Amal Dokhan

As Newlab continues to expand globally, Riyadh stands out as a key hub for innovation. Here's why: 🔵 Vision 2030’s Bold Agenda: Riyadh is at the center of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, with unmatched investments in technology and innovation, creating a thriving environment for startups. 🔵 Pro-Innovation Policies: The Kingdom is building policies from the ground up to enable rapid innovation and growth, offering a unique opportunity to shape the future of critical technologies. 🔵 World-Class Infrastructure: Riyadh’s legacy as an oil and gas hub provides startups with access to essential infrastructure for developing and deploying technologies. Our first initiative, the Newlab Mining Program, will advance mining innovation—a crucial driver for the energy transition and economic diversification. Learn more about why we chose to expand to Riyadh: https://lnkd.in/dfMUeZdr

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💡 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 📚 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 👉 https://shorturl.at/V5q2s The Saudi venture capital ecosystem has achieved remarkable growth in 2024, reinforcing its position as a leading hub for innovation in the MENA region. 📃 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 • Strengthening the Ecosystem: Saudi Arabia's VC landscape has demonstrated resilience and adaptability in the face of global economic shifts. Government-backed initiatives, such as SVC and NTDP, have created a thriving startup environment, attracting international investors. • Steady Evolution: Strategic partnerships and ambitious government initiatives continue to position Saudi Arabia as a pioneering platform for investment and innovation. Sectors such as FinTech, AI, and cybersecurity are witnessing increasing investment appetite. • Maturing Market: Corporate venture arms, successful VC-backed IPOs, and a progressive regulatory environment signal a maturing ecosystem. The Kingdom is evolving into a leading innovation hub, empowering entrepreneurs and investors alike. 📊 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 • Funding Evolution (2020-2024): In 2024, Saudi startups raised $750M across 178 deals, accounting for 31% of MENA's total venture capital. A 44% YoY decline in overall funding, driven by a drop in mega-deals, was countered by a 34% rise in non-mega deal funding. SEED and Series A funding showed strong YoY growth of 30% and 57%, respectively. • Country Comparison: Saudi Arabia retained its position as the most funded country in MENA for the second consecutive year. Despite a funding decline, Saudi startups still captured 40% of MENA’s total capital deployed in 2024. UAE remains a key competitor, with the gap in deal count narrowing from 19 to 10 deals in 2024. • Industry Breakdown: E-commerce/Retail led funding with $247M, driven by SallaApp's $130M deal. FinTech remained the most transacted industry, capturing 18% of total deals. Enterprise software, IT solutions, and logistics showed impressive YoY growth. 📈 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 • Investor Activity: International investor participation increased to 29% in 2024, up from 20% in 2023. Saudi-based investors continue to dominate, accounting for 47% of total investors. • Exit Landscape: M&A activity remained stable with seven transactions, mostly local acquisitions. Notable exits include IPOs of Rasan and NiceOne, emphasizing the Kingdom's growing potential for successful exits. • Future Outlook: The ecosystem's focus is shifting towards early-stage investments, with 85% of deals in the early-stage category. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 continues to drive digital transformation, offering vast opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs alike. Source: MAGNiTT / SVC

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Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, CEO of KBW Ventures, emphasized the importance of AI technology for monitoring real-time health for all Saudis. Speaking at the Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh, he stated that every Saudi citizen should have access to an AI-driven health dashboard that tracks metabolic markers, disease risks, and lifestyle optimization. He advocated for increased government investment in health-tech startups, comparing them to defense contractors in terms of support and funding. Prince Khaled highlighted that shifting from treating illness to preventing it would not only improve public health but also drive economic growth. AI and biotechnology could revolutionize health systems, creating a healthier, more productive population. #AIinHealth #LongevityTech #SaudiHealth #GlobalHealthspan

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Saudi startup Salasa | سلاسة has successfully closed a $30 million Series B funding round, led by Artal Capital and joined by SVC, Wa'ed Ventures, 500 Global, and the Alsulaiman Group. Founded by Abdulmajeed Alyemni and Hasan Alhazmi in 2017, Salasa specialises in e-commerce logistics, providing a comprehensive suite of services vital to streamlining online retail operations across the region. ✅ Series B funding to drive geographical expansion and technology enhancement. ✅ Investment highlights investor interest in MENA's logistics sector. ✅ Focus on scaling dark store operations for improved ultra-fast delivery. ✅ Previous Series A round in 2022 secured $8.6 million, led by Alsulaiman Group. ✅ Salasa aims to tackle regional logistics challenges under Alyemni's and Alhazmi's leadership. #LogisticsInnovation #StartupFunding #MENABusiness #Ecommerce #TechGrowth #Arageek

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Playbook Founding Member Dr. Sumaya Hashim has contributed to the launch of Bahrain’s first Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Women’s Report, spotlighting the evolving landscape of women-led enterprises in the Kingdom. 📊 Key insights from the report: 63% of women say they have the skills to start a business (vs. 58% of men). Women in Bahrain are starting businesses at higher rates than men across all stages. 59.5% of women entrepreneurs continue family business traditions — far above global averages. Women are twice as likely as men to exit a business to pursue new opportunities, while continuing to balance family life. This report positions Bahraini women as drivers of innovation, resilience, and growth in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. 🔗 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dzgwUJJp #getplaybook #BecomeAMember

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🇸🇦 KSA leads MENA VC in funding for the third H1 period in a row In H1 2025, Saudi Arabia raised $860 million in venture funding, nearly twice and five times the UAE and Egypt's funding, respectively. To give clarity on the Kingdom’s strong performance, MAGNiTT is proud to announce our H1 2025 KSA Venture Capital report, in partnership with SVC. The Kingdom’s strong momentum was driven by: 📈 A triple-digit rise in $100M+ MEGA deals (Ninja 🥷🏽 نينجا: $250M, Tabby: $160M) 🪜 A 67% YoY rise in non-MEGA deal flow 🚨 Record 114 deals, capturing 37% of all MENA activity Why this matters: 1. KSA accounted for 56% of total MENA capital in H1 2025. 2. It is now the #1 market by both funding and deal volume in MENA, with deals at par with those of the UAE. 3. Four of the top five sectors in the Kingdom, including FinTech and EdTech, saw remarkable growth in deals. 4. Investor interest is broadening, with international players rising. 🔎 Read the full Saudi VC landscape breakdown in the full report, for FREE: https://lnkd.in/dxnTzk5H #SVC #MAGNiTT #MENA #MAGNiTT

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Groq Appoints Fahad AlTurief as Vice President & Managing Director, MENA to Spearhead AI Innovation in Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Feb 5, 2025 – Groq, a global leader in AI inference, is reinforcing its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 with the appointment of Fahad AlTurief as Vice President & Managing Director, MENA. His leadership will play a pivotal role in establishing Groq regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia and accelerating the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for AI innovation. With its revolutionary Language Processing Unit (LPU™) technology, Groq is building high-performance AI infrastructure designed to serve over 4 billion people across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. This aligns directly with Saudi Arabia’s AI strategy, which prioritizes digital transformation, knowledge-based economic growth, and sovereign AI capabilities. Adam Winter, Vice President & General Manager, EMEA at Groq, emphasized the importance of this milestone: “Fahad’s appointment is a testament to our deep commitment to Saudi Arabia and its AI-first future. His leadership, coupled with our breakthrough AI inference technology, will empower the Kingdom to build sovereign AI infrastructure and lead on the global stage. We are excited to work alongside Saudi innovators to shape the next chapter of AI.” Welcome aboard, Fahad AlTurief—together, we are shaping the future of AI in Saudi Arabia. #AI #Vision2030 #SaudiAI #Groq #MENA

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Saudi-based AI startup intella, founded in 2021 by Nour Taher (CEO) and Omar Mansour (CTO), has secured $12.5 million in Series A funding, led by Prosus Ventures with participation from 500 Global, Wa'ed Ventures, HALA Ventures, Idrisi Ventures, and HearstLab. Intella builds speech-to-text, analytics, and voice AI tools supporting over 25 Arabic dialects, claiming up to 95.73% accuracy. The new capital will be used to fast-track R&D, expand its teams in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and scale its go-to-market operations across the MENA region. Source: https://shorturl.at/zg2cu #t20 #ArabicAI #Intella #SpeechTech #ProsusVentures #MENAStartups #Fintech #AIinnovation

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PoliCloud, the rapidly-growing provider and developer of next-gen, sovereign, High Performance Computing (HPC) cloud infrastructure, announces its €7.5 million seed fundraise. The #funding was led by Global Ventures, a leading VC firm in #MENA, with participation from MI8 Limited, a #HongKong multi-family office; OneRagtime, a Paris-based venture capital firm; Inria, France’s National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology; and other private investors. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dEf6dfQW PoliCloud, Global Ventures, David Gurle, Bastien Vidal, Queenie Chan, Simon Sharp, Stephanie Hospital, Bruno Sportisse #FintechNewsSaudiArabia #PoliCloud #GlobalVentures #Funding #Investment #Startupfunding #MENA #France #Europe #CloudInfrastructure #SeedRound #VCs #SaudiArabiaFintechNews

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Ahmad Farooq – AI Strategist | HealthTech Innovator | PMP-Certified Project Leader Ahmad Farooq is a seasoned AI and project management professional with over a decade of experience driving innovation across North America and the Middle East. As Founder of NeuroCogniAI (NCAI Canada), a Canadian-based startup expanding into Saudi Arabia, Ahmad is pioneering a game-changing AI-powered diagnostic solution for the early detection of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other neurodegenerative disorders—positioning the company at the forefront of the digital health revolution. A PMP-certified leader and York University (Canada) graduate, Ahmad has successfully led AI-driven projects in various sectors including robotics, predictive maintenance, quality control, automotive, retail, and PPE manufacturing. His technical expertise is complemented by a strategic mindset that bridges R&D, product innovation, and go-to-market execution. NeuroCogniAI’s AI solution is designed to enhance patient care by leveraging cutting-edge machine learning and agentic models at the intersection of healthcare and AI. This transformative platform has received positive recognition from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Research Development Innovation Authority (RDIA) and experts from King Saud University (KSU) and King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC)—many of whom visited the demonstration at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh. As part of the company’s Saudi market entry strategy, Ahmad has launched the Saudi AI Leadership Training Development Program, with a dedicated focus on women empowerment and AI capacity building, nurturing talent in the Kingdom by providing a platform which is a test bed for learning and catalyst for future innovation. Additionally, NCAI is leading initiatives such as an Alzheimer’s Awareness Drive which is a public service health message. Ahmad’s career is rooted in the belief that AI technology should serve humanity. Whether advancing diagnostics or reshaping industry operations, he combines scientific rigor with strategic foresight to deliver scalable, meaningful innovation. 📩 Connect with Ahmad Farooq to collaborate on AI innovation, digital health transformation, or capacity-building programs for Saudi Arabia’s knowledge economy. 🔗 Follow NeuroCogniAI (NCAI Canada) on LinkedIn for updates on R&D breakthroughs, healthcare partnerships, and community initiatives.

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