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UAE Startup Dukkantek Raises $10 Million In Funding
The digital storefront management platform for retailers hopes to expand its service to North Africa after a successful round of funding.
A technology startup in the United Arab Emirates, known as Dukkantek, has recently raised $10 million in funding, helping the company to get closer to its aim of expanding into new markets and improving core technologies.
The latest round of funding, which venture capital company Beco Capital led, included additional participation from Colle Capital, Rocketship, Comma Capital, Chaos Ventures, AMK Investment Office, and Wamda Capital.
The funding boost will help Dukkantek more easily expand globally by improving the firm’s technology and enabling them to hire more talent. The store management platform raised $5.2 million last October, taking the total investment figure to $15.2 million.
“We are pleased to have witnessed an exponential growth of our company as we provide a technological solution to SME businesses across the world. This second round of funding comes at the perfect time as we are looking to explore growth in additional markets, increase our team size and further advance our technology,” says Dukkantek co-founder, Sanad Yaghi.
Dukkantek was founded in January 2021 and provides a digital storefront management platform that allows retailers to offer advanced point of sale systems that can be accessed online from any location in the world, using the power of cloud computing.
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The Middle East’s eCommerce market is expected to reach $49 billion by 2025, representing a 55% increase from 2021, with the United Arab Emirates alone forecast to grow 60% to more than $8 billion by 2025.
“Launching seven countries in 18 short months since founding is no easy feat, yet the Dukkantek team has managed to do it in such a seamless and capital-efficient manner,” says Abdulaziz Al Sagha, venture partner at Beco Capital.
Dukkantek, named after the Arabic word for corner shop, already supports 13 million small and medium-sized businesses across the Middle East and soon hopes to expand operations to North Africa.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.