Big announcements definitely marked our week at Wamda! From a $100 million USD acquisition deal in Turkey, to an unlimited streaming service for $1 USD in Lebanon, to a crowdfunding campaign reaching its goal in less than one week, the Arab region definitely had its share of victories this week, and these are just a few. - Reine

Upcoming Event

• 14 Feb - 2014 NYU Abu Dhabi Annual International Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World
• 15 Feb - DealMakers' Weekend

Be sure to check Wamda's Events page, or follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on the regiona's top events! 

This week, in announcements from startups

Health portal WebTeb partners with famous Egyptian chef

What does Arabic health and lifestyle portal WebTeb’s delicious partnership with Egyptian chef Manal Al-Alem mean? Here’s how it aims to help viewers make healthy, nutritional choices.

Recyclobekia partners with Jumia and launches individual e-waste recycling

Egyptian startup Recyclobekia recently extended their e-waste collection service to include pickup from individuals. Here’s how they are extending their network of recycling.

Egyptian job site Wuzzuf joins 500 Startup’s acceleration program

Earlier this week, we reported that Egyptian startup Wuzzuf was selected from 1,400 startups that had applied for the 500 Startups’ seed fund accelerator program. More on the recruiting site and what the program includes.

Poupée Couture becomes another Eureeca success story

Ten days after the launch of its crowdinvestment campaign on Eureeca, luxury brand Poupée Couture has raised almost $20,000 USD over its initial goal. Here’s the story behind the brand, and what its founder will spend the investment money on.

Anghami launches ‘industry disruptive’ $1 music streaming service

It has been a very interesting year of discovery for Anghami: the startup has been hard at work fine-tuning its design, launching new platforms, and partnering with labels. This week, the mobile and web music streaming platform announced a partnership with mobile operator Alfa. Here’s what it means for its users.

Turkish m-commerce solutions company Pozitron acquired by UK’s Monitise

Earlier this week, UK company Monitise acquired Turkish mobile commerce technology company Pozitron. Here’s more on the Turkish startup, and why Monitise represents a perfect match.

Now serving one billion ads per month, Hsoub looks to the future

Hsoub recently announced a new milestone, that of handling one billion ads per month. Here’s more on the direction the platform may take this year.

 

Articles you Might have Missed

Startup Weekend Damascus launches this month to create a ‘paradigm shift’ in Syria

The Syrian community has become synonymous with resilience, and in times where the country’s war has hurt small businesses, entrepreneurs have demonstrated incredible tenacity by organizing Startup Weekend Damascus. More about it here.

Here's why the Arab world needs a startup exchange program

Startup Exchange is a travel program recently launched by 10 accelerators, whereby 50 startups from each of the participating spaces will travel to join another accelerator's program and connect with key players at their destination. Here's why such a program would be interesting for startups in the Arab world.

Can Dubai franchise Mandilicious be the next Just Falafel?

When it comes to planning ahead, Mandilicious founder Salam Al Nusari knows what he wants. His venture, Mandilicious, offers traditional cuisine from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula, and he’s franchising to expand globally.