MENA startups raised $52 million in June 2025, the steepest monthly drop in a year
UAE regains the lead, Tunisia breaks new ground
The UAE reclaimed its position as the region's top-funded market, with 13 startups raising $37 million, accounting for over 70% of all capital deployed last month. This marks a shift from May, when Egypt led the charts; however, in June it slipped to second place with a modest $6.2 million raised across six deals.
In an unexpected turn, Tunisia entered the top three, driven entirely by a single standout deal: Kumulus, a water generation startup, secured a $3.5 million seed round. This placed the North African country ahead of Saudi Arabia, which saw just $3 million raised by six startups — a notable dip for one of the region's most active ecosystems.
Fintech stays dominant, but cleantech and Web3 make a showing
Fintech remained the leading sector, attracting 74% of total capital across ten deals. Cleantech followed — again, thanks solely to Kumulus — while the Web3 sector secured $2 million across two rounds.
Early-stage deals continue to attract capital
When excluding debt-based financing, the bulk of funding went to early-stage companies. Seed-stage startups attracted $10.6 million across 11 rounds, followed by $5 million in pre-seed capital distributed among eight transactions. Only one Series A deal was recorded—valued at just $100,000, signalling a continued gap in growth-stage funding.
B2B rules
Startups operating under business-to-business (B2B) models received 78% of total funding across 21 deals. Hybrid B2B2C startups followed, securing $9.7 million across five deals, while pure B2C startups captured under $1.5 million across eight rounds — indicating continued investor confidence in enterprise-focused models.
Gender lens: progress, but limited reach
In June, mixed-gender founding teams made a significant impact, garnering 45% of the total capital, albeit concentrated in just four deals. Meanwhile, 27 all-male teams raised $28 million, and six women-led startups secured only $223,200.
While the numbers may seem encouraging at first glance, they actually highlight the scarcity of mixed-gender or female-led teams that are reaching the fundraising table — a long-standing gap in MENA's startup ecosystem.
June's numbers mark one of the sharpest funding drops in the first half of 2025. The drop may also indicate a broader recalibration in MENA's startup landscape, likely influenced by the summer slowdown, valuation resets, and tightening global liquidity.
Stay tuned for Wamda's H1 investment breakdown.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wamda
4 hours ago
- Wamda
MENA startups raised $52 million in June 2025, the steepest monthly drop in a year
Startup funding across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region plummeted in June 2025, with only $52 million raised across 37 deals—an 82% decline month-on-month and a 55% drop compared to June 2024. The slowdown was further underscored by the fact that 40% of this capital came through debt instruments, pointing to increasingly cautious investor sentiment amid global macroeconomic uncertainty. UAE regains the lead, Tunisia breaks new ground The UAE reclaimed its position as the region's top-funded market, with 13 startups raising $37 million, accounting for over 70% of all capital deployed last month. This marks a shift from May, when Egypt led the charts; however, in June it slipped to second place with a modest $6.2 million raised across six deals. In an unexpected turn, Tunisia entered the top three, driven entirely by a single standout deal: Kumulus, a water generation startup, secured a $3.5 million seed round. This placed the North African country ahead of Saudi Arabia, which saw just $3 million raised by six startups — a notable dip for one of the region's most active ecosystems. Fintech stays dominant, but cleantech and Web3 make a showing Fintech remained the leading sector, attracting 74% of total capital across ten deals. Cleantech followed — again, thanks solely to Kumulus — while the Web3 sector secured $2 million across two rounds. Early-stage deals continue to attract capital When excluding debt-based financing, the bulk of funding went to early-stage companies. Seed-stage startups attracted $10.6 million across 11 rounds, followed by $5 million in pre-seed capital distributed among eight transactions. Only one Series A deal was recorded—valued at just $100,000, signalling a continued gap in growth-stage funding. B2B rules Startups operating under business-to-business (B2B) models received 78% of total funding across 21 deals. Hybrid B2B2C startups followed, securing $9.7 million across five deals, while pure B2C startups captured under $1.5 million across eight rounds — indicating continued investor confidence in enterprise-focused models. Gender lens: progress, but limited reach In June, mixed-gender founding teams made a significant impact, garnering 45% of the total capital, albeit concentrated in just four deals. Meanwhile, 27 all-male teams raised $28 million, and six women-led startups secured only $223,200. While the numbers may seem encouraging at first glance, they actually highlight the scarcity of mixed-gender or female-led teams that are reaching the fundraising table — a long-standing gap in MENA's startup ecosystem. June's numbers mark one of the sharpest funding drops in the first half of 2025. The drop may also indicate a broader recalibration in MENA's startup landscape, likely influenced by the summer slowdown, valuation resets, and tightening global liquidity. Stay tuned for Wamda's H1 investment breakdown.
Al Bawaba
a day ago
- Al Bawaba
Tomorrow Takes Flight: The Emirates Group showcases collaborative sustainability initiatives in aviation
The Emirates Group's efforts to align with this year's UN call to end plastic pollution were on display at its 'Tomorrow Takes Flight' event, its annual sustainability showcase. The exhibition echoed the international organisation's mission to reduce single-use plastic products, spotlighting Emirates' and dnata's efforts and approach to 'Consuming Responsibly' through sourcing, reusing, repurposing, and reducing plastic and other year's exhibition showcased initiatives that are driving impact across the organisation, including projects at both Emirates and dnata being implemented with like-minded partners and across departments and businesses like engineering, catering, cargo, airport operations, travel, service delivery, and the conference stage, employees heard about the work Emirates, dnata and partners are doing to advance sustainable practices, with panellists from Emirates Engineering, Flight Operations, Service Delivery, Emirates SkyCargo and dnata Technical Services in addition to a powerful lineup of industry partners like the University of Cambridge, the UAE GCAA, Airbus, Boeing, ENOC, Cobus Industries GmbH, TLD, Mallaghan, GE Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Dubai Airports contributing to at the opening of 'Tomorrow Takes Flight', Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Deputy President & Chief Operations Officer said: 'Today's event celebrates our sustainability journey while educating and inspiring our people through the showcased initiatives and meaningful discussions on sustainable practices. Environmental responsibility is essential to achieving our objectives as an airline and as an industry, and it supports the UAE's Net Zero 2050 governments and communities demanding meaningful action, collective responsibility across the entire ecosystem is vital. Emirates is making progress with emissions reduction projects across our operations, and we're actively pursuing programmes that conserve resources through recycling and responsible sourcing. Collaboration with industry partners will be crucial in the years ahead to enhance the recyclability of materials across the supply also encouraging our teams to build on the success of existing initiatives and push boundaries to develop new approaches that address the full spectrum of operational waste, and today is a great example of these drives. From cabin materials and catering to ground operations and maintenance, every touchpoint presents an opportunity to minimise environmental impact.'Steve Allen, dnata's CEO, added: 'Sustainability is a fundamental part of how we operate as a global business. It shapes the decisions we make, the investments we prioritise, and the standards we set for ourselves and our partners. 'We are driving progress through action: investing in renewable energy infrastructure at our facilities, accelerating the shift to electric ground support equipment, and collaborating with alternative fuel suppliers to lower emissions. At the same time, we're tackling food waste, promoting responsible consumption, and expanding recycling programmes as part of a broader shift toward circular resource management.'These initiatives are united by a clear ambition: to grow responsibly while delivering meaningful, lasting impact. This commitment is reflected in our team's innovative, creative solutions and community partnerships, extending our efforts well beyond our core operations.'It was a pleasure to highlight dnata's initiatives to colleagues and partners through this unique event - a great opportunity to celebrate progress, share ideas, and strengthen the sense of purpose behind our sustainability journey.'Sustainability initiatives on showcase included:The next chapter of 'Aircrafted by Emirates', which includes transforming retired aircraft parts into functionally aesthetic items with a focus on metal and different composite materialsService Delivery teams presented onboard products using alternative or recycled cleanup efforts at the Dubai Desert Conservation ReserveAn Emirates Flight Catering biodigester interactive displaySustainable food samples provided by MMI, Emirates Leisure Retail, dnata Catering & Retail and Emirates Flight Cateringdnata showcased its global sustainability efforts through a diverse range of initiatives across its international businesses at the event. The Catering team highlighted the use of plant-based packaging and a commitment to minimising waste by making the most of every ingredient in their kitchens. dnata Cargo demonstrated its comprehensive recycling programmes, while marhaba presented lounge initiatives focused on reducing food waste. The event also featured sustainability projects from dnata Travel, including the deployment of a river interceptor in Sri Lanka to prevent ocean pollution and the distribution of reusable items to employees - reinforcing the company's commitment to responsible like Ecyclex and Reloop demonstrated how different waste streams are recycled, including e-waste, in collaboration with Emirates Group IT, and dedicated a part of their display for employees to drop recyclables; Falcon Aircraft Recycling showcased products made of recycled aircraft parts and Dubai Can illustrated the progress of its Dubai Reef project, the world's largest single purpose-built reef development. The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) outlined global sustainability principles, SDG's and this year's UN theme to #beatplasticpollution. Dubai Airports showcased how they are tackling airport-specific waste through innovation and collaboration, driving meaningful reductions across the airport also participated in quizzes and games, booth challenges, and other interactive activities to win prizes. Participants were also encouraged to contribute to the event's 'Bottle Wall', prior to the event. Collected bottles were upcycled into custom plant pots for staff to take home as part of the Tomorrow Takes Flight challenge. To learn more about what Emirates' environmental efforts and key focus areas - reducing emissions, consuming responsibly and preserving wildlife and habitats check out: Connecting Tomorrow. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Al Bawaba
3 days ago
- Al Bawaba
ENOC Board appoints Hussain Sultan Lootah as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Group
ENOC Group, a leading integrated global energy player, has announced the appointment of Mr. Hussain Sultan Lootah as Acting Chief Executive Officer of ENOC Group. The appointment aligns with the Group's commitment to drive the future of energy and support Dubai's ambitious plans of economic diversification and sustainable Lootah takes over from Mr. Saif Humaid Al Falasi, who led the Group's progress and expansion for the last 10 Hussain Sultan Lootah, Acting CEO of ENOC Group said: 'ENOC Group is at the forefront of building a more sustainable energy landscape for the UAE and the wider region. I am honoured to step into this new role and be part of the ENOC Group success journey, and look forward to working closely with ENOC's talent and leaders to build on its legacy of innovation and excellence.' With three decades of leadership experience in the Oil & Gas industry, Mr. Lootah brings deep expertise in finance, commercial strategy, project management, and talent development. His career spans key leadership roles in the field, where he led operations and drove significant progress in Emiratisation and human capital development. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba ( Signal PressWire is the world's largest independent Middle East PR distribution service.
