INFOGRAPHIC: Startup Funding in Africa and the Middle East—Week 26, 2025

With the rising tensions between Israel and Iran, one would think the scuffle would cool investor appetite in the Middle East. But the opposite seems to be happening. Investor confidence is not just holding steady but surging. Especially in medtech, where big bets are being placed on innovation regardless of the geopolitical noise.

This week, Israeli medtech startup ForSight Robotics raised a massive $125 million in a Series B round led by Eclipse. It’s a bold signal that the region’s most disruptive healthtech players are still attracting serious global capital, even in the face of regional uncertainty.

Elsewhere in the region, UAE-based loyalty and rewards startup Related secured $8 million from Saudi alternative investment firm Equivator. The company is rolling out a suite of AI- and blockchain-powered tools to beef up its gamification features and fuel expansion across Saudi Arabia and beyond. It’s another sign of how Saudi capital is continuing to flow into digital-first platforms aimed for regional dominance.

Meanwhile, over in Africa, the funding momentum is more cautious, but steadily alive.

Kenyan used-car marketplace Peach Cars has raised $11 million in Series A funding to scale its platform and bring structure to East Africa’s largely informal car sales market. The startup aims to build a more transparent, digitized ecosystem that delivers better experiences for both buyers and sellers.

Back in Nigeria, PaidHR, a Lagos-based HR and payroll platform, raised $1.8 million in a seed round led by Accion Venture Lab. Their goal is to help African businesses modernize how they manage teams, compensation, and compliance, an area where many companies still rely on spreadsheets and manual processes.

Egypt also saw two notable deals this week. Freight logistics startup Nowlun topped up its seed round with an additional $600,000, bringing its total seed raise to $2.3 million, in a round led by Ingressive Capital. The company is building a digital backbone for logistics in North Africa, aiming to streamline cargo movement in one of the continent’s busiest trade corridors.

Also in Egypt, co-living platform Roomz.rent secured pre-seed funding from Qora71, the Hub71-backed angel syndicate, along with other regional investors. The startup plans to use the funds to scale operations in Egypt and expand into new urban markets across MENA, positioning itself as a regional co-living brand for young professionals.

Still in Nigeria, e-commerce startup Shoptreo, which connects local artisan products to global markets, raised an undisclosed round from Rebel Seed Capital. Their mission is to promote African craftsmanship globally, emphasizing small-batch, high-quality goods that narrate a compelling story.

So while Africa's funding pulse might be a bit slower than the Middle East's high-velocity deals this week, the activity still shows a clear throughline: investors are betting on infrastructure—digital or physical—that helps local economies function more efficiently.