Dubai-based global search engine, Meekd.com, has successfully concluded its first seed funding round, raising an undisclosed amount from prominent backers. The funding comes from Xmovies, a leading film production and distribution company based in the UAE, along with support from an angel investor.
Launched on February 1, 2019, under its parent company AlphaNumeric Inc. at Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus (Dtec), Meekd.com has distinguished itself by prioritizing real organic search results, avoiding the common practice of favoring sponsored content. The company has become a standout startup in the UAE, achieving the highest rank according to Alexa’s Global Web Ranking, handling over 200,000 daily searches.
The newly acquired funds will be allocated to upgrading Meekd.com’s IT infrastructure to fuel ongoing innovation and to attract top talent, ensuring the platform can manage its increasing user base.
What sets Meekd.com apart from major search engines like Google is its unique algorithm, which factors in user “votes” to determine the ranking of web pages. Muhannad AlDarrai, Co-founder and CEO of Meekd.com, highlighted the platform’s commitment to providing unbiased and user-driven search results.
To date, Meekd.com has processed over eight million searches, unveiling a set of new features on August 1, 2020. Among these features is “Trending News,” delivering news cards updated every 15 minutes, compiling stories from various news outlets on popular topics. For instance, a trending topic like “US elections” will feature articles from CNN, Fox News, Gulf News, and others in one consolidated news card.
Meekd.com has also introduced “Snapshot” information cards for specific topics like “UAE” and “Expo 2020,” offering users a comprehensive summary in both text and multimedia formats.
CEO AlDarrai expressed the company’s commitment to refining its video search results further, making them as relevant as possible by scraping data from platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Looking ahead, Meekd.com plans to incorporate “Weather” and “Dictionary” features in the coming months. The company’s founders, AlDarrai and Sameer Nath, initiated the project after recognizing the limitations of traditional search engines in delivering accurate regional information without bias towards paid content.
The successful funding round was preceded by nearly two years of bootstrapping the business. AlDarrai attributes the investors’ interest to Meekd.com’s impressive growth in search numbers and its unique value proposition.
With an eye on the future, Meekd.com aims to achieve 10 million daily searches, focusing on continuous innovation and user-centric features. The company acknowledges the vital role played by Dubai Chamber, particularly the Dubai Startup Hub, in supporting its journey by facilitating connections with potential investors, partners, and clients.
