UAE-Based Oqood Raises US$1 Million To Advance Digital Transformation In The Legal Sector

UAE-based legaltech startup Oqood has raised US$1 million in seed funding from a group of angel investors to support its goal of advancing digital transformation in the legal sector. 

Founded by Khaled Al Rasheed in the UAE in 2024, Oqood develops artificial intelligence (AI)–driven legal solutions designed to streamline workflows and improve efficiency for law firms and corporate legal departments. The company’s tech automates repetitive processes, simplifies documentation, and improves communication between clients and lawyers. With the fresh capital, Oqood plans to expand across the GCC and enhance its suite of AI-powered products. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Al Rasheed, who's also the CEO of Oqood, shared that his enterprise's journey began with a simple insight: today’s lawyers aren’t resisting technology—they’re demanding smarter ways to work. “What surprised us is that the best lawyers want this technology," he explained. "They're not traditionalists resisting change—they're incredibly sharp people frustrated by how much time they waste on repetitive tasks. The lawyers entering leadership today are digital natives. They don't just accept AI—they expect it. The generational shift is real, and it's accelerating."

According to Al Rasheed, the legal sector is undergoing the same transformation as every other industry touched by AI—but with nuances. “The legal sector is no exception to AI transformation," he pointed out. "The difference is that lawyers need tools that work with them, not for them. They want something that speeds up the boring stuff so they can focus on actual legal thinking.”  That understanding shaped how Oqood built its platform, which has been designed to handle time-consuming and repetitive tasks, freeing up legal teams to focus on critical decisions. “Our AI handles the pattern matching—finding clauses, spotting inconsistencies, flagging risks—and the lawyer makes every decision,” Al Rasheed explained. “We're giving them superpowers, not replacing their judgment. And honestly, our pipeline is packed. Not because we have fancy technology, but because we're solving a real problem: we're giving time back to people who never have enough of it.”  

AI’s role, Al Rasheed explained, is most powerful when it removes the grind from legal work and lets professionals focus on strategy and counsel—the parts of the job that require distinctly human judgment. “When a senior partner spends 9–12 hours reviewing a 150-page contract looking for problematic clauses, that's not judgment—that's just reading," Al Rasheed noted. "AI can do that in minutes. The lawyer can spend those hours on the stuff that actually matters: strategy, advice, creative problem-solving. We're not replacing lawyers. We're freeing them from the parts of their job they hate so they can do more of what actually matters.”  

As for any hesitation among adopters in the legal community, Al Rasheed believes that automation fits well alongside human expertise. “I get why people worry about this since it’s a new emerging technology that has been in our hands only for 2–3 years,” he said. “But here's the thing, AI isn't good at judgment. It's good at reading thousands of pages in seconds and finding patterns and reasoning—that's not what makes a great lawyer. What makes a great lawyer is knowing why something matters. Understanding the business context. Navigating a tough negotiation. Advising a CEO on a decision that could make or break the company. That's all human.”

After years of watching the sector evolve, Al Rasheed is drawing on the lessons that he has gleaned from his years of practice to inform how he builds Oqood. “I practiced law across GCC for 15 years, I learned this early: lawyers don't buy technology," he said. "They buy outcomes. They don't want 'AI-powered contract analysis'—they want 10 hours back in their day or zero missed deadlines or confidence that they didn't miss anything critical.”  He added, “The best lawyers aren't afraid of AI—they're frustrated by how much time they waste on work a computer should handle.”

Looking ahead, Al Rasheed believes AI will redefine how legal professionals operate. “In five years, I think the lawyers who embrace AI will work faster, handle more sophisticated matters, and deliver better results," he said. "One AI-enabled lawyer will do what used to take a team of five—with a better quality and exceptional customer service.” Beyond productivity though, Al Rasheed also sees a deeper frontier emerging for AI in the legal domain, allowing legal teams to pre-empt and manage risks and make more informed decisions about potential outcomes. “Imagine asking: 'Based on our contract portfolio, where are our biggest risks?' or 'How has this type of clause performed in Saudi courts over the past two years?' and getting real, data-backed answers," he said. "That's where we're headed—from reactive to proactive and predictive.” 

Al Rasheed also pointed to how the region’s legatech sector is gaining momentum quickly, which he attributes to both unmet demand and accelerating digital transformation. “The global legaltech market is worth over $41 billion and growing 10+ percent annually," he said. "But the MENA is growing even faster because we're starting from such a low baseline with such acute pain points. This is a massive opportunity.” And that opportunity, Al Rasheed noted, is being fueled by a mix of rapid regulatory change, market inefficiencies, and the need for localized solutions. “First, the pace of change is insane," he said. "Vision 2030, new company laws, data protection rules, fintech regulations—the legal landscape is evolving faster than legal teams can keep up. They need tools that help them stay current without drowning in updates.” 

Al Rasheed also pointed out that access and affordability remain major pain points across the region. “The market was broken," he said. "For years, the MENA legaltech market was dominated by a few international players charging $10,000 to $15,000 per user per year. That priced out 80 percent of the market—mid-sized firms, in-house teams, government entities. There's massive pent-up demand from people who needed these tools but couldn't afford them.” 

In addition, Al Rasheed underscored the fact that the scarcity of solutions custom-tailored to the region’s linguistic and legal specificities presents a unique opportunity. “Existing products were built for international lawyers, and Arabic was just basically a basic translation layer slapped on," he explained. "We're building something fundamentally different. Arabic is at the center of our product, not a feature we added later. The legal foundations in MENA are completely different from the EU or US—different legal systems, different contract structures, different cultural contexts. You can't just translate a Western tool and expect it to work here forever.” 

For aspiring founders eyeing the legaltech space, Al Rasheed's advice is to co-create to ensure utility. “Build with lawyers, not for them," he said. "Sounds simple, but most legaltech startups get this wrong. You build something technically brilliant that solves a problem you think lawyers have. But lawyers don't adopt it because it doesn't fit how they actually work. They're incredibly busy—they won't restructure their entire workflow for your tool, no matter how smart it is.” 

Al Rasheed also noted that in legaltech, trust matters more than speed. “Also, legal is different from other industries," he said. "You can't move fast and break things. Lawyers are signing documents that commit companies to millions of dollars. They need security, explainability, audit trails. You need to earn trust, not just ship features and fancy talks in workshops. For the MENA specifically, remember that this market has been underserved and overcharged for years. Every interaction is a chance to prove you're different. Customer success isn't a department—it's your entire business in the early days.” 

And as legaltech gains traction across the region, Al Rasheed sees the industry entering a new phase—one where technology opens the legal field to broader participation while elevating the value of human expertise. “The legal sector used to be completely closed—only lawyers could practice law or invest in legal services," he said. "But legaltech is changing that. We're not trying to replace lawyers; we're amplifying what makes them valuable. That's the opportunity—and it's enormous for founders who approach it with respect, deep domain knowledge, and real focus on solving actual problems.”