20 WOMEN BEHIND MIDDLE EASTERN TECH BRANDS 2022

Our list of 20 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands highlights the female founders and cofounders of some of the region’s most successful tech-enabled platforms and apps. This year’s ranking highlights a diverse group of people from 17 different nationalities working in 13 sectors, whose businesses are predominantly based in the U.A.E. with 13 entries, followed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, each being home to two of these companies. Some of these companies are leading the startup ecosystem in MENA, such as Rita Huang Zhen’s iMile for delivery services, whose company was also the ninth most-funded startup in the region in 2021. Others, such as Mona Ataya and Leena Khalil of Mumzworld and Anuscha Ahmed Iqbal of Spotii, have successfully led some of MENA’s most significant exit deals in 2021.

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1. Rita Huang Zhen

Brand: iMile Delivery Services

Category: Logistics

Establishment: 2017

Nationality: Chinese

Headquarters: U.A.E.

iMile’s CEO Huang co-founded the startup with Naveen Joseph, Gao Wenli, and Nancy Chen. The firm provides logistics and courier solutions to e-commerce companies, trying to resolve cash-on-delivery and last-mile delivery issues. Its services cover vendors in China, the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Oman, and Morocco. Under Huang’s leadership, iMile secured $40 million in a Series A financing round in November 2021, reaching a valuation of $350 million and bringing its total funding to $50 million since inception. This made the company the ninth most-funded startup in MENA in 2021. Before establishing her own firm, Huang worked with Chinese tech giants Huawei and Alibaba.

2. Mona Ataya; Leena Khalil

Brand: Mumzworld

Category: E-commerce

Establishment: 2011

Nationality: Palestinian; British

Headquarters: U.A.E.

Ataya and Khalil’s Mumzworld platform, which connects 2.5 million users across the Middle East, secured $50 million through six funding rounds before being acquired by Tamer Group in June 2021. The e-commerce site sells more than 300,000 products for parents and children. It recorded its highest sales in 2021, at the same time as widening its presence in Saudi Arabia and the GCC.