Dubai-based fintech startup UPFRONT has announced the closing of a $10 million pre-seed funding round, a mix of equity and debt, aimed at solving one of the most persistent challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the MENA region: cash flow inefficiencies.
The round was led by Palm Ventures and SABAH.fund, with participation from a network of strategic angel investors. The capital will be used to accelerate product development, expand hiring across the UAE, and support upcoming expansion into Saudi Arabia.
Founded in May 2025 by Anas Qudah, Abdullah Alghadouni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah Moursy, whose previous experiences span companies like Careem, Dubizzle, Property Finder, Nana, and Cartona, UPFRONT is building what it describes as a “next-generation financial operating system” for the region’s underserved SMB market.
The platform integrates seamlessly with existing accounting systems to provide real-time financial analytics, automate accounts receivable, orchestrate payments, and unlock working capital, while also reducing Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and friction around cash flow.
“Cash flow inefficiencies are one of the biggest growth bottlenecks for SMBs in MENA,” said Anas Qudah, Co-founder and CEO of UPFRONT. “We’re building financial infrastructure that gives these businesses real-time visibility, faster access to credit, and tools that enable them to operate with more confidence and less manual overhead.”
In less than six months, UPFRONT has attracted top-tier regional and international investors and signed a strategic partnership with CredibleX, one of the region’s leading embedded finance platforms, providing access to more flexible capital structures to support SMBs with diverse liquidity needs.
According to the company, the SMB funding gap in MENA is estimated at $250 billion, largely driven by inefficient financial processes and delayed receivables across industries such as F&B, FMCG, retail, and manufacturing.
“The Kingdom’s fintech ecosystem is hitting an inflection point,” said Radwan Abudawood, General Partner at Palm Ventures. “UPFRONT is tackling foundational gaps in SMB financial infrastructure, and their execution so far makes them one of the most promising players we’ve seen in the space.”
“Their innovative blend of revenue-based financing, payment orchestration, and accounts receivable automation directly targets the critical liquidity issues choking business growth,” said Abbas Kazmi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at SABAH.fund. “We are truly excited by UPFRONT’s vision and believe that they have the right team in place to deliver on this huge promise and create lasting impact.”
With operations in the UAE and soon in Saudi Arabia, UPFRONT plans to leverage the new capital to scale its engineering and go-to-market teams and continue building financial infrastructure that empowers SMBs to grow sustainably without the constraints of outdated workflows.
