Dubai-based Popcorn AI Studio, which builds generative AI tools for film and video production, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Emirati entrepreneur and investor Mohammed Bin Bouta Alharsoosi. The company announced the round on October 18, 2026, in a statement published by Zawya.
The startup said it will use the money to develop its AI technology, expand internationally and build out its creative platform. Neither the company’s valuation nor the names of any other participants in the round were disclosed.
What the company does
Popcorn describes itself as the Arab world’s first AI-native video production platform. Rather than asking users to move between separate AI tools, it brings scripting, voiceover, visual generation, lip sync and post-production into one environment, according to the company. Filmmakers, agencies and brands use its specialized studios to develop concepts, build characters, generate scenes and produce commercial and multilingual videos.
Arabic is central to the pitch. The platform offers native Arabic lip sync and supports regional dialects, which the company says addresses a gap in the global AI video market. Its website lists 17 studios and access to generative video and image models from several developers, including Seedance and Kling, alongside Arabic dialect and Modern Standard Arabic support.
The founders
The company was founded by Egyptian entrepreneurs Shady Essam, its co-founder and chief executive, and Mohamed Hedar, its co-founder and chief product officer. Essam previously founded Dmenta and served as its managing director, leading it through its acquisition by a regional media group, the statement said. Hedar held senior marketing and growth roles at Alshaya Group and Al Tayer Group before joining Popcorn.
“Our ambition isn’t to replace filmmakers. It’s to remove the barriers between imagination and execution,” Essam said in the statement published by Zawya.
Funding and investors
Alharsoosi is a serial entrepreneur whose ventures have generated more than AED 2.5 billion, according to the company’s statement. Maram Hamam, an angel investor with 17 years of experience in venture capital and startups, is described as an early investor in Popcorn and advises the company on investment strategy, commercial development and regional expansion.
“The content market across the Middle East and North Africa is enormous, and AI is still in its earliest stages here,” Alharsoosi said in the statement. “Shady and Mohamed have the vision, the execution capability, and a product that’s already resonating.”
Traction and market
Popcorn has not published user numbers or revenue. The company says it is an official partner of the El Gouna Film Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival, and it has announced an AI filmmaking competition linked to the El Gouna festival with a $70,000 prize pool, aimed at emerging filmmakers.
Its target market spans filmmakers, independent creators, production houses, agencies and brands that need video content at scale, with an initial focus on Arabic-speaking audiences. FinTech Gate, which also reported the round on October 18, said the company aims to serve Arabic-speaking creators and businesses by pairing AI tools with an understanding of regional languages and storytelling.
What’s next
Popcorn said it plans to expand its product suite, grow its user base across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and build partnerships to bring its filmmaking tools to more creators internationally.
This series earlier profiled JustAd, the UAE-based advertising technology startup that secured $5 million from angel investor Imad Jomaa.
