The problem
In 2009 Arab women searching for beauty, motherhood, or fashion content found almost nothing in Arabic — global titles didn’t localize and regional publishers clung to print.
How it works
Founded in Beirut by Delphine Edde and Hervé Cuviliez, Diwanee built three Arabic portals for women — Yasmina for lifestyle and beauty, 3a2ilati for mothers and family, Mooda for accessories e-commerce — with entertainment and social affiliates, run from Beirut, Dubai, and Belgrade.
Pain points
An Arabic content gap for half the population, advertisers unable to reach women online, and print media failing to make the digital leap.
Business model
Portal advertising sold against five million monthly readers, e-commerce through Mooda, and post-deal expansion into new products and a print magazine with Webedia’s backing.
Challenges
Soft Arabic display-ad pricing, competition from global platforms and social creators for women’s attention, and holding a Beirut-based newsroom together through years of national crisis.
Funding
- Paris-based Webedia acquired a majority stake in 2014 in a deal widely reported at more than $20M (terms officially undisclosed), among the biggest Arab website deals of its time, plus a further $5M to fund new products (businessnews.com.lb).
Latest — Jan 2015
On 11 January 2015 Wamda counted the Webedia–Diwanee deal among 2014’s six successful MENA exits, alongside Cookpad’s $13.5M acquisition of Shahiya — marking Arabic women’s content as one of the ecosystem’s biggest exit stories (Wamda).