An Egypt-born real estate startup is making a bold move into one of the world’s hottest property markets. Byit has officially set up operations in the UAE, bringing a fresh suite of AI-powered tools built to help brokers close cross-border deals faster and smarter. And with a booming UAE property market at its back, the timing could not be sharper.
A Cairo Startup Takes on the Gulf
Byit was founded in Cairo in 2022 by Antoine Azer with one clear goal: fix a broken system. He saw an industry that routinely handed brokers the hardest work while keeping the biggest rewards for itself.
“I founded Byit in Cairo in 2022 after realizing that the industry was built to extract value from agents rather than support them,” Azer said. “Agents were expected to generate demand, manage clients, and close deals, while carrying most of the risk and receiving the smallest share.”
That frustration became the foundation of an entirely different model. Rather than building another listings portal, Byit built a platform that puts the broker first. The company refined its approach in Egypt before making the jump to the UAE, where the stakes, and the opportunities, are far bigger.
What Byit Is Actually Bringing to the UAE
The UAE expansion is not just a flag in the ground. Byit has formally set up Byit Ventures as a new entity in the country, specifically designed to connect Egyptian real estate supply with international investor demand, with GCC-based buyers as the primary focus.
At the heart of the launch is a new set of AI tools built for brokers on the ground. Here is what the platform now offers:
- AI-powered property matching using data-driven recommendations to connect clients with the right listings faster
- Real-time market analysis giving brokers live data to support buying decisions
- Client lifecycle management to track leads and manage relationships through the full sales journey
- Performance optimisation tools that help brokers identify where to focus their time and energy
Nader Jimmy, Chief Revenue Officer at Byit, laid out the bigger picture plainly. “By connecting brokers with international buyers and equipping them with advanced AI tools, we are driving higher transaction volumes and unlocking new growth opportunities for the market,” he said.
The tools are not just about speed. They are designed to bring structure and reliability to a process that, across the Middle East, has long been fragmented and opaque.
The Model That’s Winning Brokers Over
What truly separates Byit from the competition is how it treats its broker network. Most traditional brokerages take the lion’s share of commissions and leave agents with little support and slim margins. Byit flips that entirely.
The platform offers freelance brokers up to 90% of developers’ commissions, while removing the usual burdens of office rent, developer contracts, and operational overhead. That combination has clearly resonated.
| Byit by the Numbers | Scale |
|---|---|
| Freelance Brokers on Platform | 40,000+ |
| Developer Partners | 450+ |
| Mapped Projects | 1,000+ |
| Funding Raised | $1.1 million (late 2025) |
| Max Commission Offered to Agents | Up to 90% of developer commission |
Those numbers reflect real traction, not just ambition. The company has quietly built one of the largest independent broker networks in the region, and the UAE launch is designed to give that network a direct line to international buyers who are pouring money into Gulf real estate right now.
Fuel Behind the Expansion: The $1.1 Million Round
The UAE push comes directly off the back of a $1.1 million strategic funding round completed in late 2025. A15, the Cairo-based venture capital firm, and Beltone Holding, the Cairo-based financial services group, both backed the raise alongside a group of angel investors.
That backing from two of Egypt’s most respected institutional investors was a signal to the wider market. It confirmed that Byit’s agent-first approach was not just a nice idea but a model worth serious capital.
“This investment confirms that the market is ready for a fundamentally different kind of brokerage model, one that prioritizes transparency, accountability, and real value for both agents and developers,” Azer said.
The funding is being used to strengthen UAE operations, fast-track entry into Saudi Arabia, and grow Byit’s developer ecosystem across the broader Middle East. Saudi Arabia is the company’s next major target, with plans to deepen its Gulf footprint well beyond what the initial round of expansion covered.
Why the UAE Market Makes Perfect Sense Right Now
The backdrop for Byit’s arrival could hardly be more favorable. The UAE real estate market has entered a period of extraordinary momentum, and international money is driving a huge part of it.
Dubai alone recorded total real estate transaction value of Dh252 billion in Q1 2026, a 31% jump year-on-year. Non-UAE buyers invested Dh148.35 billion in Dubai property during that same quarter, up 26% compared to the year before. Buyers from 113 different nationalities participated in the UAE market during the first quarter of 2026.
This is exactly the environment a platform like Byit is built for. Thousands of GCC-based investors are actively looking for Egyptian real estate, and thousands of Egyptian brokers have supply to match. The gap in the middle has always been a credible, tech-powered bridge. That is precisely what Byit Ventures is designed to be.
The wider UAE PropTech market tells the same story. The sector was valued at around $677 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $1.62 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of over 13%. Government initiatives, smart city programs, and rising demand from international investors are all pulling in the same direction.
Antoine Azer put it simply: “Our expansion into the UAE marks a key milestone in Byit’s regional journey. We are building more than just a platform. We are enabling brokers to operate across borders with greater efficiency, transparency, and access to international demand.”
Byit’s story is one that real estate brokers across the Middle East will want to watch closely. A startup that started by solving one agent’s frustration in Cairo has grown into a platform that is now reshaping how property deals get done across borders. With AI tools in hand, fresh capital deployed, and one of the world’s busiest property markets now in its sights, Byit is not asking for a seat at the table. It is building its own. What do you think about AI-powered tools transforming the future of real estate brokerage across the Gulf? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
