EduFi takes $250,000 first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh
The Lahore student lender beat more than 2,000 companies in the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition, the first Pakistani startup to win it.
EduFi, the Lahore based study now, pay later company, has won first place and a $250,000 cash prize in the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition at LEAP 2025, the Saudi technology conference held in Riyadh from 9 to 12 February. Arab News reported on 20 February that the company came first among more than 2,000 entrants, and that founder and chief executive Aleena Nadeem received the award at the ceremony.
Pakistan Television, cited by Arab News and TechJuice, said it was the first time a Pakistani startup had won the competition. EduFi's own news page later put the field at 2,500 companies, a higher figure than the one reported at the time.
The win lands as EduFi prepares a move into the kingdom. MIT News reported in March 2025 that the company planned to expand to Saudi Arabia after proving its model further in Pakistan, where it vets borrowers with its own credit scoring, pays tuition directly to colleges and collects monthly instalments from families. Nadeem, an MIT graduate who worked at Goldman Sachs and Ventura Capital in London, was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2024.
