Rekaz closes $5mln seed to expand AI-driven tools in GCC region
The funding round was led by COTU Ventures, with participation from Impact46, Shorooq Partners, Numrah Capital, and angel investors, according to a press release.
The company will use the investment to expand product development, enhance AI capabilities, and grow its presence across the GCC and wider markets.
More than 7,000 businesses used Rekaz to process 1 million appointments and subscriptions, reflecting strong traction among single-location operators and growing multi-branch businesses.
Abdulrahman Alomran, CEO and Co-founder of Rekaz, said: 'Our mission is to do for service SMBs what Shopify did for e-commerce. Most service businesses are still operating through scattered tools, spreadsheets, and manual work. We are building the infrastructure they've been missing.'
Rekaz integrates purpose-built internal system with AI-powered insights and personalized onboarding flows that adapt to each business type. This enables merchants to get started quickly and run more efficiently, with less friction and fewer moving parts.
Amir Farha, General Partner at COTU Ventures, stated: 'Rekaz is solving a massive and overlooked problem. Service businesses are the economic backbone of the region, and they've been left behind by traditional software. Abdulrahman and Abdulaziz are building the right platform at the right time.'
Syndigate.info).
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Saudi Arabia signs renewable energy deals worth $8.3bn with Acwa Power consortium
Saudi Arabia has signed agreements worth more than 31 billion riyals ($8.3 billion) for seven renewable energy projects with an Acwa Power -led consortium to boost the kingdom's green energy capacity. Power purchase agreements for new solar and wind energy projects with 15 gigawatts capacity signed by the state-owned company Principal Buyer in the presence of the Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman are part of the country's National Renewable Energy Programme, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. 'The signing of these agreements represents the largest capacity globally signed for renewable energy projects in a single phase,' SPA said. 'It confirms the kingdom's continued leadership in developing renewable energy infrastructure and achieving globally competitive costs of electricity production per kilowatt-hour, due to efficient financing and development models, as well as growing investor confidence in the Saudi investment environment.' Acwa Power is the main developer for the developments in partnership with the Public Investment Fund-owned Water and Electricity Holding Company (Badeel), and Aramco Power, a subsidiary of state-controlled oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco. Principal Buyer is responsible for preparing feasibility studies and tendering electricity generation projects, SPA added. So far, it has launched renewable electricity generation projects with a total capacity of 43 gigawatts. Of these, Principal Buyer has already signed power purchase agreements for projects with a capacity of 38 gigawatts. The remaining 10.21 gigawatts have already been connected to the national grid. Saudi Arabia expects the capacity connected to the grid to reach 12.7 gigawatts by the end of this year and rise to more than 20 gigawatts by the end of 2026. The solar deals signed on Sunday include a three-gigawatt Bisha project in Aseer, a three-gigawatt development in Madinah, the Khulis Project in Makkah with a capacity of two gigawatts, and Afif 1 and Afif 2 in Riyadh, each with a two-gigawatt capacity. The wind energy projects include two in Riyadh: the Starah development with a capacity of two gigawatts and the one-gigawatt Shaqra project, SPA reported. Backed by the PIF, Acwa Power is one of the largest renewable energy developers in the Middle East. It currently has operations in 14 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South-East Asia. It is an investor in and operator of 101 power generation and water desalination projects in operation, construction and advanced development with an overall portfolio size of about $107.5 billion as of February this year. The company has grown quickly over the years, capitalising on the rising demand of green energy in the Middle East and the 14 countries it operates in. Renewable energy generation in the Middle East is forecast to grow by about 14 per cent per year from now until 2027, with its share of the overall energy mix rising from 5 per cent to 7 per cent, according to the International Energy Agency. Beyond the region, Acwa Power is eyeing markets including China to further strengthen its global footprint. The company plans to grow its business in China despite concerns of a trade war with the US, chief executive Marco Arcelli said in March. The company has already entered China's renewable energy market with agreements for projects that will generate one gigawatt of electricity. By 2030, it aims to invest up to $30 billion in China – the world's largest renewable energy market – in line with its plans to triple its overall assets under management to about $250 billion. 'We take a long-term view, and we see China as a very strong economy,' Mr Arcelli told The National. 'China has a programme of installing 250-300 gigawatts of renewables per year, and the commitment there is very strong. The scale is such that even if, in theory, it slows down by 10 per cent, it is still a gigantic market.'


Zawya
5 hours ago
- Zawya
Zain KSA and Cisco to collaborate on the development of advanced AI infrastructure
Zain KSA, a leading provider of telecommunications and digital services in Saudi Arabia, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cisco, the global leader in networking and security, focusing on the development of cutting-edge AI infrastructure and GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS). The agreement aims to leverage Cisco's advanced, end-to-end infrastructure solutions for securely building and scaling AI workloads, supporting Zain KSA in delivering high-performance, resilient, and reliable GPU-powered services to the Saudi market. The MOU is part of Zain KSA's strategy to actively align with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals by driving digital transformation and positioning the Kingdom as a global digital innovation hub, particularly in the AI space. As part of the collaboration, Zain KSA will leverage its deep market knowledge, cutting-edge digital capabilities, and targeted investments alongside Cisco's global expertise in AI-ready infrastructure development. The initiative aims to create new solutions and commercial models to enable customers across various sectors to confidently and easily adopt AI solutions. The MoU also includes exploring opportunities for training programs to upskill local talent, in line with Zain KSA's commitment to ICT skills development to support long-term national AI capabilities. Zain KSA, VP of B2B Sales, Fahad Sahmi Al Sahmah, said: 'At Zain KSA, we are mobilizing all our capabilities and investments to drive nationwide digital innovation, positioning the Kingdom as a global hub, a digital economy powered by future-looking GenAI solutions and applications. These efforts aim to empower all stakeholders, including government entities, businesses, and individuals, to harness the boundless potential of AI in support of national goals. This strategic collaboration with Cisco, positions us well to explore, develop, and innovate use cases, as we continue building a resilient, integrated and agile digital ecosystem that can embrace next-gen technologies and deploy them in the Kingdom.' Zayan Sadek, Managing Director for Service Providers at Cisco Middle East, Türkiye and Africa said: 'Cisco is excited to collaborate with Zain KSA to pave the way for a transformative AI-powered future in Saudi Arabia. By combining Zain KSA's digital expertise with Cisco's cutting-edge AI infrastructure technologies, we aim to unlock new possibilities to empower businesses to thrive in the AI era and position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for advanced technologies.'


Khaleej Times
7 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Saudi Arabia: UAE, GCC residents can now invest in main stock market
Saudi Arabia's Capital Market Authority (CMA) announced that residents of the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are now permitted to invest directly in the kingdom's main stock market. The regulatory update aims to enhance the appeal of Saudi Arabia's capital market to both regional and international investors. According to the CMA, this move is expected to boost investor protection, build market confidence, attract foreign investment, and increase market liquidity —ultimately contributing to the growth of the local economy. Under the revised regulations, GCC residents can now directly trade in the main market, Tadawul. Previously, their access was limited to the debt market, the parallel market (Nomu), investment funds, and the derivatives market. Their participation in the main market was restricted to swap agreements via capital market institutions, where investment decisions were made on their behalf. The amendments also allow individual foreign investors who previously resided in Saudi Arabia or other GCC countries to maintain their investment accounts and continue trading in listed shares on the main market—even after leaving the region—provided they had opened an investment account while residing in the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia hosts the largest stock market in the Gulf region. In the first half of 2025, it recorded a trading value of $183.5 billion. In comparison, Abu Dhabi posted $48.9 billion, Kuwait $41.1 billion, Dubai $22.8 billion, Qatar $14.6 billion, Muscat $2.4 billion, and Bahrain $1.24 billion.