Startups operating in the Middle East and North Africa region raised $172.6 million across 45 deals in July, a monthly increase of 16 percent TurkicWorld reports via arabnews.
According to Wamda data, Saudi Arabia regained the top spot in July after ranking outside the lead for the entire first half of the year, with startups operating in the Kingdom raising $106.6 million through 16 deals, representing almost 62 percent of the total funding in the month.
The UAE also witnessed 16 transactions in July, but ranked second by value after attracting $46.6 million.
In Syria, startup investments amounted to $10.6 million, followed by Egypt at $7.25 million and Morocco at $2 million.
“Saudi Arabia and the UAE together accounted for almost 89 percent of all capital raised during the month, leaving the rest of the region with just over $19 million.,” said Wamda in the report.
Last week also witnessed some major investments across various sectors, underscoring steady momentum in the region amid ongoing uncertainties surrounding the conflict in Iran.
Saudi-based RIME raises $2m
Rime, a Saudi-based startup specializing in operational artificial intelligence solutions, has successfully raised over $2 million in a seed investment round, led by Seedra Ventures.
According to a press statement, the investment round also witnessed the participation of Athlah Investment, Unity Invest Partners, and a group of prominent angel investors.
The company said that the newly injected funding will be used to support the firm’s expansion plans and accelerate the development of its proprietary technology platform.
Founded in 2024 by Mohammed Al-Marshidi and Arif Al-Otaibi, RIME builds a platform that lets companies deploy AI agents driven by edge computing and Artificial Intelligence of Things, allowing real-time decision-making directly at operational sites.
Al-Marshidi said: “We are moving into a new era of Physical AI, where systems move beyond screens to interact and make decisions directly within operational environments.
“We strongly believe that processing data on-site via edge computing is the foundational pillar for running field-level AI agents.”
Saudi AI firm MOZN secures investment from Humain
Saudi Arabia-based enterprise AI startup MOZN has received a strategic investment from Humain, coupled with a partnership to build sovereign AI solutions for financial institutions and public-sector organizations in the Kingdom and global markets.
The deal represents Humain’s first investment in a Saudi firm and one of the earliest made through Humain Ventures.
According to a press statement, the funding will help MOZN expand internationally and accelerate the global scale-up of its AI platform.
“This partnership reflects the momentum of Humain’s recently launched Banking, Financial Services and Insurance sector and represents one of our first strategic engagements for the sector as we build an ecosystem of partners to transform financial services and the public sector through AI,” said Tareq Amin, CEO of Humain.
He added: “Our first investment in a Saudi company with MOZN strengthens our ability to deliver production-grade AI solutions for highly regulated environments, enabling measurable operational impact while expanding access to these capabilities across regional and global markets.”
Mohammed Al-Hussein, founder and CEO of MOZN, said the investment from Humain was a strong endorsement of his company’s mission to empower enterprises with intelligence that matters.
“As complexity, scale, and regulatory expectations accelerate across industries, institutions need AI that is sovereign, trusted, and built for high-assurance domains. Together with Humain, we are combining world-class infrastructure with deep domain expertise to co-create category-defining solutions built for financial institutions and public sector organizations,” added Al-Hussein.
Tamara Achieves ‘A-’ Investment-Grade Rating
Saudi fintech platform Tamara has been assigned an “A-” long-term credit rating with a Stable outlook by Simah Rating Agency, also known as Tassnief, marking the company’s first independent credit rating.
According to Tassnief’s assessment, the rating reflects Tamara’s strong asset quality, improving profitability and robust risk management framework.
In a press statement, Tamara said the milestone is expected to give the company greater financial flexibility to support long-term growth and expand its product offerings.
“This rating is an independent endorsement of the strength of our business model, the quality of our portfolio and the discipline of our risk management as we continue to scale responsibly,” said Mohammad Al-Ahmadi, CEO of Tamara.
He added: “It reinforces the confidence of our funding partners and investors, and supports our ambition to broaden access to fair, transparent and Shariah-compliant financing in the Kingdom.”
Moove raises $250 million
Moove, a mobility startup based in the UAE, has raised $250 million at a $2.1 billion valuation in a Series C funding round led by Mubadala Investment Company and co-led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s Growth Fund, and Ion Pacific.
In a press statement, the company said that the newly injected funding will be used to support the expansion of Moove’s autonomous vehicle business, including autonomous fleet ownership and robotics-first depot infrastructure “Nests”, where autonomous fleets are charged, serviced, maintained and orchestrated for continuous operation. The funds will also be used to support new market launches globally.
Since 2020, Moove has developed the financing, vehicle fleet and operational infrastructure needed to roll out and oversee large-scale, human-driven ride-hailing assets. The company now has 3,300 employees worldwide and runs about 42,000 vehicles in 29 cities across 13 countries, ranking it among the world’s biggest ride-hailing fleets.
“Today, we are focused on building the platform that will redefine mobility and enable billions of autonomous journeys worldwide. From our anchor in the UAE, and backed by long-term strategic capital, Moove now has the platform to help take autonomy from breakthrough technology to everyday transportation. This is not a departure from our mission; it is the fullest expression of it,” said Ladi Delano, co-founder, Co-CEO and advisory board chairman of Moove.
Longevium raises $7m for AI-powered longevity research lab
Dubai-based longevity health tech company Longevium has secured $7 million in its first funding round and started building an AI-powered Longevity Research Laboratory at Dubai Science Park.
According to a press statement, this facility is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year.
Founded by Dr. Ksenia Butova, Longevium plans to use the laboratory purely for research and development rather than clinical services. The center will combine artificial intelligence, biomedical research and clinical science to create tools that predict health risks, measure biological aging and help extend healthy lifespans.
The funding will support construction of the lab and expand work on next-generation diagnostics, longevity technologies and clinical research.
The research center will also cover robotic diagnostic tools such as swallowable imaging capsules, AI-powered skin cancer scanners and smart contact lenses that analyze tear fluid for health monitoring.
The statement added that the project supports Dubai’s wider push to become a global center for longevity medicine, including efforts linked to the recently established Dubai Longevity Authority, and aligns with the Emirate’s focus on health care innovation and preventive care.
