Raff raises $1.7 million pre-seed to connect brands with GCC retailers
Saudi Arabia-based retailtech startup Raff has closed a $1.7 million pre-seed round led by Vision Ventures. The round saw participation from 500 Global, Palm VC, Oqal Group, and Salla co-founder Salman Butt, among others. Deal terms beyond the amount raised were not disclosed.
Founded in 2024 by Ali Al Qudah and Abdul Kareem Munla, Raff operates an end-to-end platform that connects consumer brands directly with physical retailers. The platform digitises distribution, inventory management, order fulfilment, payments, and other commercial operations, replacing a fragmented process that typically requires separate onboarding and logistics relationships with each retailer.
For retailers, Raff automates vendor management workflows and integrates with leading point-of-sale and accounting software in the region. Since launch, the platform has onboarded more than 900 brands across nine countries, spanning the GCC and the UK.
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Why it matters: the GCC retail market is valued at more than $300 billion annually, yet the infrastructure for brands to move from online to offline distribution remains surprisingly manual.
Raff is building that infrastructure layer, essentially a distribution operating system for physical retail at a moment when digital-native brands across the corridor are pushing into brick-and-mortar channels. For international brands and investors watching the GCC, Raff represents a bet on the pipes connecting online brand creation to offline revenue, a gap that exists far beyond Saudi Arabia.
"We built Raff after experiencing firsthand how difficult it was for growing brands to move beyond online sales," said Ali Al Qudah, Co-Founder and CEO. "While the barriers to launching an e-commerce business have never been lower, reaching customers through physical retail still requires brands to navigate multiple operational and commercial hurdles. Our mission is to simplify that journey and give brands a faster and more efficient way to reach offline customers."
Kais Al-Essa, Founding Partner and CEO of Vision Ventures, added: "Raff is solving a high-friction challenge at the intersection of retail technology and logistics, creating a new efficiency layer for commerce across the region."
The fresh capital will fund Raff's expansion across the GCC and accelerate product development and AI capabilities.
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