Exits.me, an Egyptian online investment marketplace, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed round. The investment round came from a group of local investors, a UK-based investment company that also goes by the name of Exits.me, Baseeta Investments Holding and Mawelni Holding for Financial Investments. The Egyptian angel investors involved include Omar Amer, Abdulmuguid Amer, Omar Wagdy, Adham Wagdy, and Ayman Essawy among others.
Founded in 2022 by Mohamed Aboulnaga, Ahella El Saban and Ayman El Tanbouly, Exits.me aims to facilitate M&As and investments in companies by offering a seamless and fully integrated online solution on its platform and a full-fledged financial advisory service.
Exits.me was acquired initially by PIE, an M&A consultancy, founded by Mohamed Aboulnaga earlier this year. After releasing the BETA version of the platform, the team is currently working to transform it into a new platform to cater to a widely overlooked gap in the market for M&As and funding support amongst SMEs and Startups in the MENA region.
“We want startups & SMEs who are off the radar of conventional investment banks to have a user-friendly and automated means of engaging in M&A and investment opportunities,” as mentioned by investor Omar Wagdy.
The founders also explain that today, businesses that investment banks overlook due to their smaller ticket sizes are finding it hard to get opportunities for investments. The current ongoing market conditions, high fee markups and retainer costs required by traditional investment banks are also making it even harder. This round is just the start needed to build this vision and bring investment opportunities to all classes in MENA.
According to global reports, the Middle East alone had over three times the number of exits when comparing 2012 vs 2018 and the numbers continue to grow at higher multiples. Additionally, as per a report by E&Y, the MENA region recorded 359 M&A deals worth US$42.6 billion in H1 2022 despite global market volatility. The increase in M&A activity represents a 12% year-on-year (YoY) rise in deal count. Driving these deals are UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Oman.
“Exits.me team expects to see continued growth in the need for M&A/Funding across the region within the next three to five years, and this fresh capital will Exits.me addressing this increasing gap” as mentioned by investor Omar Amer.
Already closing in multiple deals at a value of $110k pre-launch, Exits.me currently has 25+ signed active sell/buy-side advisory mandates with 30 others in the pipeline totaling a value of $150-200 Million. The platform is also in the current procurement of its crowdfunding license from the Financial Regulatory Authority to manage and arrange crowdfunding campaigns; which will open the door to a new investment product for the MENA market, allowing anyone in any capacity to invest.
The founders aim to help the region by increasing investment awareness and spreading education on the importance of early investments in all verticals and business functions. Their view is that it is critical for all individuals from any background to be able to fully understand how to invest through digital means.
