Here are the companies building the infrastructure for the MENA region’s massive AI boom.
The MENA region is no longer just adopting artificial intelligence, but is actively building the foundations to power it, led by a new wave of startups.
Rather than simply building consumer-facing apps or relying on middleware from OpenAI or Google, these companies are building critical behind-the-scenes infrastructure, from specialized Arabic large-scale language models (LLMs) and secure financial operating systems to massive state-backed GPU data centers. These platforms bridge the gap between raw data and enterprise automation, ensuring the region’s AI revolution is secure, tailored to local languages, and built to scale globally.
From high-growth Emirati and Saudi startups backed by powerhouses like a16z and Prosus Ventures to groundbreaking country-led ecosystems, we introduce six key players shaping the future of AI infrastructure in the MENA region.
Arabic.AI (United Arab Emirates)
Founder: Nour Al Hassan (CEO)
Last funding round: $15 million Series A round led by Global Ventures.
Arabic.AI is an AI operating layer and sovereign large-scale language model (LLM) built specifically for businesses and governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Founded in 2025, the service is the latest hub of Tarjama, a company that has been pioneering language solutions in the region since 2008.
In May 2025, Tarjama announced a $15 million Series A funding round to accelerate the deployment of Arabic.AI and continue building the footprint Arabic AI requires across markets including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and the United States.
Nanobate (Egypt)
Founders: Ahmed Gamal (CEO) and Nancy Madbouly (CTO)
Last funding round: $1 million pre-seed funding round in October 2025 led by angel investors.
Nanovate, a Cairo-based startup founded in early 2025, is working to ensure that the AI revolution happens not only in English but also in Arabic. By developing end-to-end Arabic AI solutions that include chat and voice agents, automation systems, and beta dashboards for no-code Arabic AI deployments, Nanovate’s products can serve as the core infrastructure layer for regional enterprise automation.
In October 2025, the founders raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by a group of angel investors.
Skipr Technologies (UAE)
Founders: Andreas Hartl (CEO), Adnan Fatayerji (CSO), Weynand Kuijpers (CTO)
Last funding round: $2 million seed round in February 2026.
As AI technology grows, innovation is not just about building better models, but also about how these systems communicate with each other across clouds, organizations, and borders. In response, Emirati startup Skipr Technologies is building a so-called “autonomous trust fabric” that uses encrypted identities and policy-driven routing to enable AI systems such as LLMs in governments and private banks to communicate securely without violating data sovereignty or national borders.
Skipr, based in Abu Dhabi’s Hub71, closed a $2 million seed round in February 2026 at a valuation of $10 million.
Stitch (Saudi Arabia)
Founder: Mohamed Wayda (CEO)
Last funding round: $25 million Series A led by a16z.
Saudi-based Stitch, founded in 2022 by CEO Mohamed Oueida, is a fintech startup building cloud-native operating systems and unified systems of record for financial institutions. The company is located at the crossroads of fintech, essentially building the AI-enabling infrastructure that enables the AI transformation of financial institutions in the region. The company’s lending, cards, payments, and ledger platform can be deployed module by module without having to tear down existing infrastructure overnight.
Qeen.ai (United Arab Emirates)
Founders: Morteza Ibrahimi (CEO), Ahmad Khwileh (CTO), Dina Alsamhan (CBO)
Last funding round: $10 million seed funding round in February 2025 led by Prosus Ventures.
UAE-based Qeen.ai develops AI middleware rather than building consumer-facing applications. AI middleware is a “behind the scenes” technology that helps companies process data and AI automatically, essentially acting as an automated optimization layer for companies that can’t afford to manually design and maintain complex machine learning pipelines.
Headquartered in Dubai, Qeen.ai was founded in 2023 by former Google and DeepMind colleagues Morteza Ibrahimi, Ahmad Khwileh, and Dina Alsamhan, and recently raised $10 million in a seed funding round led by Prosus Ventures in February 2025.
Humane (Saudi Arabia)
Established: 2025
CEO: Tarek Amin
Last investment: Acquired $3 billion Series E minority stake in xAI
Although HUMAIN is not a traditional startup and is state-backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, it offers full-stack artificial intelligence capabilities globally and regionally. Launched in 2025 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and led by CEO Tarek Amin, a Jordanian-American technologist with 20 years of industry experience, the company was created to advance Saudi Arabia’s national AI strategy and build a comprehensive full-stack AI ecosystem. The company recently became a significant minority shareholder in xAI, the company behind Grok, and partnered with NVIDIA to build an “AI Factory” with up to 500 megawatts of capacity and hundreds of thousands of advanced Blackwell GPUs.
