The Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA’s) startup industry is flourishing like never before. Only last year, it secured a $650 million investment in about 270 deals.
The investment landscape in the MENA region is fairly inconsistent as the UAE, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia enjoy nearly the entire share of growth capital. While Egypt is doing well in early-stage investments, it lacks growth capital. Contrariwise, Kuwait is lacking in early investment but shows positive growth stage funding.
The UAE together with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Egypt accounted for over 70% of investment in digital start-ups last year. The launch of several startups in the MENA region proves that many new entrants are capitalizing on investment opportunities.