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UAE’s Silkhaus Secures Pre-Series A Funding For Expansion
The cash injection includes a multi-million-dollar credit line supporting the PropTech startup’s plans for growth.
Silkhaus, a Dubai PropTech startup dedicated to transforming the short-term rental landscape in the Middle East and Asia, has recently announced a substantial pre-series A financing round. The funding comes via San Francisco-based Partners for Growth (PFG). The strategic partnership also grants Silkhaus access to a substantial credit line, which will facilitate its ambitious expansion plans.
Silkhaus harnesses cutting-edge technology to provide property owners with the essential infrastructure tools to manage and monetize their real estate assets. The startup oversees every aspect of the rental process, from handling bookings to property distribution and operations, ensuring an exceptional guest experience.
On average, property owners using Silkhaus platforms report earning between 20% to 40% more income compared to traditional rental models.
The significant cash injection means that Silkhaus is now poised to disrupt the global short-term rental sector, which boasts a valuation of over $100 billion.
Aahan Bhojani, the Founder and CEO of Silkhaus, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership with PFG, saying, “Since our launch, Silkhaus has experienced incredible demand, growing by 120% over the past 12 months. We are thrilled to partner with the PFG team as we begin scaling Silkhaus across the GCC with a diversified capital stack and investor base”.
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Meanwhile, Armineh Baghoomian, Managing Director and Head of EMEA at Partners for Growth, praised Silkhaus for its innovative approach, noting, “Through the use of technology, Silkhaus is reinventing how landlords and institutional investors are able to monetize their asset base. Silkhaus’ strong fundamentals have put them on the path to success and we are excited to be a part of their growth story”.
Established in 2021, Silkhaus has already attracted guests from over 120 countries to its properties. In 2022, the company secured $7.75 million in funding from a consortium of global investors, marking one of the most significant seed funding rounds in the history of the GCC region.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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