Kingpin, a UAE-based AI-powered SaaS company transforming how brands, distributors, and wholesalers connect and do business with retailers, has raised $3.5 million in seed funding to speed up the growth of its global distribution platform.
The funding round was supported by US-based investors Infinity Ventures, Red Swan Ventures, and Mu Ventures, along with UAE-based COTU and Outliers, with additional backing from Hub71.
The new capital will help Kingpin grow its engineering and product teams, enhance its AI capabilities, and expand operations from the Middle East to markets in Europe and North America.
Kingpin was founded by Harsh Sajnani (CEO) and Guilherme Soares (COO), both third-generation industry experts with experience on the buyer and seller sides in MENA and Latin America. They saw firsthand how fragmented and inefficient global trade can be.
To solve these problems, they created Kingpin to simplify B2B sales and operations. The platform brings together people, products, pricing, and processes in one system, helping businesses handle product discovery, sales, and order fulfilment more efficiently.
“Coming from three generations across both sides of the industry, retail and distribution, we’ve been building Kingpin with a first-hand understanding of the main challenges – from new customer/supplier discovery to deciding what and how much to buy, all the way to managing orders, shipments and financing. It’s a privilege to be building in the AI era: it allows us to combine technology, deep industry expertise and relentless execution to deliver real value to our customers.” said Harsh Sajnani, co-founder & CEO of Kingpin.
“B2B retail’s been running on duct tape and Excel sheets for decades. Many have been trying to transform the industry before, but always in silos, patching one piece at a time while the system stays fragmented. Kingpin finally replaces all of that,” added Guilherme Soares, co-founder & COO.
Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Value Creation, Hub71, said, “Kingpin reflects Abu Dhabi’s ambition to advance AI-first, export-ready companies that can scale globally from the capital. By enabling intelligent B2B infrastructure with global applications, Kingpin demonstrates the impact of Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem in scaling innovative startups into commercially successful businesses. Through Hub71, we continue to empower pioneering founders who are shaping industries and enhancing Abu Dhabi’s global position as a world-class advanced technology hub.”
Kingpin works with over 300 distributors and brands across retail sectors like Beauty, Fashion, and Sports. The platform helps sales teams increase revenue by up to 20%, cut sales cycles by 85%, and save over 200 hours per month by automating complex workflows. Its AI-powered retailer discovery engine allows brands to find and connect with the right retailers around the world.
The platform’s AI agents verify prospects, access accurate contacts, and personalise outreach, enabling faster and smarter market expansion. Kingpin is also part of the Mubadala-backed Hub71 ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, gaining support from the UAE’s growing AI innovation scene and access to global markets.
Kingpin is a B2B SaaS platform designed to help brands, distributors, and wholesalers sell more efficiently and expand faster. Using AI, the platform streamlines product data, automates sales processes, and helps businesses discover new retail customers globally. Founded by Harsh Sajnani and Guilherme Soares, Kingpin is based in Dubai and also has offices in Abu Dhabi.
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