E-commerce platform Capiter's fall from grace has shaken up Egyptian start-ups, serving as a warning they need to better prepare for a downturn and manage the “growth at all costs” mindset, industry insiders said.
"The reality of the situation is that there are other start-ups that are not in a perfect position right now. And they're having to make difficult decisions," Aly El Shalakany, chief executive of Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund, told The National.
The board of the well-funded platform, which raised $33 million from investors just a year ago, removed co-founders Mahmoud and Ahmed Nouh last week after they failed to turn up at due diligence meetings for a potential merger.
“This action follows the co-founders’ inability to fulfill their fiduciary duties over the past week,” the board said in a statement on Friday.
The board has since appointed Majid El Ghazouli, Capiter's chief financial officer, to act as interim chief executive “until the Nouh brothers return and allay the concerns of employees, suppliers, creditors and stakeholders”.
Meanwhile, social media has exploded with allegations of financial impropriety and rumours that the founders allegedly escaped with the $33m.
“The board and shareholders are not at liberty to comment on the news or allegations circulating the social media for the time being,” Abu Dhabi-based investor Shorooq told The National.
"The board and shareholders are also working closely with relevant stakeholders, legal and HR teams, as well as the legal authorities, for an external finding on this matter."
Former chief executive Mahmoud Nouh defended himself and chief operating officer Ahmed on popular Egyptian TV show El Hekaya on Saturday.
He said they received no official notice from the board about being removed from their positions. He also said he and his brother had attended board meetings virtually from Dubai, where the company has an office.
Mr Nouh acknowledged that Capiter has faced financial struggles over the past five months, “like many other companies”, blaming the situation on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
The $33m was raised by the start-up over a period of 18 months and was spent on expansion, he said, denying allegations they fled with the cash and stating that “money was very limited”.
Capiter failed to pay salaries on time earlier this month, sparking the initial controversy. Mr Nouh said about 60 per cent to 70 per cent of salaries were paid and the rest were supposed to be paid on September 5.
He apologised to the 30 per cent of Capiter’s 2,000 employees who were affected, saying that they “are trying to reach a solution with the board members”.
“Everybody is doing their best to rescue the company,” he added.
Interim chief executive Mr El Ghazouli told Egyptian TV show Al Hadath Al Youm on Sunday that Capiter was dealing with financial troubles, but that the board of directors had not formally decided to liquidate the company.
He said they were exploring acquisition offers. In response to allegations of financial impropriety against the company’s founders, he added: “The law will take its own course.”
What is Capiter?
Founded in July 2020, Capiter is a marketplace that connects retailers and wholesalers in the food and beverage, fast-moving consumer goods and electronics industries.
Small and medium enterprises can order products, arrange delivery and access embedded finance, such as buy-now-pay-later, through the app.
Before starting Capiter, Mahmoud Nouh was a co-founder and chief operating officer at mass transport app Swvl between 2016 and 2020.
The company has raised around $66m in total, according to CrunchBase. Its investors include Accion Venture Lab, Derayah Ventures, Foundation Ventures, MSA Capital, Savola, Shorooq Partners and Quona Capital.
When the start-up closed its $33m funding round in September 2021, it claimed to have 50,000 merchants and 1,000 sellers with more than 6,000 stock-keeping units on its platform.
The macroeconomic picture
Capiter’s turn for the worse is not unexpected in the current economic environment, as global venture capital funding has plummeted and public markets have dipped.
Venture capital funding dropped by about 15 per cent to 20 per cent in the first five months of this year, a CrunchBase report says, and US stocks recorded their worst first half in more than 50 years.
Start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa raised $2.2 billion between January and August, a 29 per cent increase from the $1.7bn recorded during the same period last year, according to Wamda Capital. Egyptian start-ups raised close to $370m during that period.
Start-ups don’t operate in a vacuum ... They need to sell products
Aly El Shalakany,
chief executive of Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund
However, “the lingering uncertainty in market conditions has largely dented the ability of growth stage companies to raise new rounds of equity” in the Mena region, the Dubai-based venture capital firm said last month.
“The macroeconomic picture in Egypt and many other emerging and frontier markets is very difficult right now,” Mr El Shalakany said.
“Start-ups don’t operate in a vacuum. They need to sell products."
The challenge for start-ups is to manage cash flow and avoid mass layoffs. Other Egyptian start-ups, including Nasdaq-listed Swvl, which let go a third of its workforce in May, have been criticised for aggressive expansion at all costs.
“A lot of these startups have come out of a period, where they were basically told ‘grow at all costs’. The general sentiment was that financial discipline and the route to profitability is a secondary or tertiary consideration,” Mr El Shalakany said.
But the mood has changed, he said, with founders being told to extend their runway and look at raising funds every 18 to 24 months, rather than every six to 12 months.
Asset managers are being more selective with their investments, giving an implicit message that “tech valuations were unsustainable and unrealistic”.
Layoffs elsewhere
The situation at Capiter has shone a spotlight on other struggling Egyptian start-ups that have let go of employees, some who say they were not given any advance warning and not paid their full salaries.
ExpandCart, an e-commerce platform that helps businesses and individuals create their own online stores to display products and accept orders, reportedly cut 90 per cent of its staff over the summer.
Two former ExpandCart employees told The National that at least 200 to 250 people were let go due to the start-up’s financial troubles.
Aladdin Badran, who was hired at ExpandCart as an enterprise solutions consultant in February and made redundant in July, blamed the lack of a “proper crisis management plan” for the worst-case scenario.
ExpandCart did not respond to a request for comment from The National.
Food delivery app elmenus cut a more modest 15 per cent of staff in June, mainly in customer support and operations, chief executive Amir Allam told The National.
“That put us back on track and we adjusted our projections accordingly at the time,” he said.
The sentiment in tech start-ups has shifted to target profitability, rather than "growth at all costs", he added.
Commenting on Capiter, he said, “This is going to keep happening. This is a normal part of start-ups. I don’t think we should make failures seem like doomsday. We should all learn from each other and grow and improve.”
Capiter a lesson for others
Capiter may still survive and "is not yet dead in the water", Mr El Shalakany said.
"There is still an opportunity to turn it around, like many other start-ups have done — Uber being one of them, for example."
Barring fraud or criminal activity, the founders should not be vilified and the focus for other start-ups and boards should be on ensuring governance so that there is “no single point of failure”, Mr El Shalakany said.
Ayman Ismail, founding director of the American University of Cairo Venture Lab and AUC Angels, echoed that view.
“Building scalable start-ups is a risky business and many of them fail, including well-funded ones,” Mr Ismail said. "We need to learn how to wind them down in an orderly way that protects all stakeholders: founders, employees, suppliers and investors."
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Boston%20Strangler
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Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RACECARD
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RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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BIOSAFETY LABS SECURITY LEVELS
Biosafety Level 1
The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
Hand washing is required on entry and exit and potentially infectious material decontaminated with bleach before thrown away.
Must have a lock. Access limited. Lab does not need to be isolated from other buildings.
Used as teaching spaces.
Study microorganisms such as Staphylococcus which causes food poisoning.
Biosafety Level 2
These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
Working in Level 2 requires special training in handling pathogenic agents.
Extra safety and security precautions are taken in addition to those at Level 1
Biosafety Level 3
These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
Significant extra precautions are taken with staff given specific immunisations when dealing with certain diseases.
Infectious material is examined in a biological safety cabinet.
Personnel must wear protective gowns that must be discarded or decontaminated after use.
Strict safety and handling procedures are in place. There must be double entrances to the building and they must contain self-closing doors to reduce risk of pathogen aerosols escaping.
Windows must be sealed. Air from must be filtered before it can be recirculated.
Biosafety Level 4
The highest level for biosafety precautions. Scientist work with highly dangerous diseases that have no vaccine or cure.
All material must be decontaminated.
Personnel must wear a positive pressure suit for protection. On leaving the lab this must pass through decontamination shower before they have a personal shower.
Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
