Egypt/UAE
Founders Media Secures Strategic Investment from Foras.ai to Scale WAYA Media Across MENA: Founders Media, the parent company of WAYA Media, has announced a strategic investment from Foras.ai, marking a significant step in expanding bilingual business journalism across Egypt, the Gulf, and the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The transaction was advised and facilitated by Exits MENA, in which Foras.ai holds a stake, underscoring its role in supporting startups and SMEs through deal structuring, advisory, and execution.
WAYA Media, a bilingual English-Arabic platform, serves founders, investors, and operators with coverage spanning venture capital, technology, financial markets, and economic trends shaping the region. The platform also operates two commercial arms—WAYA Works, its branded content division, and WAYA Studio, which offers editorial production services to regional clients.
Co-founded by Gamal Helmy and HOF Capital, a New York-based technology investment firm managing over $7 billion in assets under management, WAYA Media has positioned itself as a leading voice in MENA’s startup and investment ecosystem.
Strategic Growth Focus
The new investment will be directed toward three key growth pillars:
- Expanding editorial and operational teams to increase coverage and output
- Enhancing data-driven journalism for deeper insights and analysis
- Accelerating video production and new digital formats to broaden audience reach
Beyond capital, Foras.ai brings strategic value through its founder, Mohamed Aboulnaga, whose strong regional following is expected to significantly amplify WAYA Media’s visibility. The partnership will also strengthen commercial expansion, supporting growth across WAYA Works and WAYA Studio.
Leadership Perspectives
Reflecting on the milestone, Gamal Helmy, Co-Founder and CEO of WAYA Media, said the partnership aligns with the platform’s founding vision:
“WAYA was built on the belief that the MENA region deserves business journalism that is rigorous, independent, and tailored to its audience in both languages. This partnership brings the network and scale needed to accelerate that vision.”
Reflecting on the milestone, Gamal Helmy, Co-Founder and CEO of WAYA Media, said the partnership aligns with the platform’s founding vision:
“WAYA was built on the belief that the MENA region deserves business journalism that is rigorous, independent, and tailored to its audience in both languages. This partnership brings the network and scale needed to accelerate that vision.”
Mohamed Aboulnaga (Nagaty), Founder of Foras.ai, emphasized the broader industry opportunity: “In an era where audiences are constantly seeking timely information, and technology has transformed how companies are built, our goal is to create the region’s largest distribution network for media and financial communication. WAYA has built a strong foundation, and we look forward to scaling it further.”
A Growing Opportunity in MENA Media
The partnership highlights increasing investor confidence in high-quality, bilingual business journalism tailored to the region’s rapidly growing professional class. As digital consumption rises and startup ecosystems mature across MENA, platforms like WAYA Media are emerging as critical connectors between information, capital, and innovation.
