Tarabut Gateway*

Sarwa is an investment and personal finance platform. With more than 50,000 registered users, it provides a hybrid model with access to on-demand investment experts and customer support. Backed by prominent investors such as the Mubadala Investment Company and 500 Startups, the company recently launched Sarwa Trade, a self-directed zero-commission platform that allows clients to buy and sell over 4,000 publicly traded stocks and ETFs listed on major U.S. exchanges. In August 2021, Sarwa raised $15 million in a Series B round. Nadine Mezher, cofounder and CMO of Sarwa, ranked fifth on Forbes Middle East's “Top 10 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands 2021” list.

Kaykroo operates 20 cloud kitchens in the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia, delivering 250,000 orders monthly. Kaykroo raised over $21.4 million in funding during 2021 from notable investors such as Abdulmajid Abdulaziz Al Hokair and Abdulrahman Al Rashed. Over the next four years, it aims to have 50 brands offered from its kitchens across 50 locations in the region, generating a total of $500 million in sales in its fifth year. Kaykroo has 20 operating brands with an additional 15 brands in the pipeline for 2022.

Total funding: $25 million

Founders: Nationality: Investors: Headquarters: Established in:

Tarabut Gateway is a regulated open banking platform that connects a regional network of banks and fintechs via an application programming interface that helps facilitate and distribute personalized financial services. Having started in Bahrain, Tarabut Gateway raised $13 million in seed funding in February 2021 and another $12 million in November. The platform has offices across Bahrain, the U.A.E., and the U.K. It recently partnered with Zain Bahrain to launch telco open banking payments.