Dubai-Based Social Media App ASKWHO Raises $1 Million in Funding

Dubai-based social media networking app ASKWHO has successfully raised $1 million in funding, of which $515,000 was raised in a crowdfunding campaign, bringing in 57 new investors to the startup.

Founded in 2019 by Mike Askew and Matt Gaziano, ASKWHO enables users to form new connections with like-minded individuals and join interest groups like fitness, outdoors, art, lifestyle, travel, and wellness in the city they live in.

“Meeting new people and making friends can be challenging as an adult,” Mike Askew, Co-founder and CEO at ASKWHO, tells StartupScene. “We have made it quick and efficient to move from meeting people online to meeting up in real life, and alleviated the pain points in current ‘social apps’ by providing people with that go-to solution to discover their cities and the like-minded people within them.”

According to the startup, ASKWHO has grown organically since its launch three years ago, claiming that people are more inclined to move away from entertainment platforms to build more genuine human connections.

ASKWHO’s latest funding brings the startup's total investment to $2 million, after raising a $1 million Seed round in February last year.

The new funding will be used to improve the startup’s offering and expand to the US market.

The UAE is among the most funded startup ecosystems in the region. In Q3, it raised $148 million compared to $141 million during the same period last year, according to data platform Magnitt. And in December 2022, it came in second in terms of funding after Egypt, raising $31.8 million as reported by Wamda.