Egypt: Revibe Raises $17m to Expand Refurbished Electronics Marketplace

Revibe, a Dubai-based marketplace for refurbished electronics with major operations in Egypt, has raised $17 million in a Series A round led by Partech. The funding came from Partech's Africa II fund, with participation from e& capital, Burda Principal Investments, EQNX, and existing investors.

Founded in 2022, Revibe runs a controlled marketplace model for refurbished smartphones and laptops. The company conducts a 50-point inspection on devices and offers a one-year warranty. It targets the growing demand for lower-cost electronics in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf markets, while relying on Egypt as its operational base.

The company plans to use the new capital to strengthen quality control, expand across the GCC and enter additional emerging markets. Revibe has also increased its presence in South Africa as more consumers turn to secondhand devices.

Partech's investment adds to a series of deals completed this year as the firm accelerates its deployment across Africa and the Middle East. The fund has recently backed startups in Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa and continues to focus on growth-stage rounds.

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Key Takeaways

Revibe's funding round highlights the rise of cross-border marketplace models linking Gulf consumer markets with operational hubs in North Africa. The approach mirrors a wider shift in MENA tech, where startups use Egypt's lower operating costs and engineering talent to serve higher-income buyers in the GCC. It also reflects growing demand for refurbished electronics as consumers seek cheaper alternatives to new devices. The "re-commerce" sector is gaining momentum across emerging markets as inflation squeezes disposable incomes and supply chains make new devices more expensive. Platforms like Revibe are attempting to formalize a fragmented secondhand electronics market by introducing warranties, standardized grading and centralized quality checks. This model has scaled in Europe through companies like Back Market, and is now spreading in the Middle East and Africa. For investors, the round signals continued confidence in Egypt's tech ecosystem, despite currency volatility. Partech's increased activity suggests it expects long-term resilience in the region's digital consumer markets.

Read the original article on Daba Finance.