Autobia raises $12 million in Series A funding led by Artal Capital
The Riyadh-based B2B platform plans to expand its logistics footprint and trade financing for repair shops across Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian B2B auto-parts platform Autobia has raised $12 million (SAR 45 million) in a Series A funding round led by Artal Capital.
Aljazira Capital and Aramco-backed Wa'ed Ventures also participated in the round, which was announced by co-founder and chief operating officer Ahmed Alawfi.
The fresh capital will be used to expand Autobia's footprint across Saudi Arabia, strengthen its fulfillment and logistics network, and advance its proprietary dynamic pricing algorithms. The business also plans to scale its working capital and trade finance offerings for merchants.
What Autobia does
Founded in 2021 by Alawfi and chief executive officer Emad Daghreri, Autobia operates a digital marketplace connecting auto-parts retailers, wholesalers and repair shops with suppliers.
The platform allows merchants to order replacement car components online, arrange delivery and retain digital records. Its catalogue covers spare parts for major car manufacturers including Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford and BMW, as well as specialised automotive suppliers such as Denso and ACDelco.
Alongside product procurement, the platform offers embedded financial services. Its "inventory-on-terms" product gives merchants credit limits based on business size, allowing them to purchase inventory on scheduled instalment plans. The company also operates Qasima Plus, which integrates licensed buy-now-pay-later providers including Tabby and Tamara to allow end-customers to pay in instalments.
"A key part of that vision is expanding access to embedded financial services, so our customers can manage working-capital constraints and grow with greater flexibility," Daghreri said in a statement.
Growth and market footprint
Autobia has expanded rapidly since launching its platform. The company reports having sold more than five million spare parts to date, serving merchants in over 100 cities across Saudi Arabia with a portfolio of more than 160 brands.
That marks a substantial jump from June 2023, when the business raised a $2.5 million seed round led by Sadu Capital. At that time, Autobia had processed around one million parts and was operating fulfillment hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah.
The business was started to address deep fragmentation and manual ordering processes in the traditional automotive aftermarket, where repair shops and retailers historically relied on paper invoicing, phone calls and local physical visits to locate spare stock.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Series A funding raised | $12 million (SAR 45 million) | Autobia co-founder Ahmed Alawfi |
| Seed funding raised (June 2023) | $2.5 million | Company statements |
| Total spare parts sold to date | Over 5 million | Autobia |
| Cities served across Saudi Arabia | 100+ | Autobia |
| Brands carried on platform | 160+ | Autobia |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Autobia | Saudi B2B auto-parts marketplace that raised $12 million. |
| Ahmed Alawfi | Co-founder and COO of Autobia. |
| Artal Capital | Investment firm that led the Series A round. |
| Emad Daghreri | Co-founder and CEO of Autobia. |
| Saudi Arabia | Country where Autobia operates. |
