Riyadh-based Darwinz AI secures $325k Seed round
KACST-based brand and media analysis AI tool eyes global markets
#SaudiArabia #funding - Riyadh-based AI startup Darwinz AI has raised $325,000 in Seed funding to accelerate development of its marketing productivity platform and prepare for global expansion. The round was led by Saudi venture capital accelerator Flat6Labs KSA and Dubai-based investment firm Glint Ventures. Founded in Egypt in 2021, the company behind AI copilot platform dima aims to enhance productivity for public relations professionals and marketers by over 80%. Darwinz AI will use the new funding will be used to develop more AI capabilities for dima, prepare for a global rollout and expand its team at The Garage research facility in Riyadh.
SO WHAT? - Although not a large Seed round, the Darwinz AI provides further evidence of the growing pipeline of AI startups in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has introduced a variety of new funding schemes, accelerators and startup programmes for the AI sector over the past two years, attracting both homegrown and international early stage AI startups.
Here are the key details:
Riyadh-based AI startup Darwinz AI secured $325,000 Seed funding led by Flat6Labs KSA and Dubai-based Glint Ventures to fuel product development, international expansion plans and hiring for its Saudi Arabia operation.
The Saudi-Egyptian company's flagship dima platform improves daily productivity for PR and marketing professionals by over 80%, via AI-powered analysis of brand monitoring in social media.
Founded in Egypt in 2021 by Emad Elazhary and Mohy Aboualam, the startup now operates across six countries with client retention exceeding 90%. It is now headquartered at The Garage in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), at the centre of Riyadh’s tech startup ecosystem.
As a Google Cloud Build Partner, the company has tripled platform usage since January 2025, demonstrating strong market traction
The dima platform monitors mentions and topics across social media platforms, delivering live sentiment analysis and contextual summaries for brand managers.
The AI copilot analyses social media, online news and television broadcasts, providing 24/7 alerts for time-critical events and potential crisis management.
ZOOM OUT - Advertising and communications seems to be turning into a sweet spot for AI startups in the Middle East, with regional martech startups Halo AI, Journify and Qeen AI all announcing Seed rounds so far this year. The AI in marketing market is growing fast globally, projected o expand at a 26.50% compound annual growth rate to $90.13 billion by 2029 (according to Research & Markets). Meanwhile, as the digitisation of business continues, marketer’s have an increasing need for sophisticated brand monitoring beyond basic mention tracking. The combination of market growth and significant investor interest bodes well for Darwinz AI.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read more about marketing and ecommerce startups:
Lucidya secures SAR 5 million grant to scale operations (Middle East AI News)
Halo AI raises $6 million (Middle East AI News)
UAE-based Qeen.ai secures $10 million (Middle East AI News)
Journify secures $4m for AI-powered marketing data (Middle East AI News)