Egypt’s Farid Expands to Saudi Arabia, Signs $1.3M Deal

STARTUP VENTURE CAPITALSeptember 17, 2025 at 12:38 AM UTC

TLDR

Egyptian edtech startup Farid has expanded into Saudi Arabia with a new central operations office in Riyadh
The move comes ahead of a planned seed round in Q4 2025 and follows a $250,000 pre-seed raise last year
Farid offers live one-on-one sessions in character education and mental health for children and youth aged 3 to 18

Egyptian edtech startup Farid has expanded into Saudi Arabia with a new central operations office in Riyadh. The move comes ahead of a planned seed round in Q4 2025 and follows a $250,000 pre-seed raise last year.

Founded in 2024 by Mahmoud Hussein, Farid offers live one-on-one sessions in character education and mental health for children and youth aged 3 to 18. The company has also built training programmes to certify youth and graduates as coaches in its methodology.

As part of its Saudi entry, Farid signed a three-year partnership with the Amad Association for Human Capacity Development, valued at SAR 4.5 million ($1.3 million). The initiative will certify 500 Saudi graduates as trainers and deliver educational programmes to more than 4,000 children and adolescents.

Farid’s expansion positions Saudi Arabia as its first market outside Egypt and a core focus of its MENA growth strategy.

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Key Takeaways

Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in education and human capital as part of Vision 2030, which prioritises youth empowerment, innovation, and skills development. The Kingdom’s education market is projected to reach $17 billion by 2030, according to regional research firms, with growing demand for private-sector and tech-enabled providers. Farid’s focus on character development and mental health reflects a wider global shift toward holistic education, addressing not just academic achievement but also social and psychological well-being. This aligns with rising concerns about youth mental health in the Arab world, where awareness and service provision remain limited. By partnering with Amad Association, a local nonprofit, Farid is embedding itself within Saudi Arabia’s community development agenda while creating training and employment pathways for graduates. If its “Farid 2030” vision succeeds, the startup could play a leading role in shaping the region’s emerging edtech sector and setting standards for child-focused mental wellness solutions.

Startups

Expansion

Farid

Egypt

Saudi Arabia