Participated · Equity · Oct 2023

Pearl Semiconductor, founded in 2020 as a spinoff from Si‑Ware Systems, develops timing integrated circuits and reference clocks used in automobiles, 5G networks and cloud computing. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands with R&D centers in Egypt and Malaysia. Its products are manufactured through outsourced partners in Taiwan or Malaysia. Pearl received initial financial backing from Sawari and Si‑Ware. Recently the company raised USD 4.5 million in a funding round from local and regional investors. The new capital was provided by Sawari Ventures, Shorooq Partners, QBN Capital and several angel investors.

Led · Series C · Mar 2023

almentor operates an Arabic online video learning platform offering courses for individuals, corporations, and government entities. The company has worked with more than 950 mentors to create over 1,000 online courses and recently launched monthly and annual subscription plans providing unlimited access to a library of over 700 courses. Course topics include health, humanities, technology, entrepreneurship, business management, lifestyle, drama, sports, corporate communication, and digital media. almentor targets a market of more than 400 million Arabic speakers with underserved educational needs. The company plans to increase investment in its B2C segment and expand into Saudi Arabia. Leadership includes CEO Dr. Ihab Fikry, COO Ibrahim Kamel, and other named executives responsible for customer, technology, business development, finance, and content production. Almentor operates a continuous e-learning platform curating top-rated video-based training programs and talks delivered by subject-matter experts, available through both B2C and B2B channels. The platform offers what it describes as the largest high-quality Arabic video learning library, including paid courses, free talks, crash courses and books. Almentor reports over 2 million successful learning experiences and more than 80 enterprise partnerships across the MENA region. The company was founded by Dr. Ihab Fikry and Ibrahim Kamel, is Dubai, UAE–based, launched in 2016 and officially rolled out its platform in January 2018. Financially, Almentor has raised $6.5M in a Series B that brings total funding to $14.5M since inception. Investors and the company say the next phase of growth will focus on expanding access to the estimated 430 million Arabic-speaking population.

Led · Seed · Nov 2022

Blnk offers point-of-sale consumer financing through a merchant network of more than 3,000 stores across categories such as electronics, home appliances, automotive services, and furniture, enabling consumers to access loans with minimal documentation in as little as three minutes and repayment terms of 6 to 36 months. The company uses proprietary algorithms and machine learning models to perform localized, real-time credit risk assessments and price loans based on predicted default probabilities. Since its seed round in November 2022, Blnk has onboarded over one million customers, grown a loan portfolio exceeding EGP 1 billion, and reported reaching profitability in 2025 driven by a 173% year-on-year revenue increase. Around 75% of its users were previously unbanked or underbanked, and women make up more than 35% of its customer base. Blnk plans to expand its product suite, enhance its technology, explore geographic expansion, and launch a credit card program that allows customers to use credit limits outside its merchant network. The company leverages both equity and local debt capital to scale operations and broaden access to consumer finance in Egypt.

Participated · Series B · Oct 2022

MoneyFellows digitizes the traditional ROSCA model by letting users form or join savings “circles” through its app and matching savers and borrowers using behavioural data, credit scores, and income tiers. The company typically does not lend from its balance sheet, stepping in only when a circle has an unfilled slot; under 10% of slots are unfilled and only about 7–8% of active slots require the company to supply working capital. MoneyFellows has kept operations lean and says it has reached profitability in Egypt. Since launching in 2016, the platform has grown to over 8.5 million users (up from 4.5 million at the last funding milestone) and the average payout per user has increased from 23,000 EGP to 45,000 EGP. It recently launched a card product for payouts, repayments, and merchant spending, and plans to add investment, payroll, insurance, and remittance products. After nearly a decade refining the model, the company has partnered with over 350 local and regional entities, facilitated more than $50 million in investments, and plans to expand regionally starting with a Morocco launch by year-end. Money Fellows digitizes traditional money circles (ROSCAs), enabling users to join, form and participate in rotating savings groups via its app while applying credit assessments to broaden participant pools. The platform charges a one-time service fee (about 6% for early slots, decreasing for later slots) and generates additional revenue via B2B merchant partnerships and commissions. It sets aside reserves and follows a provisioning schedule to cover defaults and manage credit exposure across different ROSCA slots. The company reports over 4.5 million registered users, with roughly 7% monthly active users and an average payout ticket of about 23,000 EGP (~$1,100); it claims 8x year-over-year growth. Money Fellows also plans to expand its product mix — including buy now pay later, pension products and cards (aiming to earn interchange fees) — and to grow across B2C and B2B segments and into other African and Asian markets. MoneyFellows is a Cairo-based fintech platform that digitises informal rotating savings and credit associations (money circles) to help users manage group lending and savings. Its product includes salary automated deductions, fixed payout dates and a smart scoring system to assess users. The startup says it has over 150,000 active users verified by a user assessment algorithm. MoneyFellows was founded in 2016 by CEO Ahmed Wadi. The company plans to use new investment to expand operations across Egypt and into other African countries and to launch a slate of new products in the coming months. MoneyFellows offers a digital platform that automates and manages informal rotating savings and credit circles with features like salary automated deductions, fixed payout dates and a smart scoring system. Since launching it has grown to over 250,000 registered users and 65,000 monthly active users, with paying users showing 60% month-on-month growth. The company reports having generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue and says over $5 million has circulated through the platform. Current product plans include a software release with new features and user-experience improvements and integration of multiple ewallets and direct debit options via banking partners. MoneyFellows also plans bill-payment and merchant-acceptance features to let users spend credit at merchants. The startup aims to expand across MENA (Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia) and into several African markets (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa) to increase financial inclusion for underserved populations.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2022

ExpandCart is a leading provider of online shop creation services and platforms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Since its inception in 2016 the company has expanded to more than 40 countries with a customer base of more than 25,000 merchants. Those merchants have produced more than $850 million in revenues by operating in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. ExpandCart is gearing up to launch a Series B to expand into newer markets and to develop a comprehensive electronic system of products and business solutions that will help acquire merchant segments beyond a traditional online store. The company says the new funding will support expansion and growth in existing markets, with a focus on maximizing research and development and developing new technologies and products to supply one million merchants in MENA with smart technology products over the next three years. One of its products is ExpandBot, a chatbot that allows merchants to communicate with customers and reply to inquiries via Facebook Messenger without hiring additional customer care staff. ExpandCart is an eCommerce and retail platform in the Middle East providing comprehensive digital commerce solutions to merchants and retailers. Its omnichannel selling suite includes a feature-rich, customizable storefront platform, an integrated cloud point-of-sale system, and a branded merchant mobile app. The company is trusted by more than 20,000 merchants across over 40 countries and reports doubling its numbers each year as it expanded across the GCC, Egypt, and North Africa. ExpandCart has formed partnerships with Facebook, Google, PayPal, DHL, Boubyan Bank and others to support growth and merchant GMV. The company announced a $2.5M Series A investment as part of a strategic plan to focus on digital commerce solutions targeting online and offline retailers and to reduce the gap between suppliers and merchants in the Middle East. During the COVID-19 pandemic ExpandCart supported thousands of merchants in moving online, which helped shape its product roadmap.