SAFE notes now represent a huge share of early-stage investment (roughly 90% of pre-seed deals) compared with a decade ago when instruments like convertible notes were much more common.
A SAFE lets investors back a company early, while leaving the equity discussion for later, when there’s an actual funding round or exit to put real numbers on the business. For founders, it keeps things moving and avoids locking in terms before the company has had a real chance to take shape.
In the UAE, that flexibility lines up well with how early-stage funding actually happens. Dubai’s startup scene is heavily driven by angels, and SAFEs have become a familiar way for early investors to get involved without overcomplicating the first round.
skrooge.ai followed that path in late 2025, raising $1.85 million. The funding supports a business that’s already in motion: skrooge.ai began onboarding paying clients in mid-2025 and had served 150 businesses by the end of the year, reaching $300,000 in annual recurring revenue.
The Dubai-based company is building an AI-enabled accounting and tax service for UAE small and mid-sized businesses, with a model that combines automation and dedicated accounting teams rather than a self-serve product.
As Co-CEO and CPO Anatolii Solomanin describes, “Early on, founders don’t want more but fewer decisions. That’s true for funding, and it’s true for accounting. The less mental overhead there is, the easier it is to keep momentum.”
skrooge.ai Sells a Managed Service, Not Just Software
Anatolii explains the idea behind the product simply: “The real problem isn’t access to software. It’s having someone accountable for the outcome, not just the process.”
Instead of selling a tool and leaving clients to figure out the workflow on their own, skrooge.ai operates as an ongoing accounting and tax service. Responsibility for the work sits with a dedicated accounting team that owns delivery, accuracy, and deadlines.
The Skrooge App is used to collect documents, structure data, and keep track of deadlines and open items. AI takes care of mechanical, high-volume tasks such as document intake, transaction categorisation and reconciliation, and checking whether invoices meet VAT and Corporate Tax requirements. When information is missing or a document doesn’t meet compliance criteria, the system generates clear queries for the client so issues can be resolved quickly.
From the client’s perspective, there’s no need to manage individual tasks, chase updates, or coordinate across multiple providers. The accounting function is handled end to end, with clear ownership throughout. The software reduces manual effort and keeps everything organised, while people stay accountable for the final result.
Inside skrooge.ai’s Automation of Accounting Tasks
skrooge.ai’s automation is built around three closely linked goals: saving founders time, reducing the stress that comes with accounting, and keeping it consistent.
The first is time. Invoices, receipts, and statements are captured automatically from multiple channels, including email and messaging apps. Everything lands in one place and is structured into clear, filterable tables.
The next one is stress. One of the hardest parts of accounting isn’t the work itself but not knowing where things stand. The platform shows what’s due, what’s already done, and what still needs output. Since this way things feel visible and under control, founders don’t have to chase updates or worry about missing a deadline.
The third goal is all about consistency and continuity. Once documents are received, they’re automatically turned into transactions and categorised based on the same or similar past entries to guide new decisions. As a result, accountants can focus on review and client-service rather than data entry.
Client-specific logic, such as charts of accounts, categorisation rules, and historical decisions, stays within the platform and is used to guide the decisions of AI. That way, accounting doesn’t reset when people change, and past context isn’t lost between reporting periods or handovers.
What Businesses Pay For at skrooge.ai
By combining accounting and tax work into one service and using software to reduce manual effort, skrooge.ai is typically around two times more affordable than traditional outsourced providers and up to five times less expensive than hiring a full-time in-house accountant, without narrowing the scope of work.
skrooge.ai groups monthly accounting and required tax compliance (VAT and CT registration and filings) into a single ongoing service, rather than selling each function separately. This structure avoids the piecemeal pricing common among traditional providers, where routine accounting and tax work are often split across multiple contracts or billed as extras.
The core package provides direct access to a dedicated accounting team via WhatsApp and Telegram while the Skrooge App and Zoho Books are used for document uploads and status tracking.
Additional work, such as backlog accounting, payroll-related tasks, or one-off services like tax registrations, audits, or liquidations, is handled separately when needed.
How skrooge.ai Is Expected to Develop
For skrooge.ai, the recent funding round is about strengthening the foundation it has already put in place. The team plans to invest further in tools that help turn financial records into something more useful for decision-making, from clearer budgets and forecasts to performance metrics that founders can actually work with. The aim is not to overwhelm businesses with more dashboards, but to give them a cleaner picture of where they stand and what comes next.
If banking in places like Dubai has already become faster and more predictable, the next step is making the rest of the back office feel the same. skrooge.ai is betting that accounting doesn’t need to be a constant source of time drain or stress, and that with the right mix of technology, structure, and accountability, it can quietly support growth instead of slowing it down.
