Dubai fintech Gainz raises over $1 million in pre-seed debt and fairness for its SME lending platform 

Dubai-based fintech Gainz has closed a seven-figure USD pre-seed spherical, structured as a mixture of fairness and debt, led by Antler MENAP, Lithium Holdings, and Eleventh Make investments Inc., with participation from a various community of regional high-net-worth traders, it introduced on Sunday.

Based in December 2024 by Egyptian serial entrepreneurs Shehab Mokhtar and Sherif Abdelaty, Gainz operates a Shariah-compliant crowdfunding platform that allows people to spend money on vetted SMEs. The startup goals to democratize working capital financing by addressing the massive financing hole going through SMEs within the area.

The funding will assist platform scaling, regional enlargement throughout the GCC, and continued innovation in various lending options. Throughout its MVP testing section in Q2 2025, Gainz closed seven offers with disbursed loans totaling practically $400,000.

Each founders deliver over 20 years of expertise constructing, scaling, and exiting firms throughout totally different industries. The platform permits people to spend money on SMEs with low entry thresholds ranging from $500, making personal credit score accessible past conventional elite traders.

“Whereas testing our MVP, seven offers had been closed in Q2-2025, with disbursed loans of practically $400,000. We’re witnessing a surge in demand from SMEs throughout the Center East, this not solely validates our preliminary market evaluation but additionally offers us a stronger will to maneuver in the direction of the larger alternative of serving the massive hole throughout our area,” mentioned the founders.

Romain Assuncao, Companion at Antler MENAP, commented: “When the Gainz founding workforce joined our Riyadh-based cohort in October 2024, it was clear they had been a standout workforce—extremely aligned, mission-driven, and dedicated to fixing a crucial problem for SMEs throughout the MENA area. At Antler, we’re proud to be amongst their earliest backers and stay assured of their means to construct one thing really transformative.”

The platform addresses a key ache level in conventional SME lending, the place mortgage approvals usually take two to 4 months. By means of Gainz’s streamlined digital platform, companies can launch working capital financing campaigns inside minutes and safe funding inside days.

“Funding facilitation and reshaping with particular deal with people and busy professionals has at all times been a transparent untapped alternative,” mentioned Shehab Mokhtar, Co-Founder and CEO. “That is once we determined to construct Gainz.”

Sherif Abdelaty, Co-Founder and COO, added: “SMEs function the driving pressure behind financial progress throughout the MENA area, but they proceed to face important challenges accessing monetary assets. Gainz is remodeling this panorama by enabling firms to launch working capital financing campaigns inside minutes, eliminating the inefficiencies of standard fundraising procedures.”

The platform’s mission facilities on empowering SMEs to scale with velocity whereas offering people and retail traders entry to short-tenor, high-yield funding alternatives, positioning personal credit score as an accessible asset class for broader participation within the area’s financial progress.

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