CAIRO: Funding activity flourished in the Middle East and North Africa region, driven largely by Saudi and Egyptian startups. The region experienced a variety of funding rounds across diverse sectors, alongside the graduation of accelerator programs. Saudi startup Blend successfully raised SR5 million ($1.3 million) in a pre-seed investment round backed by a group of angel investors. These investments aim to develop innovative tech solutions serving the restaurant, cafe, hypermarket and cloud kitchen sectors.