JEDDAH: Yela, a platform allowing users to get personalised video messages from their favorite Arab celebrities, has secured $2.2 million in funding, it was announced on Thursday.
Set to launched in August, Yela secured funding from US and UK investors with offices in London, Cairo, and Dubai. Participating from Silicon Valley is Razmig Hoghavian, a board member of Rakuten and General Partner at Graph Ventures.
The application was founded by Alex Eid, who said in a statement: “It’s incredible to see the support that Yela has already received from all sides, investors, celebrity creators, and fans.”
The first round of funding was also led by US investors Justin Mateen, a co-founder of Tinder and the General Partner of JAM Fund, and Sean Rad, a general partner at RAD Fund and also a co-founder of Tinder.
Yela has secured over a hundred A-list celebrities who fans can connect with including Amr Diab, Haifa Wehbe, Youssra, Mohamed Henedy, and Ahmed AlSakka. The interactions on the platform can range from direct text messages to video clips, with prices starting from $100.
