Egypt’s Minly raises $3.6 Million Seed for its Celebrity shoutout Platform
Minly, an Egypt-based creator economy platform, announced that it closed a $3.6 million seed round to allow stars across the MENA region to create authentic, personalised connections with their fans. The round, which Minly says was oversubscribed, was co-led by 4DX Ventures, B&Y Venture Partners and Global Ventures. It also included participation from unnamed regional […]
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Minly, an Egypt-based creator economy platform, announced that it closed a $3.6 million seed round to allow stars across the MENA region to create authentic, personalised connections with their fans.
The round, which Minly says was oversubscribed, was co-led by 4DX Ventures, B&Y Venture Partners and Global Ventures. It also included participation from unnamed regional funds and angel investors like Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects; Jason Finger, co-founder of Seamless and GrubHub; Anthony Saleh and Jeffrey Katzenberg of WndrCo; Arieh Mimran of Groupe Mimran; and Tamim Jabr.
Founded in 2020 Mohammed El-Shinnawy, Tarek Hosny, Bassel El-Toukhy, Tarek ElGanainy, and Ahmed Abbas, Minly enables fans across the Middle East & North Africa, to buy personalised video messages and shoutouts (for themselves or their loved ones) from leading celebrities of the region. The platform currently features hundreds of celebrities, including cinema and TV stars, athletes, musicians, and social media influencers. Tamer Hosny, Fifi Abdou, Assala Nasri, Dorra Zarrouk, Hazem Imam, and Mahmoud Trezeguet are some of the leading names Minly has on its platform, it noted in a statement.
Also Read: How Marketers Can Tap Into the Age of Fandom
“Minly is fundamentally changing the relationship between celebrities and fans in the MENA region, and has an enormous opportunity for growth,” says Peter Orth, Co-Founder & General Partner at 4DX Ventures, who will be joining the board. “The team has both the ambition and the expertise to build a full-stack digital interaction platform that could change the way digital content is created and consumed in the region. We’re thrilled to partner with Minly and to help them reach their full potential.”
The company has experienced rapid organic growth since launching in late 2020, and already has more than 50,000 registered users on the platform, along with an impressive list of tier A regional celebrities. Through Minly, users can buy personalized video messages and shoutouts from their favorite celebrities, getting unprecedented access to the talent they admire most, and celebrities in turn get to connect with their fans on a deeper level. Minly has assembled a diverse roster of hundreds of talented celebrities that not only includes traditional cinema and television stars but also athletes, musicians, and internet influencers. Minly has been able to attract some of the top talent in the region to the platform, including Tamer Hosny, Fifi Abdou, Assala Nasri, Dorra Zarrouk, Hazem Imam, and Mahmoud Trezeguet. The global pandemic has helped boost interest in the platform – in person events have all but disappeared, and Minly is offering celebrities an authentic and personal way to continue to interact with their top fans.
(With Input from Agencies)
