ibrahim at neo.tax

2025 is here, and the Middle East’s startup ecosystem continues to hit major milestones. 🌍 Last year, I had the privilege of interviewing the founders behind some of the region’s most innovative companies—eyewa, Lean Technologies, Zid | زد, and Salla E-Commerce Platform. Their insights offer a glimpse into how they’re shaping the future: 👉 eyewa: Gulf-based eyewear disruptor with a vision for growth. ➛ Founders - Mehdi Oudghiri & Anass B. ↳ Surpassed 150 stores. ↳ Secured $100M funding from General Atlantic. ↳ Introduced AI-powered eye exams and virtual try-ons. ↳ 2025 plans: 250 stores and a Riyadh hub delivering custom products in 24 hours. 👉 Lean Technologies: A fintech leader bridging innovation and compliance. ➛ Founders - Hisham Al-Falih & Ashu Gupta & Aditya Sarkar & Mehdi Tazi ↳ $67.5M Series B funding from General Catalyst. ↳ $2B+ transaction volumes in the UAE. ↳ Pioneering Open Banking in Saudi Arabia. ↳ 2025 plans: Expanding Open Banking and Open Finance in Saudi Arabia and the UAE while enhancing financial infrastructure for SMEs and individuals. 👉 Zid | زد: Revolutionizing e-commerce with its Total Commerce ecosystem. ➛ Founders - Sultan H. AlAsmi & Mazen AlDarrab ↳ Merchant base grew by 30%, exceeding 12,000 active users. ↳ Integrated AI-powered tools + partnerships with Amazon, TikTok, and Meta. ↳ Merchants saw 25% GMV growth and 10x revenue increases through Zid’s programs. ↳ 2025 vision: Cross-border commerce and advanced AI solutions for merchants. 👉 Salla E-Commerce Platform: Empowering Saudi merchants with cutting-edge e-commerce tools. ➛ Founders -  Nawaf Hariri & Salman Butt ↳ $130M pre-IPO funding led by Investcorp and Sanabil Investments. ↳ 80,000+ active merchants supported $7B in sales since 2020. ↳ New tech integrations with Adjust and STC Bank. ↳ 2025 focus: Expanding payment solutions and driving Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation. Each founder’s vision is a testament to the power of combining regional insight with global ambition. 💡 Who’s a Middle Eastern startup you’re watching in 2025? Share your thoughts below. ⬇️ P.S. If this inspired you, don’t forget to share! ♻️ Articles: ↳ https://lnkd.in/dXha4rg4 ↳ https://lnkd.in/ddbasi24

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Considering a career in startups or VC? Starting today, I'm available for 1:1 calls on @Intro to help startup founders and aspiring VCs think through the path ahead. As the founder + managing director of Red Sea Ventures, we invested early in companies like Allbirds (IPO), Sweetgreen (IPO), Nest (acq. Google), Casetext (acq. Thompson Reuters), and Prose to name a few. What topics can we cover? ✔️ Finding product-market fit ✔️ The different paths to funding ✔️ Determining how much you need to raise ✔️ Building a VC firm ✔️ Careers in VC ✔️ Celebrity partnerships Honored to be alongside world-class Experts like Chris DeWolfe (co-founder of MySpace (sold for $675M), Scott Saunders (founder of Happy Money, valued $1B+) & Geraldine Martin-Coppola (former President of Goop). I’ll be donating 100% of the proceeds to Seeds of Peace

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So great to speak to Mohammed Islam on The Mo Show podcast last week! Watch the full episode here!

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✴️ Did you see who raised funds last week? Several U.S.-based startups have secured capital at the start of 2025 to drive innovation, and they’re hiring! 🇺🇸 Rembrand (Los Altos, California) #Advertising Founders Ahmed Saad, David Wiener, Omar Tawakol, and Abdel-rahman Mohamed raised $23M in Series A funding to enhance their In-Scene Advertising platform, helping brands become part of the story rather than interrupting it. 🔗 Led by: super{set}, with participation from The Trade Desk, NAVER D2SF, #L’Oréal’s BOLD, Greycroft, and others. ✅ Hiring: 2 roles available - https://bit.ly/404w2in 🇺🇸 LTV.ai (Houston, Texas) #AI Founders Asad Rehman and Kevin Kai closed a Series A funding round (undisclosed amount) to help brands maximize Customer Lifetime Value using AI and membership models. ✅ Hiring: 2 roles available - https://bit.ly/4064BVh 🇺🇸 Veritone (Irvine, California) #AI Founders Chad and Ryan Steelberg raised $20.3M in Post-IPO Equity to develop and market their AI platform that transforms data into actionable intelligence. 🔗 The company plans to use funds for: capital expenditures, debt service, and further product development. ✅ Hiring: 14 roles available - https://bit.ly/4fLXFmh 🚀 If you're exploring new opportunities or just want to stay updated on who's raising capital, make sure to follow me! #StartupFunding #HiringNow #FundingAndHiring #Innovation

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A new flood of fresh funds is reshaping the venture capital landscape! 🚀 Recent highlights include TVM Capital Healthcare’s $250M Afiyah Fund LP, SVC's $30M investment into General Atlantic’s private equity fund, Golden Gate Ventures' $100M MENA-focused fund launch, and Investcorp's $570M fund closure. These announcements signal a broader trend of escalating financial commitments within the industry. MEA funds are heating up! 🌡️ Our data reveals a 74% YoY increase in the number of MEA-based funds being financed as of May 20th, 2024. Since Q4’23, there has been a notable surge in regional funds securing capital, with international investors also establishing localized funds. Stay informed with the latest trends in VC activity: https://lnkd.in/dP6ZkmCd By MAGNiTT Repost by : Salem Bagami Chief Executive Officer Digital Transformation Company & Managing Director 2080 Ventures Email: [email protected] Website: www.2080.ventures #VC #Funds #Investing

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One of my proudest moments as an investor occurred today as Alaffia Health announced its series A because it shows how the Aperture® Venture Capital vision of multi-level, multi-generational #impactinvesting is succeeding in the marketplace. Here’s the model in its most basic form : ✅As diverse fund managers with meaningful capital to allocate, we are changing the VC landscape every day just by doing our day jobs. ✅As Black/Brown investors with ~40 years experience collectively, Aperture GPs have access to talent /excellence that others do not, so our portfolio *organically* is more inclusive by race, gender and geography even while optimizing for financial outcomes (all about the alpha). ✅Our most successful portco’s are using financial #innovation to solve market problems that impact underrepresented demographics and underserved communities. Alaffia Health is a shining example of the impact portion of our overall fund thesis, and we couldn’t be prouder of TJ Ademiluyi and Adun Akanni, MPH, PMP - the dynamic brother-sister founder duo whose vision we have steadfastly supported on their journey. Congratulations to TJ and Adun from William Crowder and myself, as well as the whole Aperture team- Marjorie King Philip McKenzie Yves Louis-Jacques Tanvi Lal Michelle Dhansinghani Lisha Bell Katie Kelly Amy Chung Cindy Chong, CFA Brian Fernandes-Halloran Monroe France Jayden Pantel Darren Herman Evan Wladis Neal Triplett Thomas Scriven Peter Ammon Irina Bit-Babik Tim Milanich Rob Rahbari

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I really enjoyed breaking in our new studio to sit down with Temporal Technologies Co-Founders Samar Abbas and Maxim Fateev for the latest episode of Founded & Funded. Temporal was founded in 2019 based on an open-source microservices orchestration engine project but is the result of a more than decade-long partnership between the two co-founders that spanned their time working on different iterations of the same thing at AWS, Microsoft, and Uber. In this episode, Samar, Maxim, and I dive into the challenges of building an open-source ecosystem while also working on a commercial offering and scaling a successful company, how to navigate and adjust a product roadmap in an ever-changing world of AI and large language models, and how to successfully build an early startup team, navigate through a CEO transition, and bring on a startups first independent board member. It's a very compelling conversation and a must-listen for every builder out there. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gymf9sES Find other platforms and the transcript on our website: https://lnkd.in/ggRtnKtM Be sure to subscribe to our channel for more deep dives into cutting-edge technologies and the minds behind them. Don't forget to like, comment, and share this conversation if you found it valuable!

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Spotting future unicorns isn’t magic → it’s about seeing potential in people Meeting over 500 founders each year, I’ve learned to recognize those who stand out Here are four founders from the last 60 days 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁: Syed Gilani, CEO at Safr Care: Syed’s venture is revolutionizing healthcare transportation with innovative tech. • Exceptional problem-solution fit • Robust go-to-market strategy • Engaging pitch, felt like a conversation • Bold humility Jim Petzel, CEO at CEND: Jim is transforming the moving industry with a fast-growing SaaS platform. • Fast-growing and profitable • Consistently doubling revenue • Strong, confident team • Brings the receipts Julee Dilley, Founder of PRAYR app: Julee’s app fills a unique niche in the Christian community with a brilliant model. • Powerful mission and belief • Genius business model • Quite the fundraiser • Backed by the right VCs Kevin Jurovich, Co-Founder at Circles: Kevin, an ex-NFL player, is building a unique app that combines the best of TikTok and Yelp, offering real-time video insights into bars and restaurants. • Brilliant app • Instant acquisition target (big exit) • Impressive pitch and cap table care • Kevin inspires and motivates other founders Most of the 38,000 founders who come to our site each month aren’t a fit for our venture studio or startup incubator, none of these fit our model, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 100%, the market says YES to these four amazing founders and their unforgettable startups. Founders, keep pushing forward; your “yes” is out there. Need help, reach out. Like this? Follow Gerald Duran for daily Startup and VC advice, and sometimes — a kick in the nuts. #startups #founders #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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Will Ahmed, Founder/CEO of WHOOP launched his company in 2012 and had version 1.0 out in 2015. As founders, we often rush to push out a product and validate demand. While everyone’s timeline is different, my conversation with Will highlighted 3 important points: 1) Never settle with a founding team that isn’t willing to spend long hours and expect failure at the first few iterations. 2) Building a sticky product requires you to be genuinely interested in the well-being of your customers. 3) ARR is a great metric, but seeing strangers use your product is an even better one.

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Here we go! The Extra Innings Ventures team, including Jacqueline Dinsmore, Mohamed (Mo) Al-Borno, and I, will be attending Collision this week! We're looking forward to connecting with fellow founders, investors, and innovators. If you're attending, let's connect! Reach out to us via LinkedIn, and let's schedule a meeting. Whether it's this week or in the coming weeks, we'd love to chat about your projects and explore potential. Looking forward to a great conference and meaningful connections! #Collision #Startups #Investors #Innovation"

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What's the pertinence of "rent-now-pay-later"? It has to do with landlords asking for a year of rent in advance. Here's how Walid Shihabi, co-founder of Keyper, explains the problem and the solution Keyper is building: " Most of these rent payments happen via written, physical checks. This is a hassle: the landlords have to safely store these checks, physically cash them in… They don’t know if the check will bounce or not, which leads to the second problem: the restrictive nature of these payments. Since the process is so heavy, landlords in Dubai prefer to have rent paid a year in advance. This is a heavy burden for most tenants, who don’t have the cash on hand. Some downgrade the property quality they aspire to and often, take an interest-bearing loan to pay that one-year payment. Most people thought the problem was the financing of tenants: if only tenants could get better loan terms, surely the problem would be solved. Keyper chose to reinvent the process entirely. To fix the antiquated part, we built digital payment rails for rent payments. Tenants can now pay with their credit card or by direct debit, where the central bank directly pulls money from the tenant’s account and deposits it into the landlord’s one. Direct debit is exciting because there are no fees involved (unlike credit cards). This makes it nicely suited for the high ticket transactions that rent payments usually are. As the UAE works on open banking (opening consumers’ banking data to 3rd parties), this payment method will improve. To fix the restrictive part, we’ve built a rent-now-pay-later (RNPL) tool that enables tenants to pay their rent monthly instead of yearly, upfront. " Read Walid's full Realistic Optimist interview here: https://lnkd.in/gPkasR9n

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One of my favorite things is to have a conversation with builders & founders about the personal experience and complexity of working to bring new deep tech to the point where it makes a real difference in our world. So looking forward to this!

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The Wall Street Journal broke news of xAI's massive $5B round of financing, at a $50B valuation. Participating investors include: Qatar Investment Authority, Valor Equity Partners, Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. For those keeping track xAI was valued at $40B during their last round about six months ago, and has now closed $11B of new investment in 2024 alone. Investors obviously see something that is keeping them excited about Elon Musk, xAI, #AI, #LLM. What do you think? #management #venturecapital, #privateequity, #capitalmarkets

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🚀 Ready to take the leap into entrepreneurship and investing? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive live Zoom session on May 29th with Iron Key Capital and Ramana Capital to discuss capital raising strategies for founders. This event is designed for individuals eager to dive into the world of startups and venture investing. Our session will cover essential topics such as: - Understanding your options when raising capital as a founder - The inside scoop on what VCs won’t tell you - Techniques for bootstrapping a business - The importance of angel investors and syndicates Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from industry leaders about fundraising best practices and connect with a community of like-minded founders and investors. 📅 Date: May 29th ⏲ Time: 5:00 PM EST 🔗 Registration Link: [https://lu.ma/u7blq5e9] Secure your spot today and take the first step towards becoming a versatile and adaptable founder. #VentureCapital #StartupInvestment #Networking #IronKeyCapital #RamanaCapital #Fundraising #Investment We look forward to seeing you there!

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🤖 AI is revolutionizing the way founders create pitch decks! 🚀 In our latest Founder & Friends podcast, Haje Kamps shares his groundbreaking tool that analyzes pitch decks and provides actionable insights. 💡📊 Could this be the key to securing investment for your startup? 🔑💰 Learn more by listening to the full episode or checking out pitch.guide! Link in the original post by Kruze Consulting. #startup #fundraising #pitchdeck

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Interesting observations for those tracking the growth of the startup ecosystem across MENA

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OneCFO’s first Board Meeting post pre-seed funding is done. As a Founder, I know that I don’t know everything. So, I ask the wisdom and guidance of those who have been there and done that. Those wisemen who can actually provide sound advice and insights. Those who generously share business lessons straight from their own experiences in building real actual companies (not “startups”) and making real impact (not just hype or noise). At first I thought nobody would support me. Because after dozens of rejections, betrayals, and getting “seenzoned” by those whom I initially sought help from (particularly those I helped in the past), I decided to stop looking for help. It was the universe that conspired to help me attract the right team. How? Authenticity. I am not afraid to speak my mind and my heart. I’m not intimated by money, power, and fame. Neither I seek recognitions, awards, fame and power. I don’t chase. I attract. I am on a mission to change the business landscape for the better. These industry luminaries and business leaders in my Board get it. We’re now ready to revolutionize the millions of businesses in the Philippines and beyond! We are ready for 2025! (From left to right: Former BIR Commissioner and BOA Chair, Joel L. Tan-Torres, AIM Global Chairman and CEO, Dr. Ed Cabantog, me, my Co-Founder & COO Lim Cornejo, and our Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel, Meer Law as represented by Atty. Aquino, Atty. Villar and Atty. Meer. Attending via Zoom is international private banker, Yoshihiro Nishi) #entrepreneurship #founderstories #startups #motivationalquotes #leadership #business

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Ali Raza | Saudi Arabia Holding Co. Thanks for sharing; The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia plays a critical role in the kingdom's economic diversification, in line with Vision 2030’s goal of reducing dependence on oil. In 2024, PIF made noteworthy investments, including 40 billion dollars in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, alongside 319 million dollars in the coffee industry. This year, the fund has also bolstered its presence in key sectors such as infrastructure, tourism, and sports. For 2025, PIF plans to increase its annual spending from 50 billion dollars to 70 billion, further strengthening its position on the global stage. Projections for PIF's growth in 2025, based on advanced financial models like scenario analysis and Monte Carlo simulations, suggest a considerable rise in assets under management (AUM). With an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 15% and 20%, PIF’s managed assets are expected to reach 800 billion dollars, with a potential growth range of 780 billion to 830 billion, depending on macroeconomic factors and sector-specific developments. PIF’s portfolio is expected to benefit substantially from its investments in artificial intelligence and other high-growth technologies, which could generate annual returns of 12% to 15%, contributing approximately 6 billion dollars to total returns. National megaprojects like NEOM will serve as a catalyst for economic growth, with an expected impact of 50 billion dollars by 2025. On the global front, investments in infrastructure and strategic partnerships are projected to yield returns of 8% to 10%. PIF is on track to solidify its position as one of the world’s most influential sovereign wealth funds, with assets under management reaching 800 billion dollars by the end of 2025. This growth will be driven by strategic investments in cutting-edge technologies, national projects, and increased international diversification. These efforts will ensure PIF remains a driving force behind Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification and a significant player in the global economy.

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Investor insights - @Passant Abed from @Shorooq Partners- Empower remarkable founders who are creating new industries Investor Insights | Walking Around in Silicon Valley- buff.ly/4dJgB5l Edition 4:  Passant Abed from Shorooq Partners- Empower remarkable founders who are creating new industries Pre-seed to A:   $1-3M check sizes Geography- Focused on MENA. What they look for: resilience, adaptability with vision, connected to space they are in. Dealbreakers – Founders believe in valuation over value, and not reflective of success of startup, Advise – always work on super solid network, treat investors and other founders for meaningful business relationship. Exit- very important but depends on stage and driven by vision. Passant is a Senior Investment Professional with Shorooq Partners- an early-stage Venture Capital & Debt fund focused on the MENAP region. Shorooq Partners has invested in over 45 companies, generating over $1.5 billion of equity value.

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