News

Procural Has Secured $1.2 Million In Seed Investment

The Bahrain-based startup is set to scale and expand the reach of its innovative platform.

Published

4 years ago

March 2, 2023

procural has secured $1.2 million in seed investment

Procural is an AI-driven procurement service that matches B2B vendors and buyers using advanced algorithms and data. The platform offers a cloud-based infrastructure, customizable workflows, automated purchase orders, and real-time budget tracking.

Now, the Bahrain-based startup has secured a seed investment of 1.2 million USD from Flagship Holding and BenchMatrix in a bid to accelerate product development and boost market growth.

“We found a gap in the market and have developed a secure, scalable solution that can be accessed from anywhere. By streamlining the purchasing process, businesses can save time and money while ensuring compliance with their procurement policies. This investment is a validation of our platform’s credibility and potential, and we’re excited to work with Flagship Holding and BenchMatrix to take Procural to the next level,” says Uzair Usman, the chief executive and co-founder of Procural.

Also Read: Areeba To Bring Biometric Payment Authentication To MENA

With an extensive suite of data-driven analytical features, Procural helps businesses to manage procurement, track spending, and identify opportunities for cost savings and improvements in process efficiency. The platform helps to digitize the entire procurement process flow, from request to fulfilment, increasing their clients’ sourcing outreach.

With the new funding, Procural will expand its team, improve the platform’s feature set, and accelerate growth, helping the company to become the go-to procurement solution for businesses looking to streamline their workflows.

News

Abu Dhabi’s Robot Kitchen Is Serving Up Biryani, Not Burgers

Circus SE wants to put a tiny automated factory inside the buildings where Gulf residents live and work, bypassing part of last-mile delivery.

Published

6 days ago

October 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

abu dhabi's robot kitchen is serving up biryani not burgers

Circus SE

The most telling thing about a new autonomous kitchen now running in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Square is what it won’t cook:

“We don’t do fast food,” says Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO of Circus SE. “We’ve actively decided not to build a machine that can only do burgers”.

Instead, the CA-1 system is built around pot-based cooking: curries, pastas, soups and rice dishes. After experimenting with highly personalized recipes, Circus deliberately leaned back toward recognizable food. “We’re going with a chicken biryani because you know it,” Bullwinkel says of the AED 40 dish.

circus se ca-1 robot system

The Germany-based robotics and food technology company operates across eight countries, and Abu Dhabi is its first deployment outside Europe. More locations are expected there and in Dubai.

In Germany, its units can be placed in supermarkets, gas stations, airports and hospitals. In the Gulf, Bullwinkel wants them inside residential and office buildings, replacing some of the complexity of last-mile delivery. “We’re basically bringing a very tiny factory a few square meters into your building,” he says. Catering company Royal Prestige supplies the ingredients and knowledge of local tastes.

The CA-1 manages up to 36 refrigerated ingredient silos alongside automated induction cooking, robotic plating and a self-cleaning dishwasher. Two robotic arms move ingredients through the system with minimal human intervention. It can produce up to 120 hot meals an hour, and a meal such as rice and curry can take around three to four minutes.

Also Read: Ooredoo Qatar’s 5G+ Network Is Built For Machines As Much As People

Five cameras and multiple sensors monitor heat, temperature and consistency, an attempt to approximate what a chef perceives. “You can hear something gets burned, you can smell it, you can see it at some point,” Bullwinkel says. CircusOS, the company’s operating system, adjusts recipes in real time.

You might think of the platform as a threat to kitchen staff, but Bullwinkel frames Circus as a way for chefs to develop recipes and distribute them at scale. With that being said, rising labor costs and shortages are also part of his case for automation.