Geektime presents its list of the top 20 startups from the Arab world that we think you should know about.<\/p>\n
From Egypt to Lebanon, Jordan to Saudi Arabia, healthy startup scenes are popping up all over the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.<\/p>\n
It may be surprising seeing as the Middle East is generally believed to be a region in constant turmoil. Indeed, a quick glance at the daily news cycle will inform you that a tumultuous characterization of MENA isin fact \u00a0far more of a reality than just\u00a0belief. However, within the fog of popular Arab Spring like uprisings and sectarian strife, startups are finding ways to bloom like desert flowers in the sand.<\/p>\n
And it makes sense. The old expression of necessity being the mother of invention epitomizes startup culture no matter what other culture it\u2019s being superimposed upon. Take Israel for example (which is not included in this list). Startup nation has long attributed its startup success to having a talent pool living in a an environment of forced necessity and many individual entrepreneurs will point to the same conditions as drivers of their companies.<\/p>\n
So while the World Bank is\u00a0reporting a fragile recovery<\/a>\u00a0for much of the region fuled in part by European oil importers feeling less of a squeeze in Q1 of 2014, situations like the one in Syria and Iraq, and its spillover into neighboring countries, are weighing heavy on the\u00a0traditional economic boosters of the energy sector \u2013 hence necessity being born.<\/p>\n Which brings us to the startup wave. Entrepreneurs in this region are not just disrupting the eCommerce and payment sectors, but also a whole range of fields, from education (i3zif.com<\/a>\u00a0and Rwaq) to fashion (Glanse) to photography (Sawerly and Dermandar) to online recruitment and job placements (WUZZUF) and to social media (Deehubs).<\/p>\n It\u2019s getting to be like a\u00a0Hamsin<\/em>\u00a0over there. Check out Geektime\u2019s 20 hot Arabic \/ Middle Eastern startups \u2013 the byproducts of necessity.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0December 2010 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0October 2010 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0March 2012 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0April 2014 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0May 2012 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a02008 Photo Credit: PR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0May 2013 Photo Credit: PR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0February 2013 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a02009\u00a0as Basharsoft Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0February 2013 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a02013 Photo Credit: PR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a02005 Photo Credit: Mudassir Sheikha\/Careem<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0July 2012 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0January 2014 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a02013 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0January 2012 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0August 2010 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0June 2011 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0October 2013 Photo Credit: PR screenshot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Founded \u2013<\/b>\u00a0September 2013 <\/p>\n Source of Article<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Geektime presents its list of the top 20 startups from the Arab world that we think you should know about. From Egypt to Lebanon, Jordan to Saudi Arabia, healthy startup […]<\/p>\nJordan<\/b>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1)\u00a0Alhodhud<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Undisclosed
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0E.Mohammed Al-Bishtawi, E.Shaima Al-Bishtawi
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Jordan
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Al-Hudhod is a leading arab company for development and promotion of creative content for young Muslim children, teaching the Arabic language alphabet in a creative and modern way. The company invests in highly customized applications in order to enrich the children\u2019s learning process through a \u201cgame\u201d play. Al-Hudhod strives to make the Arabic language, culture, and content available worldwide for children.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Education and entertainment usually don\u2019t work well together, but combining the two in one app proved to be successful in this case for Al-Hudhod.<\/p>\n2)\u00a0Jamalon<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $30K, Angel $400K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Ala Alsallal
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Jordan
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Jamalon is the largest online library in the Middle East, offering more than 10 million Arabic and English titles from 30,000 publishers to 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The company offers a fast home delivery and customized \u2018on arrival\u2019 payment method that suit the lack of credit cards in the Middle East region.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0It\u2019s nice to see a local company that makes it possible for millions of Arabic titles to become available to readers in those 22 Arab countries where Amazon publishing services are not available. Furthermore, Jamalon enables thousands of publishers lacking available\u00a0efficient distribution channels before, to now market their titles.<\/p>\n3)\u00a0Sowt<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Self funded
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Hazem Zureiqat
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Jordan
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Sowt, the Arabic word for \u2018voice\u2019, is an audio social networking platform, offering people the ability to share their thoughts and to interact using short audio posts.
\nThe platform is available on the web, iOS, and Android, and it\u2019s free to use. Users can post audio of up to 42 seconds in length, along with a text description, a picture and location mark. Users interact by liking, echoing (reposting), or commenting on their own, or on others posts.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0There are a few reasons why we chose Sowt:\u00a0First \u2013 the company has around 20,000 users even though it hasn\u2019t launched a single\u00a0marketing campaign. Most of the users discovered the platform via word of mouth, which is a big sign of growth potential.\u00a0Another reason is the competition. Sowt stands apart from its competition as no\u00a0other target market platform incorporates voice and text together, thus giving users the option to express themselves in both of these mediums. Also, unlike the competitors, it seems that Sowt already has a business model, as the company introduced branded channels designed to offer celebrities, organizations, companies and TV and radio stations, a platform for connecting to their fans and customers with quick music clips and voice messaging.<\/p>\n4)\u00a0Glanse<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $115K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Evelyn Zoubi
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Jordan
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Glanse is an interactive, user-friendly service that allows users to create a wish-list and follow other users\u2019 favorites items, as well as give and receive advice on various fashion choices. Glanse can also identify fashion items from photos on mobile phones, so users could buy it as soon as they see it.
\nGlanse has gained more than 8000 users since its launch, which makes it one of the leading fashion apps in the region. The company has incorporated more than 500 brands for its service, and aims to triple the number to over 1500 brands next year.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Glanse is working on a cutting edge technology, using machine learning algorithms that can potentially change the way people discover and buy their products. And not only fashion items, but also virtually any item; from toasters, to jewelry, to artwork and beyond, as Glanse\u2019s technology is a significant improvement from the \u2018Q Reader\u2019 method of item identification. Glanse has the potential to transform a walk down the street into a virtual shopping venture.<\/p>\n5)\u00a0i3zif.com<\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $430K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Bisher Abu Taleb and Ayham Abu Hammad
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Jordan
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0I3zif is the first online school for music in the Arab world. The service offers high definition video tutorials made by professional, award winning musicians. The video tutorials are complemented by graphics and visual aids that take into consideration common mistakes that students usually make. Besides the music lessons, I3zif is also the first service to offer music tutorials for traditional, oriental music instruments in English.
\nBesides the music lessons, I3zif provides a one stop shop experience for musicians: The i3zif musical instruments store, the i3zif blog, the i3zif club (with user generated content), and the i3zif Library of popular songs tutorials and sheet music.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0We loved the fact that\u00a0i3zif.com<\/a>\u00a0helps to solve more than one problem: Besides private use, the company is integrating with the education sector, providing high quality music education in public schools, thus solving the need of more music graduates in order to cover the lack of teachers, as the culture does not encourage students to become professional musicians as a career.
\nAnother problem is the lack of music schools in the region. In Saudi Arabia for example, the government does not allow the presence of offline music schools.I3zif solves this as all of the lessons are online and available anywhere.<\/p>\nEgypt<\/b>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6)\u00a0Kngine<\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $500K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Haytham ElFadeel and Ashraf ElFadeel
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Egypt
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Kngine is the world\u2019s first engine for multi-language question answering. Unlike the regular search engines, Kngine understands what users are actually asking and provides them with meaningful answers instead of links to websites. And unlike Siri and Google\u2019s voice search, Kngine doesn\u2019t search Wolfram Alpha or Quora for answers, but tries to read the Web content, understand it, and represent the knowledge which is inside Kngine memory. The company developed a mobile app that showcases its search engine technology, and is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Currently, Kngine supports English, Arabic, German and Spanish.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Kngine is a proof that although Google has become an international search giant, there are still new opportunities for online search companies.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n7)\u00a0Crowd Analyzer<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0$500K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Ahmed Saad, Bahaa Galal, Rooda AlNeama, and Mustafa Othman
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Egypt
\nOverview \u2013\u00a0<\/b>Crowd Analyzer is a social web monitoring tool that helps companies measure, monitor and analyze the acceptance towards their brand and product by \u201clistening to what people are talking\u201d on social media. The company offers its tools for companies, SMEs, and individuals.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Sentiment analysis technologies are widely available for other languages, but are very underdeveloped when it comes to Arabic, although the Arabic language is the fastest growing language on the web. Crowd Analyzer is the 1st fully automated social web monitoring platform that, besides English, support the Arabic language with all of it\u2019s different dialects. It\u2019s nice to see a company with tailored solutions for different business purposes in the MENA region.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n8)\u00a0Instabug<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $300K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Omar Gabr, Moataz Soliman
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Egypt
\nOverview \u2013\u00a0<\/b>Instabug is a clever solution for mobile app developers that allows their testers to report bugs quickly and efficiently. Sending feedback is as simple as shaking the device, which automatically takes the user to a feedback form. Instabug will also automatically include a screenshot taken at the moment of the shake, along with details on the device: model, OS version, memory and storage usage, as well as carrier info and the user\u2019s location. This makes it easier for the developer to understand the source of the bugs and fix it.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0We chose Instabug because we want our apps to run perfectly on our devices and without any bugs. By making it easier for the users to send feedback, the developers will get more bug reports which will make it easier for the devs to fix, and we end up with much better apps for it. Furthermore, the area of bug tracking saw no meaningful innovation for a long time so Instabug is a very refreshing development.<\/p>\n9)\u00a0WUZZUF<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Undisclosed
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0 Ameer Sherif and Muhammad AlGarhy
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Egypt
\nOverview \u2013\u00a0<\/b>WUZZUF is the leading online recruitment jobs site in Egypt, serving more than 200,000 job seekers each month. The company has more than 3,000 registered top employers and organizations which are actively posting jobs and searching for their needed talents. The list of those employers includes some multinational companies such as LG, Vodafone, Unilever, PepsiCo, among others. The company is now expanding to other markets in the Middle East \u00a0such as UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as into some other global markets.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0We chose Wuzzuf because this company is much more than just an online recruitment website. Unlike those other traditional recruitment sites, WUZZUF also provides high quality screening solutions that are capable of properly handling large numbers of candidates while maintaining accurate, and transparent results. The beneficiaries of this could be recruitment arms of\u00a0organizations, universities screening new student candidate, or even embassies screening migration requests.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n10)\u00a0QHat<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Unknown
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Ahmed Elasra
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Egypt
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0QHat developed a cloud-based platform for loyalty programs, allowing brands and businesses to improve their customers\u2019 loyalty, retention, advocacy and lifetime value.
\nEvery\u00a0time a user purchases an item from one of the QHat partners, a proprietary smart code and a QR code will be printed on their receipt. Using either the QR code for the smartphone or the QHat smart code for the web access, the users can accumulate their loyalty points. Once a user collects enough points for a reward the system will notify them.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0We chose QHat because of their extremely easy to use platform, which, according to QHat, enables merchants from all over the world to register and launch their loyalty program in less than 60 minutes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n11)\u00a0Akhbarak.net<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Undisclosed
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Osman Ahmed Osman
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Egypt
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Akhbarak.net is an automated news aggregator that powers several properties with collective viewership of over 5M unique users per month. As one of the biggest websites in the Middle East, Akhbarak.net is driving tens of millions of page-views to other news websites across the MENA region.
\nThe company was acquired by Vodafone Egypt in January 2013 for an undisclosed amount.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0As a news website ourselves, we thought there should be at least one news website on this list\u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\nUnited Arab Emirates<\/b>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
12)\u00a0Souq.com<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0$115 Million
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Ronaldo Mouchawar
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Dubai \u2013 UAE
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Souq.com<\/a>\u00a0is the largest ecommerce site in the MENA region, with more than 400,000 products across various categories and over 23 million visits per month.
\nThe company is constantly expanding and already opened offices in Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, along with a R&D center in Jordan.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0We chose\u00a0Souq.com<\/a>\u00a0simply because it was the first online auction site in the region, though it quickly evolved to a fully integrated ecommerce site offering fixed prices options and online stores.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n13)\u00a0Careem<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $1.7 Million
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Dubai \u2013 UAE
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Often called \u201cthe Uber of the Middle East\u201d, Careem is a private car booking service that upgrades the way people travel. Careem\u2019s users can order a car online or using the mobile app, track their rides in real-time, pay with credit cards, and access receipts. The company also serves some large organizations and corporates. We recently covered the story of Careem\u00a0here.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Because of the company\u2019s strong commitment to service and the ability to tailor their services to the local market, which can also help Careem maintain a strong foothold in its own saturated niche.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n14)\u00a0Deehubs<\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0$47K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Abhinav Saxena, Giorgi Gurgenidze, Bakar Maruashvili and Keti Kebuladze
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Dubai \u2013 UAE
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Deehubs, also known as \u201cthe social network for billboards\u201d, is a social media platform that connects outdoor digital billboards with ordinary users and advertisers. Besides the social messages from regular users, brands and advertisers can place targeted ads on billboards and even reply to each and every single message from the users.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0With so many social networks popping up lately, Deehubs is the only social network that truly connects the online and the physical world. We chose Deehubs because it actually has a chance to revolutionize the outdoor digital billboard advertising world. Furthermore, Deehubs makes it a win\/win situation for all sides: ordinary people will get an exciting new communication channels, advertisers will get more engaging media channels for distributing their ads, and the screens owners will maximize the profits from their billboards.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n15)\u00a0Cary Motors<\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $100K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Mohammed Johmani and Rana Tarakji
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Dubai \u2013 UAE
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Cary Motors is the world\u2019s first mobile app for buying, selling and trading cars, in a social style. Sellers can simply take a photo of their car and post it for sale. Buyers can search for their favorite vehicle with their mobile within minutes, and dealers can have their own virtual store within the app. Furthermore, Cary motors is also a community for motor enthusiasts, where people can share, comment and Like vehicles. So whether you\u2019re a buyer, a seller or a dealer, the Cary Motors mobile app saves users\u00a0lots of time & energy.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0For those of us who aren\u2019t car salesmen and would prefer not to have to tour several car dealerships, the Cary Motors app is a great solution. Buying or selling a car shouldn\u2019t be a difficult issue, and Cary Motors is a hassle free approach, all carried out with the convenience of our mobile.<\/p>\nLebanon<\/b>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
16)\u00a0Band Industries<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $25K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Bassam Jalgha and Hassane Slaibi
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Lebanon
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Band Industries is developing the next-generation toolkits for musicians. The company aims to lower the barrier of entry to music-making through innovative hardware and creative software. The company\u2019s main product is the Roadie Tuner, an automated robotic guitar tuner and the first device capable of tracking the quality of strings, informing the player when strings are about to snap and need replacing.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0As a musician and guitar player myself I had to include this brilliant startup. I know how hard it is to tune the guitar for beginners, and the Roadie Tuner is a perfect solution. I just wish I had one 15 years ago when I started to play\u00a0\ud83d\ude42\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n17)\u00a0Dermandar<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Undisclosed
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Elie-Gr\u00e9goire Khoury and Elias Khoury
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Lebanon
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Dermandar, often called \u201cYoutube for Panoramas\u201d, is a leader in the field of mobile photo technology. The company has released several apps such as the award-winning \u201cDMD Panorama\u201d and the recently launched \u201cDMD Clone.\u201d The team at Dermandar develops highly optimized image processing algorithms to deliver user-friendly and straight-forward mobile apps.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0We appreciate the ease of use. Users can create Panoramas for free in just 2 easy steps \u2013 shooting some photos using a normal camera with no need for professional equipment, and uploading them to Dermandar. Dermandar stitches them together, cleans them up, and presents the final image in a polished preview. From there users can download the image or share it on Dermandar. The entire process takes just a few moments.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n18)\u00a0Cinemoz<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Undisclosed
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Karim Safieddine and Maroun Najm
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Lebanon
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Also known as the \u2018Hulu\u2019 of the Arab world, Cinemoz is the first \u201cVideo On Demand\u201d service for the Arab world. Users can discover and watch the best of Arab films, TV Series and documentaries while interacting with the community through full integration of social media features. Cinemoz is a Seeqnce accelerated startup.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Emerging markets usually represent tremendous opportunity for outside businesses to break in. But Cinemoz is looking to take advantage of the native cultural aspects of the Arab market by focusing on local content. This seems like a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n\u00a0Saudi Arabia<\/b>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
19)\u00a0Sawerly<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Seed $200K
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Mohammed Al-Zahrani, Hussein Attar and Bassam A. Saif
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Saudi Arabia
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Sawerly\u2019s marketplace connects between photographers and people who need their services. With Sawerly, users can book photographers for any type of photography and for any event they may be having (wedding, conferences, products, personal, and more). Upon request, customers can get offers for their photo-shoot from a wide range of photographers and sort\u00a0through them by price, quality, and user ratings.
\nPhotographers can create profiles on Sawerly in order to show their experience, previous work, and services, which can also be rated by the customers on quality, attendance, delivery, etc. Photographers can also bid on photo-shoots, sell their photos, and even purchase cameras and accessories through Sawerly.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0With so many photography apps today, Sawerly is the first to translate the photography market into services and prices, thus helping customers to make a more rational and intelligent decisions when booking their photo shoots and helping photographers gain more clients.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n20)\u00a0Rwaq<\/a><\/h4>\n
\nFunding \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Undisclosed
\nFounders \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Fouad Alfarhan and Sami Al hussayen
\nLocation \u2013<\/b>\u00a0Saudi Arabia
\nOverview \u2013<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0Rwaq is an Arabic massive open online course (MOOC) platform that offers high quality academic courses in Arabic covering various fields such as art, psychology, engineering, medicine and more. All the courses are free and the material is generated by local professors and academics instructors. Classes are conducted using high quality video lectures and complemented by online assignments.
\nWhy we chose them \u2013<\/b>\u00a0The widespread use of technology is very visible in fields like ecommerce and media in the MENA region, but still largely missing from the education field. It\u2019s nice to see a local startup trying to make a change through a free, fun and easy to use platform.<\/p>\n