Saudi Arabia’s venture capital market has transitioned from government-pushed to market-pulled growth, becoming the second-most active emerging venture market (EVM) globally behind only Singapore. The Kingdom secured USD 1.72 bn across 257 transactions last year — a 145% y-o-y increase in value, according to Magnitt’s Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Report.

For the first time, Saudi Arabia overtook the UAE as MENA’s most active VC market by transaction count.

What changed? The “equity gap” in the middle of the funnel is closing. The Kingdom saw a fivefold y-o-y increase in series B funding (USD 448 mn), signaling that investors are no longer just betting on ideas, but are scaling companies to maturity. This has created a massive international pull: Foreign investor participation hit a record 34% in 2025, a 65% annual jump.

More international investors and record exits signal market evolution

Early-stage rounds continued to dominate VC activity in Saudi, rising 50% y-o-y to account for a record 87% of all transactions in 2025. Pre-seed funding reached a record USD 56 mn, up 78% y-o-y, across 82 transactions, while series A activity hit a new high with 16 transactions raising USD 201 mn, a 41% annual increase.

The year’s largest disclosed transactions included Ninja (USD 254 mn), Tabby (USD 160mn), and Hala (USD 157 mn).

The local market’s signs of maturity go beyond record funding: The market maturity is driven by global growth investor interest, a rise in local participation, and an expanding track record of IPOs and secondary exits, Khwarizmi Ventures’ Managing Partner Abdulaziz Alturki said. The performance goes beyond the record capital deployment, with growth spreading across funding stages, international investor participation deepening, and early indications of a more complete venture cycle emerging, Magnitt’s CEO Philip Bahoshy said, according to a separate press release (pdf).

Exit activity stepped into a new high to usher in greater maturity, with Saudi Arabia recording 10 M&A transactions in 2025. Six of the acquisitions were led by Saudi-based buyers, while the remainder were driven by regional investors from Egypt and the UAE. Saudi Arabia’s VC market is pivoting more toward M&A amid an emergence of scale-ups, fueling exits and recycling talent and innovation, venture capitalist Ahmed Thukair has previously told us.

Investor base broadens as international capital deepens: The number of investors backing Saudi startups rose 38% y-o-y to a record 194 in 2025, driven by higher international investor participation. This international participation expanded across the entire funding cycle, rising 30% y-o-y at the early stage. At Series B, the investor base increased from eight to 40 participants, with international backers doubling to eight while Saudi and wider MENA-based investors saw an eightfold increase to 32.

Megarounds return, led by a fintech and e-commerce dominance

Growth was broad-based across the VC pipeline in 2025, with non-mega funding rising 101% y-o-y to a record USD 1.15 bn, highlighting sustained momentum at the early- and mid- stages. This was complemented by a sharp rebound in mega transactions of USD 100 mn and above, where funding jumped 339% y-o-y, signaling deeper liquidity and improving capital availability across both early-stage and growth-stage segments.

The sector breakdown: Fintech was king, securing USD 506 mn (up 172% y-o-y), accounting for 29% of all capital. Retail and e-commerce followed with USD 392 mn across 25 transactions, while gaming and logistics were more on the fringe, although they are emerging as the “second tier” of the VC economy.

What’s next?

Saudi Arabia is expected to remain the Middle East’s most structurally supported VC market in 2026, with funding volumes rising alongside sustained transactional activity, Magnitt Research Department Manager Farah El Nahlawi has previously told us. The Kingdom is also likely to continue attracting large Series A and growth rounds, with international investors maintaining a record share of both participation and deployed capital.

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