Middle East and North Africa startups raise $850 million in the first quarter of 2026
The venture investment ecosystem in the Middle East and North Africa region recorded 83 venture investment deals during the first quarter of 2026, with a disclosed value of approximately $850 million, in addition to 13 full and partial acquisition deals and three debt financing transactions exceeding $72 million.
In This Article:
- The UAE accounted for 69% of funding, while Saudi Arabia accounted for 34% of deals.
Sector distribution by number of deals
- Financial technology: 16 deals (~$376 million, 44% of funding)
- Artificial intelligence: 14 deals (~$89 million)
- Real estate technology: 8 deals (~$228 million, supported by the Property Finder deal of $170 million)
- Emerging sectors: Agricultural technology, cybersecurity, legal technology, and others have begun to emerge.
Top 5 deals in the first quarter
- Mal (UAE) – Financial technology – $230 million
- Property Finder (UAE) – Real estate technology – $170 million
- Breadfast (Egypt) – E-commerce – $50 million
- Origen (UAE) – Artificial intelligence – $50 million
- Stake (UAE) – Real estate technology – $31 million
Features of the Saudi market
- 28 deals with total funding of ~$125 million.
- 75% of the funding value in Saudi Arabia is directed toward financial technology.
- Early-stage rounds (Pre-Seed/Seed) represent 57% of the deals.
