Weekly Roundup: The Middle East tech news and startup deals

Techloy -

Here are the technology news, startup, and VC deals we tracked across the Middle East region this week.

  • Jordan-based Arabic mobile games publisher, Tamatem Games has raised $11 million in a Series B funding round, led by South Korea-based video game developer KRAFTON to fuel its expansion strategy with an initial focus on Saudi Arabia.
  • The United Arab Emirates says it will transition to a four-and-a-half-day working week, with Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday being its new weekend, starting from January 1, 2022, in order to “boost productivity and improve work-life balance.”
  • UAE-based food tech startup GrubTech has raised a $13 million Series A round led by Addition, along with BY Ventures and Hambro Perks Oryx Fund, to develop its tech solutions and further expand into new markets.
  • Saudi Arabian fintech startup NQOODLET, has raised $1 million in a pre-Seed round led by angel investor Yaser Alghamdi, along with Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC), and OMQ Investments, to improve its tech infrastructure and accelerate the rollout of its platform.
  • Egypt-based angel network Cairo Angels has closed the Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund (CASF), which will be investing between $100K and $250K on average across the Middle East and Africa, focusing on Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
  • Bahrain-based food tech startup Calo, which operates in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, has raised $13.5 million in a seed funding round, co-led by Khwarizmi Ventures, Nuwa Capital, and STV, to grow its business and expand its operations.
  • Dubai-based e-commerce enabler Opontia, which currently operates in the UAE, Poland, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, has raised $42 million in a Series A funding round of equity and debt, led by STV Capital, to expand into growth markets including Egypt, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
  • Cairo-based fintech Sympl, has raised $6 million in a seed round, led by Beco Capital, alongside A15 and Global Ventures, to accelerate the growth of its merchant network to serve multiple product and service categories across online and in-store merchants.

The Draft provides a weekly roundup of the most important tech news across key emerging markets in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Follow the rest of our coverage @techloy on Twitter.