Stream, the Saudi-born platform for streamlining modern billing and payments for businesses in the MENA region, has announced a $4M seed funding round. The round was led by the early-stage investment firm Outliers VC, with participation from BYLD Ventures and prominent angel investor Abdullah Elyas, co-founder of Careem. Founded in 2024 by Ibrahim Aldlaigan, Stream aims to remove the friction businesses face in getting paid.
The Gap in MENA’s Digital Payments
While Saudi Arabia has seen a massive shift to digital transactions, a significant gap remains. According to the Saudi Central Bank, 70% of retail transactions in the Kingdom are now digital, yet only 7% of recurring consumer payments like tuition, rent, and subscriptions are automated. This disconnect forces most businesses to rely on manual invoicing or inefficient upfront payment collections, which hinders cash flow and growth.
Automating the Entire Payment Lifecycle
Stream’s platform is designed to manage and automate the entire payment process. This includes issuing branded, app-free invoices, scheduling payments with flexible options (one-time, recurring, or partial), collecting payments through local rails, and managing cash flow visibility, reconciliation, and record keeping. After building a strong foundation in the early childhood education sector, Stream has expanded into school networks, SaaS, and other verticals, reporting 40% month-on-month growth.
A Mission to Fuel Growth
The newly secured $4M in funding will be used to accelerate product development, specifically in engineering, compliance, payment capabilities, and overall user experience. The company will also strengthen its internal systems to support its rapidly growing subscriber base.
“Most of the world’s innovation in payments has focused on how people spend. We’re focused on how businesses get paid,” said Ibrahim Aldlaigan, Founder & CEO of Stream. “This round helps us build the tools and infrastructure that make that as easy in MENA as it is anywhere else. Stream gives businesses structure and control… It’s about making payments predictable, flexible, and connected to the real flow of services.”
Investor Confidence
Investors have backed Stream’s vision, citing the team’s deep local insight and execution. “Stream is built on deep local insight and a clear understanding of how businesses actually operate,” stated Sarah AlSaleh, General Partner at Outliers VC. “Ibrahim brings the rare combination of investor perspective and relentless product execution… Stream is laying the foundation for the next generation of payment infrastructure in the region.”
About Stream
Stream is a Saudi-built platform powering modern billing for businesses. From schools and gyms to SaaS and freelancers, Stream helps businesses collect faster with branded, flexible payment flows with no apps or friction. Based in Riyadh, Stream is on a mission to simplify how the region gets paid.
Source: Press Release
