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

VC React Podcast:

Every week, we bring you insights and reactions from top VCs, LPs, & Angel Investors, reacting to the latest news on MENA startups, VCs, and investment rounds.

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Hosts:

• Ahmad Takatkah, VCpreneur. Sign up to VCpreneur Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.vcpreneur.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Jamie Lane, FWDstart. Sign up to FWDstart Newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://archives.fwdstart.me/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Available on:

• Youtube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VCReactPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Spotify:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vc-react-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Apple:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vc-react-podcast/id1764834384⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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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/

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#startups #vc #tech #ai #investments #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #venturedebt #business #ipo #acquisitions #fintech #edtech #accelerator #web3 #crypto #blockchain #defi

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Sponsors:

💸This week’s episode is brought to you by:

- MilkStraw AI — The AI that finds hidden savings in your AWS bills, sometimes up to 75%, freeing up capital for growth, hiring, or building faster. See how much you could save in 60 seconds and how much further your runway can go at MilkStraw.aiWebsite: https://www.milkstraw.ai/

- OCTA – the AI-powered accounts receivable platform trusted by 100+ companies like Careem, Lean Technologies, and ZenHR to automate collections, resolve disputes, and unlock financing with zero hassle.

Visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.weareocta.com/fwdstart ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get your first 6 months free.

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News of the week brought to you by FWDstart.

In Today's Episode:

- 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.

- Calo closes $39M Series B extension, pushing total raise to $64M for global expansion and AI-powered personalisation

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.

- 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. Founded earlier this year by Abdulmalik Al-Saeed, Khalid Al-Jaraiwi, and Bassem Al-Harbi.

- 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.

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