STUCK?'s Asmaa Naga On Bootstrapping To A Six-Figure Raise

In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI) and language technology, one Jeddah-headquartered startup stands out for its unique blend of cultural nuance and innovative tech. STUCK?, an AI-powered language platform founded by Egyptian entrepreneur Asmaa Naga in 2022, recently secured a six-figure pre-seed funding round led by UK-based venture capital firm MENA Tech Fund (MTF), marking its first investment in Saudi Arabia. 

The round also included participation from the  King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Innovation Fund. and several Saudi angel investors, including Maha Taibah, founder of the Saudi Arabian Media and Publishing firm RUMMAN, and Basma Bushnak, co-founder and CEO of Emkan Education, now part of PwC. Additional investors joined the round through a syndicate organized by Oqal. 

The funding follows earlier support from the Saudi Sanabil 500 and recognition from the 2024 Taqadam Program. Over the past year, the company has added several corporate clients and established partnerships, including with a Saudi Giga Project. 

But for Naga, the path to this success is rooted in both professional expertise and personal determination. 

In an interview with Inc. Arabia, Naga shared the story of how she went from being a passionate language teacher to the founder of a tech startup. Naga, who holds a Master of Science in Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching from the University of Oxford in the UK, began her career in the classroom, long before she ever considered launching a business. “I started teaching before I even graduated from college," she recalled. "Teaching came very naturally to me, but I always specialized in teaching adults." Over the next 13 years, she moved through various teaching roles, eventually becoming the Head of English at the British Council in Jeddah. 

While her time at the British Council was fulfilling, Naga found herself at a crossroads in 2020 when the office closed down. “I was face-to-face with a decision to find another job or do something different,” she says. “I didn’t find a job that felt like home, so I thought that it may be time I started this ‘project’ of making an app that connects language experts to users. I say ‘project,’ because I never thought it would turn into a real business.” 

It was in this moment of uncertainty that the seeds of STUCK? were planted. Naga, who had always been deeply involved in language and education, saw an opportunity to bridge the gap in the Arabic language tech space.  

Naga's pivotal decision to invest in her startup over personal luxury came during a shopping trip. “I had enough money in my bank account to buy [myself] this luxury bag [that] I really wanted," she shares. "At the store, looking at myself in the mirror with the bag on my shoulder. I thought, ‘Do I buy the bag, or start a business?’ I put the bag back up on the shelf, started making some calls to look for someone to help me build an app. That was the first ever decision to bootstrap my business.” 

For Naga, this was not just a decision to forgo a material possession; it was the moment she committed to her entrepreneurial journey. A year later, she had a small company, a growing user base, and enough funds set aside to finally purchase the luxury bag that she had wanted. “This time, I went ahead and bought it,” Naga laughed. 

Three years later, Naga leads a team that is made up of 93 percent women and has managed to raise six figures in a pre-seed round from investors. Today, STUCK? provides language services in English and Arabic through an AI-human blended model that focuses on cultural context and accuracy. It offers clients the choice between fully AI-generated, fully human-created, or combined approaches, supporting businesses in developing content with an emphasis on language and dialect precision. 

But Naga noted that the funding journey was far from smooth sailing, and that finding the right investors was key. “For every ‘yes’ we got, I think we got around 20 ‘no-s.’ It wasn’t easy at all, especially since we were in a very niche industry, unlike fintech and other popular industries. I think fishing for the ‘right’ investors, as opposed to ‘any’ investors, helped a little, and developing some survival techniques to keep going. You need to really believe in what you’re building if you want to have patience and perseverance.” 

Today, Naga believes that her current investors bring much more than just funding to the table. In fact, she says that, in addition to network, expertise, and strategy, her current investors are people who understand how difficult the entrepreneurial journey is because they've experienced it themselves and can help give her advice and guidance when she needs it. 

With the funding secured, STUCK? is now working with a diverse pool of clients that include consultancies, educational institutions, and government projects. The company’s core offering revolves around providing both AI-powered and human-assisted Arabic language solutions to meet businesses’ needs. 

Naga is particularly focused on providing AI that is culturally relevant and region-specific. “Let’s just agree that we are not just AI, we built a hybrid model that blends AI with the human touch, because we still believe that nuances and cultural relevance come at the core of communication,” she explains. “I do believe there’s a huge need for Arabic fine-tuned AI models that are region-specific, particularly with Saudi becoming a hub and such a business and trade magnet in all sectors.” 

In fact, Naga believes that Saudi Arabia’s emphasis on preserving its culture, language, and heritage makes it an ideal environment for a startup like STUCK? to thrive. “What Saudi also maintains is its culture, heritage, and language—if you want to do business with Saudi, you need to speak their culture. It’s how they retain their identity, and it’s very refreshing to see,” Naga observed. 

Looking ahead, STUCK? plans to expand its services into other languages, with Chinese being the first non-Arabic language on the horizon. But as Naga explains, this comes with its own set of challenges. “I think one of our biggest challenges right now is to maintain the same cultural and linguistic relevance with a market completely new to us—so, we are taking baby steps to ensure we stand on solid ground when we onboard Chinese-to-Arabic services,” she says. 

When asked for her thoughts on team-building in a startup's early stages, she replies, "I don’t really have all the answers to that question, because our team is still growing and it’s a bit early stage for me to talk about company culture and diversity. However, I think your first hire(s) need to be people you like, not only people who are good. These people will help you build your dream, and you need to be able to communicate with them very comfortably. Also, your values and direction need to be crystal clear if you want your team to share your vision and help you get there.” 

Pictured in the lead image STUCK?'s founder Asmaa Naga. Image courtesy STUCK?