Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — August 25, 2026: Saudi-based retail technology startup Raff has raised $1.7 million in pre-seed funding to simplify how consumer brands enter and scale across physical retail markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The funding round was led by Vision Ventures, with participation from 500 Global, Palm VC, Oqal Group and Salman Butt, co-founder of Salla, among other investors.
Raff plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate its GCC expansion, product development and artificial intelligence capabilities, as it builds technology designed to connect consumer brands directly with retailers.
Raff Targets the Offline Retail Bottleneck
The growth of e-commerce and digital marketplaces has made it significantly easier for consumer brands to launch products online. However, moving from online channels into physical stores remains a complicated process.
Brands often need to manage separate retailer relationships, onboarding procedures, distribution arrangements, logistics operations and payment processes. Raff is targeting this fragmented layer of the retail ecosystem with a single technology platform.
The opportunity is substantial. The GCC retail market is valued at more than $300 billion annually, creating a significant addressable market for technology that can streamline distribution and inventory management.
Raff’s platform brings together distribution, commercial operations, inventory management, order fulfillment and payments. The company aims to make it easier for consumer brands to gain access to physical retail channels while reducing the operational complexity involved in managing multiple retailers.
For retailers, Raff provides tools to automate workflows and manage growing networks of vendors. The platform also integrates with leading point-of-sale (POS) and accounting software used across the region.
AI and Technology at the Core of Raff’s Expansion
The latest funding will also support Raff’s investment in AI-powered capabilities as the company seeks to improve retail and distribution operations.
By digitising processes that traditionally rely on manual coordination, Raff aims to create a more efficient connection between brands, distributors and retailers.
The company’s broader goal is to create infrastructure that enables consumer brands to move more efficiently between online commerce and physical retail.
Founded by E-Commerce and Finance Executives
Raff was founded in 2024 by Ali Al Qudah and Abdul Kareem Munla, combining expertise in e-commerce, technology, finance and business operations.
Al Qudah previously built and scaled two e-commerce brands before joining Saudi e-commerce company Salla as an early employee. He later served as Head of Growth at legal-tech startup Qanoniah.
Munla brings more than two decades of experience in financial management and business operations, including financial transformation, governance, compliance and operational efficiency across multiple industries.
According to Raff, the founders’ own experience highlighted the challenges consumer brands face when attempting to expand beyond online sales.
Building the Infrastructure for Physical Commerce
Ali Al Qudah, Co-Founder and CEO of Raff, said the company was created after experiencing firsthand the difficulty of moving growing brands into offline retail.
He said the latest investment will allow Raff to accelerate its regional expansion, strengthen its technology platform and build infrastructure designed to help brands reach physical retail customers more efficiently.
Vision Ventures Leads Raff’s Funding Round
Kais Al-Essa, Founding Partner and CEO of Vision Ventures, said Raff represents an opportunity at the intersection of retail technology and logistics.
According to Al-Essa, the investment reflects a broader shift in which consumer brands that initially built their businesses online are increasingly looking for ways to expand into physical retail.
Vision Ventures previously backed the transition from traditional offline commerce toward digital commerce through its early investment in Salla. With Raff, the firm sees another opportunity to improve the efficiency of the region’s evolving commerce infrastructure.
Raff Has Reached 900+ Brands Across Nine Countries
Despite launching less than 18 months ago, Raff says it has already enabled more than 900 brands across nine countries to expand their presence through physical retail channels.
Its footprint currently spans markets across the GCC and the UK, highlighting the company’s ambition to build a broader retail distribution network beyond Saudi Arabia.
The latest funding is expected to help Raff accelerate its GCC expansion while continuing to develop the technology and AI capabilities behind its platform.
The Next Phase of MENA Retail
The rise of e-commerce has transformed how consumer brands launch and acquire customers across the MENA region. The next challenge is increasingly about connecting those digital-first businesses with physical stores.
By bringing distribution, inventory, fulfillment, payments and retailer relationships onto a technology platform, Raff is positioning itself around this emerging online-to-offline commerce opportunity.
With fresh backing from regional and international investors and more than 900 brands already using its platform, Raff is now looking to scale its retail infrastructure across the GCC and wider MENA market.
About Raff
Raff, whose name is derived from the Arabic word for “shelf,” is a technology platform connecting consumer brands with retailers. The company provides integrated technology solutions designed to simplify distribution, inventory management and access to physical points of sale across the MENA region.
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Ruchi Kumar is the associate editor at Entrepreneur News Network and TVW News India, where she leads editorial strategy, brand storytelling, and startup ecosystem coverage. With a strong focus on innovation, business, and marketing insights, he curates impactful narratives that spotlight India’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape. She has written extensively on fintech, AI and emerging startups.