• Egypt-based VC firm A15 has invested in fintech startup Sympl. The amount invested was not disclosed.
• Founded in October 2021 by Yasmine Henna, Mohamed El-Feky and Karim Tawfik, Sympl is a buy now pay later service, allowing merchants to sell products and services directly to customers on short-term and interest-free repayment plans.
• A15 is an early-stage venture capital firm with a focus on innovative tech startups. It has over 25 portfolio companies operating in 20 markets in verticals like fintech, e-commerce, SaaS and adtech.

Press release:

A15, a leading venture capital firm supporting entrepreneurs in the Mena region, has announced it is the first investor in one of Egypt’s latest startups to successfully launch, Sympl – which is set to disrupt the country’s consumer payments sector.

Focused on tech startups and with a long track record in generating value for fintech, A15 is a key partner both in capital investment but also knowledge and experience.

A15 invests in its portfolio companies at an early stage, working closely with the founders to generate value across different channels.

As well as providing an invaluable support network for founders, A15 also supports startups operationally, through product development or technology integrations, and preparing for future funding rounds and exit strategies.

A15’s partnership with Sympl - whose co-founders' experience includes co-creating leading consumer finance company ValU and B2B commerce platform Capiter – ideally positions both companies. With A15’s early investment in the startup, the venture capital firm was able to support the development of the Sympl checkout platform and successfully help to bring it to launch. Together, both companies will continue to drive innovation in Egypt’s payments sector and contribute to Egypt’s ongoing commitment to a transition to a cashless society.

Karim Beshara, General Partner at A15, commented:

“At A15, we are committed to partnering with strong founding teams in the very early stages of their ventures, where we can work closely together to unlock value. We pride ourselves on the close relationships we maintain with the founders and their teams, supporting them from the beginning as part of the A15 family. We are excited to have backed Sympl from day one and are proud of the early positive signs from their launch. We look forward to continued close collaboration and scaling the business.”

Mohamed Elfeky, Chief Executive Officer of Sympl, said:

“A15 has been a crucial partner in the early stages of our growth. Their support in product development initiatives, tech integrations and connections to their startups’ ecosystem have been important in our early success. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them to drive innovation, provide new solutions for merchants and consumers, and contribute to the transition to a cashless society in Egypt.”

With over 30 investments in the Mena region to date, A15 is a leading promoter of entrepreneurship and innovation.

In September 2018, A15 announced it had successfully sold a 76 per cent stake in its fintech portfolio company, TPAY, to leading African private equity firm Helios Investment Partners, making it the first fund to create a ‘Dragon’ - an exit that returns the value of the entire fund through the realised proceeds from a single investment - in the MENA region.

With the support of A15, Sympl’s “Save your money pay later” checkout platform successfully launched in October via an exclusive partnership with leading Apple reseller, Tradeline - on the release of the new iPhone 13. Other partnerships have been established with key retailers in the electronics and appliances sector (2B), jewellery (Al-Mawardy Jewelry, Damas, and Jawhara), auto parts (Your Parts), hypermarket (Hyperone) sectors, and covering merchants in an array of other categories such as furniture, fashion, travel and medical services. Since the launch, Sympl has reported a lot of traction from customers using Sympl technology on the platforms of existing merchants, as well as a long pipeline of merchants who want to partner to embed Sympl to enhance their customer checkout experience.

source: Wamda

Translation By: Fairouz Alnajem

Cura Saudi Arabia, the leading telemedicine consultancy, has succeeded in raising $4 million (about 15 million Saudi Riyals) in its Series A funding round. The first funding round was led by Wa'ed (the entrepreneurial arm of Saudi Aramco) and ELM. In the following lines, we will learn about the journey of the rise of Saudi Cura and the services it provides.

Birth of the idea of Cura

The idea of establishing Cura was born as a result of a situation experienced by one of its founders, Wael Kabli, a former Microsoft engineer, when he noticed his daughter one night showing signs of tiredness and sickness, and tried to contact a doctor, but the latter told him that the best thing to do was to take an appointment to see his daughter in The next morning, and he did, and the result was that the doctor gave Wael and his wife simple steps to take care of their daughter from home, then Wael thought that it was unreasonable that there was no way to obtain medical advice in critical cases in which it was impossible to reach a doctor, hence the idea of   establishing Cura company by Wael Kabli and his friend, software engineer Muhammad Zikr Allah in 2016.

Cura Services

Cura operates through an application on smartphones bearing its name. The application enables the medical consultation requester to communicate with a doctor via electronic messaging or via video directly (in real time), as well as the requester can obtain prescriptions online, as well as the “Afiya” program to provide advice on depression, stress, chronic diseases, nutrition and others of lifestyle issues.

Currently, more than 4,500 doctors are working in Cura. They have provided their medical services to about 350,000 users since the launch of the Cura application. Cura relies on providing its services to the Saudi market, as the percentage of Saudi users of the application reaches about 95%.

Planning global

The startup plans to use the funding to improve the user experience, offering more services to both individual users and partner customers, such as collecting blood samples from patients' houses, and offering employee health benefits that can be integrated with insurance companies. It also puts on its agenda the expansion of the platform's work to become more global during the upcoming five years.

يبدو من البيانات المتوفرة أن صفقات التمويل الشركات الناشئة في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا في شهر أكتوبر منخفضة مقارنةً بشهر سبتمبر الماضي الذي سجل رقماً كبيراً في الحجم الإجمالي لصفقات تمويل الشركات الناشئة بمبلغ يقدر بنحو 338 مليون دولار.

لكن اللافت حقاً في شهر أكتوبر هو نوعية صفقات التمويل التي برز فيها صفقتين كبيرتين نسبياً في قطاعي التكنولوجيا الزراعية والطبية هذا إلى جانب صفقتين لشركتين تقودهما إناث بمجموع تمويل لكليهما وصل إلى 3.8 مليون دولار وهو ما يعادل حوالي 46% من إجمالي التمويل الذي حصلت عليه الشركات الناشئة التي تقودها أناث في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا في النصف الأول من عام 2021!

نستعرض فيما يأتي أبرز 5 صفقات تمويل حصلت عليها الشركات الناشئة في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا خلال شهر أكتوبر:

بيور هارفست

القطاع: التكنولوجيا الزراعة

البلد: لإمارات

التأسيس: 2016

المؤسس: Sky Kurtz و Mahmoud Adi و Robert Kupstas

حصلت شركة بيور هارفست في شهر أكتوبر على تمويل بقيمة 64.5 مليون دولار متصدرةً قائمة الشركات الناشئة التي حصلت على تمويل للفترة نفسها. وصل إجمالي الاستثمارات التي حصلت عليها الشركة بعد أخر جولة تمويلية لها لنحو 271.6 مليون دولار، وهو أكبر مبلغ تجمعه شركة ناشئة في قطاع التكنولوجيا الزراعية في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا بحسب مؤسسة ومضة.

وفقاً للبيان الصحفي الصادر عن الشركة فإنها ستستخدم التمويل الجديد لتطوير تقنيتها وتسريع توسعه أعمالها في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا. علماً لجولة التمويلية الأخيرة للشركة جاءت بقيادة شركة "آي إم إم إنفيستمنت" الكورية إلى جانب عدد من المستثمرين والإدارة الحالية للشركة.

كيورا

القطاع: التكنولوجيا الطبية

البلد: السعودية

تاريخ التأسيس: 2016

المؤسسين: وائل كابلي ومحمد ذكر الله.

نجحت شركة كيورا السعودية الرائدة في مجال تقديم الاستشارات الطبية عن بعد في الحصول على أولى جولاتها التمويلية بقيمة 4 مليون دولار بقيادة "واعد" ذراع ريادة الأعمال لشركة أرامكو السعودية، وELM.

بحسب البيان الصحفي لكيورا فإنها ستعمل على استثمار أموال الجولة التمويلية في تحسين رحلة المريض وتقديم المزيد من الخدمات لكل من المستخدمين الأفراد والعملاء، والشركاء، مثل جمع عينات الدم من المنزل وتقديم مزايا صحية للموظفين قابلة للتكامل مع شركات التأمين، هذا بالإضافة إلى سعي كيورا للتوسع خارج المملكة العربية السعودية، فبالرغم من ريادة الشركة الطبية في مجال التكنولوجية الصحية إلا أن نحو 95% من عملائها الحاليين هم من مستخدمي التطبيق في السعودية.

ILLA

القطاع: الخدمات اللوجستية

البلد: مصر

تاريخ التأسيس: 2019

المؤسسين: محمود الزمر، وعلاء جركس، وأحمد صقر، وحسام سرايا.

جمعت شركة ILLA المصرية للخدمات اللوجستية أكثر من مليوني دولار امريكي في جولة تمويلية بقيادة "وثيق للخدمات المالية" و"جولدن بام" للاستثمارات، وشارك في الجولة عدد من المستثمرين الآخرين.

تعمل شركة ILLA على تحسين أنشطة سلسلة التوريد لعمليات ما بعد الإنتاج للعلامات التجارية للسلع الاستهلاكية. ستستخدم الشركة أموال الجولة التمويلية في تسريع توسعها في السوق المصرية وتعزيز تجربة المستخدم.

Fintech Galaxy

القطاع: التكنولوجيا المالية

الدولة: الإمارات

تاريخ التأسيس: 2018

المؤسسة: ميرنا سليمان

جمعت منصة Fintech Galaxy في شهر أكتوبر مليوني دولار في جولة تمويل أولية، بقيادة الأهلي المالي الأردني إلى جانب مستثمرين آخرين.

تعمل منصة Fintech Galaxy على توفير التكامل بين الشركات الناشئة في مجال التكنولوجيا المالية والمؤسسات المالية من خلال توفير الوصول إلى بيانات العملاء من البنوك الشريكة من خلال واجهات برمجة التطبيقات المصرفية المفتوحة، مع السماح للمطورين بإنشاء تطبيقات وخدمات جديدة.

بحسب البيان الصحفي للشركة فإن التمويل الجديد سيساعدها على تعزيز تطوير ونشر منصة التمويل المفتوحة، إلى جانب العمل على توسيع نشاطها في أسواق الشرق الأوسط الرئيسية.

Getbee

حصلت شركة Getbee على نحو 1.8 مليون دولار في جولة ما قبل السلسلة (أ) بقيادة Altitude Capital وB & Y Venture Partners و +VC، إلى جانب مستثمرين ملائكيين استراتيجيين.

تنشط شركة Getbee في ربط العلامات التجارية بعملائها عبر الإنترنت من خلال استشارات تقدم عبر مكالمة فيديو حية.

بحسب البيان الصحفي للشركة فإن الأخيرة ستفيد من الجولة التمويلية من خلال تسريع اعتمادها في السوق مع العلامات التجارية الرائدة في مجال البيع بالتجزئة.

حققت الشركات الناشئة في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا نمواً كبيراً في عدد صفقات وحجم التمويل في شهر سبتمبر مقارنةً بشهر أغسطس، فوصلت نسبة النمو في عدد صفقات الشركات الناشئة لأكثر من 111% أما في حجم التمويل فتجاوزت نسبة النمو 106% بعد أن وصل إجمالي حجم التمويل إلى نحو 338 مليون دولار.

نستعرض فيما يأتي حالة الشركات الناشئة في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا خلال شهر سبتمبر 2021 من حيث عدد الصفقات وحجمها ومراحل الاستثمار وتوزعها قطاعياً وجغرافياً.

التوزع الجغرافي لعدد وحجم صفقات الشركات الناشئة

احتلت الشركات الناشئة المصرية للمرة الأولى مركز الصدارة من حيث حجم التمويل الذي بلغ أكثر من 161 مليون دولار فيما جاءت السعودية بالمركز الثاني بحجم تمويل بلغ نحو 132 مليون دولار، بينما احتلت الإمارات للمرة الأولى المرتبة الثالثة لجهة حجم التمويل فحصلت الشركات الناشئة الإماراتية على تمويل بقيمة 40 مليون دولار وهو ما يمثل انخفاضاً بنسبة 51% مقارنةً بشهر أغسطس من العام الجاري.

أما من حيث عدد الصفقات فقد حافظت الإمارات على مركز الأول بعدد صفقات بلغ 11 صفقة، تلاها السعودية ومصر بـ9 صفقات لكل منهما.

تجد الإشارة إلى متوسط حجم الصفقات للشركات الناشئة في الإمارات بلغ نحو 3.6 مليون دولار بانخفاض نسبي عن شهر أغسطس يقدر بنحو 63% فيما ارتفع متوسط حجم الصفقات للشركات الناشئة المصرية والسعودية إلى نحو 630% و285% على التوالي، لكن هذا النمو الكبير في متوسط حجم الصفقات لكل من السعودية ومصر تأثر بصفقتين كبيرتين هما: تمويل تطبيق MNT-Halan المصري الذي حصل على 120 مليون دولار، والتمويل الذي حصلت عليه منصة Unifonic السعودية الذي بلغ نحو 125 مليون دولار.

التوزع القطاعي لعدد وحجم صفقات الشركات الناشئة

بسبب استحواذ صفقتين على نحو 50% من إجمالي حجم التمويل الذي حصلت عليه الشركات الناشئة في الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا فإن التوزع القطاعي للاستثمارات من حيث الحجم شهداً تغيراً ملحوظاً في شهر سبتمبر إذ تصدر قطاع البرمجيات كخدمة في المركز الأول بقيمة تمويل بلغت 126 مليون دولار، فيما حل قطاع التكنولوجيا المالية في المركز الثامن بنحو 3.5 مليون دولار من 3 صفقات، كذلك تراجع حجم الصفقات في قطاع التجارة الإلكترونية ليبلغ 6.5 مليون دولار بانخفاض نسبي عن شهر أغسطس يقدر بنحو 8.5 مليون دولار.

مراحل الاستثمار في الشركات الناشئة

لم يختلف تركز صفقات التمويل من حيث مراحل الاستثمار عن شهر أغسطس إذ بقيت معظم صفقات تمويل الشركات الناشئة متركزة في مرحلة التمويل الأولي حيث بلغت عدد الصفقات التي حصلت عليها الشركات الناشئة في مرحلة التمويل الأولي لشهر سبتمبر 17 صفقة بنسبة 46% من إجمالي عدد الصفقات، وهو ما يشير إلى إمكانية تحقق صفقات بحجوم كبيرة خلال الربع الأخير من عام 2021.

التوزع الجندري

فيما يخص التوزع الجندري استمرت الشركات التي أسسها الذكور في الاستحواذ على القيمة الأكبر من صفقات تمويل الشركات الناشئة بل إن شهر سبتمبر شهد انخفاضاً كبيراً في حجم التمويل الذي حصلت عليه الشركات الناشئة التي أسستها سيدات إذ اقتصر على مبلغ 100 ألف دولار فقط، انخفاض وصفته مؤسسة ومضة "بالمثير للقلق".

نجحت شركة كيورا السعودية الرائدة في مجال لاستشارات الطبية عن بعد في جمع مبلغ 4 مليون دولار (حوالي 15 مليون ريال سعودي) في جولتها التمويلية من لسلسلة أ. جاءت الجولة التمويلية الأولى بقيادة كل من واعد (ذراع شركة أرامكو السعودية لريادة الأعمال) وشركة ELM. سنتعرف في السطور الآتية على رحلة صعود شركة كيورا السعودية والخدمات التي تقدمها.

ولادة فكرة كيورا

ولدت فكرة تأسيس شركة كيورا على إثر موقف تعرض له أحد مؤسسيها "وائل كابلي" وهو مهندس سابق في مايكرسوفت، حينما لاحظ على ابنته في إحدى الليالي علامات تعب وإعياء، وحاول الاتصال بطبيب لكن الأخير أخبره أن أفضل ما يمكن فعله هو أخذ موعد لمعاينة ابنته في صباح اليوم التالي، وهو فعله، وكانت النتيجة أن الطبيب أعطى وائل وزوجته خطوات بسيطة لرعاية ابنتهما من المنزل، عندها فكر وائل أنه من غير المعقول عدم وجود طريقة للحصول على استشارة طبية في الحالات الحرجة التي يتعذر فيها الوصول إلى طبيب، ومن هنا جاءت فكرة تأسيس شركة "يكورا" على يد كل من "وائل كابلي" وصديقه مهندس البرمجيات "محمد ذكر الله" وذلك في عام 2016.

خدمات كيورا

تعمل كيورا من خلال تطبيق على الهواتف الذكية يحمل اسمها. يمكن التطبيق طالب الاستشارة الطبية من التواصل مع طبيب/ة عبر المراسلة لإلكترونية أو عبر الفيديو بشكلٍ مباشر (في الوقت الفعلي) كذلك يمكن لطالب الخدمة الحصول على الوصفات الطبية عبر الإنترنت، فضلاً عن برنامج "العافية" لتقديم المشورة بشأن الاكتئاب والتوتر والأمراض المزمنة والتغذية وغيرها من القضايا المتعلقة بنمط الحياة.

يعمل في كيورا حالياً أكثر من 4500 طبيب، قدموا خدماتهم الطبية لنحو 350 ألف مستخدم منذ إطلاق تطبيق كيورا، تعتمد كيورا على تقديم خدماتها للسوق السعودية إذ تصل نسبة مستخدمي التطبيق من السعوديين إلى نحو 95%.

خطط للوصول للعالمية

تخطط الشركة الناشئة لاستخدام التمويل في تحسين تجربة المستخدم، وتقديم المزيد من الخدمات لكل من المستخدمين الأفراد والعملاء الشركاء، مثل جمع عينات الدم من منازل المرضى، وتقديم مزايا صحية للموظفين قابلة للتكامل مع شركات التأمين. كما تضع في أجنداتها توسيع نطاق عمل المنصة لتصبح أكثر عالمية خلال السنوات الخمس القادمة.

المصدر:

Cura

Translation By: Fairouz Alnajem

In August, start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa raised about $160 million through 44 transactions. Here are the top 5 transactions for Start-Ups in the region during August, noting that the following list does not include transactions which financing has not been announced.

First: Tabby Company

Country: UAE

Sector: Fintech

Establishment Date: 2019

Founder: Hossam Arab

Tabby, a fintech company specialized in the service of "Buy Now Pay Later", operating in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has received a Series B investment round worth $50 million, making it the largest investment round for a start-up in the United Arab Emirates, Middle East and North Africa in August. The company aspires to use the new investments to expand the Tabby product portfolio and launch it into new markets in the Arab Gulf states.

Second: Red Sea Farms

Country: Saudi Arabia

Sector: agricultural technology

Establishment Date: 2018

Founders: Ryan Lefers and Mark Tester

Red Sea Farms, an agricultural technology company, has raised an additional $6 million, bringing its pre-first funding round to nearly $16 million, led by a group of major Saudi and Emirati investors. Red Sea Farms' technology makes commercial farming of products using saltwater possible. The investment round obtained by the company will enable the company to accelerate the ability of Red Sea Farms to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Third: Maxab

Country: Egypt

Sector: E-commerce

Establishment Date: 2018

Founder: Bilal Al Maghribi

Maxab e-commerce company obtained additional funding from its first financing round announced last July, and the size of the new financing amounted to about $15 million, bringing the total amount it raised during its first round to about $55 million, and it also announced its acquisition of WaystoCap, an e-commerce platform Based in Morocco, for an undisclosed value. Maxab offers its services to traditional retailing across Egypt, Maxab's services are to provide business intelligence tools that allow suppliers to accurately predict, monitor and control the impact of their strategies in real time.

Fourth: Tharwa

Sector: Fintech

Country: United Arab Emirates

Establishment Date: 2017

Founder: Mark Chahwan, Jad Sayegh and Nadine Mezher

Tharwa Fintech has secured $15 million in Series B funding. Tharwa aims to revolutionize how young professionals grow their fortunes by bringing smart, simple and affordable digital investment to the region. According to the company's press release, the new investment will support Tharwa in its growth and enables it to reach millions of other users.

Fifth: Mabaat

Sector: Real Estate

Country: Saudi Arabia

Establishment Date: 2019

Founders: Talal Bin Saleh Al Sorayai

Mabaat, which specializes in property management and operation in short and medium-term leasing operations, obtained through a seed investment round a total of $2.4 million. According to Mabaat's press release, it will use the new funding to raise awareness of its digital platform and enhance its value, both to property owners and guests

UAE-based Zbooni, a social and conversational commerce platform, has closed a second tranche of $4.5 million to bring its total Series A round to $9.5 million.

New investment has come from March Holding, a regional family office with interests in ICT, eCommerce, and payments infrastructure; Enterprise Fund, a California-based VC founded by former senior Atlassian executives; and European private investors that have operated global payments and eCommerce businesses. Chalhoub Group, an existing investor, also participated in this round through their CCVA investment arm.

Founded in 2016 by Ramy Assaf and Ashraf Attia, Zbooni’s platform enables its 4000 SME clients to interact with their customers: “What started as an innovative way of capturing business payments via messaging apps is evolving into a wider solution, built with a focus on being mobile and simple to use. We see a massive opportunity in front of us and are excited about helping define the next generation of commerce,” said Assaf.

Zbooni will use the funding to grow its team, develop its proprietary technology and expand its customer base.

Press release:

Leading business solutions platform Zbooni has announced the close of its ‘Series A’ round, with investment from regional and international strategic investors. The round began with an initial $5M closing and has now incorporated a second tranche of $4.5M, priced to reflect the continued growth and business momentum. The recently closed round includes a combination of new and existing investors.

Zbooni offers best in-class tools and technology for businesses to address the increasing prevalence of social and conversational commerce. The company is seeing strong customer traction on its mobile seller app and web-based tools and is further developing its proprietary commerce technology. The footprint of the company has expanded in 2021, with new hires and the opening of additional regional offices. The funding will be used to bring in talent, expand into new markets and serve the needs of different customer segments.

Ramy Assaf, Zbooni CEO and co-founder, explained: “This funding round welcomes new and existing investors to complement the business as it expands. We look forward to leveraging their depth of relevant first-hand expertise in building large-scale technology.

Our solutions help businesses seamlessly transition into a new era of commerce, offering more relevant ways to sell and interact with customers. What started as an innovative way of capturing business payments via messaging apps is evolving into a wider solution, built with a focus on being mobile and simple to use. We see a massive opportunity in front of us and are excited about helping define the next generation of commerce.”

New investment has come from March Holding, a regional family office with interests in ICT, eCommerce, and payments infrastructure; Enterprise Fund, a California-based VC founded by former senior Atlassian executives; and European private investors that have operated global payments and eCommerce businesses. Chalhoub Group, an existing investor, also participated in this round through their CCVA investment arm and are adopting Zbooni across multiple brands and retail stores to create richer omni-channel experiences for customers.

source: Wamda

UAE-based real estate listing platform Nomad Homes, has raised $20 million in a Series A round co-led by 01 Advisors, an investment fund co-founded by former Twitter executives Dick Costolo and Adam Bain, and The Spruce House Partnership, a New York based investment partnership.

Other investors in the round included Goodwater Capital, HighSage Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Partech, Class 5 Global, Precursor Ventures, Alta Park Capital, and several angel investors.

Founded in 2019 by Helen Chen, Dan Piehler, and Damien Drap, Nomad Homes offers an end-to-end buyer experience for the real estate sector, using technology to provide customers with a customised home buying process from search, financing and signing.

Nomad Homes is live in Paris and Dubai and will use the new funding to accelerate its expansion across EMEA, specifically in Southern Europe. The company will continue to invest heavily in its technology and offer additional products and services to offer a “one-stop shop” for everything related to the home.

Press release:

Nomad Homes, a property technology startup that offers an end-to-end buyer experience for real estate across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, announced today it has closed a $20 million Series A funding round. The round is co-led by 01 Advisors, an investment fund co-founded by former Twitter executives Dick Costolo and Adam Bain, and The Spruce House Partnership, a New York based investment partnership.

Nomad pairs technology with local customer service experts to equip home buyers with the confidence to buy their best home, resulting in the simplest, most customised home buying process from search, to financing, to signing.

“Nomad Homes has built an incredible platform that is shaping the future of real estate across EMEA,” said Dick Costolo, Managing Partner of 01 Advisors. “What the team is building is increasing market liquidity and simplifying the consumer experience. We have invested in similarly transformative companies in the US and are excited to partner with these founders and the entire team as they expand.”

Nomad Homes was founded by three friends Helen Chen, Dan Piehler, and Damien Drap who bonded over their frustrations of finding a place to live in a new city. Collective experience at Blackstone, Addepar, and Uber gave them insight about designing a better, buyer-first approach.

Chen left the Stanford Graduate School of Business to build a team to empower home buyers across the region. Nomad Homes is the only comprehensive real estate service focused on bringing a personalised experience to home buying.

Buying and selling residential real estate is especially difficult across EMEA where there is no Multiple Listing Services (MLS). Despite real estate representing over $20 trillion across the region, the market is still riddled with fake and duplicate listings and no pricing data to understand the true value of a home. The process of buying a home remains offline and with no buy-side agents, leaving potential home buyers without representation or support in what will likely be a consumer’s largest financial asset.

“We set out on a mission to simplify the most important personal and financial decision in your life. We believe that the combination of technology and personalised customer experience empowers our customers to buy their home with confidence.

A lot of that confidence comes from the MLS that Nomad is creating, which provides home buyers the data and transparency to make that decision. We’re like a transactional Zillow, but in EMEA,” says Chen, Nomad CEO.

Nomad Homes is live in Paris and Dubai and will use the new funding to accelerate its expansion across EMEA, specifically in Southern Europe. The company will continue to invest heavily in its technology and offer additional products and services to offer a “one-stop shop” for everything related to the home. “We are particularly excited to continue investing in new fintech products and pricing tools to further streamline the buying journey for our customers,” says Piehler, Nomad CPO.

A mix of new and existing investors also participated in the round, including Goodwater Capital, HighSage Ventures, Abstract Ventures, Partech, Class 5 Global, Precursor Ventures, Alta Park Capital, and an undisclosed multi-billion dollar crossover fund, among others.

Many notable angel investors also participated in the round such as Co-Founder and former CEO of Zillow and Pacaso Spencer Rascoff through his firm 75 & Sunny, Opendoor CEO Eric Wu, former Compass COO/CFO David Snider, Flyhomes CEO Tushar Garg, Landis Co-Founders Cyril Berdugo and Tom Petit, and DST Global Partner Saurabh Gupta.

“We are excited to be partnering with Nomad Homes.We have seen firsthand the opportunity of digitising other large, offline industries, and believe that the same opportunity exists in residential real estate.

We have known Helen for years and are convinced Nomad is the best team to take advantage of this opportunity across EMEA,” says Zachary Sternberg, General Partner of The Spruce House Partnership.

Despite launching in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has already expanded to its second country in less than one year. Growth has accelerated through 2021 with transaction volumes growing over 16x through the first half of the year. “We are using the same playbook that we used at Uber, to accelerate launching and scaling across markets,” says Drap, Nomad COO.

source: wamda

With the opening of the world's greatest event a few hours away, businesses will no doubt have a keen eye on events planned at the 4.38 sq.km. site

As world exhibitions go, the timing of Expo 2020 Dubai could not be any better.

Organised under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 – making history as the largest event ever held in the Arab World – is not only a six-month extravaganza and cultural spectacle for visitors; it is more importantly an environment for countless business opportunities.

With the opening of the mega event hours away, businesses will no doubt have a keen eye on events planned at the 4.38 sq.km. site as global economies emerge from 18 months of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With many businesses keen to re-calibrate the way they work to cope with fresh demands of a changed world, a series of events, workshops, and presentations in the first weeks of the Expo will offer insight into how firms can prepare.

Zawya rounds up 10 top networking opportunities happening earlier on in the event.

1. Debate sustainability with Brazil’s Vice President

A key theme of the entire exhibition is sustainability. On Day Two of Expo 2020, October 2, visitors can join a debate with the vice president of Brazil, Hamilton Mourão to discuss the South American country’s contribution to sustainable development enterprises and initiatives.

Mourão leads the Council of the Amazon that is responsible for preserving, protecting, and developing the Amazon region by working with businesses and communities.

Starting at 3 p.m., the two-hour talk – which will focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology around sustainability – is included in a day pass ticket.

2. Discuss investment in developing nations

Country pavilions will unite to listen to a panel of top leaders from the private sector on 14 October to explore new ways to maximise the role of the European Union (EU) by investing in developing nations.

The debate will focus on how to ramp up private investment in developing countries and emerging economies, particularly in Africa. Talks will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and visitors can dip in and out while they enjoy other attractions around the site.

3. Discover initiatives from the heart of Russia

Exclusive business and media conferences will bring together key Russian industry leaders and media influencers, allowing them to showcase the very best examples of projects initiated and developed in Moscow.

The event will be popular with those visitors with a keen interest in learning more about Moscow and how to invest in or take a trip to the cosmopolitan capital.

It will showcase opportunities in business entrepreneurship, as well as what arts and culture Moscow has to offer - all within the Russia pavilion inside the site’s mobility district.

4. Learn about the Expo key themes with Mexican experts

During October, three Mexican guests will give 45-minute talks focusing on topics related to the theme weeks of Expo.

Admission to the talks is included in the entry ticket, with locations to be confirmed on daily entry programmes. Experts will spark up a range of different conversations, starting with space exploration throughout October.

Other topics lined up include climate and biodiversity, urban and rural development, travel and connectivity, health, wellness, and agriculture.

Mexico’s pavilion in the Mobility District will showcase national treasures in the form of art, music and food taking visitors on a journey of migration and exchange through the cycle of life.

5. Learn how businesses can battle climate change

A special event at the Blue Carbon Majlis on 19 October will offer an insight into how coastal and marine ecosystems store carbon, and how businesses can get involved to improve their impact on climate change.

The two-day programme will focus on policy and financing of this vital science that has the potential to play a critical role in protecting the natural world. Talks and demonstrations will be led by the IORA Blue Carbon Hub, a natural disaster risk reduction think tank from the University of Western Australia and co-curated with IORA Members and Observer states.

The two-hour talks take place at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

6. Explore how to branch out in the green-tech space

At the Malaysia pavilion, an unmissable event is lined-up on October 20 for companies looking to branch out into emerging green technologies should snap up the opportunity to visit a mini-seminar on the topic.

Perfect for those with an interest in future renewable, sustainable technologies that care for the environment, this particular forum focuses on investment opportunities in green technology in Malaysia. The talk will last for an hour and a half from 8.30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Afterwards, visit Al Wasl Plaza – home to the world’s largest 360-degree projection surface. The Plaza’s dome comes alive after dark and awakens as an illuminated canvas against the night sky, capturing the imagination of visitors as it tells stories “from the Arab region, our natural world, the cosmos, and humanity’s endless quest for a better future.”

7. Unearth emerging technologies

The Nigeria Tech Conference on 21 October will give visitors an inside look at the latest emerging technology in Africa and what investment opportunities are on offer for businesses.

Speakers will reveal how the continent is connecting and harnessing the transformative power of technology with displays showcasing to the world Nigeria’s enormous strides and successes in its technological progress.

The 12-hour forum begins at 10a.m.

8. Mingle at the EU Business Forum

The EU is set to host a business forum with representatives from the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC nations and a gala to mark a custom Expo "EU Honour Day" on October 23.

9. Learn about investment opportunities in Switzerland

The Swiss pavilion is preparing to showcase some unseen gems of what the nation has to offer businesses and tourists planning to visit the beautiful country of mountains and lakes.

Swiss universities and tech companies will be on hand to demonstrate their latest ideas on how to build smart cities of the future.

A digital “twin” of Albert Einstein, who attended university in Zurich, will greet those visiting the pavilion.

Meanwhile, healthcare-focused individuals can learn more about the progression of value-based healthcare in the region via Roche’s special 125-year anniversary exhibition in November.

10. Converge with fintech specialists at BlockExpo

As Expo 2020 puts it, “few technological innovations in recent times have attracted as much interest – and confusion – as blockchain.” Organisers promise that “the veil on its revolutionary promise will be lifted” in November when more than 300 fintech firms and thousands of experts and enthusiasts meet at BlockExpo and World Blockchain Summit 2021.

Taking place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, right on the “doorstep” of the Expo 2020 site, the event is aimed at “technologists, futurlists, and savvy investors”.

source: zawya

A special ceremony and fireworks display will kick off tonight marking the opening of Expo 2020, a six-month fair that is expected to attract 1.8 million visitors.

The invite-only event will be broadcast live across more than 430 locations in the UAE, including shopping malls, hotels, airports and other landmarks, starting from 1930 GST.

Viewers from anywhere in the world can also join the opening ceremony through a global live stream, available on virtualexpo.world and Expo TV.

Expo 2020 will open its doors to the public on October 1, 2021 and will run until March 31, 2022. Some 30,000 visitors are expected to visit the site every month, making it the biggest in-person event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

Where to see the opening ceremony in UAE

Tonight’s ceremony can be viewed through the screens set up in more than 240 hotels, including Emaar’s Rove, Armani, Address Hotels & Resorts and Vida Hotels & Resorts, as well as Accor, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Rotana, Jumeirah, Hyatt International and Atlantis The Palm.

At least 17 shopping malls operated by Majid Al Futtaim also have some screens set up to showcase the event, as well as City Walk, Nakheel Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall.

The streaming can also be viewed at 50 Jashanmal locations across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 97 Mediclinics, Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airports and Zabeel Ladies Club and Sharaf DG.

Viewings will likewise take place at various locations in Umm Al Quwain, Yas Plaza in Abu Dhabi and across various locations in Ras Al Khaimah, including the Corniche, Al Marjan Island and Manar Mall, Ajman Heritage District and Fujairah Fort.

On October 1, fireworks displays to celebrate the start of Expo 2020 are also scheduled to take place in some parts of Dubai, including Dubai Festival City, The Frame and The Pointe in Palm Jumeirah. The fireworks will kick off at 2020 GST.

source: zawya