Popcorn AI Studio, the Dubai-based artificial intelligence platform transforming how films and video content are created, has announced $1 million in pre-seed funding, a significant milestone in its mission to reshape creative production.
The funding was led by Emirati serial entrepreneur and investor Mohammed Bin Bouta Alharsoosi. The AI-powered creative technology company is building a new generation of filmmaking tools designed to make cinematic storytelling accessible to everyone. The money will support its next phase of growth, including continued AI technology development, international expansion and the evolution of its creative platform.
Founded by Egyptian entrepreneurs Shady Essam and Mohamed Hedar, Popcorn AI Studio is challenging one of the creative industry’s longest-standing limitations: the belief that producing high-quality cinematic content requires substantial budgets, large production teams and complex technical workflows. Popcorn is building a future in which a compelling idea, rather than access to expensive production infrastructure, determines what can be brought to life.
Unlike conventional AI video generators, which require creators to navigate multiple tools, complex prompts and disconnected production workflows, Popcorn brings the creative process together within one integrated platform. Through its specialised AI studios, creators, filmmakers, agencies and brands can develop concepts, build characters, generate cinematic scenes, create commercial videos and produce multilingual content using advanced generative AI models.
A defining strength of the platform is its focus on Arabic-language content, including native Arabic lip-sync capabilities and support for regional dialects, addressing a major gap in the global AI video landscape. Built in Dubai with international ambitions, Popcorn combines advanced AI technology with a deep understanding of regional culture, language and storytelling.
Its vision extends beyond making video production faster or more affordable. The company aims to establish an entirely new creative infrastructure in which filmmakers can experiment more freely, brands can produce content at scale and emerging storytellers can bring ambitious ideas to the screen.
Popcorn’s growth comes at a time when artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the economics of the global creative industry. What once required weeks of planning, expensive equipment, physical locations and large production crews can increasingly be developed through AI-powered creative workflows. Yet the company’s founders believe the greatest opportunity lies not simply in automation, but in creative empowerment.
“Technology has always changed how stories are told. Cinema evolved from silent films to sound, from film reels to digital cameras, and now we’re entering the next chapter with artificial intelligence,” said Shady Essam, co-founder and chief executive of Popcorn AI Studio.
“Our ambition isn’t to replace filmmakers. It’s to remove the barriers between imagination and execution. We want to make it possible for anyone with a powerful story to create something extraordinary, regardless of their budget, location or technical background.”
The company’s momentum has also extended into the filmmaking community. Popcorn has announced an AI filmmaking competition, connected to the El Gouna Film Festival, with a $70,000 prize pool. The initiative reflects its commitment to supporting emerging filmmakers and accelerating the adoption of AI-powered storytelling across the region.
For Alharsoosi, the investment reflects a conviction that the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is positioned to lead the next chapter of AI-driven content creation, and that Popcorn has the team and the technology to make that happen.
“Popcorn AI Studio represents exactly the kind of bold, regionally rooted technology I look for. The content market across the Middle East and North Africa is enormous, and AI is still in its earliest stages here. Shady and Mohamed have the vision, the execution capability and a product that’s already resonating. I am proud to back them at this stage,” said Alharsoosi.
With the funding in place, Popcorn AI Studio is focused on expanding its product suite, scaling its user base across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and building the partnerships that will bring AI-powered filmmaking to a new generation of creators worldwide.
About Mohammed Bin Bouta Alharsoosi
Alharsoosi is an accomplished Emirati serial entrepreneur and investor with a decade-long track record of founding, building and scaling technology businesses across the Middle East. His ventures have collectively generated more than AED2.5 billion. Recognised as Cyber Emirati of the Year 2025 and recipient of the Business Entrepreneur Excellence Award from the UAE government, he brings extensive expertise in strategic investments, business development and regional expansion, with a strong focus on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
About Popcorn AI Studio
Popcorn AI Studio (PopcornStudio.ai) is the Arab world’s first AI-native video production platform. It offers creators, brands and studios a comprehensive suite of AI-powered production tools covering the full content lifecycle, from scripting and voiceover to visual generation, lip-sync and post-production. Built with a deep focus on Arabic language, dialect and cultural authenticity, Popcorn enables professional-grade video production at a fraction of the traditional cost and time. The company is an official partner of the El Gouna Film Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival.
About Shady Essam, co-founder and CEO, Popcorn AI Studio
Essam is an Egyptian entrepreneur and technology leader with more than a decade of experience in digital media, advertising and creative technology. Previously the founder and managing director of Dmenta, he built and led the company through its acquisition by a leading regional media group. Today, as co-founder and CEO of Popcorn AI Studio, he is pioneering a new era of AI-powered filmmaking, making cinematic-quality video creation accessible to creators, filmmakers and brands worldwide. His vision is to bridge the gap between human creativity and artificial intelligence, empowering a new generation of storytellers.
About Mohamed Hedar, co-founder and chief product officer, Popcorn AI Studio
Hedar brings extensive experience from some of the region’s leading retail and e-commerce organisations. Before Popcorn, he held senior marketing and growth roles at Alshaya Group and Al Tayer Group, where he contributed to the growth of international retail brands across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). His expertise in customer acquisition, performance marketing, omnichannel commerce and retail transformation plays a key role in shaping Popcorn’s commercial vision and product direction.
About Maram Hamam, angel investor and adviser, Popcorn AI Studio
Hamam is an angel investor and strategic adviser with 17 years of experience at the intersection of venture capital and high-growth startups. She has worked on both sides of the table: alongside investment funds backing early-stage companies, and with founders steering them through fundraising, growth and commercial scale-up. The startups she has worked with have raised more than $120 million in combined funding. An early investor in Popcorn AI Studio, she advises the company on investment strategy, commercial development and regional expansion, with a particular focus on growth across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
