Saudi's Rwaj raises $1.2M pre-seed to build live shopping marketplace
What's the deal? Jeddah-based RwajDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised 4.5 million SAR ($1.2 million) in pre-seed funding to scale its live social shopping and auction marketplace across the region. Founded in 2024 by Taher Alblowe, the startup combines livestream selling, auctions, payments, and shipping in one platform.
What's the endgame? Live selling is already common among independent sellers across Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, but most of it runs through social media, with payments and fulfilment handled separately. Rwaj is building infrastructure around that behaviour.
How it works: Sellers can stream products and sell at fixed prices or through timed auctions where buyers bid in real time. Payments are held in escrow until delivery is confirmed, shipping runs through integrated carriers, and buyers pay via MadaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Apple PayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, or cards.
In their words: "We built Rwaj so a seller can go live, sell at a fixed price or by auction, get paid, and ship without leaving the app, and a buyer can purchase or bid knowing their money is protected until the item is in their hands," said Alblowe, founder and chief executive officer.
Why it matters: The escrow layer gives buyers transaction security often missing from purchases arranged directly on social media. For sellers, a single flow could cut the need to coordinate sales, payments, and shipping across separate channels.
What to watch: The next phase tests whether Rwaj can convert existing social selling behaviour into sustained activity on its own platform. Seller adoption, repeat buyer engagement, and how well it scales payments and shipping across the Gulf Cooperation Council will be the key signals.
The signal: Rwaj's pre-seed sits in roughly the 28th percentile by amount for comparable rounds, a modest cheque for an early-stage bet. The wager is that formal infrastructure can capture a live-commerce habit that already thrives informally across the region.
Read more: waya.media
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
