The UAE Startups That Made Millions in 2025

The UAE’s startup ecosystem continues to flourish as one of the Middle East’s leading innovation hubs, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in disclosed equity and venture funding across diverse sectors. Through the first half of the year alone, UAE startups secured over $540 million in capital across more than 100 deals, with fintech leading the way and emerging areas such as fintech, AI, and Web3 also drawing significant investor interest. Equity financing remained the dominant model, demonstrating a strong pipeline of growth-stage opportunities and investor confidence in the country’s dynamic tech landscape.

From spend management platforms and payment infrastructure to AI-driven solutions and SME financing, here are the startups behind the 10 largest funding rounds in the UAE this year.

Property Finder ($525 million)

Since being founded by Michael Lahyani in 2007, Property Finder has become one of the leading classified property portals in the MENA region. In September, the Dubai-based company announced a $525 million strategic investment round, in which global investment firms Permira and Blackstone acquired a minority stake in the company. Although a valuation was not disclosed as part of the transaction, the investment will give one of MENA’s most prominent property platforms access to even more funding and expertise to accelerate their growth across the region.

XPANCEO ($250 million)

XPANCEO, the Dubai-based tech startup founded by entrepreneur Roman Axelrod and physicist Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov in 2021, is developing the world’s first smart contact lenses. In July, XPANCEO successfully closed a $250 million Series A funding round at a USD 1.35 billion valuation, making the tech startup officially join the ranks of the unicorns. The funding round will accelerate the company’s mission to launch the world’s first all-in-one smart contact lens, which it aims to do by 2028.

Flow48 ($69 million)

Flow48, a UAE-based fintech startup founded in 2022 by Idriss Al Rifai, secured $69 million in a Series A funding round in February 2025, consisting of a blend of debt and equity from regional and global investors led by Breega. The company provides SME financing and revenue-based lending solutions, making this one of the largest SME-financing rounds in the MENA region for 2025. Flow48 uses its digital platform to enable small and medium-sized enterprises to access flexible capital for growth and operational scaling.

AppliedAI ($55 million)

UK-founded and UAE-headquartered insurtech startup AppliedAI raised $55 million in a Series A funding round in February at a pre-investment valuation of $300 million. The round was led by G42, with participation from Palantir, Bessemer Venture Partners, McKinsey, and Accrete Capital. Founded in 2021 by Arya H. Bolurfrushan and relocated to the UAE in 2022, the company applies artificial intelligence to automate the processing of medical billing records and insurance claims, improving speed and accuracy compared with traditional outsourcing models. The funding will support continued development of its AI capabilities and expansion of its team to serve a growing client base in the United States and Europe.

MYCRANE Trading ($50 million)

Founded by Andrei Geikalo, MYCRANE Trading is a UAE-headquartered platform specializing in crane sales and rentals. In August 2025, the company raised $50 million from a DIFC-based investment holding company to accelerate its global expansion and launch a dedicated rental platform. Leveraging its Jebel Ali base, MYCRANE aims to strengthen its supply chain, scale international operations, and provide innovative solutions for construction and industrial equipment markets worldwide.

NymCard ($33 million)

NymCard, a UAE-based payment infrastructure provider, secured $33 million in Series B funding in March 2025. The round was led by QED Investors and supports the company’s expansion across the Middle East and North Africa. Founded and led by CEO Omar Onsi, NymCard provides embedded-finance and issuing processing solutions that enable banks, fintechs, and enterprises to launch and scale digital payment products. The funding will be used to strengthen regional payments infrastructure, expand product capabilities, and support growing demand for modern payment rails across the region.

Merit Incentives ($28 million)

Founded in 2016 by Julie Leblan and Thrishan Padayachi, UAE-based Merit Incentives operates an enterprise loyalty and incentives platform serving organisations across multiple sectors. In February 2025, the company completed one of the larger Series B funding rounds in the regional enterprise-tech space, raising $28 million from Capital Investment, Stride Ventures, Tech Invest Com, and Oryx Fund. The financing is set to support platform expansion, deeper enterprise adoption, and continued growth across regional and international markets.

Revibe Technology ($17 million)

In one of the notable mid-stage funding rounds in the UAE’s consumer-tech space this year, Revibe Technology secured $17 million in Series B financing in November 2025. The Dubai-based company, founded in 2022 by Abdessamad Benzakour and Hamza Iraqui, operates a B2C marketplace focused on refurbished electronics. The round was led by Partech, with participation from e& Capital, Burda Principal Investments, EQNX, and existing investors. Revibe plans to use the funding to accelerate its regional expansion, strengthen supply and quality-control operations, and scale its platform as demand for certified refurbished devices continues to grow across the Middle East.

Alaan ($48 million)

In one of the largest Series A funding rounds in MENA this year, Alaan, a Dubai-based fintech company founded by former McKinsey consultants Parthi Duraisamy and Karun Kurien in 2022, raised $48 million in Series A funding for its AI-powered spend management services. The funding round was led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA) with participation from several other venture capital firms and incubators, including 885 Capital, Y Combinator, 212 Founders, and Pioneer Fund.  Since launching, Alaan has processed over 2.5 million transactions for more than 1,500 finance teams, and plans to use the Series A funding round to accelerate its expansion in the region, and particularly in Saudi Arabia.

Huspy ($59 million)

Founded in 2020 by Jad Antoun and Khalid Ashmawy, Huspy operates a proptech platform spanning the UAE and Spain, providing technology and commission-based support for real estate agents and mortgage brokers. In 2025, the company raised $59 million in a Series B funding round led by Balderton Capital, with participation from Peak XV, ExBorder Partners, Turmeric Capital, BY Ventures, Dara Management, and KE Partners. Huspy currently facilitates over $7 billion in annual real estate transactions across Europe and the Middle East, and plans to use the funding to expand into six new cities in Spain and launch operations in Saudi Arabia, bringing its global footprint to over 10 cities, including Madrid, Valencia, and Dubai.