Spades launches operations in GCC after raising $2.5m

RIYADH: California-based women-centric training platform for MENA computer science engineers, Manara, raised $3 million in a pre-seed funding round that was led by Stripe.

The round also had participation from world-class entrepreneurs like LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, Y-Combinator’s Paul Graham, Lean Startup founder Eric Ries, and Careem’s Mudassir Sheikha.

Founded in 2021 by Iliana Montauk and Laila Abudahi, the company offers computer science training to anyone who is qualified for it without paying any tuition fees but committing to 10 percent of their salary in the first two years of employment.

The startup will use its funds to launch self-service products for interview practice, networking, and mentorship as well as grow from 60 to 6,000 engineers per year, according to TechCrunch.

The company has seen 86 percent of its trained engineers receiving job offers in just five months of graduating with others seeing a 300 percent increase in pay after training.