Middle East’s next big things
MENA (Middle East and North Africa) startups had a robust funding year in 2019 and several startups have in particular caught the eye of investors as having the potential to be the region’s next big thing. Here are some:
• Ekar: Dubai’s pay-as-you-go car-sharing service is predicted to have a fleet of 10,000 cars and 1 million registered users by 2021. Ambitious but with $17 million in the pocket since November 2019, it is confident. The company will launch soon in Riyadh, using more than 70,000 first time female drivers for whom rentals might be an attractive alternative to car ownership.
• Trukker: Abu Dhabi-based moving and packing company TruKKer is flushed with $23 million in funds and is starting the year with an expansion into the lucrative Egyptian market and the rest of the MENA region. The company said it will capitalise on the country’s central location and favours itself to conquer the $66 billion industry.
• Maxab: The Egyptian B2B supply-chain consolidation marketplace enables grocery stores to order shipments directly from manufacturers via a mobile app, eliminating all intermediaries in between. Valued at $45 billion, Egyptian food retail is a highly lucrative market for MaxAB to disrupt.
• Cofe: Launched in Kuwait, this app aggregates a list of nearby retailers and coffee shops. Customers can place orders for coffee and have their beverages delivered. Already eyeing a global expansion, COFE secured $3.2 million and plans to start internationally in London this April.
• Dokkan Afkar: The online store based in Jeddah offers a variety of creative and conceptual products. Late last year, the company secured $5 million in second round funding. It will focus on promoting homegrown Saudi brands and sell globally.
Almosafer launches WhatsApp customer support
Almosafer, a omni-channel travel brand in Saudi Arabia, has announced the general availability of its WhatsApp channel for travellers.
Powered by provider LivePerson, Almosafer’s launch on WhatsApp offers customers fast access to end-to-end travel support via the messaging platform. Customers can opt in to WhatsApp conversations with travel advisors to get answers to all their enquiries and have any requests fulfilled without having to make a call.
In 2019, it was reported that 72% or more than 24 million people in Saudi Arabia regularly use the messaging platform.
Muzzammil Ahussain, executive vice president of Almosafer, said: “Almosafer’s new WhatsApp channel allows us to continue to innovate and stay up-to-date with customer demands, giving travellers a secure and familiar way to communicate with ease with our trained professionals regarding their trip, wherever they are in the world. In line with our omni-channel strategy, it is imperative for us to be connected to our travellers on platforms they are engaging with and serving them on WhatsApp will help us in connecting their user journey, regardless of whether they booked through the channel itself, via app or web, in one of our retail branches or through our call centres.”
Regus ups the flexible workspaces ante in Egypt
Regus, a provider of flexible workspaces and a subsidiary of the International Workplace Group, is capitalising on “the new needs of Egyptian entrepreneurs, and overhauling its facilities in its 1,400sqm Cairo Nile City Towers Centre.
Networking events and the exchange of good practices are an integral part of its new venues, it said. A wide range of “turnkey” services are available including telephone secretarial services, mail management, meeting rooms and the essential high-speed Internet access. The teams at the centres are fluent in several languages such as French, English, Arabic.
According to an International Workplace Group (IWG) study conducted in 2019 in 100 countries, 30% of workspaces in 2030 will be in the form of flexible, coworking type workspaces.
“We have totally redesigned the Nile City towers site coworking space to provide a new customer experience for start up creators. I hope that this inspiring new setting will be conducive to the emergence of new talent in Egyptian Tech. Turnkey offices, domiciliation and networking are the essential ingredients for successful entrepreneurs,” said Tarek Abou-Zeinab, country manager of IWG in Africa.
Other brands in the IWG portfolio include Spaces, HQ, No18, Stop & Work and Signature by Regus.
Don’t just read the news. Join in the conversations on April 7 in Dubai at WiT Middle East 2020.
