“The rain begins with a single drop.”
Famous Arabic Saying
Does anybody need startup accelerators or incubators to run a business in Saudi Arabia? Not at all. You only need a market-disruptive idea and a strong reason for your entrepreneurship to exist. Yet, accelerators and incubators can support you through the process of growing your business fast.
There is a big difference between going through the hardships of working alone on a project and having a community that backs you up with tools, how-to knowledge, experience, encouragement, and even trusting in your idea to the point of funding it. In the end, that’s what accelerators and incubators are for.
Accelerators and incubators in Saudi Arabia
Accelerators and incubators are here to support entrepreneurs in their process of bringing their vision to reality. Given that impressive ideas are coming from the community of entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia, accelerators and incubators have also made their way into the Kingdom, mainly in Riyadh and Jeddah.
Have a look at the most famous ones:
Business Incubators and Accelerators Company (BIAC)
BIAC has a strong determination to enable innovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They expect to achieve that goal by building, operating, supporting, and developing a scenario where entrepreneurs can work on their innovative ideas.
They have extensive experience in the field after operating and managing more than 10 business incubators and accelerators. They have also made it possible for over 700 beneficiary technological startups to come to be a reality.
Key information:
- Founder: Taqnia
- Founded: 2016
- City: Riyadh
- Industry: Tech
- Type: Accelerator / Incubator
- Program information: BIAC Projects
- Email: info@biac.com.sa
- Phone: +966 1 18296333
Blossom
Blossom is an outstanding accelerator focused on empowering women entrepreneurs. Their lead is on creating an innovative and inclusive ecosystem that works for everyone. Indeed, one of the main requirements to participate in its accelerator programs is having a woman owning equity or being a partner within the company.
Their main goal is to reduce the investment gap happening in the early-stage business investment environment. To do so, they use their accelerator programs to support women-led entrepreneurship and connect them with promising investors. So far, they have helped around 49 companies to find funds and have reached over 9M curated investments.
Key information:
- Founder: Eman Shakoor
- Founded: 2017
- City: Jeddah
- Industry: Tech / Non-Tech
- Type: Accelerator
- Program information: Blossom Pre-Accelerator Program
- Email: info@blossom.sa
- Phone: +966 5 58091947
Falak Business Hub
Falak Business Hub is a workplace created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. They understand that most of the time, people run a startup to make an idea become true and impact their surroundings and change the world.
To those passionate entrepreneurs, they offer many services and tools to support them through their journey. In general, these are:
- Usual accelerator programs
- Co-work space usage
- Angel groups access
- Venture capital firms networking
Indeed, they even organize pitch sessions where you get a chance to show and explain your project for a chance to get funded.
Key information:
- Founder: Adwa Aldakheel
- Founded: 2018
- City: Riyadh
- Industry: Tech
- Type: Accelerator / Incubator
- Program information: Falak Flagship Program
- Email: you@falak.sa
- Phone: +966 9 20005610
Flat6Labs
With the slogan “accelerating the future”, Flat6Labs stands out for its constant support of startups in the MENA region. They have several offices in the region, including Saudi Arabia, specifically in Jeddah.
Over the years, they have accumulated enough experience in leveraging entrepreneurs with technology-driven ideas. Every year, they invest in more than 100 market-disruptive ideas and gear them with key tools to accelerate their growth.
The support entrepreneurs find here can come in many forms, such as:
- Mentorship and coaching
- Guidance on how to create a business pitch
- Access to several business events, panels, and startup activities
- Building up your network
- Funding opportunities
- Office space usage
Key information:
- Founder: Ahmed El Alfi
- Founded: 2011
- City: Jeddah
- Industry: FinTech
- Type: Accelerator
- Program information: Accelerator Programs
- Email: info@flat6labs.com
- Phone: +966 2 0235685840
Middle East Investor Partner (MEVP)
In terms of helping entrepreneurs scale exceptional companies, they are not picky. They have supported startups from a wide range of industries like marketplaces, news media, mobility, SaaS, IoT, E-education, E-health, and many others.
They are convinced that technology-driven startups can bring new solutions to the MENA region, and that couldn’t be any different for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since 2010, they have been offering funds to strengthen the MENA entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Key information:
- Founder: Walid Hanna
- Founded: 2010
- City: Riyadh
- Industry: Tech
- Type: Incubator
- Program information: MEVP | Funds
- Contact: Email form
- Phone: +966 5 39504181
Nomow Business Incubator
Just like they state in their company’s name, their focus is on offering services to entrepreneurs and startups to incubate their businesses. These services go from funding to networking and exposure. The list goes like this:
- Funding
- Seed funding
- Follow-up funding
- Mentorship
- Coaching
- Weekly dinner
- 1-1 sessions
- Training
- Bootcamp
- Partners training
- Industry experts
- Academic training
- Legal support
- Legal advice
- Company registration
- Office space
- Workspace
- Incubation space
- Networking and exposure
- Demo day
- Media & PR coverage
- Startup events
- Business networking
Key information:
- Founder: –
- Founded: –
- City: Riyadh
- Industry: Tech / Non-Tech
- Type: Incubator
- Program information: Nomow Business Incubator Offering
- Email: info@nomow.ventures
- Contact: CEO Amr Rowaihi LinkedIn
Riyadh Valley Company
King Saud University promotes innovation and solutions to local problems through technology. The Riyadh Valley Company is its medium to do such a thing. By using venture capital investments, they support startups working on:
- Biotechnology and care
- Internet and communications
- Sustainable resources
- Financial technology
- Logistics and transportation
- Education
They aim to be the regional leader in knowledge-based investment and technology. That’s why they invest in a growth-stage business, to support economic development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Key information:
- Founder: King Saud University
- Founded: 2010
- City: Riyadh
- Industry: Tech / Non-Tech
- Type: Incubator
- Program information: Investments
- Email: info@rvc.com.sa
- Phone: +966 1 14693219
Sure
Sure Global Tech is a very versatile company that focuses on business solutions such as software development, infrastructure services, and information security. They also put their hands on the FinTech industry by offering e-payment services and products. Apart from that, they incubate promising startups too.
This aspect of the company builds a win-win situation both for startups and the company’s long-term goals. While entrepreneurs can find a partner who funds their project, Sure can expand and open new markets.
Key information:
- Founder: Basem Alsallom
- Founded: 2004
- City: Riyadh
- Industry: FinTech
- Type: Incubator
- Program information: Sure Global Tech
- Contact: Email form
- Phone: +966 1 12050043
Taqadam
Since its foundation, Taqadam has been supporting startups with essential tools to build, launch and scale them. They cover everything an entrepreneur needs to start a business. Their offerings include:
- Mentorship to get guidance from a diverse pool of expert mentors.
- Workshops for product development, pitching, marketing, panels, and more.
- Non-diluting fundings.
- A community of entrepreneurs, mentors, and industry experts.
The whole process happens over a year, starting in the second trimester of each year with the applications. Chosen startups will start a boot camp in the third trimester to participate in the accelerator program. Once finished, the participants will showcase the results during the first trimester of the next year.
Key information:
- Founder: Abdulrahman Jahhaf
- Founded: 2016
- City: Thuwal
- Industry: IT
- Type: Accelerator
- Program information: Taqadam Accelerator
- Email: taqadam@kaust.edu.sa
- Contact: Twitter
Wadi Makkah Venture
The Umm al-Qura University is behind the Wadi Makkah Venture focused on incubating and accelerating business using Hajj and Umrah techniques.
They mainly offer:
- Investment in startup companies.
- Establishment and operation of incubators and accelerators.
- Training, software development, and management of modeling laboratories.
- Information systems and technology services.
- Organization of events, conferences, and exhibitions.
Key information:
- Founder: Umm al-Qura University
- Founded: 2017
- City: Makkah
- Industry: Tech / Non-Tech
- Type: Accelerator / Incubator
- Program information: Programs for Startups
- Email: info@wmvc.sa
- Phone: +966 1 25970033
Conclusion
Comparing the current entrepreneurial environment with a decade ago can inform us that interest in startups has increased. That boom created the need to have a common place to share the do’s and don’t’s.
For anyone embracing progress and technology, the existence of these incubators and accelerators only means good news. There are still a lot of things to do, yet keep this trend going on, and we will see even more technological developments around us.
If you are eager to be part of this trend and don’t know where to start, you can always claim a free consultation with us for any startup and business growth-related topics. We will make sure to address your questions and doubts. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
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