News

Deezer’s Shaker Connects Friends Across Music Apps

The new feature lets users share music with up to 14 people, even if they don’t use the same streaming platform.

Published

10 months ago

November 14, 2023

Nour Nasir

Deezer

Amongst a flurry of updates, improvements, and a recent rebrand, music streaming service Deezer has now announced Shaker. The new feature lets users “access the perfect music mix for any moment with friends, family, co-workers, or anyone you want to spend time with”.

The concept is simple: With a few screen taps or mouse clicks, a mix is generated that blends together a group of friends’ favorite music and includes fun insights into the musical compatibility and guilty pleasures of group members.

Aside from the intuitive interface, the clever thing about Shaker is that it allows users to connect with up to 14 friends using a simple invite link — even if they use a different platform like Spotify and don’t want to download the Deezer app. The Shaker algorithm then starts work by generating a mix of 70 songs tailored to the group’s unique preferences. If they’re unhappy with the selection, they can easily refresh a mix or curate a playlist from scratch.

Also Read: Best Music Streaming Services In The Middle East

“Shaker is designed to create a feeling of connection, encourage people to experience music more freely, erase the boundaries between friends, and create a space where you can discover new songs to fall in love with,“ explained Alexandra Leloup, VP Product at Deezer, “To achieve this, it was key to not only include tailored playlists based on the musical tastes of users and their friends but to make sure everyone can join in no matter which streaming platform they use”.

Shaker aims to help users say goodbye to hours spent curating playlists for their parties, road trips, and sports sessions, creating the perfect fusion of music tastes to connect friends like never before.

News

Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth

The financial services provider has secured an extra $22 million after strong performance in its core market of Egypt.

Published

23 hours ago

September 12, 2024

Nour Nasir

paymob extends series b funding to $72 million amid continued growth

Leading financial services provider Paymob has secured an additional $22 million in a funding extension, bringing its Series B total to $72 million.

The funding was spearheaded by EBRD Venture Capital, with support from Endeavor Catalyst. Existing backers such as PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures also participated, reaffirming their confidence in Paymob’s business model and potential in the regional fintech industry.

This extension comes on the back of Paymob’s strong performance in its core market of Egypt, where it has experienced 6x revenue growth since the initial Series B in Q2 2022. With the Series B extension and continued profitability in Egypt, Paymob is well-positioned to further its expansion strategy across the MENA region.

Islam Shawky, Co-founder and CEO of Paymob, commented: “We are very excited by our strong prospects in Egypt – where we hold a market-leading position – and the significant traction experienced in the UAE since launching operations there. This funding will help Paymob fully capitalize on the momentum in our established markets, as we accelerate our GCC roll-out. We remain committed to creating cutting-edge infrastructure enabling SMEs across the region to thrive in the digital economy and are proud of our continued impact”.

Also Read: Zoho Expands Qatar Operations & Releases New Survey Data

The expansion into GCC markets has been driven by Paymob’s initial Series B funding of $50 million, raised in 2022 and led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point. The investment fueled Paymob’s growth, allowing it to launch its mobile app in 2023 and grow its merchant base by 3.5 times, now serving nearly 350,000 merchants across MENA.

Paymob has also expanded its payment acceptance suite to offer 50 payment methods through its gateway, POS terminals, and the Paymob app, providing the region’s most comprehensive fintech solution. The company recently introduced embedded checkout services for Shopify and WooCommerce, further demonstrating its commitment to empowering small and medium businesses across the region.