Saudi AIoT Startup Rime Raises $2 Million Seed Round

Saudi AIoT startup Rime has raised more than $2 million in a seed funding round led by SEEDRA Ventures, with participation from Athlah Investment, Unity Invest Partners, and a group of angel investors.

Founded in 2024 by Mohammed Almarshidi and Arif Alotaibi, Rime develops an end-to-end platform that enables businesses to deploy autonomous AI agents across physical locations such as retail stores, branches and service centres. Using edge computing and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technologies, the platform processes data locally through connected cameras and sensors, allowing organisations to respond to events in real time without relying on remote data centres.

According to the company, its platform is currently connected to more than 6,000 cameras across 2,000 operational sites, serving major retail and service businesses throughout the GCC. Rime says the technology helps organisations improve compliance, reduce operational waste and minimise unaccounted losses by turning existing infrastructure into real-time operational intelligence.

"We are moving into a new era of Physical AI, where systems move beyond screens to interact and make decisions directly within operational environments," Mohammed Almarshidi, Co-founder of Rime, said in a statement. "Our goal is to offer a secure, user-friendly platform where we handle end-to-end infrastructure deployment and management, allowing our clients to achieve high reliability without technical overhead."

The funding follows an earlier pre-seed round also led by SEEDRA Ventures. Rime said the new capital will be used to strengthen its presence in Saudi Arabia, accelerate development of its platform and help enterprises deploy scalable AI applications, supporting the Kingdom's National Strategy for Data and AI and Vision 2030.