Prosus, South African billionaire Koos Bekker, backs $12.5 million round for Arabic speech startup

Prosus N.V., the internet group chaired by South African billionaire Koos Bekker, has led a $12.5 million Series A funding round in Intella, an Arabic speech intelligence startup. The round also drew backing from 500 Global, Wa’ed Ventures, Hala Ventures, Idrisi Ventures, and HearstLab.

This highlights growing demand for artificial intelligence tools built for languages and regions that have often been left out of mainstream technology development. Intella specializes in Arabic-first AI, offering enterprises transcription, analytics, and customer engagement products capable of handling more than 25 dialects across the Middle East and North Africa.

Prosus portfolio grows with Intella investment

Founded in 2021 by CEO Nour AlTaher and CTO Omar Mansour, Intella is focused on making AI work for Arabic speakers in ways that can be applied to businesses. One of its flagship products, Ziila, was rolled out with e-commerce platform Jumia to enable voice-based ordering that adapts to local dialects.

The fresh capital will go toward expanding products such as Ziila and IntellaCX, building up sales operations in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and advancing research to improve dialect recognition accuracy. AlTaher said the company has stayed close to its founding vision.

“From the start, our goal has been to bridge the gap between global AI advancements and the Arabic-speaking world. This funding helps us move faster and turn untapped data into a useful tool for businesses,” he said.

Building access through tech and inclusion

Prosus, meanwhile, continues to expand its footprint in technology that connects emerging markets to digital services.

The company, spun out of South Africa’s Naspers in 1997 and listed in Amsterdam in 2019, is now one of the world’s biggest tech investors, with holdings across fintech, e-commerce, food delivery, and education. Bekker, who owns just under 1 percent of Prosus in a stake valued at more than $960 million, remains closely involved in its strategy.

For Prosus, the Intella investment fits with a pattern of supporting companies that can scale quickly and open new access to technology. Its portfolio includes platforms such as OLX, iFood, and PayU, underscoring a consistent focus on businesses that combine growth with inclusion.