INFOGRAPHIC: Startup Funding in Africa and the Middle East—Week 31, 2025

Startup funding across Africa and the Middle East held steady this week, crossing the $270 million mark in disclosed deals. While activity in Africa appeared to slow compared to previous weeks, the continent still pulled in the single biggest round, proving that investors are being more selective, not less confident. Meanwhile, Israel continues to draw heavy interest from global tech investors betting on the region’s strength in AI, semiconductors, and cybersecurity.

Across the board, this week’s funding cuts across sectors, from clean energy and foodtech to voice AI, eVTOL, and halal investing, showing how diverse the innovation landscape is becoming in the region.

Here’s a closer look at the roundup for the week:

Kicking off the week’s biggest headlines, Kenya’s Sun King secured a $156 million securitisation deal, a rare structure in African startup funding, backed by a group of five international and local commercial banks along with three development finance institutions. Arranged by Citi and placed by Stanbic Bank Kenya, the funds will go toward expanding affordable off-grid solar solutions across the country.

Not far behind, Israel’s Teramount, a fiber-to-chip startup building infrastructure for AI and data centers, announced a $50 million round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies. Strategic investors like AMD Ventures, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and Hitachi Ventures also participated, signaling a global push to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain from within Israel.

Still in deep tech, Israel-based AIR raised $23 million in Series A to expand its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations into the U.S. The round was led by Entree Capital and backed by Shmuel Harlap, a longtime supporter of the company.

Also from Israel, Seal Security, which automates patching for open-source vulnerabilities, pulled in $13 million in Series A funding from Vertex Israel and others, bringing its total raise to $20 million since launching in 2022.

Shifting to the Gulf, Saudi Arabia-based Calo, a foodtech startup using AI to personalize nutrition, secured a $39 million extension to its Series B, pushing the round’s total to $64 million. The oversubscribed extension, led by AlJazira Capital, also saw follow-on investments from STV, Nuwa Capital, and new backer Oraseya Capital. The funds will power Calo’s global expansion and further R&D in AI-driven personalization.

Still in the Kingdom, Sawt, a voice AI startup aiming to reinvent customer service, raised $1 million in pre-seed funding, led by T2 and STV’s newly launched AI Fund. Meanwhile, Flex League, a Saudi sportstech platform, secured a six-figure USD seed round to roll out a new court booking system and expand across MENA.

Over in the UAE, Tabadulat, a Shariah-compliant investing platform based in Abu Dhabi, received a $2.3 million commitment after securing In-Principle Approval from the ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The platform plans to provide retail and institutional access to halal-compliant stocks across global markets.

For the first time this year, a Libyan startup made it onto the funding radar. Mataa, an e-commerce platform, closed its first seed round with support from local angel investors. The funds will go toward scaling logistics, expanding warehousing, and growing its product offerings, a modest but meaningful step forward in one of the region’s quieter markets.

Overall, this week’s funding activity suggests that while the pace of deals may be slowing, the focus is getting sharper. Investors across Africa and the Middle East are doubling down on startups with strong infrastructure, local relevance, and deep tech potential.

If anything, it's a sign that a more deliberate and mature funding landscape is taking shape across the region.