Inc. Arabia

🗞 IN THE NEWS 🗞 OpenAI, the San Francisco-based company behind the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, ChatGPT, has wrapped up a US$122 billion funding round at a valuation of $852 billion, marking its largest capital raise to date as it increases spending on chips, data centers, and talent. A Bloomberg report noted that the bulk of the financing came from three mglobal ajor names in the technology space: e-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon committed $50 billion, while AI infrastructure powerhouse NVIDIA and global investment conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp. each invested $30 billion. The round also drew participation from OpenAI’s long-term partner, Microsoft, one of the world’s largest technology companies. The transaction ranks among the largest funding rounds secured by technology companies to date, exceeding recent raises by privately backed startups as well as some acquisitions and initial public offerings, thus reflecting continued investor interest in AI as it expands across industries and economies. In a statement, OpenAI noted its track record as the fastest technology platform to reach 10 million users, the fastest to 100 million users, and soon, the fastest to one billion weekly active users. Within a year of launching ChatGPT in November 2022, OpenAI had reached $1 billion in revenue, and by the end of 2024, it was generating $1 billion per quarter. Now, the company claims to be generating $2 billion in revenue per month.  More about OpenAI's fundraise and its plans for the future here: https://lnkd.in/dARQxQKc #OpenAI #ChatGPT #artificialintelligence #AI #innovation #investment #US #business #leaders #entrepreneurs #startups #GCC #MiddleEast #MENA

“Conversation doesn’t create value. Resolution does.” In Inc. Arabia, our very own Abdullah Asiri reflects on why customer experience still breaks down, even as response times improve. The issue shows up after the reply, when execution slows things down. Closing that gap became the question. Our Enterprise AI Agent is the answer built to follow requests through and actually get things done. For the full read, click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dvVHrm-F

UAE-based extended-stay platform estaie has raised a seven-figure pre-seed funding round led by the MENA early-stage venture capital (VC) firm Plus VC (+VC) and global venture capital firm Orbit Ventures, with participation from Riyadh-based angel investment platform Falak Angels, Saudi-based venture builder Value Makers Studio (VMS), and Bulgaria-based early-stage investor Vasil Zdravkov. Founded by Osama Shawky 🚀🦄, Mark Reed 🚀🦄, and Nimit Solanki 🚀🦄 in the UAE in 2025, estaie is an artificial intelligence (AI)-native platform that enables users to search, compare, and book extended stays across hotels, serviced apartments, and holiday homes with optimized, data-driven pricing. It operates at the intersection of hospitality, real estate, and corporate travel, targeting a segment that sits between short-term hotel stays and long-term residential leasing, bringing all furnished accommodation types into a single system designed for longer-term bookings. In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Shawky explained how estaie came into being in response to the underlying inefficiencies shaping the segment. “Today, extended stays—anything beyond short-term hotel bookings—are not served," Shawky said. "Customers are forced into manual negotiations, limited short-stay platforms, or inconsistent alternatives. At the same time, hotels and property operators struggle to price and distribute this inventory effectively. estaie was built from the ground up to solve this.” Learn more about estaie's offering in our full interview with Shawky here: https://lnkd.in/daGytYd7 #entrepreneurs #startups #UAE #SaudiArabia #KSA #GCC #MiddleEast #MENA #business #leaders #investment #innovation #business #leaders #hospitality #realestate #extendedstay #tech #artificialintelligence #AI

The current situation hit me with a wave of questions I could not shake. What does the future hold for Qatar's local ecosystem? Are investors still deploying capital? Are ecosystem players still active or pausing in anticipation? What can founders do to weather this storm? I did not want to wait and see. I wanted answers. So I reached out to three of Qatar's most trusted ecosystem voices and asked them directly. Read the full article via Inc. Arabia ______________ Michael Lints | Muhannad Taslaq | Indica Amarasinghe

📩 ICYMI: Inc. Arabia's weekly newsletter, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄, was sent out earlier today! 📩 Here's a note by Inc. Arabia Managing Editor Yasmine Nazmy that headlined this edition of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄--check out the full newsletter (which includes a link to subscribe!) in this post's comments. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 | 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 This edition of 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 comes together at a time when uncertainty is no longer an interruption to business as usual; it 𝘪𝘴 business as usual. Across the region, founders and operators are beyond pausing to reassess when conditions stabilize. Instead, they’re building systems that endure under pressure. From Lebanon’s Sofra, which is coordinating food relief in real-time to displaced families, to startups in Qatar drawing on lessons from past disruptions to weather the current storm, to UAE businesses actively supporting one another through shifting conditions, a clear pattern is emerging: resilience is no longer reactive. Instead, it’s being designed. What stands out is not just the ability to endure volatility, but the deliberate move toward models that assume it, whether by making difficult decisions, designing more efficient operations, or building community-driven networks. The question is no longer how companies grow in stable environments. It’s how they operate even through uncertainty. #THETOPLINE #IncArabia #MiddleEast #MENA #GCC #business #startups #entrepreneurs #leaders #innovation #funding #news #journalism #media

WHOOP, the human performance company founded by Egyptian-American entrepreneur Will Ahmed, has secured US$575 million in a Series G funding round at a valuation of $10.1 billion. The round was led by American venture capital firm Collaborative Fund, with participation from GCC-based investors like the UAE's 2PointZero Group and Mubadala Investment Company, and Qatar Investment Authority, alongside global investors like Abbott, Mayo Clinic, Macquarie Group, Glade Brook Capital Partners LLC, B-FLEXION, IVP, Foundry, Accomplice, Affinity Equity Partners, and Bullhound Capital. Individual participants included notable names like Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Rory McIlroy, Reggie Miller,Niall Horan, Virgil van Dijk, Shane Lowry, and Karen Wazen. Founded in the US in 2012, WHOOP provides a wearable device that tracks biometric data to deliver personalized insights on sleep, recovery, and overall health. The new investment in WHOOP is set to support its expansion across the GCC, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, with the company's plans including the launch of WHOOP Labs Doha, its first international performance research and development facility, as well as new initiatives across the UAE and Qatar aimed at driving adoption and supporting the region’s performance science sector. The number of GCC investors in WHOOP’s Series G round underscores the region’s strategic importance to the company. "We’re proud to be joined by partners from the GCC who share our long-term vision for personalized, preventative health," Ahmed told Inc. Arabia. "The GCC is one of the most forward-looking regions in the world when it comes to health, performance, and longevity. We’re experiencing a lot of momentum on the ground—from launching WHOOP Labs Doha, to expanding our local teams, and growing our retail footprint in multiple markets. We’re also developing meaningful partnerships across the region that integrate WHOOP into broader health and performance ecosystems. There’s a strong alignment between what we’re building and the region’s focus on innovation and proactive healthcare. We’re committed to investing here for the long term." More insights from Ahmed in our full article: https://lnkd.in/dYa9DEqD #entrepreneurs #startups #scaleups #US #GCC #MiddleEast #MENA #tech #innovation #health #performance #productivity #business #investment

🗞 IN THE NEWS 🗞 HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has approved an AED1 billion (US$272.26 million) support package for the emirate’s business sector that will be rolled out from April over the next three to six months. Included in the AED1 billion economic incentives being rolled out by The Executive Council are the deferral of a range of government fees for three months, including measures that allow hotels to postpone paying 100 percent of the sales fees and the “Tourism Dirham”—a fee applied to guests staying in Dubai hotels—for three months to enhance liquidity in the hospitality and tourism sectors. Similarly, customs data grace periods will be extended from 30 to 90 days with the possibility of further extension and full compliance with the applicable tax legislation. The initiative will also streamline the issuing and renewing of residency permits, making it easier for talent to live and work in Dubai. In a post on the social media platform X, Sheikh Hamdan said, “Our message is clear: Dubai remains committed to supporting individuals, families and businesses with confidence and stability. With strong institutions and deep community ties, the emirate continues to grow, turning challenges into opportunities and emerging stronger than ever.” More details about this meeting by The Executive Council in our full article here: https://lnkd.in/drjiwujY #business #Dubai #UAE #entrepreneurs #startups #leadership #incentives #economy #support #investment #innovation #GCC #MiddleEast #MENA

The UAE business community is showing up for each other. And so are we. We're honoured to be featured in Inc. Arabia's roundup of initiatives supporting businesses across the region right now — alongside some incredible names doing real work on the ground. Free 60-minute consultation. Free digital audit. Free crisis comms strategy. All Melt Media services at cost, zero margin, for the duration. If you need us, we're here → https://melt-global.com Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/d54P-yBR

Lucidya | لوسيديا, the Saudi Arabia-based Arabic-first artificial intelligence (AI) customer experience management (CXM) platform, has launched its Enterprise AI Agent platform, which comes less than a year after the company raised a record-breaking US$30 million Series B funding round. In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Lucidya founder and CEO Abdullah Asiri said that the AI Agent will play a central role in the company’s growth strategy for 2026, as it continues to innovate around its product portfolio, and accelerate expansion across the MENA region. Its launch comes as enterprises across the MENA region shift from experimenting with AI to operationalizing it, moving beyond conversation toward resolution; a shift that is particularly relevant for enterprises in Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region today. “For years, enterprises focused on improving conversations: faster replies, better tone, smarter chatbots,” Asiri says. “But conversation doesn’t create value. Resolution does. Across the MENA, organizations have scaled customer touchpoints faster than they've modernized internal execution. Channels multiplied. Volumes exploded. Yet fulfillment, refunds, activations, complaints—the actual resolution layer—remained manual and fragmented across systems.” Here, Asiri highlights that Lucidya’s own data from the Kingdom and beyond reveals that customer friction is not caused by poor communication, but rather by delayed execution. As such, it is especially relevant for organizations increasingly undergoing digital transformation to keep pace with customer expectations. “With Vision 2030 accelerating digitization, enterprises and government entities need systems that don’t just respond—they act,” Asiri points out. “But autonomy must come with governance, auditability, and compliance. Resolution-first AI allows organizations to absorb massive growth without proportionally increasing headcount—while maintaining accountability. That’s the shift: from answering customers to executing for them.” More of Asiri's insights in our full article here: https://lnkd.in/dvVHrm-F #SaudiArabia #KSA #artificialintelligence #AI #enterpriseAI #agenticAI #customerexperience #CX #customerservice #entrepreneurs #startups #scaleups #business #leaders #management #GCC #MiddleEast #MENA