VC React Podcast (E32): Why EdTech Acquisitions! Crypto Crashes, & Copy Cats In Emerging Markets

VC React Podcast:

Every week, we bring you insights and reactions from top VCs, LPs, and Angel Investors, reacting to the latest news on MENA startups, VCs, and investment rounds. Stay tuned for: expert analysis, independent opinions, and maybe some heated conversations!

Hosts:

• Ahmad Takatkah, VCpreneur.
  Sign up to VCpreneur Newsletter on https://www.vcpreneur.com/

• Jamie Lane, FWDstart.
  Sign up to FWDstart Newsletter on https://www.fwdstart.me/

Available on:

• Youtube: VC React Podcast

• Spotify: VC React Podcast

• Apple: VC React Podcast

• Amazon: VC React Podcast

Guests:

1. Fares Ghandour, Partner @ Wamda Capital
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faresghandour/
- VC Firm Website: https://wamdacapital.com/

2. Saad Hasan, Principal @ Sturgeon Capital
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syedsaadhasan01/
- VC Firm Website: https://www.sturgeoncapital.com/

3. Tambi Jalouqa, Founder & General Partner @ Maza Ventures
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tambijalouqa/
- VC Firm Website: https://www.maza.vc/

In Today's Episode:

News of the week brought to you by FWDstart:

• Seesaw acquires Little Thinking Minds to expand learning solutions globally
  Summary: US-based edtech Seesaw has acquired Jordan's Little Thinking Minds for an unknown value. Founded in 2004 by Lamia Tabbaa and Rama Kayyali, Little Thinking Minds is a MENA-based, female-founded edtech company specialising in Arabic literacy solutions. Seesaw, founded in 2007 by Adrian Graham and Carl Sjogreen, offers a suite of AI-driven learning tools and digital curriculum products designed to enhance student engagement, facilitate real-time assessments, and strengthen school-home communication. With this acquisition, Seesaw will combine its interactive technology with Little Thinking Minds’s Arabic literacy curricula and assessment solutions.

• Mantra token price collapses by over 90% in 24 hours
  Summary: The price of the Mantra (OM) token, the native cryptocurrency powering Shorooq-backed Mantra’s real-world tokenized asset blockchain, has plummeted by over 90% in the past 24 hours—falling from around $6.30 to under $0.50. This collapse erased more than $6 billion from its market capitalization and has led some traders to speculate that it may be a rug pull, drawing parallels with notorious collapses like LUNA and FTX. Earlier in 2025, the company signed a $1 billion tokenization agreement with DAMAC and secured a virtual asset service provider license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), enabling it to operate digital asset services across the UAE. These moves were part of a broader strategy to meet growing demand from regional real estate developers and investors seeking more efficient, blockchain-based funding and capital formation solutions.

• Fluent Ventures backs replicated startup models in emerging markets
  Summary: Fluent Ventures is a San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm betting on startups that adapt proven Western business models for emerging markets, rather than trying to invent something entirely new. Founded in 2023 by Alexandre Lazarow, the firm calls its approach “geographic alpha,” focusing on local adaptations in sectors like fintech, digital health, and commerce. Fluent is deploying $40 million through a fund, an incubator, and a co-investment vehicle, aiming for 22–25 investments across Latin America, MENA, Africa, Southeast Asia, and select U.S. markets.

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