A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
CURRENTLY ON EDITION 99
September 28, 2026

Are you a failed founder from MENA?

This issue is a startup-graveyard tour ahead of Halloween, because we do like our traditions. I have analyzed eight MENA startups that had raised real money, built real products, and still didn’t make it. Each could turn into a miniseries – OSN, you in?

In one case, the founders even returned part of the money to investors. TradeHub’s Ahmed Gaber and Ahmed Atef should teach a masterclass in being noble…By the way, the title of this email is not a hook. We are seriously looking for failed founders from MENA. And if you failed in fintech, email us right now, because we’ve got a job for you. You can read the issue later.

One more thing: been a rough few months to be a VC in MENA?🥴 Take this anonymous sentiment study, see how you compare with other VCs, and get the full report back. (Survey by Mal Filipowska and Dominika Malhas)

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