UAE - Mubasher: UPFRONT secured a $10 million pre-seed funding, a mix of equity and debt, to address cash flow inefficiencies holding back small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the MENA region.
The round was co-led by Palm Ventures and SABAH.fund, with participation from strategic angel investors, according to a press release
Founded in May 2025 by Anas Qudah, Abdullah Alghadouni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah Moursy, UPFRONT is building a financial operating system that integrates with accounting software to provide real-time analytics, automate receivables, orchestrate payments, and unlock working capital.
The funding will support product development and hiring across the UAE and soon Saudi Arabia, while expanding infrastructure to bridge the region’s $250 billion SMB funding gap.
UPFRONT’s platform integrates seamlessly with existing accounting software to deliver real-time financial analytics, automate receivables, orchestrate payments, and unlock working capital. This is in addition to reducing days sales outstanding (DSO) and friction around cash flow.
Anas Qudah, Co-Founder and CEO of UPFRONT, said: “Cash flow inefficiencies are one of the biggest growth bottlenecks for SMBs in MENA.”
He added: “We are 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.”
Radwan Abudawood, General Partner at Palm Ventures, commented: “The Kingdom’s fintech ecosystem is hitting an inflection point. UPFRONT is tackling foundational gaps in SMB financial infrastructure, and their execution so far makes them one of the most promising players we have seen in the space.”
