KSA-Based Engagesoft Raises US$3.5 Million Pre-Series A

Engagesoft, a KSA-based artificial intelligence (AI) platform for employee engagement and organizational performance, has secured US$3.5 million in a pre-Series A round led by the global tech-focused venture capital (VC) firm Silicon Badia. 

Founded by brothers Omar and Tareq Tahboub in 2021 in Amman, Engagesoft, which is now headquartered in Riyadh, is an AI-driven software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed to enhance employee engagement and organizational performance. By combining scientifically validated surveys with advanced analytics, it enables enterprises to capture, interpret, and act on workforce insights.

Operating across Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, Engagesoft serves over 120 enterprise clients spanning seven markets, including Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine. The latest investment is thus set to fuel Engagesoft’s roadmap, strengthening its mission to offer a unified view of organizational health across engagement, culture, leadership, and performance. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Omar, who serves as the CEO of Engagesoft, discussed how the company is redefining employee engagement through AI-powered analytics that make organizational insights more human and actionable. “Listening to employees produces a flood of signals: company and segment scores, trends under each manager, scores of comments and sentiments, and shifts from baseline to pulse over time,” Omar said. “For most HR teams, that volume is overwhelming or demands costly outside consultants. This is exactly the kind of problem AI-powered analytics are built to solve.” 

Omar further explained that, in bringing advanced analytics to HR teams, Engagesoft helps them to better process employee feedback. “Our AI builds on rigorous statistical analysis and translates dry numbers into meaningful, relatable insights about culture and performance, paired with contextual actions teams can actually take,” he explained. “In short, we are continually refining the technology to turn fragmented signals from engagement programs into a concise, prioritized set of humanly digestible insights and actions, manager-ready, measurable, and likely to move the organization forward.” 

Over the past 18 months, Engagesoft has seen remarkable momentum—tripling its customer base, increasing its average subscription value, and growing its annual recurring revenue (ARR) more than tenfold. The platform has also analyzed more than 10 million employee responses, with enterprises reporting an average 30 percent boost in engagement across successive survey cycles. Behind this rapid growth, Omar told Inc. Arabia, is a sharp focus on quality and customer success.

“We serve large enterprises such as Zamil Industrial, Tamimi Markets, Nadec, Najm, Edita, Juhayna, and Coca-Cola," Omar shared. "These buyers know well what global vendors offer, so their bar is quite high. Therefore, our approach is simple: ship enterprise-grade functionality that meets or surpasses global benchmarks, then deliver customer success that feels like an extension of the HR team and that beats what any global company can offer. We stay close to business outcomes, provide hands-on advisory, and support at a level that global providers rarely match."

Omar added that serving some of the region’s leading enterprises has not only validated Engagesoft’s model but also sharpened its technology to compete on a global stage. “In our experience, large enterprises in the region are disciplined and objective in how they buy software," he said. "They ask all the tough questions, run detailed evaluations, and put every vendor through a rigorous process. Therefore, winning their trust simply requires beating the competition head-to-head. There is simply no way around that. Local vendors have to deliver great product functionality and customer support to win in enterprise markets like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE."

Powered by the fresh capital, Engagesoft’s next phase of growth will focus on accelerating both product innovation and market expansion. “Two priorities define this next chapter for us: advancing our AI offering into a full-fledged product, and multiplying our reach to enterprise customers,” Omar said. On the product side, the company is evolving its technology into a comprehensive, always-on organizational coach. “Today, Engagesoft delivers AI-enabled reports and recommendations for action planning," Omar explained. "We will accelerate our work to turn that into [an] always-on, end-to-end organizational coach; a practical system that analyzes every score and comment, works across every section and layer of the organization, and orchestrates the actions needed to continually respond to the voice of employees and increase their engagement. It will work closely with every manager, track progress in real time, and roll results up to HR and executives so they can see what’s working and where to intervene." 

Equally central to Engagesoft’s strategy, Omar added, is expanding its geographic footprint. “We will rapidly scale our capacity to meet and serve enterprises," he said. "That means opening many more conversations not only in our stronghold markets, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but also across the wider GCC and MENA, as well as select countries beyond the region. The goal is simple: ensure every CEO and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) who cares about employee engagement knows there’s a partner that blends organizational science with AI-powered insight to deliver measurable results." 

Crucially, Omar believes that the company’s partnership with Silicon Badia, which is built on shared vision and mutual strengths, will help fuel that vision. “Beyond capital, we wanted a partner with real cross-border reach and business-to-business (B2B) software depth," Omar noted. "Silicon Badia operates actively across MENA and the US, which aligns with our plan to scale into new global markets. They match our ambition and our operating style: global outlook, pragmatic support, and the ability to help us scale responsibly."

In terms of advice for founders aiming to build globally competitive SaaS platforms from the region, Omar emphasized that customer obsession is the ultimate differentiator. “Build what customers love," he said. "No shortcuts. Spend real time (countless hours) with users, understand their pains and the opportunities to make them successful, and let those insights drive a compelling roadmap." Omar also highlighted the importance of meeting global standards while maintaining a unique local edge. “Match the global bar on reliability, performance, and user experience, then add your edge,” he said. “With a focused and relentless execution, you’ll be competitive anywhere.” 

Pictured in the lead image is Omar Tahboub, co-founder and CEO of Engagesoft. Image courtesy Engagesoft.