Wuilt, a Cairo-based startup specializing in e-commerce infrastructure, has successfully raised $2 million in fresh funding to accelerate its growth and regional expansion. The investment round was led by Flat6Labs and MTF VC, both of which had previously backed the company. Additional support came from Hub71, JIMCO (the venture capital arm of Abdul Latif Jameel), Purity Tech, and a group of angel investors.
Founded in 2019 by Ahmed Rostom and Mahmoud Metwaly, Wuilt initially operated under a subscription-based SaaS model, offering website and online store-building tools to merchants. However, in April 2025, the company made a bold strategic pivot: it eliminated all subscription fees for its core platform in Egypt, making its website and store builder completely free for users.
This move, while sacrificing a significant portion of Wuilt’s annual recurring revenue, was aimed at rapidly onboarding merchants and democratizing access to e-commerce tools. The results were immediate and impressive—over 20,000 sellers joined the platform within just a few months.
CEO Ahmed Rostom emphasized that the decision was driven by a mission to unlock growth for others, not just for Wuilt itself:
E-commerce in our region has always been gated by cost, complexity, and outdated thinking. We’ve removed those gates completely.
Following the pivot, Wuilt shifted its monetization strategy to focus on value-added services such as Wuilt Shipments, Wuilt Pay, and Wuilt Wallet, moving away from charging for basic platform access.
With the new funding, Wuilt plans to launch its free platform in the UAE by Q4 2025, with further expansion into other GCC countries and Turkey scheduled for early 2026. The company is also investing in AI-powered tools designed to help merchants manage and scale their operations more efficiently.
This growth comes at a time when Egypt’s digital economy is booming. As of 2025, approximately 81.9% of the population—nearly 96 million people—were internet users. The country’s e-commerce market reached a value of $10.24 billion, with a projected CAGR of 13.5% through 2030. Mobile devices accounted for over 72% of e-commerce transactions in 2024, while digital wallets and instant-payment systems like InstaPay have played a key role in driving adoption among consumers and small businesses.
Investor interest in Egypt’s startup ecosystem has surged in recent years. Flat6Labs, one of Wuilt’s earliest supporters, remains a cornerstone of the region’s innovation landscape. The accelerator has backed thousands of startups across MENA, contributing to job creation and attracting follow-on investment.
As of early 2025, Egyptian startups across sectors such as fintech, logistics, and healthtech have been raising substantial funding rounds and drawing attention from international investors—signaling a maturing and increasingly dynamic ecosystem.
