From founder formation to exits: where MENA’s venture capital journey needs to go next
RIYADH: Venture capital across the Middle East and North Africa has been trapped in a paradox: more money, more international attention and more government-backed ambition, yet still a market that looks small beside the economies it is meant to help transform.
Startups in the region raised $3.8 billion across 688 deals in 2025, a 74 percent year-on-year increase, according to MAGNiTT, while international investors accounted for 49 percent of capital deployed.
That performance was strong in isolation. It was also notable against a global market where capital was increasingly selective.
CB Insights estimated global venture funding at $469 billion in 2025, with US startups alone raising $328 billion, or 70 percent of the total. Crunchbase put global venture and growth funding at $425 billion, with US companies attracting about $274 billion, or 64 percent.
