News

Dubai-Based Startup Alfii Raises $2.5 Million In Seed Funding

The significant investment will be used to build new engineering solutions for the company’s FinTech-powered human resource automation platform.

Published

1 year ago

July 6, 2023

Nour Nasir

Alfii

After launching in November 2022, Dubai-based startup Alfii has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding as the company seeks to expand its team and develop its product offering.

Alfii is a cloud-based HR automation platform where users can set up a company profile, invite employees, and begin managing documents, employee data, payroll, and more.

The latest funding round was overseen by US-based venture capital company Preface Ventures, as well as Dubai-based Aditum Ventures, Kayan Ventures, and Wayfinders.

“With Alfii’s all-in-one software suite, companies will be able to better understand and manage their human capital resources while improving the user experience for employees with features like digital-to-cash remittances, benefits selection,” says Farooq Abbasi, general partner of Preface Ventures.

With funding now secured, Alfii plans to build a suite of payroll features to provide users with “smarter, faster ways to manage payroll and salary disbursements, drastically simplifying a process that is typically tedious and time-consuming for HR owners,” the company explained.

Also Read: Saudi Arabia’s NOMU Secures $5 Million For Expansion Plans

“We are looking to build the next generation of this product class, and we are building it entirely in-house – which means we need to bring on world-class talent to grow our business and better serve our customers,” added Yousef Albarqawi, Alfii co-founder and chief executive.

The tech startup plans to gradually introduce a whole suite of new features for HR processes, including onboarding, time-tracking, and leave management. Eventually, the Alfii platform will cover the entire employee life cycle.

Since its launch, more than 250 businesses have signed up to Alfii in the MENA region. Customers are currently spread across countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the UAE comprising the bulk of the customer base.

News

Samsung Smart Glasses Teased For January, Software Reveal Imminent

According to Korean sources, the new wearable will launch alongside the Galaxy S25, with the accompanying software platform unveiled this December.

Published

2 days ago

December 4, 2024

Nour Nasir

samsung smart glasses teased for january software reveal imminent

Samsung appears poised to introduce its highly anticipated smart glasses in January 2025, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25. According to sources in Korea, the company will first reveal the accompanying software platform later this month.

As per a report from Yonhap News, Samsung’s unveiling strategy for the smart glasses echoes its approach with the Galaxy Ring earlier this year. The January showcase won’t constitute a full product launch but will likely feature teaser visuals at the Galaxy S25 event. A more detailed rollout could follow in subsequent months.

Just in: Samsung is set to unveil a prototype of its augmented reality (AR) glasses, currently in development, during the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year, likely in the form of videos or images.

Additionally, prior to revealing the prototype, Samsung plans to introduce…

— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 3, 2024

The Galaxy Ring, for example, debuted in January via a short presentation during Samsung’s Unpacked event. The full product unveiling came later at MWC in February, and the final release followed in July. Samsung seems to be adopting a similar phased approach with its smart glasses, which are expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2025.

A Collaborative Software Effort

Samsung’s partnership with Google has played a key role in developing the smart glasses’ software. This collaboration was first announced in February 2023, with the device set to run on an Android-based platform. In July, the companies reiterated their plans to deliver an extended reality (XR) platform by the end of the year. The software specifics for the XR device are expected to be unveiled before the end of December.

Reports suggest that the smart glasses will resemble Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in functionality. They won’t include a display but will weigh approximately 50 grams, emphasizing a lightweight, user-friendly design.

Feature Set And Compatibility

The glasses are rumored to integrate Google’s Gemini technology, alongside features like gesture recognition and potential payment capabilities. Samsung aims to create a seamless user experience by integrating the glasses with its broader Galaxy ecosystem, starting with the Galaxy S25, slated for release on January 22.