Sawari Ventures

Sawari Ventures is an Egyptian private equity firm established in 2009 that focuses on early-to-growth stage investments in technology businesses throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With a keen understanding of the local culture and business environment, the firm identifies investment opportunities in a region characterized by a youthful, digital-savvy population and significant disposable income. Sawari Ventures aims to capitalize on the burgeoning demand for consumer technology products and services by investing in software and technology, media, and telecommunications sectors. The firm typically invests between $250,000 and $1 million in a select number of companies, leveraging its global network and local expertise to help transform regional visionaries into successful global enterprises.

Wael Amin

Partner

Ibrahim Ramadan

Senior Associate

Hany Al Sonbaty

Managing Director

21 past transactions

ADVA

Seed Round in 2022
ADVA is the first online service installment platform in Egypt.

ExpandCart

Series B in 2022
ExpandCart is the fastest growing Arabic ecommerce platform in the Middle East. Over the past couple of years, we was able to acquire hundreds of clients ranging from individuals & small companies to enterprise level corporations, creating impressive traction and success to our clients.

GoodsMart

Venture Round in 2021
GoodsMart designs and develops an mobile application software which allows users to shop groceries online. The company gathers the grocery stores in town in the application and also provides doorstep delivery. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Cairo, Egypt.

Fatura

Seed Round in 2021
Fatura is a technology platform revolutionizing the FMCG industry in Egypt & Africa. Our startup was first established in 2019 leading the way to become the 1st application serving the full FMCG traditional trade cycle. Fatura tackles key pain points in the traditional FMCG cycle offering a digital platform through which FMCG manufacturers and wholesalers can connect directly to retailers in an easier and faster way. In addition to digitizing the ordering experience, Fatura improves the working capital for retailers by enabling on-credit purchasing. We leverage our wealth of data and advanced AI models to instantly assess the creditworthiness of each retailer on our network.

Almentor

Series B in 2021
Almentor FZCO operates an online video e-learning platform catering to the Middle East and North Africa, providing a wide range of training videos and expert talks. Founded in 2016 and based in Dubai, the platform offers courses in various fields, including health, technology, humanities, entrepreneurship, and business management, and features content in both Arabic and English. Launched in January 2018, Almentor has established itself as a significant resource for continuous learning, boasting the largest library of high-quality Arabic video courses globally. The platform serves both individual learners and businesses, offering a mix of paid courses, free talks, crash courses, and books to meet the educational needs of Arabs worldwide.

Si-Ware Systems

Venture Round in 2021
Si-Ware Systems is a fabless semiconductor company based in Cairo, Egypt, specializing in integrated circuit and micro electro mechanical systems solutions. The company operates three primary divisions: ASIC Solutions, Timing Products, and Optical MEMS Technology. The ASIC Solutions division focuses on custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) development, emphasizing sensor interfaces, MEMS, wireless applications, timing, and optical components. The Timing Products division has introduced innovative technology with its all-silicon Self Compensating Oscillator. Meanwhile, the Optical MEMS Technology division is recognized for developing the first single-chip FT-IR spectrometer, branded as NeoSpectra, utilizing its proprietary Silicon integrated Micro Optical Systems Technology. Si-Ware Systems provides a comprehensive range of product design and development solutions, catering to various sectors in the semiconductor industry.

ExpandCart

Series A in 2020
ExpandCart is the fastest growing Arabic ecommerce platform in the Middle East. Over the past couple of years, we was able to acquire hundreds of clients ranging from individuals & small companies to enterprise level corporations, creating impressive traction and success to our clients.

Brantu

Series A in 2020
BRANTU provides an unprecedented fashion and lifestyle platform for the Middle-Eastern Fashion savvy, urban-city modern millennial. With the lack of high fashion and lifestyle E-commerce platforms available in the Middle-East, BRANTU has based themselves in Egypt to fulfil a gap in the market for trend-driven, aspirational and multi-brand products. With a high-tech website and APPs with fully integrated logistics service, we focus heavily on delivering the right product at the right time to our customers. We take pride in creating beautiful marketing campaigns and aspirational editorial images with our brands in addition to consistent Ecom photography to continually inspire and motivate our customers purchasing decisions.

elves

Seed Round in 2020
For consumers, Elves is a chat-based concierge service. With Elves, consumers can do anything from booking flights to delivering groceries. In the last few months, we've expanded to serve thousands of users around the world. Via chat, through our apps or on Messenger you can chat with an elf that’ll do or buy anything (legal) you want. Users are purchasing with an average ticket price of $260, with 80% of them reordering within 28 days and the top 10% using the app daily.

Money Fellows

Series A in 2020
MoneyFellows Limited operates a lending and savings platform. The company's platform provides its user to join suitable money circle based on their credit score; then the users pay a matching monthly installment, for a pre-defined number of months, placed in a common pot; and each month, one member receives the total money in the common pot, until all members have received their Payout once, ending the Money Circle. MoneyFellows Limited was formerly known as Moneyounion Limited and changed its name to MoneyFellows Limited in February 2015. MoneyFellows Limited was incorporated in 2014 and is based in London, United Kingdom.

Almentor

Series A in 2019
Almentor FZCO operates an online video e-learning platform catering to the Middle East and North Africa, providing a wide range of training videos and expert talks. Founded in 2016 and based in Dubai, the platform offers courses in various fields, including health, technology, humanities, entrepreneurship, and business management, and features content in both Arabic and English. Launched in January 2018, Almentor has established itself as a significant resource for continuous learning, boasting the largest library of high-quality Arabic video courses globally. The platform serves both individual learners and businesses, offering a mix of paid courses, free talks, crash courses, and books to meet the educational needs of Arabs worldwide.

Swvl

Series B in 2019
Swvl, LLC is a technology-driven mobility company that offers an application for booking fixed-route bus trips, primarily operating in Egypt, Kenya, and Pakistan. Founded in 2017 and based in Cairo, Swvl provides a premium mass transit system that connects neighborhoods with accessible bus and van rides during peak commuting hours. Users can book rides at a flat fare, ensuring affordability without surge pricing. The company's core service includes a network of minibuses and other vehicles that operate along predetermined routes, allowing commuters to reserve rides through its mobile application. Swvl aims to provide a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional public transportation and ridesharing options.

Swvl

Series B in 2019
Swvl, LLC is a technology-driven mobility company that offers an application for booking fixed-route bus trips, primarily operating in Egypt, Kenya, and Pakistan. Founded in 2017 and based in Cairo, Swvl provides a premium mass transit system that connects neighborhoods with accessible bus and van rides during peak commuting hours. Users can book rides at a flat fare, ensuring affordability without surge pricing. The company's core service includes a network of minibuses and other vehicles that operate along predetermined routes, allowing commuters to reserve rides through its mobile application. Swvl aims to provide a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional public transportation and ridesharing options.

Wasoko

Seed Round in 2019
Sokowatch revolutionizes access to essential goods and services by connecting small shops to the digital economy. Through individual agents equipped with proprietary mobile data-collection tools, Sokowatch increases sales and market coverage for companies in emerging markets. It enables informal retailers to order products at any time via SMS or mobile app, and receive free same-day delivery to their store. This makes it easier for shopkeepers to source goods and helps manufacturers ensure that their products are consistently available to consumers. Sokowatch evaluates retailers to provide them with access to credit and other financial services typically not available to informal businesses. Sokowatch's systems track real-time sales and orders across thousands of stores. Access to market trends and purchasing habits enables manufacturers to tailor their marketing strategies and allows Sokowatch to offer personalized promotions and business insights to individual retailers.

Swvl

Series B in 2018
Swvl, LLC is a technology-driven mobility company that offers an application for booking fixed-route bus trips, primarily operating in Egypt, Kenya, and Pakistan. Founded in 2017 and based in Cairo, Swvl provides a premium mass transit system that connects neighborhoods with accessible bus and van rides during peak commuting hours. Users can book rides at a flat fare, ensuring affordability without surge pricing. The company's core service includes a network of minibuses and other vehicles that operate along predetermined routes, allowing commuters to reserve rides through its mobile application. Swvl aims to provide a reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional public transportation and ridesharing options.

Financial Services Company

Venture Round in 2012
FSC is a market leader in retail based financial services. Our professional team and widespread service teams enable our clients to attain the utmost satisfaction. FSC was founded in 2008 with the idea of providing a suite of field based services to banks and financial sectors. Quickly, FSC proved its success and creative approach and diversity. FSC today operates Vodafone One loyalty system as well as having launched Egypt’s first anonymous prepaid cards nationwide, in collaboration with SAIB bank. FSC is currently operating in Egypt with a strategic plan to expand in the MENA region, specifically into North Africa and GCC markets. Our regional expansion is driven by our success and our belief that FSC has the capability and resources to serve its customers wherever and whenever required.

Zoomaal

Seed Round in 2012
Zoomaal is the leading crowdfunding platform in the Arab world.Zoomaal went live in July, 2013. Semi-finalist in the MIT Arab Enterprise Forum business plan competition, backed by four Middle Eastern venture capital firms and featured on CNN, Wamda, the International Herald Tribune and more, Zoomaal is at the forefront of Arab crowdfunding: helping people empower Arab creativity and culture.

Kngine

Seed Round in 2011
Kngine, Inc. is an intelligent assistant and answer engine that provides direct answers to user inquiries. Founded in 2008 and based in San Mateo, California, with an engineering office in Cairo, Egypt, Kngine enables developers and businesses to create smart applications that incorporate factual question-answering and knowledge capabilities. The platform is designed to understand and process natural language queries, allowing it to deliver meaningful results by extracting factual information from web content to enhance its knowledge graph. Kngine employs advanced technologies, including deep learning and big data analytics, to achieve high accuracy in understanding user intent. In addition to its core services, Kngine offers a beta application for both iOS and Android devices. The company operates as a subsidiary of Samsung Research America, Inc.

Vimov

Series A in 2011
vimov LLC develops application software. It offers iSimulate, which develops applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Its iSimulate wirelessly sends multi-touch events, the accelerometer and compass events, and the GPS location to the iPhone simulator. vimov serves software developers. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Alexandria, Egypt.

Alzwad Mobile Services

Venture Round in 2011
ALZWAD Mobile Services (ZMS), founded in 2009, started with a small team that had a collective vision of creating a mobile application and content platform, meeting all the possible needs of mobile users while enriching their lifestyles. Our team is driven by our passion for innovation and trendsetting while providing customers with the best value-added services today. And realize the dream of being the first platform for contents & apps targeting Arabic speaking communities globally.