News

Saudi Arabia’s NOMU Secures $5 Million For Expansion Plans

The FoodTech startup will use the capital to enter new markets across the MENA region and, eventually, Pakistan and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Published

11 months ago

July 4, 2023

Nour Nasir

NOMU

NOMU, the Saudi Arabian food technology startup, has raised $5 million in seed funding that will allow the company to expand further into the Middle East and across North Africa, reaching over 50 cities by 2025.

The Riyadh-based startup received investments from DIV Capital, Core Vision, Shurfah, and Purity for Information Technology. As well as investing in new technology, NOMU will use the funding to grow its business-to-business services across the MENA region’s hotel, restaurant, and cafe sectors.

“NOMU is committed to revolutionizing the FoodTech supply chain, providing greater convenience and efficiency for businesses in the Mena region,” explained Shehab Mokhtar, co-founder, and chief executive of NOMU.

Shehab Mokhtar established NOMU in 2022 alongside Yassir El Ismaili, Salman Attieh, and Ahmed Eldemerdash. The NOMU platform helps to streamline food industry inventory sourcing, financing, storage, and delivery, helping hotels and restaurants run more efficiently. The startup has also launched an app for families to purchase groceries.

So far, NOMU has partnered with key players such as Savola and Procter & Gamble and recorded 10x revenue growth over the last 12 months.

Also Read: Dubai Plans 100,000 Square Foot AI & Web 3.0 Campus

The company’s success comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is pushing itself as a global hub for emerging technology as part of its grand “Vision 2030” program. The Kingdom was the second-most funded MENA country after the UAE last year, attracting nearly $1 billion in investments as the government attempts to pivot the economy away from its reliance on the oil industry.

Although FinTech was the “industry of choice” for angel investors in Saudi Arabia last year, food and beverage startups like NOMU accounted for the second-most funded industry, raising a substantial $187 million.

News

Meet JAIS Chat: The AI-Powered Chatbot For Arabic Speakers

The AI-driven mobile app was created by Core42 and offers seamless cross-language communication and advanced AI assistance.

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2024

Nour Nasir

meet jais chat the ai powered chatbot for arabic speakers

Emirates News Agency

Core42, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s G42 specializing in sovereign cloud solutions, cybersecurity, and AI infrastructure, has launched JAIS Chat, a mobile app for iOS.

Developed to cater to the increasing demand for Generative AI capabilities in the Middle East, the user-friendly chatbot serves both English and Arabic speakers, understanding various local dialects and cultural subtleties.

JAIS Chat allows seamless translation and cross-language communication on a large scale, leveraging AI to empower Arabic speakers worldwide. With its mobile version, JAIS Chat brings accessibility, efficiency, and convenience to users’ daily interactions, providing AI-driven assistance wherever they go.

Powered by JAIS 30B, the world’s leading Arabic Large Language Model (LLM), JAIS Chat boasts unparalleled Arabic language processing and accuracy. Core42 claims that the chatbot now rivals top-performing English language models of a similar size.

Andrew Jackson, Chief AI Officer at Core42, said, “Since the inception of JAIS in August 2023, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, and with the recent launch of JAIS 30B, we’ve witnessed a significant enhancement in its performance metrics compared to its predecessor, JAIS 13B. With its Arabic-first approach, JAIS reshapes how bilingual individuals interact with technology, and with JAIS Chat for mobile, we are delivering the next advancement in our mission to democratize AI access for the world”.

Also Read: Getting Started With Google Gemini: A Beginner’s Guide

JAIS Chat is now poised to revolutionize various sectors across the wider Middle East, from government communications to customer service automation with AI-powered functionalities that also include chat summarization and new content generation.

Future updates will integrate document processing, customizable user settings, voice conversation capabilities, and enterprise support for businesses seeking tailored AI solutions.

Apple users can download the chatbot on the App Store. If you’re interested in taking a more detailed look under the hood, click here.