MENAbytes

Riyadh-based credit infrastructure platform Orbii has raised $3.6 million in a seed funding round led by Prosus Ventures, with participation from VentureSouq, DASH Ventures, Taz Investments and Sanabil 500, it announced today. Founded in 2024 by Nauman Ali, Guillaume Kieffer and Nasara Mughal, Orbii provides AI-powered credit infrastructure that enables financial institutions and B2B platforms to launch SME lending products.

Egyptian B2B startup TradeHub has officially shut down operations and returned all remaining capital to investors, 18 months after raising a $1.4 million pre-seed round, co-founder Ahmed Gaber announced on LinkedIn earlier this week. The startup, which was founded in late December 2023 by Ahmed Gaber and Ahmed Atef, initially launched as a cross-border B2B marketplace aimed at simplifying exports and helping local manufacturers access international markets.

Dubai-based car rental startup WheelsOn has closed a $12.5 million funding round that combines $2.2 million in equity from a group of investors, including the founders of London-based Xploration Capital, $6.5 million for fleet expansion, and $4 million in bank financing. The deal values the two-year-old company at nearly $30 million.

Riyadh-headquartered AI startup Intella has raised $12.5 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by Prosus, with participation from 500 Global, Wa’ed Ventures, Hala Ventures, Idrisi Ventures, and HearstLab, it announced today. The round brings the company’s total funding to $16.9 million. It previously raised $3.4 million in a pre-Series A led by Hala Ventures and Wa’ed Ventures in October 2023 and $1 million in a seed round led by Hala Ventures in March 2022.

Qatar Investment Authority has joined a major group of global investors in backing Anthropic’s massive $13 billion Series F funding round. The round values Anthropic at $183 billion post-money, nearly tripling its valuation from $61.5 billion just six months ago in March 2025. The funding round was led by Iconiq Capital alongside co-leads Fidelity Management & Research Company and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Munify has raised $3 million in seed funding to build a cross-border neobank that serves both the Egyptian diaspora sending money home and local freelancers and businesses seeking access to U.S. banking. The round, according to TechCrunch, was led by Y Combinator, with participation from regional investors including BYLD and DCG. The fintech was founded in 2024 by Khalid Ashmawy, the co-founder and former CTO of one of the region’s leading proptech Huspy.

Saudi Arabia-based Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) startup Zetta has successfully closed a $12 million Series A funding round led by Core Vision Investment and National Dimensions Investment. The strategic investment will fuel the company’s expansion plans and strengthen its presence in Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing technology sector. The round follows a $1.5 million pre-seed last year.

UAE-based fintech Holo has raised $22 million in a Series A funding round led by Saudi Arabia’s Impact46, with participation from Mubadala Investment Company, Rua Growth Fund, anb seed, and MoreThan Capital. Returning investors Salica Oryx Fund and Dubai Future District Fund also joined the round, which the company describes as one of the largest Series A rounds in the GCC for 2025.

Saudi Arabia’s leading vacation rental platform Gathern has raised $72 million in  Series B round led by Sanabil Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, with participation from STV, Pinnacle Capital, Nuwa Capital, and Endeavor Catalyst. The round values the company at over $266 million, making it the highest-valued venture-backed startup in the Middle East founded and led by a woman, according to Termsheet.

Riyadh-based game development studio Fahy Studios has closed a $1.75 million funding round led by Impact46 and Merak Capital, as the two-year-old startup works toward its ambitious goal of building hit global games from Saudi Arabia. The investment will help Fahy accelerate development of its pipeline of hybrid-casual mobile games, which blend accessible gameplay with deeper engagement mechanics.