Orbit Startups

“Qatar is transforming from a fossil fuel-based economy to a tech-driven one.” — William Bao Bean, Managing General Partner of Orbit Startups. At Web Summit Qatar, William joined Yang GE of the Financial Times to dissect venture capital’s seismic shift toward markets like MENA, Africa, and LatAm. Against the backdrop of China’s VC contraction and global economic uncertainty, he revealed how affordable AI and hyper-localized innovation are rewriting the playbook for tech-driven growth. 💡 Key Takeaways: ✦ Localized Solutions Win: Pakistan’s Dastgyr (Orbit 2021) — digitizing small shops and enabling cross-border food trade — secured the country’s largest Series A by adapting Alibaba Group’s early model to local needs. ✦ Affordable AI’s Rise: Open-source tools like DeepSeek AI are democratizing AI. Egypt’s DXwand (Orbit 2021) — analyzing Arabic text for real-time insights — exemplifies how data moats fuel emerging-market disruptors. ✦ Healthtech Rising: Saudi-based MedIQ Smart Healthcare (Orbit 2024) — digitizing 1,100+ clinics to streamline care — tackles regional challenges like soaring diabetes rates. “Invest in the problem, not the product,” William urged, stressing that passion and problem-solving are non-negotiables for founders. 🔗 Read the full article via the link in the comments.👇 #emergingmarkets #AI #startups #investors

💡 The latest Orbit Brief is here! Dive into Bill Liao's Art of Scaling Sales and startup news from across the Orbit ecosystem! 📩 Stay in the loop—subscribe now: https://lnkd.in/gunPCQSj – William Bao Bean, Oscar Ramos

🌍✨This International Women’s Day, Orbit Startups celebrates Lifting As We Climb We believe innovation thrives when we lift as we climb—as we advance we intentionally take others on our journey. To the amazing women in the Orbit ecosystem, from founders to mentors and the Orbit team — thank you for giving your time, experience and support to our startups and to each other. Here’s to rising higher — together. 💪 👇 Explore our “Lifting as We Climb” carousel. Eugenia Dunaeva, Sarika Tulsyan, Ching-Ping Lin, Nina Xiang, Sabaria Sarwar, Neïla Meknassi نايلة مكناسي #IWD2025 #womenintech #startups #femalefounders #emergingmarkets #investors

💡 Sales isn’t just for the sales team. It’s for everyone. Engineers, designers, customer support—every single person in your company should know the basics of selling. Why? Learn from Bill Liao, a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist with two billion-dollar exits. https://lnkd.in/dXbfTgCs Read more in the comments👇 William Bao Bean Oscar Ramos TR Harrington #growthsummit #sales #b2b #b2c #entrepreneurship

🚀 Catch the latest Orbit Brief: Sanabil Accelerator by Orbit’s inaugural Demo Day and startup news from across the Orbit ecosystem! Subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gunPCQSj – William Bao Bean, Oscar Ramos

That’s a wrap for the inaugural Demo Day of the Sanabil Accelerator by Orbit! Congratulations to the startups from Batch 1 - Boowme : Work-Life Balance, Kitchenara, Netos Networks, neulink, Propway, Sadiq.ai, Sporship, Stacks , and TailorCast shaping the future in sectors such as logistics, AI, enterprise SaaS, healthcare, media, wellness, proptech, and e-commerce. It was an honor to work with them to refine their business models, increase sales and hone their pitches. We look forward to continuing our journey together! Special thanks to our partner Sanabil Investments for their support in helping startups grow and scale in the MENA region. Batch 2 is now accepting applications! If you would like to be part of the MENA’s rocketing startup ecosystem, apply now! ⏳ Deadline March 15, 2025 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gm5iFx7X 📹 See the Batch 1 Demo Day playlist here: https://lnkd.in/gu4FD9rf William Bao Bean Oscar Ramos Aditya Kathpalia Ching-Ping Lin Shenali De Silva Saif Ali Nick Ponomarev Yixiang (Jojo) Pan Farhan A. Rahman  #innovation #emergingmarkets #startups #investors

🌏 Stay ahead with the latest Orbit Brief: Fund announcement and startup updates from across the Orbit ecosystem! Subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gunPCQSj – William Bao Bean, Oscar Ramos

We’re thrilled to announce the close of $60 million in funding for investments in the best founders in emerging and growth markets around the world. Many thanks to our incredible founders, mentors, fellow VCs, and investors for believing in our mission to digitalize traditional industries - from farming to supply chain - and empower people to grow their incomes, improve their quality of life and build a more sustainable future. Thank you to LEAP for featuring us! 🔥 #emergingmarkets #startups #investors #LEAP William Bao Bean Oscar Ramos

🚀 Congratulations to Fincart (Orbit 2024) on successfully closing its pre-Seed funding round, led by Plus VC (+VC) with participation from global investors including Plug and Play Tech Center, Orbit Startups, Jedar Capital, and other regional investors. “We are thrilled to be backed by such esteemed and astute investors who not only provide capital but also have vast strategic experience in the region,” said Mostafa Masry, co-founder and CEO of Fincart. The newly secured funds will support the enhancement of Fincart’s platform, expand its courier network, and fuel the rapid growth of e-commerce in the Middle East and Africa. Founded in 2023 by Mostafa Masry and Nihal Ali, Fincart addresses the problem of unreliable shipping for e-commerce SMEs by providing affordable, efficient delivery solutions and unlocking working capital. With the MENA e-commerce market projected to reach $75 billion by 2028, Fincart is well-positioned to redefine e-commerce logistics and help SMEs scale efficiently. 👉 Read more via Wamda ومضة https://lnkd.in/gEnKUUtf #ecommerce #logistics #emergingmarkets #startups #investors William Bao Bean Oscar Ramos Elva Ren TR Harrington Francesca Tang

Read the latest Orbit Brief for partnership, investment and startup news from around the Orbit ecosystem! Subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/esR4_cdU William Bao Bean Oscar Ramos