February 16, 2022 – Grintafy, the leading Saudi-based football talent discovery startup and the go-to career development platform for aspiring footballers in the middle east, has raised a SAR 8 million ($2.1 million) bridge round with participation from Wa’ed, the entrepreneurship arm of Saudi Aramco, Alrashed Group (ARG Limited), Areen Investments, and a number of strategic angel investors.

Launched in 2018 by founder and CEO Majdi Al-Lulu, the Jeddah-based sportstech company enables amateur footballers to build their football CV and join or organize thousands of games and tryouts. Furthermore, players get rated based on their performances, work their way up the rankings, all while viewing and tracking their skills. All these rankings and skills are featured on their Grinta Card, which is viewed by football federations, professional clubs and scouts. Grintafy also boasts a social engine that connects players all around the world that have a love for showcasing their skills.

The startup has achieved notable growth recently with over one million players using its platform – making it the largest talent discovery platform in the middle east. Those players have uploaded over 150,000 media files which have been viewed more than 100 million times and have organized and joined over 70,000 games and tryouts.

Grintafy aims to use the funds to introduce a game changing fintech solution, develop a livestreaming feature using AI and machine learning, expand its subscription services, and strengthen its reach within the Egyptian market and North Africa where it started operations in 2021.

“It is an honor to have multiple strategic investors that recognize the significance of our tractions, achievements, and partnerships. Their confidence in Grintafy has helped us close the bridge round with ease,” said Majdi Al-Lulu, founder and CEO at Grintafy. “With this investment, our mission continues to arm our talent with the exposure, technology and tools they need. We will also be allocating funds to create a game-changing fintech solution that will ensure players can achieve their goals. I want to give a very special thanks to our current, new investors, and our one million players for sharing our mutual dream. We are here to change the game. We are here to dominate.”

About Grintafy Technologies

Grintafy is the biggest football talent discovery platform in the Middle East. Founded in 2018, it has already reached 1 million players and counting. Those players have launched the app over 120 million times, created over 70,000 games and tryouts, uploaded over 150,000 media files which were viewed over 100 million times, over 500,000 player rating records, 400,000+ game requests, and over 4 million messages exchanged.

Through its strategic partnerships with local and international federations and clubs like the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, West Ham United, Al-Ittihad Club, Al Wehda club and others across MENA and Europe, Grintafy is dedicated to discovering young talents and providing them with the opportunities, technologies and exposure needed to make their dreams come true.