Qatar fund invests in AI logistics start-up with Hong Kong backing

🇦🇪 Global Islamic fintech leader Wahed has landed a strategic investment from Abu Dhabi-based Phoenix Venture Partners to fuel its next phase of growth and prepare for a Series C funding round. → A strategic investment to accelerate growth and a near-term Series C → Wahed is an ethical investment platform with over 300,000 clients globally → The platform is licensed and operating in 9 different jurisdictions → The partnership will support new product launches and global expansion #menastartupdigest #uae #abudhabi #fintech #islamicfinance #wahed #investment #funding #startup

UNCOVERED FUND & Monex Ventures Launch USD 20m Africa Fund A new partnership between specialist venture capital firm Uncovered Fund and corporate VC Monex Ventures (Monex Group, Inc.) highlights increasing Japanese investment in Africa's technology landscape. The two have launched the "Uncovered Monex Africa Investment Partnership," a ¥3 billion (around $20 million) fund targeting early-stage startups in Africa and the MENA region. The fund will provide capital to companies developing the continent's foundational digital and physical infrastructure, concentrating on four primary sectors: finance, distribution, mobility, and sustainability. 👉 Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter, the "Japan FinTech Observer", here: https://lnkd.in/gNjUuSxG https://lnkd.in/gnpfy5xx

GCC-based venture capital firm VentureSouq has launched the $50 million MENA FinTech Fund I to back early-stage fintech and SaaS companies across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (MENAP). The fund is backed by the Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) and the Jada Fund of Funds, Bahrain’s Al Waha Fund of Funds, UAE’s DisruptAD, ADQ’s venture platform, and Mubadala Investment Company, alongside OFC, the Middle East investment arm of The Olayan Group. https://lnkd.in/g4hxzjZd

🇸🇦🇬🇧 anb capital and Lexham Partners have announced a new $200 million Growth Fund dedicated to the MENA region, with a strategic focus on Saudi Arabia. → A new $200 million fund for the MENA region → Will back technology companies at the growth and pre-IPO stages → Deploys capital via secondary transactions and growth equity → Aims to support the digital transformation goals of Saudi Vision 2030 #menastartupdigest #saudiarabia #uk #vcfunding #growthcapital #tech #investment #mena #vision2030

𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘅 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 $20𝗠 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗩𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 Japanese venture firm Monex Ventures and Uncovered Fund have launched a $20 million fund to back early-stage African and MENA startups in fintech, logistics, mobility, and sustainability. Beyond capital, the fund will connect founders with Japanese corporates for market access, technical expertise, and distribution support, positioning itself as a strategic bridge between Africa and Japan’s innovation ecosystems.

Saudi Arabia-based fintech HALA has raised $157 million in a Series B round. The funding round is led by The Rise Fund, TPG’s multi-sector global impact investing strategy, and Sanabil Investments, a wholly owned company by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), with participation from QED Investors, RAED Ventures, Impact46, Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), Isometry Capital, Arzan Venture Capital, BNVT Capital, Kaltaire Investments, Endeavor Catalyst, Nour Nouf Ventures, Khwarizmi Ventures, and Wamda Capital. Founded in 2018 by Esam Alnahdi and Maher Loubieh, HALA offers SME banking and freelancer solutions, enabling them to start, run, and grow their businesses seamlessly. https://lnkd.in/dtD36xii

Elev8 Venture Partners, a venture capital firm founded by former Kae Capital partner Navin Honagudi, has closed its first fund at Rs 1,400 crore (about $160 million), marking its entry into India’s crowded growth-stage investment market. The fund, which received its Category II alternative investment fund licence from the Securities and Exchange Board of India in 2022, will focus on companies in consumer internet, enterprise software, and fintech. Its investors include institutions from South Korea, Hong Kong and India, along with sovereign funds, family offices and several unicorn founders. Read the full story here:👇 https://lnkd.in/ddv-2CAe #venturecapital #investors #investment #funding #startup #indianstartupnews

Vestoo Investment Dispute Ordered Back Into Israeli Arbitration https://lnkd.in/eAce4ir7 Goldeneye Advisors LLC must continue the arbitration proceeding it started last year, in Israel, before suing a venture capital firm over a $1 million investment in a now-collapsed insurtech startup.

SMBC Backs African Startups with $340M Social Value Fund • Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) is investing in Novastar Ventures’ “Africa People & Planet Fund III”, aiming to empower early-stage startups driving impact in fintech, agritech, green tech, mobility, and more across East & West Africa. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/di9VQGPc

Japanese VCs UNCOVERED FUND & Monex Ventures launch $20M fund to back African & Middle Eastern startups in fintech, mobility, logistics & sustainability. More Details: https://lnkd.in/dSperjyD Join our Telegram Channel: https://lnkd.in/dehAYxsz Join Us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/e-7fuNJW