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

COGNNA – Raises $9.2M Series A Funding | Lucidity News

COGNNA Lands $9.2M Series A to Expand Its AI-Driven Security Platform

Startup

Press Release

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

bolttech – Acquires mTek in Africa Expansion | Lucidity News

bolttech Acquires Kenya's mTek to Expand Its Insurance Footprint in Africa

Innovations In International Trade

Ripplr – Raises $45M Series C Round | Lucidity News

Ripplr Raises $45M Series C to Scale Its Tech-Driven Supply Chain

Bringing The World to Saudi

erad – Secures $125M Credit Deal for GCC Growth | Lucidity News

erad Secures $125M Credit Deal to Expand Embedded Finance Across GCC

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

SSA 2025: $1.06B – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

SSA Venture Funding in Oct 2025 Shows a Cautious but Rising Market

The State of Fintech in the Middle East

MEAPT Funding: Up – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

The 15-Year Rise of MEAPT Early-Stage Startup Funding (And Why Some Markets Still Lag)

Nazmia is a young writer passionate about making complex data and research more approachable, understandable and entertaining. She’s always been an educator at heart, taking on mentorship roles teaching creative and business writing to the scientific community. She is currently pursuing her passion at the intersection of technology and healthcare through a Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering. When she’s not in the lab pouring herself into the magic of tissue engineering and reconstruction, she’s writing and educating the world about all things biotech, healthtech, insurtech and edutech. If you're looking for practical insights with a touch of whimsy, Nazmia is the voice to follow with a fresh perspective on the ever-evolving digital and tech industry. 
Nazmia holds a BS in Biology and is currently pursuing her MS in Biomedical Engineering at the American University of Beirut. She specializes in cartilage tissue research, and uses her writing as a therapeutic escape to produce captivating pieces that take her readers on a journey with every word.

Nazmia Nassereddine

Articles

SSA VC Trends Q4 2025 – In-Depth Analysis & Forecast | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 SSA Funding Rounds of October 2025: Can Q4 Momentum Push SSA VC Funding Past 2023 Totals by Year’s End?

Dubai Startup Guide 2024 Edition

Revibe – Raises $17M for Global Expansion | Lucidity News

Revibe Raises $17M to Scale Refurbished Electronics Marketplace Across Emerging Markets

STAMP – Raises $2M to Scale RegTech Platform | Lucidity News

STAMP Lands $2M Pre-Seed to Scale Its AI Compliance & Corporate Ops Platform

Investing in Egypt’s Startup Ecosystem

bluworks – Raises $1M Seed Round | Lucidity News

bluworks Raises $1M Seed Round to Scale Workforce Tech in MENA

MEAPT VC Oct 2025: $13B – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Despite Continuously Shrinking Deal Count, MEAPT VC Funding October 2025 Raised Nearly US$13 Billion YTD

Mate – Raises $15.5M Seed for AI SOC Platform | Lucidity News

Mate Emerges from Stealth with $15.5M to Build AI-Powered SOC

Tribe Stays – Raises $2.8M Seed Funding | Lucidity News

Tribe Stays Raises $2.8M Seed Round to Expand Managed Living

African Startup Funding 2025: East Leads – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Where the Capital is Really Flowing in African Startup Funding 2025

shoppin’ – Raises $3M for AI Fashion Expansion | Lucidity News

AI Fashion Startup shoppin’ Secures $3M Seed Round

Quintas Capital – Invests $18M in Petal Group | Lucidity News

Quintas Capital Invests $18M in Petal Group’s Global Expansion

Agnikul Cosmos – Raises $7.6M for Space Expansion | Lucidity News

Agnikul Cosmos Raises $7.6M to Scale Commercial Space Launches

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

MEAPT VC Trends Oct 2025 – In-Depth Analysis & Forecast | Lucidity Insights

MEAPT VC Funding October 2025: Q4 2025 Kicks Off with Nearly USD 13 Billion Raised YTD Despite Continuously Shrinking Deal Count

Reflectiz – Raises $22M Series B Funding | Lucidity News

Reflectiz Raises $22M Series B to Advance Web Threat Management

Snabbit – Raises $30M Series C Funding | Lucidity News

Snabbit Lands $30M Series C to Grow Its On-Demand Home Services Network

Impact VC 2025: -24% – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Impact VC Resets in 2025 After a Decade of Scale

Investors & VC

AfDB – Invests $15M in Adenia Fund | Lucidity News

AfDB Invests $15M in Adenia Fund to Boost SME Growth in Africa

Chui Ventures – Closes $17.3M Debut Fund | Lucidity News

Chui Ventures Closes $17.3M Debut Fund to Back Africa’s Mass Market

Enko Capital – Secures $30M PIC Investment | Lucidity News

Enko Capital Secures $30M PIC Investment for Private Credit Fund

Dubai’s Roadmap to Becoming the Digital Economy Capital of the World

FAST Ventures – Launches $3M Fast Foundry Fund | Lucidity News

FAST Ventures Unveils $3M Fund to Power MENA Startups

AECID – Invests $10M in Novastar NVIII | Lucidity News

AECID Commits $10M to Novastar’s People & Planet Fund III

CE-Invests – USD 272.3 Million Growth Plan Announced | Lucidity News

Crescent Enterprises to deploy US$272.3 million across India, Southeast Asia, and the GCC

TLG Capital – Funds $10M for Djibouti Digital Growth | Lucidity News

International Investment Bank (iib) and TLG complete landmark $10m private credit deal in Djibouti

First Circle Capital – Secures $6M from IFC | Lucidity News

First Circle Capital Secures $6M from IFC to Back African Fintechs

The Lab Ventures – Closes AED 124M Fund II | Lucidity News

The Lab Ventures Raises $33.8M for Fund II to Drive B2B Digitization

Enko Capital – $100M First Close for Credit Fund | Lucidity News

Enko Impact Credit Fund Hits $100M First Close Backed by IFC, BII

The Business of Healthtech in MENA

Wa’ed Ventures – Leads $10M Round in Kure Cells | Lucidity News

Wa’ed Ventures Backs U.S. Biotech Kure Cells in $10M Pre-Series A

Africa Startup Funding 2025: $865M Surge – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Africa's Investment Map Is Shifting in Africa Startup Funding 2025

Dubai's Venture Capital Ecosystem

Crescent Enterprises – $68M Boost for CE-Creates | Lucidity News

Crescent Enterprises Invests $68M to Scale CE-Creates Venture Studio

Inspired Evolution – Commits $20M to Cold Solutions | Lucidity News

Inspired Evolution's III Fund Injects $20M into Cold Chain Expansion in East Africa

Iliad Partners – $50M Fund Secures Greek Bank Support | Lucidity News

Iliad Partners Secures Second Closing of $50M Tech Ventures Fund

BECO Capital – Closes $370M Across Two Funds | Lucidity News

BECO Capital Closes $370M Across Two New Funds for Gulf Startups

Sukna Capital – $50M PFG Lending Partnership | Lucidity News

Sukna Capital & PFG Partner on $50M Specialty Lending for MENA Tech Firms

Presight–Shorooq – Launch $100M Global AI Fund | Lucidity News

Presight & Shorooq Launch $100M Global AI Innovation Fund

ANAVA – Invests $4M in Rasmal Innovation Fund I | Lucidity News

ANAVA Fund of Funds Commits $4M to Rasmal Ventures' Debut Fund

AI Readiness 2025: UAE 59.4% – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity

Analyzing the AI Readiness Index 2025 and Global AI Adoption

Artificial Intelligence

Propeller – Launches $50M Fund III | Lucidity News

Propeller Launches $50M Fund III to Bridge MENA and Silicon Valley

Zinit – Raises $8M Seed Funding Round | Lucidity News

Zinit Raises $8M Seed Round at $48M Valuation to Scale AI-Native Sourcing Platform

Mastiska – Raises $10M for Sovereign AI Chips | Lucidity News

UAE’s Mastiska Secures $10M Seed Round for Sovereign AI Silicon

Salesforce – Launches Agentforce in Arabic | Lucidity News

Salesforce Launches Agentforce in Arabic to Accelerate UAE's Digital Shift

Buildroid AI – Raises $2M & Launches Construction Robot | Lucidity News

Buildroid AI Secures $2M Pre-Seed to Deploy AI-Powered Construction Robots

Luma AI – Raises $900M for Multimodal AGI | Lucidity News

Luma AI Secures $900M Series C Led by HUMAIN for AGI & Compute

Guardio – Raises $80M to Expand AI Security | Lucidity News

Guardio Raises $80M to Scale AI-Driven Consumer Cybersecurity

Kingpin – Raises $3.5M Seed Funding | Lucidity News

Kingpin Raises $3.5M Seed Round to Accelerate AI-Powered Global Distribution Platform

Secure.com – Launches Digital Security Teammate | Lucidity News

Secure.com Raises $4.5M to Launch Digital Security Teammate Platform

SahmAlgo – Raises $1M Seed Round | Lucidity News

SahmAlgo Secures $1M Seed Round to Scale Financial Intelligence

Noum – Redefines AI Hiring in the GCC | Lucidity News

Noum Empowers GCC Companies with Intelligent Hiring Platform

Stitches Africa – Launches with $50M Funding | Lucidity News

Stitches Africa Debuts with $50M Funding to Empower African Tailors

Hyperever – Raises $2.2M for AI Robot Dog | Lucidity News

Hyperever Raises $2.2M Seed to Advance AI-Powered Robot Dog Proteo

Malanta – Raises $10M for AI Cyber Defense | Lucidity News

Malanta Exits Stealth with $10M to Stop AI-Driven Cyberattacks

WisdomTree – Invests $2.5M in AlphaBeta ETF | Lucidity News

WisdomTree Invests $2.5M in Israel’s AlphaBeta to Advance AI Investing

Bonat – Raises $6M Series A Led by Tali Ventures | Lucidity News

Bonat Raises $6M Series A Led by Tali Ventures to Boost AI Engagement

Ashok is a storyteller who uses numbers as his medium. He loves to crunch data, analyze it, and investigate deeper questions until the stories begin to emerge on their own. Ashok comes from a finance and consulting background, having worked in the strategy consulting and private equity fields across the Middle East and Emerging Asia for over 15 years, prior to becoming a business writer. When it comes to tech stories, Ashok has a penchant for startups in the fintech, B2B SaaS, AI and ML spaces. He loves writing about Venture Capital, M&A and the general investor landscape of startup ecosystems.
Ashok holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a diploma in Finance. He speaks English and Hindi fluently.

Researcher

Ashok Raman

AI + Cloud – Powering Enterprise Tech in 2025 | Lucidity News

How AI is Transforming Cloud Infrastructure for Enterprises

AI Talent 2025: Saudi & UAE in Global Top 20 – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

AI Talent in Saudi Arabia and UAE: Gulf States Join the Global Top 20

PIF & Aramco – Partner on HUMAIN AI Expansion | Lucidity News

Aramco to Acquire Stake in PIF’s HUMAIN to Advance AI Ambitions

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

Startup Fundraising – 10 Lessons for Founders | Lucidity News

Top 10 Tips for First-Time Founders Looking to Approach Investors and Fundraise

Crypto, Blockchain & Web3

Special Report: Innovations in Blockchain

Astra Nova – Raises $48.3M for Web3 Growth | Lucidity News

Astra Nova Raises $48.3M to Expand AI-Powered Web3 Entertainment

Uganda – Launches $5.5B Blockchain & CBDC Pilot | Lucidity News

Uganda Rolls Out CBDC Pilot Backed by $5.5B Tokenized Assets

Tokinvest – Wins VARA Licence & $3.2M Funding | Lucidity News

Tokinvest Secures $3.2M Pre-Seed, VARA Licence, and Sells Out First Tokenised Racehorse

Nigeria Economic Outlook 2025: Key Risks – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Nigeria Economic Outlook 2025: H1 Review and H2 Projections

Middle East & Africa Gaming Review 2025

Africa Gaming 2024: $1.8B Market – Quick Infobyte | Lucidity Insights

Top 5 African Countries By Number of Gaming Startups in 2024

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

Crypto Fundraising Hits $18.19B in H1 2025

Crypto Fundraising Surges in H1 2025: Key Trends, Drivers, and Top Deals

Opportunities in Web3

Cointel Raises $7.4M for AI Crypto Education

UAE Edtech Cointel Secures $7.4M to Scale AI-Powered Crypto Education

Crypto Ownership by Generation: Gen Z & Millennials Lead

How Gen Z and Millennials Are Driving Crypto Ownership by Generation

Xpand – Raises $6M for Global Retail Rollout | Lucidity News

Xpand Secures $6M to Launch Autonomous Retail Stores

Salasa – Raises $30M Series B for Expansion | Lucidity News

Salasa Raises $30M Series B to Drive Tech-First Logistics Expansion

STON.fi – $9.5M Raised to Scale DeFi on TON | Lucidity News

STON.fi Gets $9.5M Series A to Advance Liquidity Tools

Tabadulat – ADGM Greenlight & $2.3M Raise | Lucidity News

Tabadulat Gets ADGM Approval, Raises $2.3M for Shariah-Compliant Platform

Synervest – $4M Series A to Double Valuation | Lucidity News

Synervest Raises $4M Series A to Expand Global Fintech Footprint

GenAI Enterprise 2025: Top Use Cases – Quick Infobyte

HITL Out, Expertise In: GenAI Use Cases Evolve in 2025

Crypto Investment Trends 2025 – In-Depth Analysis | Lucidity Insights

Meme Coins vs AI? What Q1 Revealed About Crypto Investment Trends 2025

Africa Startup Funding: $460M Q1 25 - Quick Infobyte

Africa Startup Funding Q1 2025: Resilience Amidst Global Downturn

MEAPT PropTech Review 2024

Nawy Raises $75M for MENA Growth

Egyptian proptech Nawy raises $75M to expand across MENA

UAE-based Fuze Closes $12.2M in Series A Round

Fuze Closes $12.2M Round to Scale Stablecoin, Payments, and OTC Crypto Services

Disrupt.com Launches $100M to Back AI, Web3, and Cybersecurity Startups

UAE’s Disrupt.com Launches $100M to Back AI, Web3, and Cybersecurity Startups

CI Capital – Completes USD 42.3M Notes Issuance | Lucidity News

Corplease Raises USD 42.3 Million via CI Capital-Led Notes Issuance

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