Egypt-Based Wuilt Raises US$2 Million To Democratize E-Commerce

Wuilt, an Egypt-based all-in-one e-commerce enablement platform, has secured US$2 million in funding to fast-track its mission of making e-commerce accessible to all, beginning in Egypt and scaling across the region and beyond.  

The round saw investments from the MENA-based seed and early-stage venture capital (VC) firm and accelerator Flat6Labs, Dubai-based early-stage VC firm MENA Technology Fund (MTF), and Hub71, the Abu Dhabi-based global tech ecosystem. Other participants include JIMCO, the venture arm of Abdul Latif Jameel, Purity Tech, and a network of strategic angel investors bringing both capital and domain expertise. 

Founded by Ahmed Rostom and Mahmoud Metwaly in Egypt in 2019, Wuilt enables individuals and businesses to build professional websites and online stores effortlessly, without the need for any coding expertise. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Rostom, who's also the CEO of Wuilt, described the new investment in the company as both a validation of its most recent pivot, as well as a milestone shaped by years of groundwork. “This round reflects investors’ belief in both the direction we’re heading and the traction we’ve already proven," Rostom said. "We didn’t raise this overnight—it’s a result of almost two years of building and refining the model." 

According to Rostom, the new funding will enable Wuilt to focus on three core priorities. First, the company is gearing up for regional expansion, starting with a launch in the UAE later this year and a rollout into the GCC and Turkey scheduled for early 2026. Second, it plans to drive product growth by introducing artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools and revamping the store administrative experience. Third, Wuilt will enhance its shipping and payments infrastructure to streamline onboarding, improve settlement processes, and improve the overall merchant experience. 

Rostom noted that Wuilt’s new suite of AI-driven tools is aimed at simplifying daily operations for merchants. These features are built to reduce complexity, streamline workflows, and boost overall efficiency—empowering users to launch, manage, and scale their online businesses with greater ease than ever before. “We’re adapting to the global shift in how small businesses operate," Rostom said. "Our focus with AI is to simplify, accelerate, and enhance merchant capabilities."

These tools are also built to help users move faster and smarter without requiring large teams or technical expertise. “Think AI-generated store themes, automated ad campaign optimization, and conversational commerce tools—we want merchants to launch faster, market smarter, and engage more effectively, without needing a full team,” Rostom explained. “These tools are not just features—they’re time and cost savers that unlock growth.” 

Wuilt is also expanding its partner network and developing an app marketplace to further empower its merchants. “Local service providers and technology partners can offer tools, integrations, and services directly to our merchants—whether it’s marketing, logistics, accounting, or automation,” Rostom explained. “This opens up a new revenue stream for us through revenue-sharing models, while giving merchants even more resources to scale. We’re not just helping merchants launch online—we’re helping them build real, sustainable businesses.” 

In April 2025, Wuilt made its platform entirely free to use in Egypt. By eliminating subscription fees, Wuilt gave up hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual recurring revenue to prioritize what it saw as most important, which is helping merchants grow. The results were immediate. Within just a few months, more than 20,000 merchants had joined the platform, launching their stores, managing inventory, handling shipping through local couriers, and accepting payments—without paying a single subscription fee.

Rostom emphasized that Wuilt’s decision to go free was more than just a pricing change—it marked a complete shift in the company’s business model. “Before the shift, we operated like most software as a service (SaaS) companies—merchants paid monthly or yearly subscriptions to use Wuilt," he said. "But the subscription model has a ceiling. You can only grow as fast as you can convert and retain paying users. And in emerging markets, pricing creates friction that blocks a lot of great businesses from getting started."

That realization led to a fundamental rethinking of how the platform could scale more effectively in emerging markets. “So, we made a full model shift. We removed the paywall and made Wuilt’s e-commerce platform 100 percent free,” Rostom explained. Now, instead of relying on upfront subscription payments, Wuilt generates revenue by taking a cut from various activities across its platform. Through Wuilt Shipments, the company earns a commission on each order that gets shipped. Wuilt Pay brings in revenue via a small fee applied to every processed payment. Additionally, with Wuilt Wallet, the company oversees merchant payouts, offering instant withdrawals for an added fee.

For Rostom, this shift in monetization—from access-based to usage-based—marked a turning point for Wuilt’s growth trajectory. “This model doesn’t just remove friction—it’s built for scale," he explained. "Subscription revenue is linear. But when you monetize usage—orders, payments, shipping—growth becomes exponential. There’s no ceiling. The more our merchants sell, the more we grow." At the same time, Wuilt is also looking to expand regionally, with plans to roll out its fully free e-commerce platform in the UAE by Q4 2025 and to expand into the wider GCC region and Turkey in early 2026.

According to Rostom, Wuilt's mission is to serve as the backbone for small businesses and social sellers throughout emerging markets. “We’re already getting strong signals from these markets—even before officially launching, we’ve had paying customers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and beyond,” he said. “That organic traction tells us there’s real demand for what we’re building,” he said. Rostom also noted that the company’s experience in Egypt serves as a blueprint for the company's potential to grow across the region. “Even the biggest players in these regions don’t serve 100,000 merchants combined," he said. "Meanwhile, we onboarded 20,000 new merchants in a single quarter—just in Egypt. That’s the kind of scale we know we can replicate with the right localization and infrastructure."

Rostom also pointed out that the company is now evolving into a broader ecosystem that supports long-term merchant success. “Wuilt isn’t just a tool—it’s becoming a platform where merchants and partners grow together," he said. "Our merchant community is one of our strongest assets. Thousands of people are actively exchanging advice, sharing their wins, and helping each other every day. That kind of support network is rare, and it keeps merchants engaged and motivated."

Looking ahead, Rostom made it clear that Wuilt’s focus has shifted entirely to driving platform activity. “Our north star today is how many active merchants, how many orders they generate, and the gross merchandise value (GMV) they process," he said. "Everything we do now is focused on driving those three metrics,” he explained. And when it comes to advice for his fellow entrepreneurs, Rostom urged them to look beyond short-term losses and focus on long-term scalability. “The biggest risk isn’t change—it’s staying stuck. If your business model doesn’t scale with your users’ success, it’s time to rethink it,” he said. “We knew that going free would have short-term revenue implications, but the long-term upside was too big to ignore. It led to exponential user growth, higher engagement, and entirely new monetization channels that scale with usage. My advice: listen to your users, trust the data, and don’t be afraid to bet on a bigger future—even if it means stepping back before leaping forward.” 

Pictured in the lead image is Ahmed Rostom, co-founder and CEO of Wuilt. Courtesy of Wuilt.