Zest Your Equity | 21-August-2025

This week’s agenda 📜

• Our latest resource ✍️

• Who’s raising? 💰

• M&A activity 💼

• What we’re reading 📖

Let’s dive in 👇

Our latest resource ✍️

The venture capital landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. While firms are continuing to raise early-stage funds and invest in technology moonshots, some of the leading VCs are embracing private equity-like structures, using continuation funds, taking equity control through buyouts, and diversifying their investment activities. This shifting identity is being driven by a slew of macro factors: the changing exit environment, LP demands for liquidity, and a new playbook for how entrepreneurs are growing their companies. 

In this article, we’ll explore each of these trends, along with how VCs are implementing PE-like systems, and what this could mean for the future of the industry. 

Who’s raising? 💰

• 🇪🇬 Breadfast, Egypt’s quick-commerce grocery app, has raised $10 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as part of its Series B2 financing, led by Novastar Ventures.

• 🇦🇪 UAE-based proptech Coraly.ai (formerly Coralytics) has raised $2 million in a pre-seed round led by Salica Oryx Fund, with participation from EQ2 Ventures and other angel investors.

• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia-based Fahy Studios has secured $1.75 million in investment from Impact46 and Merak Capital to accelerate mobile game development.

• 🇦🇪 Professional.me, an Abu Dhabi-based HRtech, raised $3.1 million in seed funding led by Raha Beach Ventures, bringing its total to $4.6 million.

M&A activity 💼

• Tadawul-listed Saudi Enaya Cooperative Ins. and Salama Cooperative Ins. inked a binding merger agreement that will see Enaya absorbed into Salama via a share swap, according to two separate disclosures. Source.

• Tihama Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing signed an agreement to acquire Dan Diamond Real Estate Development and Investment for an estimated SAR 90.7 mn. Source.

• Ades International Holding, a subsidiary of Tadawul-listed Ades Holding, has agreed to take over Dubai-based and Oslo-listed offshore drilling contractor Shelf Drilling in a SAR 1.4 bn (USD 379 mn) merger. Source.

Want to learn more? Schedule a time with our team below!