Raed Ventures (RV) second half of 2018 was full of investment and ecosystem building activity.
RV welcomed new portfolio companies, “AqarMap” and “Unifonic”. AqarMap is a real estate marketplace operating in Egypt. Unifonic is the leading cloud communication platform for global emerging markets. In addition, RV continued its follow-on rounds in portfolio companies with investments in Trukker, Swvl, and Bayzat. These companies have demonstrated exponential growth toward being the dominant players in their respective industries. Besides investing, RV launched the RAED Plus Platform, an unprecedented initiative in the Arab world. “RAED Plus” is a unique set of programs that provide entrepreneurs with value-adding services from its partners, critical to facilitate startups’ growth and expansion. Additionally, it promises savings of up to $400,000 for each portfolio startup. RV also worked to support the external ecosystem and increase awareness about the venture space. Key activities included: 1. #Meet_Raed event showcasing portfolio company Tamatem’s CEO and providing him with a platform to raise awareness about his business and industry. 2. Participating in Fintech Saudi’s program, Fintech Summer Work Experience Program, which entailed hosting a summer intern keen on gaining valuable work experience during their break. 3. Participating in several conferences and forums including speaking at Venture Capital Forum in Dammam Chamber of Commerce and Asbar World Forum, ecosystem partnership at Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival, participating in the jury panel of TechStars Startup Weekend 2018 and speaking on key panels at Gitex 2018. With all this activity, RV is proud to be named one of the MENA’s most active investors in 2018 by both Forbes and Magnitt. In 2019 and beyond, RV wishes to continue to be at the forefront of venture investment activity through its active support for entrepreneurs and the wider startup ecosystem.
