Egyptian B2B startup TradeHub has shut down and returned unused capital to investors, 18 months after raising a $1.4 million pre-seed round. The company, founded in December 2023 by Ahmed Gaber and Ahmed Atef, was unable to achieve product-market fit despite multiple pivots and months of testing.
The startup enables manufacturers to showcase their factories and products, while allowing TradeHub, a cross-border B2B e-platform, to boost exports and connect Egyptian producers with international buyers. Its mission was to provide Egyptian manufacturers with wider access to global markets and encourage participation in international trade.
When traction proved limited, the startup pivoted to a B2B sales automation SaaS tool aimed at digitising sales operations. Adoption fell short of expectations, and the founders ultimately decided against pursuing another pivot, citing a lack of conviction to continue.
“By the time we explored multiple directions and learned from our experiments, we no longer had strong enough conviction in a third idea that justified the risk of continuing,” Gaber explained in his LinkedIn post. “Continuing just for the sake of ‘trying something else’ didn’t feel responsible to us.”
TradeHub’s funding and operations
In February 2024, TradeHub raised a $1.4 million pre-seed round led by Concept Ventures, TLcom Capital, and Armyn Capital, with participation from angel investors. The funding was intended to help the company scale aggressively, expand its user base, and establish itself in the B2B commerce space.
At the time, TradeHub announced plans to empower 10,000 manufacturing enterprises by the end of 2024. Positioned as a digital bridge between Egyptian manufacturers and international buyers, the company sought to bring transparency and efficiency into the trade process.
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Despite the backing, the startup struggled to achieve sustained growth. The SaaS pivot was designed to create recurring revenue streams, but by mid-2025, adoption levels remained too low to sustain operations.
TradeHub’s closure included the unusual step of returning unspent funds to investors. While the refunded amount was not disclosed, the decision stands out in the MENA startup ecosystem, where most companies exhaust their capital before winding down. Reports suggest investors have continued to support the founders following the closure.
Impact on the startup ecosystem
TradeHub joins a growing list of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) startups that have shut down despite raising significant rounds. Its inability to achieve product-market fit underscores the difficulty early-stage companies face in aligning offerings with actual market demand.
The case also reflects the broader uncertainty of building startups in the region. Co-founder Ahmed Gaber, who previously co-founded Egypt’s leading logistics startup Bosta in 2015, described the shutdown as the outcome of extensive but inconclusive validation efforts. His co-founder, Ahmed Atef, formerly a software engineer at Meta, brought technical depth to the project but faced challenges scaling adoption in a competitive environment.
TradeHub’s closure underscores the structural challenges of sustaining digital B2B platforms in markets where customer readiness, pricing models, and scalability persist as significant obstacles. It also points to growing pressure from investors who demand shorter validation cycles and clearer paths to profitability.
After nearly a decade of nonstop work in the startup space, Gaber has announced plans to take a break. Investors, including Concept Ventures and TLcom Capital, have expressed continued confidence in the founders’ potential to launch new ventures in the future.
TradeHub’s collapse serves as a reminder that access to capital alone is insufficient for long-term survival. In the fast-paced MENA ecosystem, startups must continually adapt to market needs to grow and thrive. The shutdown adds to the list of regional startups that have ceased operations despite raising funding, underscoring the centrality of product-market fit, execution, and scalability in the sector.
