Mohy Abou Alam: «TheDar.AI» helps major institutions in the Region with AI-powered monitoring and analytics

In recent years, companies have started to focus on understanding brand perception and customer sentiment toward their products, creating a market for monitoring and analytics. The global social media analytics market was valued at $13.47 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow from $16.53 billion in 2025 to $61.95 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. As AI tools have evolved, so have monitoring and analytics solutions.

Before the AI boom, Egyptian entrepreneur Mohy Abou Alam explored this market and co-founded Darwinz in 2021, which later rebranded as TheDar.AI — a Saudi-Egyptian startup offering an AI Copilot platform for brand managers, marketers, and PR professionals at leading agencies and companies across the MENA region. With AI Copilot, users can boost their daily productivity by finding innovative ways to accurately understand brand perception and audience sentiment, and by analyzing hundreds of thousands of data points from a variety of key channels. The company recently secured $325,000 in seed funding.

In an interview with the Digital Economy platform FollowICT, Mohy Abou Alam, co-founder and CEO of TheDar.AI, discusses his entrepreneurial journey, founding the company, how it helps major enterprises in the Gulf and the Middle East, and the company’s goals for the future.

What experience did you have before founding TheDar.AI?

I earned a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College London, UK. My graduation project was AI-related — developing a machine learning model for food recipes. I love cooking, so I built a model that suggested new dishes and their ingredients. That was my entry point into the AI field. Afterwards, I worked at a consulting firm in the UK that collaborated with the government to develop highways using data science. But this wasn’t the AI-focused career I was looking for.

I reached out to Eng. Emad El-Azhary, a close friend and mentor, and we discussed AI opportunities in the market. We decided to start an AI company that could serve different businesses and institutions wanting to leverage AI but unsure how. That’s how Darwinz AI — later TheDar.AI — was born in 2021.

Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

At university, I took my first entrepreneurship course and became fascinated by the concept. While working in the UK, I experimented with AI projects. Around that time, I heard that TECO in Egypt, which owns and operates several restaurants, was looking for help analyzing data. The restaurant industry has many operational complexities, so I started assisting them. I spoke with Emad El-Azhary, and the idea evolved into a company specializing in any project related to AI and data analytics.

What developments have taken place at the company?

We decided to target agencies, large corporations, and major institutions. We launched our product Dima. One of our clients mentioned a foreign monitoring and analytics tool they had purchased, but due to currency fluctuations, the price skyrocketed. They asked us to build a similar tool tailored for the Arab market. We liked the idea, and Dima became our flagship product — an AI-powered Copilot that helps marketing and PR managers in major organizations monitor, compile, and analyze reports, and identify emerging trends.

We became known for this product and expanded into Saudi Arabia in 2024. Today, our clients and services span around eight countries.

What value does your product offer?

AI Copilot helps brand managers, marketers, and PR professionals in top agencies and companies across the MENA region improve productivity by finding innovative ways to precisely understand brand perception and audience sentiment through the analysis of hundreds of thousands of data points from diverse key channels.

Does the company have competitors?

Yes — global companies like Meltwater, Sprout, and others that specialize in monitoring and identifying media and social media trends.

What gives you a competitive edge?

While other companies focus on SMEs, we stand out by targeting large enterprises that require highly customized reports and in-depth topic coverage. We also have the flexibility to meet these needs and excel in Arabic as well as English, helping PR and marketing teams deliver real value.

What has the company achieved so far?

We operate in about eight countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and Lebanon, with clients also in Madrid, London, and France. Our main focus, however, remains on the Middle East and the Gulf. We established our Saudi entity in “The Garage” tech hub, which supports startups that can scale from Riyadh to the rest of the world.

We also became a Google Cloud partner and joined Google for Startups, giving us access to cutting-edge tools and resources.

The company recently secured $325,000 in funding. What helped attract investors?

First, our strong partnerships and highly skilled technical and commercial team. Second, our deep market understanding and unique, client-focused product that evolves with market needs. Finally, we operate in a large market, have a strong presence, and are positioned to compete. The funding round was led by Flat6Labs Saudi Arabia and Glint Ventures.

How will you use this investment?

The funding will accelerate product development, expand our Riyadh team, and prepare us for global expansion.

What challenges have you faced, especially since you started in 2021 when AI was not as widespread as it is now?

AI requires constant learning and adaptation. We started before ChatGPT’s rise, so one challenge was explaining to clients the value of these technologies — not an easy task at the time.

The most important thing for us has been learning from experience. We tested other products but focused on Dima after seeing its strong impact and customer traction. Another challenge has been recruiting and developing the right talent.

Why did you choose Saudi Arabia?

We found Saudi Arabia’s ecosystem to be world-class in applying global best practices in entrepreneurship, making it an ideal environment to refine our model. Since our target is the global market, launching from Riyadh makes the most strategic sense.

What are your goals moving forward?

We aim to grow further in Saudi Arabia, increase our client base there, in Egypt, and across the Middle East, and prepare for regional and international expansion to compete with global players within the next year.

What tools will you use to achieve this?

Marketing and deep market research are key. For example, if we want to sell in Canada, we need to understand the Canadian market and how marketing departments operate there. Our strategy focuses on strong online presence and value delivery without necessarily opening offices in every country.