“Can a data-driven, AI-underwritten revenue-based financing platform become the default working capital layer for SMEs across the GCC and sub-Saharan Africa?”
Founded in 2022 by Idriss Al Rifai, who previously helped build one of the GCC's first unicorns, Flow48 launched as a Revenue-Based Financing (RBF) platform targeting underserved SMEs in the UAE. The company integrated with ERP systems, payment gateways, and e-commerce platforms to power AI-driven credit underwriting. After proving the model in the GCC, it expanded into South Africa by 2025 with both Revenue-Based Financing and Invoice Financing, positioning itself as a pan-emerging-markets alternative lender to SMEs that lack access to traditional bank credit.
Flow48 was founded by Idriss Al Rifai and is founded in 2022, headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Flow48 has raised $149.2M (debt + equity combined) in total (latest round: Series A, February 2025).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Flow48 and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.