We are a team of passionate Researchers, Data Junkies, and Story-Tellers that believe there is not enough quality business insights and compelling data analysis available in the marketplace, told in the formats users want. We want to give an insider's look into the industries, businesses and economies that are changing the world today, so our users can become inspired, empowered and equipped to run their businesses as best they can.

Lucidity Insights Research Team

The Future of Fintech in Africa

Infobytes

Africa M&A: $7.88B in H1 2026 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Africa M&A Hits $7.88B in H1 2026, Led by MTN's $6.2B IHS Towers Deal

Startup

Africa Startup Funding: 10 Programs – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

10 Startup Funding & Grant Programs African Founders Can Apply For

Lucy is a young unicorn passionate about responsible business practices, from Sustainability and ESG performance management to deep-dive investigations of the broad socio-political and macro-economic implications of various government and business strategies. Lucy has a knack for research, data analytics, and understanding the implications of new and disruptive technologies. 
Prior to becoming a tech news reporter, Lucy spent a few years working for the United Nations, researching and evaluating the socio-economic impact of various programs and the adoption of technological innovations. Lucy studied integrated engineering, and worked on converting her fuel-powered car into an electric vehicle as her final project for graduation. Lucy can still be seen driving her zero-emissions vehicle in and around Dubai, where she grew up. Lucy speaks English and Arabic, and completed her studies in Canada, where she also minored in magic powered technological solutions. 
Lucy specializes in sustainable development, climate tech, ESG, social impact startups, venture capital, macroeconomics and geopolitics.

Lucy Unicorn

News

Dawraty Raises $2M Seed at $10M Valuation | Lucidity News

Dawraty Raises $2M Seed at $10M Valuation Backed by Qatar Development Bank

Saudi Arabia’s Electric Mobility Evolution

Sirdab Raises $10M Series A – GCC Expansion | Lucidity News

Sirdab Raises $10M Series A to Expand Across Saudi Arabia and the GCC

Dubai Startup Guide 2025 Edition

COFE Tech: $178M Pre-IPO Funding, Saudi IPO by 2029 | Lucidity News

COFE Tech Raises Pre-IPO Funding at $178M Valuation, Targets Saudi IPO by 2029

Enhance: $18.2M Raise for US Expansion | Lucidity News

Enhance Raises $18.2M to Scale GCC-Built Personal Training Platform in the US

Investing in Egypt’s Startup Ecosystem

3C Coding School Raises $3M Seed – Saudi Expansion | Lucidity News

3C Coding School Raises $3M Seed to Expand Into Saudi Arabia and Build AI Learning Platform

The Middle East & North Africa’s M&A Landscape 2017-2022

Abwaab Acquires Eduact – Expands Into Education SaaS | Lucidity News

Abwaab Acquires Egypt's Eduact to Expand Beyond Student-Focused Edtech

ChipMango: $1.9M Seed Round – Africa Chip Design | Lucidity News

ChipMango Raises $1.9M to Expand Africa's Semiconductor Engineering Talent

Oro Raises $3M – Scales AI-Powered DeFi | Lucidity News

Oro Raises $3M to Scale AI-Powered Intent-Based DeFi Execution

The Evolution of Saudi Arabia Startup Ecosystem 2010-2022

Raff Raises $1.7M – Expands Offline Retail Across GCC | Lucidity News

Raff Secures $1.7M Pre-Seed to Expand Physical Retail Platform Across GCC

Women-Led Startups: 15.2% of India VC Funding – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Women-Led Startups Reclaim 15.2% of India's VC Funding in Q1 2026

Fasset Series C – $1B Unicorn After $68M Round | Lucidity News

Fasset Becomes a $1 Billion Unicorn After $68M SBI-Led Series C

AILA Raises $3M – AI Learning Expansion | Lucidity News

AILA Raises $3M Pre-Series A to Scale AI-Powered Personalized Learning

The State of Fintech in the Middle East

Tax Star: $1.75M Seed Round – UAE E-Invoicing Push | Lucidity News

Tax Star Raises $1.75M Seed Round as UAE E-Invoicing Deadline Nears

Terra Industries: $52M Seed Round – Defense Tech Expansion | Lucidity News

Nigerian Defense Tech Startup Terra Industries Raises $18M to Expand Its $52M Seed Round

The Business of Healthtech in MENA

Arab Therapy: $2M Funding to Expand in Saudi Arabia | Lucidity News

Arab Therapy Raises $2M Pre-Series A to Expand Arabic Mental Health Services in Saudi Arabia

African Tech M&A: 63 Deals, Up 91% – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

African Tech M&A Hits 63 Deals in H1 2026, Up 91%

India Startup Funding: Q1 Funding Falls 26% – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

India's Startup Funding Is Slowing in Q1 2026, But Deal Activity Is Rising

Mylerz Egypt – Raises US$2 million+ for Logistics Expansion | Lucidity News

Mylerz Secures US$2 Million+ to Expand Egypt Delivery Network

AHL Africa Credit Fund – Raises $45.5M at Second Close | Lucidity News

AHL Venture Partners Raises $45.5M for Africa Credit Fund I

Investors & VC

Mamor Capital – Raises %18.8M for SA Startups | Lucidity News

Mamor Capital Raises US$18.8M to Fund South Africa's Post-Revenue Startups

Bringing The World to Saudi

Derayah Financial: $65M HOF Capital Investment | Lucidity News

Derayah Commits $65M to HOF Capital as It Plans Its Own AI Fund

Amazon Creators Foundry – Applications Open for 20 UAE Creators | Lucidity News

Amazon Creators Foundry Opens Applications for 20 UAE Creators

Aramco Ventures: $20M Twin1 AI Seed Round | Lucidity News

Aramco Ventures Co-Leads $20M Seed Round for Twin1 AI

Dubai Startup Guide 2024 Edition

Cyfr Capital – Backs Five Oman Startups | Lucidity News

Cyfr Capital Backs Five Oman Startups Through Seed Fund With Future Fund Oman

AfDB, CDP – $35M RMBV North Africa Fund III Investment | Lucidity News

AfDB and CDP Commit $35M to RMBV North Africa Fund III

Pinnacle Capital – Launches Saudi VC Strategy | Lucidity News

Pinnacle Launches Saudi VC Strategy to Back Growth-Stage Companies

Rasmal Ventures: Yuno Raises $45M Series B | Lucidity News

Rasmal Ventures Invests in Yuno's $45M Series B for GCC Expansion

GCC VC Funds: $970M+ Raised in 2026 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

GCC VC Funds Raise Over $970M in 2026 YTD

Growth Catalyst Fund I – Jada Commits to SAR 750M Fund | Lucidity News

PIF's Jada Anchors Growth Catalyst Fund I to Scale Saudi Mid-Market Companies

ARAF – US$90M Climate Agriculture Fundraise | Lucidity News

Acumen's ARAF Secures US$90M to Scale Climate-Resilient Agriculture Across Africa

Nigeria Private Debt Fund – Raises US$13M | Lucidity News

Nigeria's First Naira Private Debt Fund Raises US$13M, Surpasses Target

TLG Capital – US$5M SHONA Capital Uganda Investment | Lucidity News

TLG Capital Invests US$5 Million in SHONA Capital Uganda to Expand SME Lending

Sustainable Innovations and Startups in the MENA Region

Catalyst Fund – US$30M Climate Fund Second Close | Lucidity News

Catalyst Fund Reaches US$30M Second Close to Back Africa's Climate Startups

ISSF Invests $7M in Endeavor Catalyst V | Lucidity News

ISSF Invests $7M in Endeavor Catalyst V to Support Jordan Startups

Khwarizmi Venture Capital Fund 2 – Secures SVC Investment | Lucidity News

SVC Invests in Khwarizmi Venture Capital Fund 2 to Support Startups

Anara Impact Capital – US$48M First Close Achieved | Lucidity News

Anara Impact Capital Reaches US$48M First Close for MENA Impact Startup Fund

du Ventures – Launches US$50M Startup Fund with Shorooq | Lucidity News

du Launches US$50M Venture Fund with Shorooq to Back UAE Startups

Press Release

AfDB – €200M Morocco Workforce Programme | Lucidity News

Morocco Secures $232M AfDB Funding for Workforce Development Reform

Synapse Analytics: $13M Series A Led by Partech | Lucidity News

Synapse Analytics Raises $13M Series A to Scale AI Decisioning for Financial Institutions

Artificial Intelligence

Keep Converting: $2M Pre-Seed & 64% Conversion Lift | Lucidity News

Keep Converting Secures $2M Pre-Seed to Automate E-Commerce Product Page Generation

Physical AI: 80% Adoption Projected – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Physical AI Adoption Could Reach 80% Globally Within Two Years

HUMAIN Invests in Arabic.AI – Scales Arabic AI | Lucidity News

HUMAIN Invests in Arabic.AI and Tarjama to Scale Arabic AI in Saudi Arabia

Stellaria Raises US$6.8M Seed – Scales Geospatial AI | Lucidity News

Stellaria Secures US$6.8M Seed for AI and Geospatial Intelligence Expansion

AI Investment: US Surpasses $1T in Funding – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The Global AI Power Rankings: US Leads, China and UK Follow

Rentify: AI Renewal Command Center Launches | Lucidity News

Rentify Launches AI-Powered Renewal Command Center for UAE Rental Operations

AI Funding: $407B Raised in H1 2026 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

AI Funding Hits $407B in H1 2026, Surpassing All of 2025

Rime Raises $2M+ – Saudi Physical AI Expansion | Lucidity News

Saudi Physical AI Startup Rime Raises More Than $2M Seed Round to Scale AI Platform

Longevium – Raises US$7M for AI Longevity Lab | Lucidity News

Longevium Raises US$7M to Launch AI Longevity Research Lab in Dubai

Kily Funding – Raises US$3.1M Seed Round | Lucidity News

Kily Raises US$3.1M to Expand AI Agents for India's E-Commerce Brands

Bundle – US$5.5M Pre-Seed Fuels Rewards Platform | Lucidity News

Bundle Raises US$5.5M Pre-Seed to Launch World's First Networked Rewards Platform

DESAISIV – Launches AI Insurance Agent & $8M Round | Lucidity News

Saudi InsurTech DESAISIV Launches AI Insurance Agent, Seeks $8M Growth Capital

ChatFeatured – Raises US$2M Pre-Seed Round | Lucidity News

BY Venture Partners Backs ChatFeatured in US$2M Round to Scale AI Search Optimisation

Aligned Data Centers – US$40B Acquisition Completed | Lucidity News

AIP, MGX, and BlackRock Complete US$40B Aligned Data Centers Acquisition

Cue – US$5M Funding for AI Customer Service Expansion | Lucidity News

Cue Raises US$5M to Expand AI Customer Service Platform Globally

Think Funding – US$8M AI Infrastructure Round | Lucidity News

Saudi AI Startup Think Raises US$8M Pre-Seed in MENA's Largest AI Infrastructure Pre-Seed Round

9YardsX: Labeb AI Acquisition Boosts Enterprise AI | Lucidity News

9YardsX Acquires Labeb AI to Accelerate UAE's Enterprise AI Expansion

The State of Unicorns: Turkey 2026

ThingsHappen – Secures Strategic Bridge Investment | Lucidity News

Turkish Insurtech ThingsHappen Secures Strategic Funding at US$3M Valuation

AVELIN AI – Raises US$3.7M for Sovereign AI Growth | Lucidity News

AVELIN AI Raises US$3.7M Pre-Seed to Expand Sovereign AI Platform Globally

ADI Chain: US$50M Investment – Expands Layer-2 Network | Lucidity News

ADI Chain Secures US$50M to Scale Sovereign Blockchain Across MEA & Asia

Crypto, Blockchain & Web3

BatX Energies – Raises US$12.2M Series A | Lucidity News

BatX Energies Raises US$12.2M Series A to Scale India's Critical Minerals Supply Chain

Special Report: Innovations in Blockchain

Konga – US$2.7M Stabyl Investment Announced | Lucidity News

Konga's US$2.7M Stabyl Investment Signals New Era for Nigerian E-Commerce

Podcast Episodes

Crypto After FTX & Luna | What 300+ Web3 Investments Reveal | Crypto Investing, VC Insights & Web3 Market Analysis with Vineet Budki Ep.19

The Perfect Pitch Podcast (Series)

Crypto After FTX & Luna: VC Insights from 300+ Web3 Investments with Vineet Budki

Binance Online – Crypto Leaders Discuss Adoption & Tokenization | Lucidity News

Binance Concludes Binance Online With 680,000+ Global Livestream Views

Rain – VARA Approval for Dubai Expansion | Lucidity News

Rain Gains VARA IPA, Completes GCC Crypto Licensing Coverage

Pierrick Ribes is an accomplished professional adept in strategy formulation and consultancy. Fueled by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a propensity for continual learning, he dedicates his free time to Lucidity Insights, enriching its content with insights drawn from his extensive professional expertise and refined research acumen.

A distinguished graduate of EDHEC Business School and Anglia Ruskin University, Pierrick holds a master's in management, an MSc in financial management, and a BA (Hons) in business management. His unwavering commitment to learning, coupled with a drive for professional excellence, underscores his aspiration to be an influential voice. Through his insightful writings, Pierrick aspires to provide invaluable knowledge and perspectives to the discerning readers of Lucidity Insights and Entrepreneur.com.

Contributing Writer and Researcher

Pierrick Ribes

Articles

Crypto Funding Trends 2026 – In-Depth Analysis & Forecast | Lucidity Insights

Crypto's Q1 2026: Capital Up Four-Fold, Concentrated in Fewer Hands

Rain Financial – Acquires Digital Ma’arefa | Lucidity News

Rain Acquires Digital Ma’arefa to Expand Crypto Reach in MENA

MENAPT’s Top 10 Funding Rounds March 2026: AI & Fintech Lead $933M Surge – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

MENAPT's Top 10 Funding Rounds in March 2026

VALR-Onafriq Partnership – Mobile Money Crypto Access | Lucidity News

VALR Partners Onafriq to Enable Mobile Money Crypto Across Africa

AICChain – Raises $25M Series A, Wins Fintech Award | Lucidity News

AICChain Lands $25M Series A, Eyes Global RWA Tokenization Push

MovitOn Pre-Sale – Raises $2M for Web3 Logistics | Lucidity News

MovitOn Raises $2M in Pre-Sale to Disrupt Global Logistics with Web3

The Crypto Universe Report: A Deep Dive Into Blockchain, DeFi & NFTs

Web3, AI & the Future of the Internet | Pierre Samaties (DFINITY) on ICP, Digital Sovereignty & Decentralization

Startup Spotlights (Series)

Ep. 9 - Rebuilding the Internet: Pierre Samaties on Web3, AI & Digital Sovereignty

Erika Masako Welch is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer at Lucidity Insights, focused on democratizing access to quality data for startups and venture capitalists across the MEAPT region. She also hosts "The Perfect Pitch" podcast, where she interviews top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs about fundraising and growth strategies. A Stanford GSB graduate and former international strategy consultant, Erika has over 15 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies in 50+ countries and 20+ sectors. She is also a selective angel investor in the wellness and sustainability space. Passionate about community building, wellness, and exploration, Erika is a foodie, yoga enthusiast, and lifelong seeker of eudaimonia.

Co-Founder & Chief Content Officer

Erika Masako Welch

Saudi Arabia Investment Boom: Why Global Investors Are Paying Attention – Watch Now | Lucidity Insights

Khalid Alsaeed: Why Investors Are Turning to Saudi Arabia Right Now

Qualiphi – Acquires Career Club Platform | Lucidity News

Qualiphi Acquires Career Club to Expand AI Career Services in MENA

Utexo – Raises $7.5M Seed for Stablecoin Payments | Lucidity News

Utexo Secures $7.5M Seed Led by Tether for Crypto Infrastructure

Scopely – Acquires Loom Games Stake | Lucidity News

Scopely Expands in Turkey with Loom Games $1 Billion Acquisition

Crypto Funding 2025: $34.9B, +100% – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Capital Concentration Defines Crypto Investment in 2025

2025 Crypto Funding Trends – In-Depth Analysis & Forecast

2025 Crypto Funding Doubled—And Concentrated in Fewer, Bigger Bets

Lucid Capital – Closes $2.5M Seed Round | Lucidity News

Lucid Capital Raises $2.5M Seed to Scale AI Trading Platform

Cyber Threats 2026: Browser Attacks Rise – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Global Cyber Threats Shift Toward Identity and Browser Attacks in 2026

Cybersecurity

Mitigata Raises US$15M Series B for Global Expansion | Lucidity News

Mitigata Raises US$15M Series B to Build India's Next Cyber Resilience Leader

Lyrie.ai – Raises $2M Pre-Seed & Launches ATP | Lucidity News

Lyrie.ai Raises $2M Pre-Seed to Secure the Agentic AI Economy

Topics