El-dokan, an Egypt-based developer of e-commerce software, raised $550,000 in a pre-seed funding round as it seeks to expand in the highly-competitive online market.
The investment was led by regional investors, including Egypt's Flat6Labs, EFG EV — a joint venture between investment firm EFG Hermes and Egypt Ventures, Saudi Arabia's Hala Ventures and California-based 500 Global, el-dokan said on Monday.
The funding will be used to improve and develop el-dokan's e-commerce services, which are based on headless technology, a company representative told The National.
Headless technology is a technique in which the front end of a platform — or that which users interact with — can be customised and made flexible to adapt to user preference without disrupting the back end or the rest of the system.
The funding will also be used by the start-up to expand regionally and internationally.
"We already succeeded in establishing a legal entity in Saudi Arabia to expand our sales and marketing activities across the GCC. This expansion should be followed by the South Africa market, after building a strong footprint in the Mena region," the company representative said.
The company's technology helps retailers "drive sales growth while simultaneously bringing down maintenance costs", helping them to achieve "the highest levels of operational efficiency", said Mohamed Yousry, chief technology officer and co-founder of el-dokan.
"The majority of retailers have repeatedly shown the willingness to ... replace the traditional e-commerce methods with more advanced and flexible technology."
E-commerce grew exponentially during the Covid-19 pandemic and that growth has continued as consumers tap into its convenience and the variety it has on offer.
Egypt was ranked the 39th largest market for e-commerce in 2021, with revenue of $5.2 billion, according to data platform ecommerceDB.
The sector is expected to yield an annual growth rate of 22 per cent through 2025, and is projected to outperform the global average of 6 per cent, the report said.
Egypt's start-up ecosystem also continues to grow. Venture capital funding in the country more than doubled to $307 million in the first half of 2022 from a year earlier, ranking it third in the Mena region, start-up data platform Magnitt said in a recent report.
The number of deals reached in the country also grew by 22 per cent annually to 78 during the first six months of the year.
El-dokan, which was founded in 2020, primarily focuses on large retailers and chain stores. The start-up's tools are intended to increase market share, drive sales and automate operations, it said.
The start-up counts consumer goods major Procter & Gamble and Saudi Arabian telecoms company Mobily among its clients.
Its customers have so far been able to achieve a gross merchandise value of $45m on the back of its headless technology, el-dokan said.
"We are now serving a global roster of clients. This is a testament to the ability of regionally-based tech start-ups to develop leading-edge technologies trusted by large, international brands, and compete with global counterparts," Mr Yousry said.
SHAITTAN
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
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The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
The years Ramadan fell in May
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
SPECS
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor