• STARTUPS • By Samuel Wendel
Tipping Point 500 Startups was an early believer in the Middle East’s startup scene. Today, the global venture capital firm is prepping for a new era in the region, with more than 20 new investments made in 2020, and Managing Partner, Bedy Yang, on the case.
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Bedy Yang, 500 Startups Managing Partner
500 Startups has a reputation for making fast and frequent deals. A case in point: in just eight years, the global venture capital firm has backed more than 200 companies in MENA, with nearly all of those investments occurring in the last four years. Just ask the founders of Cairo’s Brimore—an e-commerce platform connecting small manufacturers in Egypt to a network of freelancers who sell goods and recruit others to sell too. The company caught the eye of 500 Startups at an event in Cairo in December 2018. Within about five weeks the VC wired Brimore an investment. “They were superfast actually compared to other investors in the region,” says Brimore cofounder Ahmed Sheikha. 500 Startups also joined Brimore’s $3.5 million pre-series A round this year. That isn’t an experience unique to Brimore. In 2020, 500 Startups made more than 20 investments F O R B E S M I D D L E E A S T.CO M
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500 STARTUPS
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DECEMBER 2020
