Nawah Scientific, an Egyptian deep-tech research and scientific services company, has closed a $23 million Series A funding round comprising a mix of equity and debt financing to accelerate the expansion of its “cloud lab” model across the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
The round was led by Life Ventures Holding, with participation from Den Ventures, Empire M, AfricInvest, Elsewedy and a consortium of banking partners and angel investors, marking one of the largest Series A investments in an African life sciences venture to date.
Founded in 2015 by pharmaceutical scientist Dr. Omar Shokry Sakr, Nawah’s cloud lab platform enables researchers and companies to conduct advanced scientific experiments remotely by sending samples to central facilities for analysis, reducing capital barriers to high-end laboratory infrastructure. Over the past decade, the company has processed more than one million samples and served clients in over 30 countries.
Proceeds from the Series A will support the establishment of a 10,000-square-metre global research and development hub in Rwanda, double Nawah’s laboratory capacity in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and fund further expansion into North Africa and Europe, executives said.
Nawah’s planned capacity increases in Saudi Arabia reflect rising demand for biotechnology, pharmaceutical testing and related services in the Gulf, aligning with broader regional efforts to attract foreign investment and build innovation-led economies under initiatives such as Saudi Vision 2030.
The funding round highlights growing investor interest in capital-intensive and R&D-driven models emerging from Africa and the MENA region, traditionally dominated by fintech and other asset-light sectors. Nawah’s model, spanning life sciences, food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals and certified reference materials, positions it as a key provider of remote research infrastructure and regulatory testing services.
Founder Sakr said the investment will strengthen the company’s technological backbone and support its next phase of regional and international growth, while industry observers note that the expanded footprint could bolster scientific capacity and export-ready research services across emerging markets.
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