MENA, Pakistan & GCC Tech Mid-Week Update

Week of February 3-11, 2026

Based on comprehensive research across the MENA, Pakistan, and GCC startup ecosystems, here’s your curated mid-week roundup featuring the latest funding rounds, major events, AI developments, and ecosystem momentum.

🔥 MAJOR FUNDING ROUNDS (PAST WEEK)

UAE: Property Finder Secures $170M Led by Mubadala

UAE-based proptech Property Finder has raised $170 million in new funding led by Mubadala Investment Company, alongside another UAE sovereign wealth fund and BECO Capital. Under the transaction, Mubadala and the second sovereign fund each invested $75 million, while BECO Capital committed $20 million from its newly launched $250 million Growth Fund I.

Total Funding Context: The investment follows a $525 million round in 2025 led by Permira, with significant participation from Blackstone Growth, bringing total equity raised to nearly $700 million. Additionally, Property Finder has also secured $250 million in debt financing from Ares Management and HSBC, making this one of the largest funding stories in MENA tech.

This marks one of the biggest proptech deals in MENA history and signals continued confidence in the region’s real estate technology sector.

Morocco: Yakeey Closes Record $15M Series A

Moroccan property technology startup Yakeey has secured $15 million in Series A funding, marking the largest venture capital round ever completed by a proptech company in Morocco. The round was led by IFC (International Finance Corporation), Beltone Venture Capital, Enza Capital, and 212 Founders.

Founded in 2023 by Karim Beqqali, Yakeey operates as a managed property marketplace that asserts itself as a trusted intermediary in Morocco’s fragmented real estate market, integrating property search, valuation, brokerage, and financing into a single digital infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia: Vennre Raises $9.6M Pre-Series A

Saudi Arabia-based wealthtech Vennre raised $9.6 million in a pre-series A round structured through a mix of equity and debt. The round was co-led by Vision Ventures and anb seed Fund, with participation from Sanabil 500, Ace & Co, Plus VC, and strategic individual investors.

Founded in 2021, Vennre focuses on providing high earners with Shariah-compliant access to private market investments.

UAE: Yozo.ai Secures $1.7M Pre-Seed for AI E-Commerce

UAE-based e-commerce AI startup Yozo.ai has raised $1.7 million in pre-seed funding, with the round co-led by Access Bridge Ventures and Disruptech Ventures, with participation from Arzan VC, Oraseya Capital, and Plus VC, as well as Suhail Ventures, Glint Ventures, and M-Empire Angels.

Founded in early 2025, Yozo builds an AI-native revenue engine designed to automate e-commerce growth and retention marketing.

Saudi Arabia: Juthor Raises $500K Pre-Seed

Saudi Arabia-based e-commerce startup Juthor has raised $500,000 in a pre-seed round led by Flat6Labs, with participation from angel investors. Founded in 2025, Juthor is building a cloud-based platform to help retailers manage sales across multiple online marketplaces through real-time stock synchronization and AI-driven customer insights.

UAE: Daleel Secures $3M Pre-Seed for AI Proptech

AI proptech Daleel raises $3 million in pre-seed round, positioning itself in the growing intersection of AI and real estate technology in the UAE.

📊 JANUARY 2026 FUNDING SNAPSHOT

Regional Overview

Startups across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) raised $563 million in January 2026, reflecting selective but sustained investor interest in scale-stage companies.

Market Concentration: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) capturing the largest share. The country completed 12 deals totaling $426 million, more than three-quarters of regional investment. Saudi Arabia followed with 18 deals worth $56 million, representing 13% of the total.

Egypt and Bahrain each closed a single deal worth $22 million, while Morocco secured $17 million across two deals, surpassing Qatar ($10 million), Oman ($7.5 million), Jordan ($1 million), and Syria ($100,000).

Sector Leadership: Fintech continues to dominate the ecosystem. Fintech attracted the most funding, with seven startups raising US$319.7 million.

🇵🇰 PAKISTAN: INDUS AI WEEK 2026 UNDERWAY

Pakistan is currently hosting Indus AI Week 2026 (February 9-15), representing the country’s most significant national AI mobilization to date.

Event Highlights

The week’s programme will include a national technology showcase, innovation and startup spotlights to connect founders with investors, skills training and certification opportunities, a gaming and experiential AI arena, and interactive public engagement activities aimed at translating AI discussions into hands-on learning and collaboration.

Government Commitment: Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the launch builds on Pakistan’s National AI Policy introduced last year, with a focus on moving “beyond dialogue and toward adoption”. She emphasized connecting policy, industry, and talent to position Pakistan as a credible participant in the global AI ecosystem.

Pakistan-DFINITY Partnership

Following the MoU signing between the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and DFINITY, local developers will gain access to “Caffeine”, a platform that allows users to build software using natural language, further democratizing software development in the country.

🇦🇪 UAE: AI WEEK & MAJOR TECH EVENTS

Step Dubai 2026 (February 11-12)

Step Conference Dubai 2026 takes place on 11–12 February 2026 at Dubai Internet City, marking the 14th edition of the region’s leading tech festival. Under the theme “Intelligence Everywhere: The AI Economy,” the event explores how AI is reshaping business, finance, technology, and creativity.

Scale of Event: Bringing together 8,000+ attendees, 400+ startups, 100+ companies, and investors representing $9B in funding, Step Dubai is a global meeting point for founders, investors, creatives, and tech leaders.

Dubai AI Week 2026

The city is hosting multiple AI-focused events aligned with the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence and the D33 economic agenda, featuring high-profile gatherings, AI challenges, and strategic partnership announcements.

G42’s Regional Expansion

G42 and Vietnamese Consortium Commit to Build National AI Infrastructure and Develop Southeast Asia’s Intelligence Capacity, showcasing the UAE-based AI champion’s growing global footprint beyond MENA.

🌍 STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS & ECOSYSTEM NEWS

Morocco’s Digital 2030 Strategy

Morocco is committing MAD 1.3 billion (approximately $140 million) to strengthen its startup ecosystem as part of the Morocco Digital 2030 strategy, targeting 1,000 startups by 2026 and 3,000 by 2030.

Arabic AI Gets Stanford Partnership

Arabic.AI has announced a collaboration with Stanford University’s Center for Research on Foundation Models to establish the first holistic benchmark for evaluating Arabic large language models. The initiative extends Stanford’s HELM framework into Arabic, providing transparent and reproducible assessment standards.

Jordan’s Abwaab Acquires Egypt’s Apex Education

Jordan-based education tech platform Abwaab has acquired Egypt-based college admissions advisory Apex Education for an undisclosed amount. Abwaab operates a digital tutoring platform across Jordan, Egypt, and Pakistan, and the acquisition strengthens its end-to-end offering from tutoring to international university admissions.

💡 SECTOR TRENDS & INSIGHTS

Proptech Boom

The past week saw massive proptech investments with Property Finder’s $170M and Yakeey’s $15M rounds, signaling investor confidence in real estate digitization across MENA. Both platforms leverage AI for valuation, search optimization, and transaction streamlining.

AI-First Startups Gaining Traction

From Yozo.ai’s e-commerce automation to Daleel’s AI proptech and Juthor’s AI-driven retail insights, AI-native platforms are attracting significant early-stage capital across the region.

Wealthtech & Fintech Resilience

Vennre’s raise highlights growing demand for Shariah-compliant alternative investment platforms, while fintech continues to dominate overall funding allocation across MENA.

Government-Led AI Initiatives

Pakistan’s Indus AI Week and Dubai’s AI Week demonstrate coordinated national strategies to position countries as AI leaders, combining policy, infrastructure, and ecosystem development.

📈 MARKET DYNAMICS

Capital Concentration Persists

Saudi Arabia continued to consolidate its position as the region’s most active venture market, benefiting from sustained government-backed initiatives and growing participation from global investors. The UAE remained a close second, particularly for fintech, Web3, and cross-border platforms.

Selective Investment Climate

While total funding remains healthy, deal count concentration suggests investors are focusing on proven business models at scale rather than broad early-stage deployment.

Sovereign Wealth Engagement

Mubadala’s investment in Property Finder and Qatar Investment Authority’s expanded venture programs signal active participation from sovereign funds in backing regional tech champions.

🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Proptech Dominance This Week: Property Finder ($170M) and Yakeey ($15M) represent over $185M in proptech funding, showcasing sector momentum
2. AI National Strategies in Action: Pakistan’s Indus AI Week and Dubai’s Step Conference demonstrate ecosystem-wide mobilization around AI
3. Morocco Rising: Yakeey’s record Series A signals Morocco’s emergence as a viable tech ecosystem beyond traditional UAE-Saudi dominance
4. Sovereign Capital Active: Mubadala, QIA, and other sovereign funds continue backing regional champions
5. Arabic AI Infrastructure: Stanford partnership with Arabic.AI shows commitment to building culturally relevant AI systems
6. Cross-Border M&A: Abwaab’s acquisition of Apex Education demonstrates regional consolidation in edtech

📅 ONGOING & UPCOMING EVENTS

• February 9-15: Indus AI Week 2026 (Pakistan) – ONGOING
• February 11-12: Step Dubai 2026 – STARTING TODAY
• February 11-12: AI Everything MEA Egypt (Cairo)
• Throughout February: Dubai AI Week various initiatives

🔮 WHAT TO WATCH

1. Step Dubai Announcements: Major funding and partnership announcements expected during the conference
2. Pakistan AI Policy Implementation: How Indus AI Week translates into tangible ecosystem support
3. Property Finder’s Next Moves: How the company deploys $170M+ to build “region’s leading real estate operating system”
4. Morocco’s Momentum: Whether Yakeey’s success attracts more VC attention to North Africa
5. Arabic AI Models: Progress on Stanford-Arabic.AI benchmark development