Saudi Startup Ecosystem Map
The Saudi startup ecosystem has grown from a handful of players in 2016 to one of the most dynamic in the MENA region. Fuelled by Vision 2030, sovereign fund capital, and a wave of regulatory reform, the Kingdom now hosts 50+ active VCs, government-backed accelerators, a SAR 2.8B+ VC commitment from SVC alone, and world-class events like LEAP that attract 170,000+ attendees. This page is a living directory of every major entity in the ecosystem — VCs, accelerators, government bodies, funding programs, co-working hubs, conferences, and universities. Bookmark it, share it, and email us to get your organisation listed.
A. Venture Capital Firms
| Name | Focus | Typical Check Size | Notable Investments | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STV | Tech, fintech | $1–50M | Careem, Unifonic | stv.vc |
| Raed Ventures | Early-stage | $500K–5M | Foodics, Sary | raed.vc |
| Impact46 | Tech, fintech | $1–10M | Tamara, Lean | impact46.com |
| Vision Ventures | Multi-sector | $1–10M | — | visionventures.com |
| SVC (Saudi Venture Capital) | Fund of funds | — | 50+ funds | svc.com.sa |
| Wa'ed (Aramco) | Multi-sector | $100K–3M | — | waed.net |
| 500 Global MENA | Early-stage | $50K–500K | — | 500.co |
| Shorooq Partners | Tech | $500K–5M | — | shorooqpartners.com |
B. Accelerators & Incubators
| Name | Program | Duration | Equity | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat6Labs Riyadh | Accelerator | 4 months | 5–10% | Early-stage |
| KAUST Innovation | Incubator | Ongoing | Varies | Deep tech |
| Badir (KACST) | Accelerator | 6 months | 0% | Tech startups |
| Endeavor Saudi | Scale-up | Ongoing | 0% | Growth stage |
| Monsha'at programs | Various | Various | 0% | All SMEs |
C. Government Bodies
| Name (EN) | Name (AR) | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Monsha'at | منشآت | SME development authority |
| MCIT | وزارة الاتصالات | Tech sector regulator |
| MISA / Invest Saudi | الهيئة العامة للاستثمار | Foreign investment authority |
| SIDF | صندوق التنمية الصناعية | Industrial development loans |
| SAMA | البنك المركزي السعودي | Fintech sandbox |
| CITC | هيئة الاتصالات | Tech & telecom regulator |
D. Funding Programs
| Program | Type | Amount | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kafalah | Loan guarantee | Up to SAR 2M | SMEs with CR |
| SIDF loans | Industrial loan | Up to 75% of project | Manufacturers |
| SVC fund-of-funds | VC funding | Via 50+ funds | Startups |
| Jada | Fund-of-funds | Via 35+ funds | Growth-stage |
| Monsha'at grants | Grants | Various | SMEs |
E. Co-working Spaces & Hubs
| Name | City | Notable feature |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh Front | Riyadh | Largest startup hub |
| KAUST Innovation Cluster | Thuwal | Deep tech focus |
| Flat6Labs space | Riyadh | Co-working + accelerator |
| The Garage | Riyadh | Community events |
| In5 | Dubai | UAE alternative |
F. Events & Conferences
| Event | When | Focus | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEAP | February | Tech | 170K+ attendees |
| Biban | March | SMEs | 100K+ attendees |
| GITEX | October | Tech (Dubai) | Global |
| Arabnet | Various | Digital | Regional |
| 24 Fintech | November | Fintech | Sector |
G. Universities with Entrepreneurship Programs
| University | Program | City |
|---|---|---|
| KAUST | Entrepreneurship Center | Thuwal |
| KFUPM | Innovation & Entrepreneurship | Dhahran |
| KSU | Innovation Center | Riyadh |
| Effat University | Entrepreneurship program | Jeddah |
Add Your Organisation
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