GrowthX, the venture platform founded by Snoonu Founder & CEO Hamad Al-Hajri, has invested a total of US$1 million in two early-stage startups, Hired Valley and Talebhub, bringing both companies into the Snoonu Startup Factory.
The investment brings together two startups operating in different markets but united by a common ambition: using technology to connect people with new opportunities. As part of the Snoonu Startup Factory, both founders will gain access not only to capital, but also to Snoonu’s technology infrastructure, operational expertise, mentorship and commercial networks.
Hired Valley is an AI-native hiring and career platform that has been featured by Forbes and is trusted by more than 25,000 professionals. Backed by NVIDIA Inception and Silicon Valley accelerator alumni, the platform helps professionals access global career opportunities through AI-powered tools, mentorship and structured career programmes. Hired Valley has participated in major international technology events including Web Summit Portugal and Qatar and GITEX in Germany, and its association with Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) places it within Qatar’s growing technology and innovation ecosystem.
Talebhub, founded by Mesfer Al-Marri, is building what it describes as a student economy: a digital ecosystem designed around the everyday needs and opportunities of university students. Its product suite includes Taleb ID for student identity verification, a peer-to-peer marketplace, internship and job matching, campus events and planned financial services. The platform is launching from Qatar with ambitions to expand across the GCC and wider Arab world.
Talebhub was named Best Startup at Web Summit Qatar, selected among 25 startups from more than 1,500 participants, and was also recognised as an Impact Startup at Web Summit Lisbon in November 2025.
The two companies will join the Snoonu Startup Factory, launched in April 2026 to support early-stage founders through a combination of investment, technology, infrastructure and access to Snoonu’s operational and commercial ecosystem. The Factory made its first investment of US$100,000 in Sufra AI, an AI-powered financial technology startup, and has since expanded its portfolio alongside GrowthX’s broader investment activity.
For Hired Valley, joining the Startup Factory creates opportunities to explore technology and talent integrations across Snoonu’s growing workforce and business ecosystem. For Talebhub, the partnership provides access to technology infrastructure, operational expertise and potential distribution opportunities through one of Qatar’s most widely used digital platforms.
“Capital alone does not build companies. Founders need an ecosystem; people who have built before, technology they can plug into, and a market that gives them room to grow. That is what we are building through GrowthX and the Snoonu Startup Factory.”
“Hired Valley and Talebhub represent the kind of technology-driven, globally minded companies we want to attract and support from Qatar. Our role is to give ambitious founders the capital, infrastructure and networks they need to turn their ideas into companies that can scale beyond the region.”
— Hamad Al-Hajri, Founder of GrowthX and Founder & CEO of Snoonu
The investment follows GrowthX’s earlier backing of GRO, an AI-powered financial wellness platform co-founded by Mariia Shevchenko. Together with the Startup Factory’s existing investments, the portfolio reflects Al-Hajri’s broader approach to entrepreneurship: reinvesting capital, technology and operational experience into the next generation of founders.
The model also aligns with Qatar’s broader ambitions under Qatar National Vision 2030 to strengthen economic diversification, entrepreneurship and the knowledge economy. By combining early-stage capital with access to real technology, commercial infrastructure and an established operating environment, the Snoonu Startup Factory is designed to provide founders with a practical pathway from early-stage development to market execution and scale.
“Hired Valley was born from years of experience in the career and hiring space and a gap we saw firsthand. We started small, built a community of 26,000+ talents, and helped deliver more than 1,000 successful career outcomes. Today, having GrowthX and Snoonu join us as investors marks a new chapter. We’re building from Qatar, with a global ambition – and we’re only getting started.” –
—Yerkezhan Zholdassova, Founder & CEO, Hired Valley
“I’ve always believed that innovation starts not with technology, but with identifying a real problem and finding a better way to solve it. That belief shaped Talebhub from an idea into a vision for a connected student economy. Having GrowthX come on board is a strong vote of confidence in what we are building and an important step toward accelerating that vision from Qatar to the wider region.”
— Mesfer Al-Marri, Founder of Talebhub
With Hired Valley and Talebhub joining the Startup Factory, GrowthX is expanding a portfolio built around technology, talent and real-world problem solving, while the Snoonu ecosystem continues to evolve from a technology company into a platform that also supports the creation and growth of new ventures.
The latest investments add another dimension to Qatar’s emerging startup landscape, demonstrating how locally built companies can recycle entrepreneurial success into new opportunities for founders — creating a connected ecosystem in which capital, technology, talent and market access can move together.
