Saudi Arabia accounted for 40 per cent of venture capital funding in MENA region last year
Venture capital funds
Latest in Venture capital funds
Aramco
Aramco boosts venture capital group with $4bn fund
Aramco Ventures boosted by $4bn fund allocation
Magnitt
Saudi Arabia tops 2023 MENA venture capital rankings
VC funding for Saudi start-ups increased by 33 per cent last year
business funding
Why the MENA startup ecosystem is still hot
Founders need to be selective when partnering with VCs
digital banking
UAE fintech startup YAP in talks with global, ME VC funds for raising $20 million
The back-to-back fundraising rounds will take the venture’s Series A to a total of $61 million
Bold Fund for Emerging Ventures
New $100 million venture capital fund asserts UAE’s position as a global entrepreneurship hub
Here’s why the UAE’s Bold Fund for Emerging Ventures will attract global entrepreneurs to Dubai, and increase the number of startups mainly in the fintech sector
DIFC
Dubai Crown Prince launches $100 million venture capital fund to bolster startups and entrepreneurs
The venture capital fund will come into effect in June 2022 and will run for eight years, with a possible two-year extension. It is expected to provide more than 8,000 jobs for emerging talent.
2022 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Venture Report
MENA venture capital funding soars to a record $2.6bn in 2021 as fintech, e-commerce claim a third of the deals
UAE start-ups accounted for 26 percent of all deals closed across the MENA region, and 45 percent of all venture capital funding raised across the region in 2021
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s ADQ, Turkey Wealth Fund support high-growth potential firms with $300mn venture capital fund
The fund will invest in companies developing emerging technologies or improving existing technologies in significant sectors such as energy and utilities, healthcare, life sciences, food, agriculture, mobility, logistics, financial services, and education
Catalyze Saudi
Saudi Ministry of Investment, PIF-backed Jada partner to stimulate startups through Catalyze Saudi initiative
The objective of the Catalyze Saudi programme is to connect leaders from governments, innovative start-ups, institutional investors, and leading family offices to participate in highly interactive roundtable discussions, and ultimately reinforce the impact and role of the private sector in the Saudi economy
business funding
Venture capital deals climbed 267 percent in emerging venture markets in 2021: Report
Turkey and the UAE together accounted for 44 percent of all venture capital invested
corporate social responsibility
MENA start-ups can show the world there is more to unicorn status than scale-up and expansion
For the Sustainable Development Goals to yield more successful results, the collective sustainable impact of companies should go hand-in-glove with business growth
ADQ
Abu Dhabi giant ADQ develops platform for venture capital push
DisruptAD has been developed to consolidate ADQ’s venture capital efforts under a unified platform
African Free Trade Agreement
Video: Why Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey have big plans for Africa
Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter and Square, Inc, raised some eyebrows in Silicon Valley when he announced he was moving to Africa in 2020. Africa is poised to take off as the next big tech market, and both America and China have taken notice.
BECO Capital
Venture capital firm BECO Capital closes second fund at $100m
To date, the firm has made 22 investments across two funds, which have collectively raised over $1 billion in follow-on capital
accelerator programme
Funding in MENA start-ups surges 66% in 2019
A record total of 15 start-up exists took place in H1 2019, according to Magnitt report
Arabic audiobook
Entrepreneur of the Week: Sebastian Bond, Kitab Sawti
Sebastian Bond, founder of world’s largest Arabic audiobook platform