VC React Podcast (E46): Meta’s $1B Offers, AI In FoodTech, Arabic AI Voice, & Open Banking In UAE

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. Mian Manoff, Founding Partner @ CLNM Capital
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mianfan/
- VC Firm Website: https://www.clnm.capital/

2. Philipe Moura, Founder & CEO @ Vinci Ventures and Chairman of FDC Angels
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipemoura/
- VC Firm Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fdcangels/

3. Santiago Rojas, managing partner @ Meridian 75 by Cube Ventures and MKF group
- LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiagorojasmontoya/
- VC Firm Website: https://www.cube.ventures/

In Today's Episode:

News of the week brought to you by FWDstart:

  • Meta Now Tries Poaching From Mira Murati's AI Startup As Zuckerberg’s Hiring Blitz Continues.
    Summary: According to a Wired report, Zuckerberg and his team have approached more than a dozen people at the barely six-month-old company founded by the former CTO of OpenAI. Quoting unnamed sources, the publication reported that one of those offers was more than $1 billion over a multi-year span, and the rest were between $200 million and $500 million over a four-year span. Thinking Machines Lab, which launched in February and has about 50 staff members, recently closed a $2 billion funding round by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

  • Calo closes $39M Series B extension, pushing total raise to $64M for global expansion and AI-powered personalization
    Summary: Riyadh-headquartered meal subscription startup, Calo, has raised $39 million (SAR 146.27 million) in a Series B extension led by AlJazira Capital, bringing its total Series B funding to $64 million (SAR 240 million). Founded in late 2019 by Ahmed Al Rawiand Moayed Almoayed, Calo operates in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and most recently Oman. It has grown into one of the world’s fastest‑growing meal subscription services, delivering over 10 million meals in 2024 and reporting nine‑figure annualised revenues with a five‑year CAGR exceeding 100% (2020–2024).

  • Sawt raises $1M to build Arabic AI voice agents for call center automation
    Summary: Sawt, a Saudi-based startup building AI-native voice call systems, has raised $1 million (SAR 3.75 million) in a pre-seed round led by STV and T2. The company is developing Arabic-language voice agents for use in customer support, bookings, and sales, targeting an underserved niche in the GCC’s AI infrastructure stack. The round marks the first investment from STV’s newly launched $100M AI fund and includes a strategic partnership with T2, giving Sawt access to enterprise customers and infrastructure support. Founded earlier this year by Abdulmalik Al-Saeed, Khalid Al-Jaraiwi, and Bassem Al-Harbi, Sawt has built Arabic voice AI models in-house, focused on natural language processing and speech synthesis tailored to the Gulf dialects.

  • Lean Technologies gains regulatory approval under UAE’s Open Finance Framework
    Summary: Lean Technologies, a financial infrastructure provider serving MENA, has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Central Bank of the UAE under the country’s newly launched Open Finance Framework. Founded in 2019 by Hisham Al-Falih, Ashu Gupta, and Aditya Sarkar, Lean enables businesses such as Tabby, Talabat, and Careem to access user-permissioned financial data and initiate account-to-account payments.


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Ahmad Takatkah
Next

VC React Podcast (E45): Anthropic's hypocrisy, xAI In Saudi, Qlub $30M Round, 500 Global $300M Fund