creators whose combined audience reach tops 100 million. VUZ has crossed 15 million users globally (up from 10 million in 2022) and now logs nearly 3 billion screen views (up from 1 billion); it says it doubled revenue over the past two years and posted an 80% increase in gross profit last year. The startup reached profitability in 2023 and shifted its content mix from roughly 70% free to about 60% free and 40% premium, monetized via annual subscriptions and telecom bundles. Its creator-focused operating model trains and equips freelance reporters and creators with proprietary cameras and supports them via an internal VUZ Studio to reduce production costs and speed editing. VUZ plans to double down in Saudi Arabia and the UAE while accelerating expansion into Africa, Asia, and the U.S.; it has over 40 telecom partnerships, offices in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and the U.S., is building teams in India and Indonesia, and is live in Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria with a South Africa launch planned later this year. VUZ is a platform that offers premium immersive content—more than 20,000 hours—covering entertainment, creators, sports and XR/VR/AR experiences accessible via iOS, Android, headsets and web. The app provides 360-degree live streams including live events, concerts, celebrity interviews and masterclasses; about 70% of content is free (monetized with ads) while exclusive content is sold for $4–$8. Founder and CEO Khaled Zaatarah says VUZ has reached over 10 million users and more than 1 billion screen views since launch, with 44% of views from the Middle East, 32% from the U.S. and 24% from Egypt. The company reports roughly 10% month-on-month recurring revenue growth and top creators have generated over 100 million views globally. VUZ plans to expand internationally (including scaling its Los Angeles office), invest in content and senior hires, add new social features, launch web3 products and NFT projects, and scale into eight new markets using asset-light operations. Partnerships and integration with 45 telecom operators are cited as a backbone for its global expansion. 360VUZ operates a live-stream 360° VR video app that connects users across more than 15 countries. Led by founder and CEO Khaled Zaatarah, the company offers immersive video experiences and holds a U.S. patent related to augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual control and new advertising solutions. The company plans to use new funds to further develop its immersive video app technology, scale the business, expand its global reach, and deliver more personalized experiences along with additional proprietary technologies. 360VUZ has offices in Dubai, Los Angeles and Riyadh and employs a team of more than 30 people. Financially, the Series A increases the company’s total amount raised to $7M to date.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2020

Fakespot uses AI to identify fake listings and fraudulent or AI-generated reviews across major online marketplaces. The company launched a consumer-facing Chrome extension that has been downloaded 300,000 times and has seen millions of visits to its Fakespot analyzer. Its database contains more than 8 billion reviews, which the AI uses to spot inorganic review activity and fake upvotes. Fakespot currently scans marketplaces including Amazon, eBay, Best Buy, Walmart and Sephora, and plans to add Shopify assessments soon. The product is free today; the company expects to monetize by adding a suite of paid tools atop the free offering and via potential lead-generation deals with verified vendors. The founder has acknowledged that mobile apps need more attention as shopping shifts to mobile, a stated product focus going forward.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2020

Floward is an online platform for flower and gift delivery that follows a pure-play model to control customer experience and last-mile delivery. Founded in 2017 by Kuwaiti entrepreneur Abdulaziz Al-Loughani, the startup works with regional designers, influencers and partner brands (cakes, chocolate, perfumes) to offer a wide product mix across price points. Floward operates in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and plans to launch in six more cities in the region before the end of the year. The company reports annualized net revenue of over $30 million (net revenue). Floward has created a playbook for city launches and has navigated expansion challenges by learning different customer bases and building distributed teams. To date it has raised close to $7 million, including a recent $2.75 million round.