Egyptian startup Sinai.ai, which builds interactive AI-native books, has raised US$1.45 million in a pre-seed round of funding to support technology development, AI infrastructure, licensing, and user acquisition.
Founded in 2024 by Ahmed Kamel, Mohamed Elshamy, Mohamed Elshenawy, Hana Malhas, and Abdullah Moatasem, Sinai.ai is building an AI-native book platform that transforms traditional content into interactive experiences.
At the heart of Sinai is the aiBook, a trademarked, patent-backed book format that transforms traditional books into multimodal, hyper-personalised experiences. Unlike generic AI tools that hit copyright walls when engaging with published works, Sinai sources 100 per cent licensed, full-text content directly from publishers and rights holders, allowing its AI to operate on complete books in a fully legal, fully compliant environment.
The startup’s US$1.45 million pre-seed funding round was led by KAUST Innovation Ventures (KIV) and DisrupTech Ventures, with participation from Maza Ventures and YOUXEL Ventures, alongside a coalition of angel investors.
The capital will fund proprietary tech, AI infrastructure, user acquisition, and licensing.
“We strongly believe that AI will fundamentally reshape a wide range of industries, and the book industry is long overdue for meaningful innovation. For over two decades, the core format of books has remained largely unchanged. What the Sinai.ai team is building introduces a truly new paradigm, transforming books into interactive, intelligent experiences where readers can engage, learn, and explore in entirely new ways,” said Ahmed Kamel, co-founder and CEO of Sinai.ai.
Mohamed Okasha from DisrupTech Ventures said he was particularly excited about the team and its ability to execute on a vision that sits at the intersection of content, technology, and user experience.
“We are always proud to back Egyptian founders who are building category-defining companies and pushing the boundaries of innovation beyond local markets,” he said.
