MENA Startups Raise $563 Million in January 2026

Investment activity across the Middle East and North Africa startup ecosystem picked up at the start of the year, as 42 MENA-based startups raised a combined $563 million in January 2026. The tally rose 228% month-on-month but remained 35% lower year-on-year, with debt financing accounting for 9% of capital, according to Wamda’s latest monthly tracker.

Funding was concentrated at the country level. The United Arab Emirates led with $426.3 million across 12 deals, driven by two large transactions: Mal’s $230 million deal and Property Finder’s $170 million round. Saudi Arabia followed, with 18 startups raising $56 million, while four startups in Egypt secured a combined $22.1 million.

By sector, fintech led with seven startups raising $319.7 million, followed by proptech with three startups securing $189 million. Software-as-a-service ranked third, with seven startups raising a total of $17 million.

Early-stage companies dominated deal flow: 31 startups raised $66 million, while two later-stage deals amounted to $11 million. The rest of the capital went to rounds where the stage was not disclosed. By business model, business-to-consumer startups attracted $470.8 million across 17 deals, business-to-business logged 19 transactions worth $43 million, and hybrid B2B2C models raised $9 million across six deals. Male-founded startups accounted for 36 deals and $560 million, women-founded startups raised $300,000 across three deals, and mixed-gender founding teams secured $2.2 million across three transactions.