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VC React Podcast

VC React Podcast

By: Ahmad Takatkah (VCpreneur)
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 Every week, we bring you insights and reactions from top VCs, reacting to the latest news on MENA startups, VCs, and investment rounds. Stay tuned for: expert analysis, independent opinions, and maybe some heated conversations! Host: Ahmad Takatkah, VCpreneur Sign up to VCpreneur Newsletter on https://www.vcpreneur.com/ Co-Host: Jamie Lane, FWDstart Sign up to FWDstart Newsletter on https://www.fwdstart.me/ #startups #vc #tech #ai #investments #founders #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #venturedebt #privatecredit #finance #business #ipo #acquisitions #revenuebasedfinancing #fintech #web3Ahmad Takatkah (VCpreneur) Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • VC React Podcast (E43): MENA's FoodTech & PropTech, A Computer In Your Eyes, & VC's Political Storm!

    VC React Podcast (E43): MENA's FoodTech & PropTech, A Computer In Your Eyes, & VC's Political Storm!
    Jul 12 2025
    VC React Podcast:Every week, we bring you insights and reactions from top VCs, LPs, & Angel Investors, reacting to the latest news on MENA startups, VCs, and investment rounds. ---Hosts: Ahmad Takatkah, VCpreneur. Sign up to VCpreneur Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.vcpreneur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jamie Lane, FWDstart. Sign up to FWDstart Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://archives.fwdstart.me/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Available on:Youtube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VCReactPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vc-react-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vc-react-podcast/id1764834384⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Guests:1. Chada El Islam Benmahcene, CEO of ENTROGX Ventures, co-founder @ Women Collective, and among the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Dubai. - LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benchada/- Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrogx/- Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womencollective/ 2. Rummana Dada, Managing Partner @ Vitality Capital, co-founder @ Women Collective, and a SharkTank investor! A tough one!- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romannadada/- VC Firm Website: https://www.vitality.capital/ - Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/womencollective/---#startups #vc #tech #ai #investments #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #venturedebt #privatecredit #privateequity #finance #business #ipo #acquisitions #limitedpartners #revenuebasedfinancing #fintech #climatetech #edtech #accelerator #cvc #web3 #crypto #blockchain #defi ---Sponsors: 💸This week’s episode is brought to you by:- MilkStraw AI — The AI that finds hidden savings in your AWS bills, sometimes up to 75%, freeing up capital for growth, hiring, or building faster. See how much you could save in 60 seconds and how much further your runway can go at MilkStraw.aiWebsite: https://www.milkstraw.ai/ - OCTA – the AI-powered accounts receivable platform trusted by 100+ companies like Careem, Lean Technologies, and ZenHR to automate collections, resolve disputes, and unlock financing with zero hassle. Visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.weareocta.com/fwdstart ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get your first 6 months free.---News of the week brought to you by FWDstart.In Today's Episode:- Saudi's Jahez acquires 76.56% of Qatar’s Snoonu in $245 Million deal to expand GCC footprintSummary: Saudi-based Jahez Group is acquiring a 76.56% stake in Snoonu, the leading e-commerce and delivery platform in Qatar, for $245 million in a mixed cash and share transaction, valuing Snoonu at $320M and cementing its status as Qatar’s first tech startup to surpass a QAR 1 billion valuation. - UAE proptech Huspy raises $59M Series B to double down on operations across the Middle East and expand in EuropeSummary: UAE-based proptech Huspy has raised $59 million in a Series B round led by Balderton Capital, with continued participation from Peak XV Partners, ExBorder Partners, Turmeric Capital, BY Venture Partners, DARA CAPITAL, and KE Partners. Founded in 2020 by Jad Antoun and Khalid Ashmawy, Huspy provides real estate agents and mortgage brokers with high commissions, powerful technology, and a unified infrastructure. - Dubai-based XPANCEO raises $250M Series A at $1.35B valuation to advance smart contact lensesSummary: UAE-based XPANCEO has raised $250 million in Series A funding to build smart contact lenses capable of augmented vision, real-time health monitoring, and device-level computing, all from within the human eye, per Bloomberg. The round was led by Opportunity Venture (Asia) Ltd. Founded in 2021 by Russian entrepreneur Roman Axelrod and Ukrainian physicist Valentyn Volkov. - Startup founders and others in tech call on Sequoia Capital to act after a partner called Zohran Mamdani an 'Islamist'---(أحمد طقاطقه)---
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    54 mins
  • VC React Podcast (E42): Saudi’s New Unicorn, Startups Turn Corporations, Global Games, AI Talent War

    VC React Podcast (E42): Saudi’s New Unicorn, Startups Turn Corporations, Global Games, AI Talent War
    Jul 7 2025
    VC React Podcast:Every week, we bring you insights and reactions from top VCs, LPs, & Angel Investors, reacting to the latest news on MENA startups, VCs, and investment rounds. ---Hosts: Ahmad Takatkah, VCpreneur. Sign up to VCpreneur Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.vcpreneur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jamie Lane, FWDstart. Sign up to FWDstart Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://archives.fwdstart.me/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Available on:Youtube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VCReactPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vc-react-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vc-react-podcast/id1764834384⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Guests:1. Abe Seksek, Angel Investor and Host of the ABEZ Show - LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abeseksek/- Website: https://www.abezshow.com/2. Atheer AlKhalifa, Angel Investor with Oqal Angel Group- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atheerak/- VC Firm Website: https://oqal.org/---#startups #vc #tech #ai #investments #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #venturedebt #privatecredit #privateequity #finance #business #ipo #acquisitions #limitedpartners #revenuebasedfinancing #fintech #climatetech #edtech #accelerator #cvc #web3 #crypto #blockchain #defi ---Sponsors: 💸This week’s episode is brought to you by OCTA – the AI-powered accounts receivable platform trusted by 100+ companies like Careem, Lean Technologies, and ZenHR to automate collections, resolve disputes, and unlock financing with zero hassle. Visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.weareocta.com/fwdstart ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get your first 6 months free.---News of the week brought to you by FWDstart.In Today's Episode:- Ninja becomes Saudi Arabia’s latest tech unicorn with $250M raise ahead of 2027 IPOSummary: Ninja, the Saudi-based quick commerce startup founded by HungerStation’s Ebrahim Al-Jassim, has raised around $250 million in new funding from Riyad Capital and local investors, reaching a reported valuation of $1.5 billion and becoming one of the Kingdom’s newest tech unicorns. Founded in 2022 by Al-Jassim, Saud Al Qahtani, and Canberk Donmez, Ninja began as a grocery delivery platform and has since expanded to include food delivery. It operates across Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. The company is reportedly targeting a public listing by 2027.- PetroApp raises $50M to expand digital fuel platform, targets 2028 IPOSummary: Jadwa Investment has committed $45 million to PetroApp, a Saudi digital fuel payment and fleet management platform, as part of a $50 million round that also included Abu Dhabi-based Bunat Ventures. Founded in 2018 Abdulaziz Alsenan, PetroApp offers digital fuel payment and fleet management solutions. It now manages more than 500,000 vehicles for over 10,000 corporate clients, operating across 5,000 fuel stations in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Thailand, and Nigeria.- Impact46 backs Spekter Games in $5M seed round to expand global gaming footprintSummary: Spekter Games has raised $5 million in seed funding to build crypto-integrated games for social platforms, with the round led by a16z Speedrun and participation from Impact46, London Bay Venture Partners, BRV Capital Management, Chamaeleon, Accelerator Ventures, and Alumni Ventures. Founded in 2024 by Taehoon Kim, Spekter Games is building web3-hybrid games that integrate blockchain elements without sacrificing gameplay. Its first title, Spekter Agency, is live on Telegram, offering social gameplay with crypto-native incentives built in. - OpenAI Loses 4 Key Researchers to MetaSummary: Four senior researchers—Shengjia Zhao, Shuchao Bi, Jiahui Yu and Hongyu Ren—have quit OpenAI and moved to Meta’s newly announced super-intelligence team, where they will work under Alexandr Wang (now Meta’s chief AI officer) and Nat Friedman.---(أحمد طقاطقه)---
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • VC React Podcast (E41): Amazon Buys Into ValU, Careem Exits Pakistan, & OpenAI Takes On Microsoft.

    VC React Podcast (E41): Amazon Buys Into ValU, Careem Exits Pakistan, & OpenAI Takes On Microsoft.
    Jun 29 2025
    VC React Podcast:Every week, we bring you insights and reactions from top VCs, LPs, & Angel Investors, reacting to the latest news on MENA startups, VCs, and investment rounds. ---Hosts: Ahmad Takatkah, VCpreneur. Sign up to VCpreneur Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.vcpreneur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jamie Lane, FWDstart. Sign up to FWDstart Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://archives.fwdstart.me/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Available on:Youtube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VCReactPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vc-react-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vc-react-podcast/id1764834384⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---Guests:1. Ivo Detelinov, General Partner @ Salica Oryx Fund- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivodetelinov/- VC Firm Website: https://salicainvestments.com/2. Basem Abu Dagga, Co-Founder @ The Learning Curve Holdings- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/basem-abu-dagga-pevc/- VC Firm Website: https://www.reimagined.cc/3. Salem Washeely, Partner @ Sadu Capital- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salem-w-40276554/- VC Firm Website: https://www.sadu.vc/---#startups #vc #tech #ai #investments #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #venturedebt #privatecredit #privateequity #finance #business #ipo #acquisitions #limitedpartners #revenuebasedfinancing #fintech #climatetech #edtech #accelerator #cvc #web3 #crypto #blockchain #defi ---Sponsors: 💸This week’s episode is brought to you by OCTA – the AI-powered accounts receivable platform trusted by 100+ companies like Careem, Lean Technologies, and ZenHR to automate collections, resolve disputes, and unlock financing with zero hassle. Visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.weareocta.com/fwdstart ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get your first 6 months free.---News of the week brought to you by FWDstart.In Today's Episode:- Valu begins trading on EGX with Amazon as investorSummary: Valu made its market debut on Monday, becoming the first consumer finance company to list on the Egyptian Exchange. Shares trading under the ticker VALU.CA surged 852% on day one. In parallel, Amazon converted a long-standing option into a 3.95% direct stake, acquiring shares at EGP 6.041 per share, giving the $2 trillion firm a rare, strategic entry point into MENA fintech.- Careem announces end of ride-hailing service in Pakistan from next monthSummary: Careem will suspend its ride-hailing service operations in Pakistan from July after nearly a decade in the industry, its CEO announced on Wednesday, adding that its journey in the country would continue “in a different role”. Mudassir Sheikha, Careem’s CEO and co-founder, shared a post on LinkedIn announcing “a new chapter” for the company. - AppliedAI closes oversubscribed $55M Series A with backing from MEVP, G42, Bessemer, and e&Summary: AppliedAI has closed a $55 million oversubscribed Series A round with participation from Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), G42, Bessemer Venture Partners, and strategic partner e&. Its enterprise-grade platform, Opus, is powered by a Large Work Model (LWM) and a proprietary Work Knowledge Graph (WKG), designed to handle complex workflows with precision and scale. - OpenAI designs rival to Office and Workspace, The Information reportsSummary: OpenAI is developing productivity features for ChatGPT that would position the company as a competitor to Google Workspace and Microsoft Office, according to a report from The Information. ---(أحمد طقاطقه)---
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    53 mins

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