VC React Podcast (E38): Serial Founders, Quantitative VCs, AI Use Cases, Profitable Impact Tech.

VC React Podcast
Written By Ahmad Takatkah
 
 

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:

Available on:

Guests:

1. Brant Meyer, Partner @ Trac.vc | xFBI Analyst
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brant-meyer-27846221b/
- VC Firm Website: http://www.trac.vc/

2. Elliott Denham, Head of Programs @ Oraseya Capital
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliott-denham/
- VC Firm Website: https://www.oraseyacapital.com/

In Today's Episode:

News of the week brought to you by FWDstart:

  • Expensya founders return with Thunder Code, raise $9M to automate software testing with AI
    Summary: Paris- and Tunis-based Thunder Code has raised $9 million in Seed funding to rethink how software is tested, using AI agents instead of humans. Founded by Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani, the team behind Expensya, Thunder Code is their follow-up to one of Africa’s biggest tech exits. Thunder Code replaces that process with autonomous AI agents that test like real users: flagging UI bugs, reviewing specs, simulating flows, and offering product feedback. The product shipped six weeks in, and the company already has customers and pilots live in the U.S., France, Tunisia, and Canada. Web apps are the starting point; mobile, desktop, and API testing are on the roadmap for 2025. The $9 million seed round includes Silicon Badia, Janngo Capital, Titan Seed Fund, and angels like Roxanne Varza (Station F) and Karim Beguir (InstaDeep). Early Expensya employees, some of whom invested their own acquisition payouts, have also joined the founding team.

  • Qanooni raises $2M to accelerate legal AI expansion across the UAE and UK
    Summary: Qanooni, a UAE-based legal tech startup, has raised $2 million in a pre-seed round, backed by Village Global, Oryx Fund, TA Ventures, and a group of angel investors. Founded in 2024 by Anuscha Iqbal, Ziyaad Ahmed, and Karim Shiyab, Qanooni is focused on using AI to enhance how lawyers work. The platform simplifies drafting and reviewing legal documents by integrating directly into tools like Outlook and Word. This approach ensures lawyers can continue using the tools they are already familiar with while benefiting from AI that adapts to their tone, style, and standards. This isn’t the founding team’s first venture. Iqbal and Ahmed previously co-founded Spotii, a Dubai-based BNPL startup acquired by Zip (ASX: Z1P) in 2021 for $16.3 million. Spotii was recently reacquired by UAE fintech NymCard, folding its technology and Saudi BNPL licence into NymCard’s credit-on-demand offering. The new funding will accelerate the development of Qanooni’s AI tools, allowing the company to expand further across the UAE and UK and refine the technology to meet the evolving needs of legal professionals.

  • Tunisia's Kumulus Water closes $3.5 million seed round
    Summary: Kumulus Water, a startup launched in 2021 between France and Tunisia, has raised $3.5 million in a seed round to scale its off-grid water production technology. The round was backed by Bpifrance (via France 2030 SGPI and the Île-de-France Region), regional VCs like PlusVC, Khalys Venture, Flat6Labs, and Spadel, alongside several family offices and startup founders from Europe and North Africa. Founded by Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid, Kumulus designs atmospheric water generators that extract drinking water from air humidity without the need for infrastructure—ideal for underserved areas. The company will use the new funding to roll out the Kumulus Boks, a new line of industrial-scale machines, and deepen its operations in France, Spain, and Tunisia, while preparing to enter Saudi Arabia.


--- (أحمد طقاطقه) ---

Ahmad Takatkah
Next

VC React Podcast (E37): Stargate, Builder AI's Collapse, Iraq's Startups, Diaspora Founders & More!