Raff raises $1.7M pre-seed to help brands crack physical retail
What's the deal? RaffDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Saudi Arabia-based inventory management platform, has closed a $1.7 million pre-seed round led by Vision VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Backers include 500 Global, Palm VC, Oqal Group, and Salman ButtDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, co-founder of Salla.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2024, Raff runs an end-to-end platform that digitises distribution, commercial operations, inventory, order fulfilment, and payments for consumer brands moving into physical retail. It integrates with regional point-of-sale and accounting software, and automates workflows for retailers managing growing vendor networks.
Why now? Chief executive officer Ali Al Qudah said online barriers have fallen, but reaching customers offline still means clearing "multiple operational and commercial hurdles." Raff aims to simplify that shift.
What's the money for? Raff will use the capital to expand across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), accelerate product development, and scale its AI capabilities. It has already enabled over 900 brands across nine countries to grow through physical retail.
The signal: Vision Ventures previously backed Salla, an early bet on the offline-to-online shift. Now it sees the reverse move — brands going from online into physical stores — as the next efficiency layer for regional commerce. At $1.7 million, the round sits in the upper tier of pre-seed deals, a sign of investor appetite for retail infrastructure in the Gulf.
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