Lucidity Insights reviewed 13 years of data from 1 January 2010 to the end of 2022, to determine how many scaleups reside in 19 MENA countries (excluding Israel). Scaleups are startups that have raised a minimum of US $1 million of startup capital since inception. In this review, we considered all scaleups that had raised at least one funding round since January 1, 2010. The MENA region tallied 749 scaleups in total.
The top 3 countries in terms of the number of scaleups that call these markets home were: #1 UAE, #2 Egypt, and #3 Saudi Arabia. As of the end of 2022, the UAE had the strongest lead with 339 scaleups calling the Emirates home. Egypt and Saudi Arabia followed with less than half of the UAE's scaleups with 140 and 132 calling these countries home.
Dubai in particular is a beacon of light for the regional tech ecosystem, being home to 40% (306) of all scaleups across the entire region, and accounting for 90% of all scaleups in the UAE.
Dubai's Venture Capital Ecosystem
There are 749 scale-ups that have raised over US $1 million in fundraising in the Middle East and North Africa region; collectively raising over US $19.5 billion, cumulatively, as of December 2022. Over 40% of these scale-ups call Dubai home.
Related Videos & Podcasts
UAE's 10 Most Funded Startups: H1 2024 Roundup
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • August 31, 2024Top 10 Most Funded Startups in MENAPT H1 2024: UAE Tops with a $1.5B Round in AI
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • August 17, 2024May 2024 MENAPT VC Funding: Proptech Startups Take Top Spots
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • June 13, 2024[Trailer] "The Perfect Pitch" Podcast by Lucidity Insights
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • May 30, 2024March & Q1 2024 MENAPT VC Funding Recap: Telegram and Salla Lead with Major Investments Amid VC Winter
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • April 01, 2024How Investors Evaluate how Investable Your Startup Is - with Nader at DFDF | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep6
By Staff Writer • March 23, 2024Great entrepreneurs are eternal optimists with a penchant for discomfort - with Khaled at Nuwa Capital | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep3
By Staff Writer • March 20, 2024Why and How the Ideal Fundraising Pitch Looks Different Depending on the Founder - with Noor at Global Ventures | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep2
By Staff Writer • March 19, 2024Fundraising Do’s and Don’ts when Pitching to Investors - with Sharif at DFDF | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep1
By Staff Writer • March 18, 2024Dubai's Dominance in MENA's Thriving Venture Capital Scene
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • August 21, 2023Did you check these out?
Global AI Unicorn Trends, 2015-2024
By Staff Writer • January 01, 2025Iliad Partners Launches $50M Tech Ventures Fund to Propel MENA Startups
By Staff Writer • December 11, 2024VC Funding Sources by Country from 2021 to 2024
By Staff Writer • November 27, 2024Agility Global Backs New Global Ventures' MEA Startup Fund, Supporting MEA Innovators
By Press Release • October 02, 2024Amplify Growth Partnership Unveils $100M Fund Targeting MENA Technology Sector
By Staff Writer • September 26, 2024Abu Dhabi Chamber Unveils Business Connect Platform to Expand Global Network
By Press Release • July 15, 2024Business in Ajman: 15% Licence Growth Signals Economic Strength
By Emirates News Agency • July 09, 2024Dubai Plans $177 Billion Investment Programme to Secure Future Economic Supremacy
By Staff Writer • July 02, 2024Top 10 Most Active Investors in MENAT
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • July 02, 2024e& UAE and Abu Dhabi Chamber Unite to Empower Local Businesses
By Staff Writer • June 30, 2024Related Contents
Articles
December 2024 - Top 5 Most Funded Startups in MENAPT
By Staff Writer • January 31, 2025Articles
October 2024 - Top 5 Most Funded Startups in MENAPT
By Staff Writer • November 21, 2024Articles
September 2024 - Top 5 Most Funded Startups in MENAPT
By Nazmia Nassereddine • October 21, 2024Infobytes
The Top 10 MEA Countries with the Most Fintech Startups
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • September 10, 2024Articles
July 2024 - Top 5 Most Funded Startups in MENAPT
By Nazmia Nassereddine • August 15, 2024Articles
The Top 10 Most Funded Startups in H1 2024 for MENAPT Countries
By Nazmia Nassereddine • July 16, 2024Infobytes
Top 10 Most Funded MENAPT Startups in H1 2024
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • July 11, 2024Articles
The Top 5 Funded Startups in MENAPT in June 2024
By Nazmia Nassereddine • July 08, 2024Infobytes
Top 10 MEA Countries in EPA (2014-2023)
By Lucidity Insights Research Team • July 02, 2024Infobytes
10 Most Funded MENA Startups (2023)
By Staff Writer • June 25, 2024