Zest Your Equity | 1-October-2025

How entrepreneurs and investors can benefit from a cap table simplification vehicle. Plus: AI and fintech dominate MENA startup funding.

This week’s agenda 📜

  • Money20/20 Middle East recap 🎤

  • Our latest resource

  • Who’s raising? 💰

  • M&A activity 💼

  • What we’re reading 📖

Let’s dive in 👇

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Zest Wins Scale Award at Money 20/20We’re proud to have taken home the Scale Award at this year’s Money 20/20 conference, recognizing Zest as one of the most promising growth-stage startups in fintech. The award highlights our mission to simplify private market transactions across MENA — making deals faster, easier, and more transparent for investors and founders alike.

Our latest resource ✍️

If you have too many investors on your cap table, you’re not alone.

As companies grow and raise capital from multiple angels, syndicates, and funds, the administrative burden of managing a lengthy cap table can create unnecessary overhead, slowing decision-making and complicating future fundraising rounds. 

That’s where a cap table simplification vehicle comes in.

In our latest blog article, we explain how a simplification vehicle works and what you can do to start simplifying your cap table today.

Who’s raising? 💰

  • 🇸🇦 Saudi fintech erad has secured $33 million in debt financing, led by India’s Stride Ventures to scale its Shariah-compliant SME lending across Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

  • 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based fintech Bwatech has secured $16 million in a round led by Sharaka Financial to boost growth and deepen its presence in the Kingdom’s digital finance infrastructure. 

  • 🇸🇦 Saudi fintech Sindbad Tech has closed a $4.8 million seed round led by Alkhabeer Capital, to accelerate development of its financial services offerings.

  • 🇸🇦 Saudi fintech MoneyMoon has raised $2.9 million in a pre-Series A round led by Core Vision, backed by family offices and angel investors, to scale its P2P lending platform in line with Vision 2030.

  • 🇸🇦 Saudi B2B fintech Bynow has raised $1.2 million from Merak Capital to accelerate its product roadmap and support expansion into other Gulf markets.

  • 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based Sadq has closed a $1 million pre-Series A extension led by Impact46, using the funds to enhance security, accelerate product development and expand regionally.

M&A activity 💼

  • Videogame developer Electronic Arts, has entered into an acquisitiona agreement with private investors, including Saudi’s PIF, in a deal that values EA at $55 billion, which if completed would be the largest leveraged buyout in history. Source.

What we’re reading 📖

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