Egyptian-founded PlayAI snapped up by Meta
Egyptian-founded PlayAI, backed by 500 Global, acquired by Meta.
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Venture capital firm 500 Global has announced the acquisition of its portfolio company PlayAI, an Egyptian-founded voice intelligence start-up, by Meta.
"What started as a local problem turned into a global voice infra company – built fast by two bold Egyptian founders. Now they're joining Meta’s Superintelligence Labs. This is what global ambition looks like," commented Regina Zurutuza, a partner at 500 Global.
"We first met the PlayAI founders Mahmoud Felfel and Hammad Syed back in 2022, when they were just beginning to explore how real-time generative voice could reshape the way people interact with machines. But the idea was born earlier – frustration around regional access to content. As Egyptian founders – Mahmoud and Hammad represent something we believe deeply at 500 Global – that local challenges give birth to global solutions," 500 Global said in a statement.
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