Artificial intelligence is reshaping online shopping, making it more efficient and personalised. From recommending products to negotiating deals and managing customer service, AI-powered assistants streamline e-commerce operations. Retailers and small businesses leverage AI to enhance search capabilities, optimise supply chains, and simplify checkout processes.
If AI companies and their investors succeed, online shopping may soon revolve around conversational assistants, with automation handling everything behind the scenes.
Dubai-based startup Qeen.ai is leading this transformation in the Middle East and beyond. The company has raised US$10 million in seed funding to scale its platform, which provides autonomous AI agents for e-commerce businesses.
Qeen.aiโs vision for AI-powered commerce
Qeen.ai (stylised as qeen.ai) aims to revolutionise online retail by developing AI-powered marketing agents that support e-commerce merchants. These intelligent agents handle content creation, marketing, and conversational sales, allowing small and mid-sized businesses to compete without relying on expensive agencies or extensive advertising expertise.
The startup was founded by Morteza Ibrahimi (CEO), Ahmad Khwlieh (CTO), and Dina Alsamhan (CBO), all of whom have backgrounds in AI from Google and DeepMind. Their extensive experience in Google Ads and search engine optimisation (SEO) has enabled them to create AI tools that help businesses grow without overly dependent on paid advertising.
Prosus Ventures, a major e-commerce investor, led the funding round, which was one of the largest AI investments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Additional investors include Wamda Capital, 10X Founders Fund, and Dara Holdings. Qeen.aiโs backers believe the company is well-positioned to reshape online marketplaces with AI-driven automation.
AI-driven growth and future expansion
The global e-commerce market is growing rapidly, fuelled by digital payments, changing consumer behaviour, and improved logistics. In the MENA region alone, the market is projected to reach US$50 billion by 2025, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the expansion.
Qeen.ai is capitalising on this growth with its proprietary AI technology, RL-UI, which continuously learns from consumer interactions. This allows businesses to refine their marketing strategies quickly, leading to better results. A key feature of its platform is dynamic text personalisation, which adapts content based on user behaviour and device type. For example, an iPhone user may see bullet-pointed product descriptions for quick reading, while a laptop user receives a detailed paragraph.
Since launching its Dynamic Content agent in Q2 2024, Qeen.ai has served over 15 million users, generated 1 million SKU descriptions, and helped merchants boost sales by 30%. One client reported a 40% increase in search volume and an improvement in Google rankings from position 22 to 18 after integrating Qeen.aiโs automation tools.
The company operates on a subscription-based pricing model, with monthly content automation priced between US$0.10 and US$0.20 per active SKU. Its AI marketing agent is billed based on interaction volume.
While many AI-powered sales tools struggle with customer retention, Qeen.ai claims to integrate deeply into merchantsโ daily operations, making its technology an essential rather than an optional tool. Notable clients include Dubai Store, 6th Street, and Jumia, though the company has not disclosed its total user base or revenue figures.
Building a competitive edge in AI
Qeen.ai is distinguishing itself from competitors by focusing on the Middle East, a region underserved by AI-driven marketing automation tools. While similar startups in the US and Europe focus on established markets, Qeen.ai prioritises small and mid-sized businesses across MENA before expanding globally.
The startup also benefits from deep AI expertise. Two of its co-founders hold Ph. D.s in AI, and Ibrahimi previously led a DeepMind research team working on self-learning AI agentsโthe same technology now powering Qeen.aiโs platform.
โOne of the most exciting things weโve seen is the quality of AI talent here,โ Ibrahimi said. โWeโve attracted great minds locally and internationallyโpeople have left the Bay Area, Europe, and the UK to come here and build with us.โ
Qeen.ai currently employs over 25 people across the UAE and Jordan. With its fresh US$10 million seed funding, the company plans to expand its AI platform, grow its team, and attract more customers, solidifying its role as a leader in AI-driven e-commerce.
