KSA-Based Chatberry Raises US$266,000 From Iwan Ventures

Chatberry, a KSA-based software as a service (SaaS) startup, has secured US$266,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Riyadh-based venture builder Iwan Ventures.

The investment will support the company’s expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered WhatsApp marketing platform, which helps businesses engage with customers while meeting regulatory requirements.  

Founded in 2024 by Ali Karout, Chatberry was created in response to the growing demand for marketing solutions as WhatsApp became a widely used business tool. The platform allows companies to automate campaigns, respond to customer inquiries, and track engagement while complying with WhatsApp’s Business application programming interface (API) rules. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Karout, who's the CEO of Chatberry, said, “The inspiration behind Chatberry stems from a challenge I observed firsthand: businesses across the MENA region were increasingly relying on WhatsApp for customer engagement, but struggled with its limitations. Issues like account suspensions, lack of automation, and insufficient data insights made it difficult for them to scale effectively, while maintaining compliance with WhatsApp's regulations. This led me to envision a solution that transforms WhatsApp into a powerful, risk-free marketing and customer engagement platform.”

Chatberry differentiates itself from other WhatsApp marketing solutions in the MENA region by combining AI-driven capabilities, advanced automation, and strict compliance into a cohesive solution. Karout particularly noted that Chatberry’s built-in compliance engine ensures that all campaigns adhere to WhatsApp Business API regulations to eliminate the risk of account bans. “One common concern with automation is the loss of personalization," Karout added. "At Chatberry, we address this by employing a hybrid engagement model." 

With Chatberry, routine tasks such as answering frequently asked questions, qualifying leads, and managing follow-ups are handled by AI, while human agents focus on high-value interactions. The AI chatbot is also trained to escalate cases to human representatives when personalized attention is needed. “Unlike traditional chatbots, our AI understands user intent and sentiment, enabling dynamic, human-like conversations that adapt to each interaction,” Karout explained. “We go beyond basic metrics like click rates to provide actionable insights, including customer lifetime value, response sentiment analysis, and conversion probability predictions — all while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.” 

Other challenges that businesses in the MENA region face when using WhatsApp for business include language barriers, fragmented conversations, and integration issues with existing systems, all of which Chatberry addresses. The platform includes full support for Arabic natural language processing (NLP) and region-specific engagement strategies that align with local business practices, an AI-driven conversation management system that centralizes interaction on a single dashboard, as well as seamless API connectivity with customer relationship management systems, e-commerce platforms, and payment gateways to ensure smooth integration into existing workflows. 

With the newly secured funding, Chatberry plans to accelerate its growth by enhancing its AI-powered automation features, expanding into new industries such as fintech, healthcare, and logistics, while also strengthening its presence in key markets like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “From day one, my vision has been clear: empower businesses to harness the full potential of WhatsApp as their most effective sales and marketing channel, without worrying about compliance issues." Karout said. "This funding is a crucial step toward realizing that vision." 

Pictured on image: The Chatberry team. Courtesy Chatberry.