Egyptian entertainment startup Minly buys Oulo, Dubai-based celebrity shoutout platform

Minly, an Egyptian media and entertainment startup, has announced the acquisition of Oulo, a Dubai-based celebrity shoutout platform focusing on the Levant region, as part of its MENA expansion.

Minly, which was co-founded last year by Mohamed El-Shinnawy, Tarek Hosny, Bassel El-Toukhy, Tarek ElGanainy, and Ahmed Abass, allows users to purchase personalised video messages and shoutouts from their favorite celebrities.

The platform, which is available on Android, iOS, and the web, has seen rapid organic growth, with over 130,000 registered users and over 1,000 celebrities.

In June, 4DX Ventures, B&Y Venture Partners, and Global Ventures co-led a US$3.6 million seed funding round for the startup, which is now pursuing its expansion plans with the acquisition of Oulo. Minly stated that the transaction solidified its position as the region’s leading creator economy platform and would accelerate its growth trajectory and customer reach.

The merged company will operate under the Minly brand and will offer its combined experience offerings throughout the region. As part of the transaction, Oulo’s founder and CEO, Kamal Nazha, will join Minly as chief commercial officer (CCO).

“We are delighted to join forces with Kamal and the Oulo team. Consumers want authentic access to celebrities more than ever before, whilst stars need platforms to connect personally with their fan base. These market dynamics are very powerful, and scale is a competitive differentiator,” said Mohamed El-Shinnawy, co-founder and CEO of Minly.

“Minly and Oulo share a common passion for creating authentic enjoyable moments by connecting creators with their fans in novel ways, so we’re very excited about our future together in this rapidly expanding market.”

Nazha, the founder of Oulo, said he believed in the old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

“I’ve always admired and respected Minly’s vision and execution,” he said. “I’m naturally very excited to join Shinnawy and the entire Minly team on this journey.”

“With top-tier technology, investors, and team members, Minly is very well positioned to develop and dominate the creator economy market in the region and beyond, and I am very motivated to see this happen.”