Tali Ventures backs Bonat’s $6 M Series A to fuel AI-driven customer growth

Saudi startup Bonat raises US$6 million to scale its AI-powered customer engagement platform, with Tali Ventures and others backing the expansion into new verticals and deeper automation.

Riyadh-based customer-engagement platform Bonat has secured US$6 million (SAR 23 million) in a Series A round led by Tali Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Saudi telco stc group. The funding — with participation from ANB Seed Fund, Rua Growth Fund, RZM Investments and a group of angels — will help Bonat deepen its AI capabilities, support new verticals such as retail and services, and integrate payment and wallet functionalities for merchants.

Bonat describes itself as one of the region’s fastest-growing digital engagement ecosystems. Its all-in-one platform combines analytics, AI-driven engagement tools, digital wallets and behaviour-based marketing automation to help merchants turn casual visitors into repeat customers. The startup already supports thousands of retailers and F&B brands across Saudi Arabia and connects with more than six million users.

What the funding enables

With new capital in hand, Bonat plans to roll out:

• advanced AI models to personalize marketing campaigns automatically;
• expansion into under-served verticals such as general retail and service sectors;
• tighter integration with payments and mobile-wallet systems so merchants can manage the entire customer journey from a single dashboard;
• increased investment in regional expansion and customer-support infrastructure.

These enhancements aim to make Bonat’s platform not just a “marketing tool” but a central system for merchants looking to compete in Saudi Arabia’s fast-digitising economy.

Why investors are backing it

Stc group’s CIO, Motaz Alangari, commented: “Customer engagement is the foundation of loyalty and growth in the digital economy. Our investment in Bonat reflects stc’s commitment to empowering merchants with smarter digital tools and advancing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

From the investor side, ANB Seed Fund’s CEO Khalid S. Alghamdi noted the logic: “Customer success platforms are set to triple to nearly USD 180 million by 2030, while the broader CRM space will more than double to USD 1.46 billion by 2033. Bonat sits at the nexus of both, delivering AI-driven engagement tools for a rapidly digitalising economy.”

These statements reflect several trends: the rising importance of data and AI in customer experience, large underserved SME markets in the Middle East, and strong alignment with Saudi Arabia’s broader digital economy strategy under Vision 2030.

Market and startup context

Bonat’s growth is taking place in a region where many SMEs are migrating from legacy loyalty systems to integrated digital-wallet and mobile-engagement platforms. According to its website, Bonat currently allows merchants to build loyalty programmes, gift-cards, referral systems and segmentation tools. (bonat.io)

By providing both analytics and action tools, Bonat aims to reduce friction for merchants who historically managed customer interactions across multiple systems. The Series A funding positions the startup to capture the shift in the market towards “customer-data-led” operations rather than purely manual loyalty schemes.

Potential challenges to watch

• Merchant acquisition and retention: Scaling from “thousands of retailers” to tens of thousands requires strong product-market fit and efficient go-to-market execution.
  
• Technology depth and differentiation: Many CRM/engagement platforms exist; Bonat must deliver measurable ROI and strong predictions to win larger regional customers.
  
• Regulatory and payments integration: As integration with wallets and payments deepens, compliance and partnerships will become more complex—especially across GCC markets.
  
• Capital efficiency and monetisation: The ability to convert engagement tools into consistent revenue streams and manage unit economics will matter for future fundraising rounds or exit.
  

Conclusion

Bonat’s US$6 million Series A is an important endorsement of Saudi Arabia’s growing startup ecosystem and the region’s appetite for data-driven customer-engagement tools. For merchants in the Kingdom and beyond, the startup offers a single platform to manage digital wallets, loyalty, analytics and engagement. The real test now will be execution — scaling the technology, expanding into new verticals, demonstrating ROI for merchants, and managing regional payments complexity. If Bonat can meet those metrics, it could become a model for how Middle-East-based startups serve high-growth regional markets rather than global hubs.

Quick Takeaways

• Funding: US$6 million Series A led by Tali Ventures (stc group CVC).
  
• Use of funds: Deepen AI engagement tools, expand into retail/services, integrate payments and wallets, scale merchant base.
  
• Platform: All-in-one engagement ecosystem combining AI analytics, digital wallets and behaviour-based automation.
  
• Customers: Thousands of retailers and F&B brands in Saudi Arabia with over 6 million end-users.
  
• Market opportunity: SME customer-engagement and CRM spaces in the Middle East are under-penetrated and growing.
  
• Watch points: Merchant growth, technology differentiation, payment integration complexity, monetisation strategy.
  

about:blankTurn on screen reader support

To enable screen reader support, press Ctrl+Alt+Z To learn about keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl+slash

Banner hidden about:blank