• International and Saudi investors traveled to AlUla and Riyadh for a three-day event exploring investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
  • Government support and reforms are helping Saudi youth unlock entrepreneurship opportunities across emerging sectors.
  • International participants in Catalyze Saudi included former Manchester United footballer and England captain Rio Ferdinand, who discussed what the FIFA World Cup in Qatar meant for the region’s sports sector.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Entrepreneurs and global investors visited AlUla and Riyadh for a three-day event organized by the Ministry of Investment’s (MISA’s) startup accelerator Catalyze Saudi to explore venture capital and private equity opportunities in the Kingdom’ entrepreneurship ecosystem.

International participants included Eldridge, owners of the Chelsea Football Club, Dodgers and Lakers; New Theory Ventures; Fireside, an interactive Web3 streaming platform; actor and designer Fai Khadra; music producer Fernando Garibay; Nike’s RTFKT CTO Samuel Cardillo; Groot Hospitality’s David Grutman; and celebrity chef Todd English.

The program started with a tour of AlUla, one of Saudi Arabia’s top tourism destinations and home to Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, organized by the Royal Commission of AlUla and AlUla Development Company.

The Riyadh portion of the event kicked off in the Jax District with David Grutman and Rio Ferdinand discussing Saudi Arabia’s transformation and what the World Cup in Qatar meant for the wider region’s sports and hospitality sectors. Guests were hosted for lunch in Ahmed Mater’s studio and participated in roundtable discussions at Wasm Studio to discuss the future of entertainment, Web 3.0 and tourism. The program closed with a tour in Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state.

Roundtable conversations centered on trends and investment opportunities in creative industries and featured fruitful conversations between international investors and Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs. Topics included the effect of technology and increased digitization on consumers, the role of blockchain in gaming, and the future of tourism and travel.

“Through Catalyze, first-time guests to the Kingdom have had the opportunity to see Saudi through our eyes and to form their own opinions and narratives - to change the ideas of what they have read about Saudi and to help share ideas towards shaping its future,” said Louise Tabbiner, Advisor to the Minister of Investment.

According to MAGNiTT, a startup platform for emerging venture capital markets, last year was a record-breaking year for the Saudi venture capital ecosystem, which grew 270% year-over-year as startups accumulated US$548m in funding.

Speaking about Catalyze Saudi’s event, Dr. Sara Althari, Managing Director of Biotech & Pharma and Advisor to the Minister of Investment, said: “The discussions over the last few days have allowed us to share insights into what it takes to create a successful startup ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and how the entertainment sector is evolving. I am very excited by the potential of Saudi companies emerging in this industry and look forward to seeing how they continue to grow – both domestically and internationally.”

Catalyze Saudi was launched in March 2022. Participants have included Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, OneFootball, Liberty City Ventures, Todd English, Animoca Brands, Silicon Valley Bank, Ginkgo Bioworks and Warner Music Group.

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Media Contact: misa@consulum.com

About Catalyze Saudi

Catalyze Saudi is an engagement platform powered by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), bringing together industry leaders from the Kingdom and across the globe to enable meaningful cross-border engagement in the fields of venture capital, private equity and Saudi SME expansion. Catalyze Saudi focuses on building long-term relationships through high-touch, bespoke, experiential trips and activations, introducing international participants to the Kingdom’s best and brightest entrepreneurs. Catalyze participants develop essential skills to better understand and navigate the KSA market, while building relationships with other like-minded investors and thought leaders. Representatives from governments, institutional investors, companies, funds, artists, influencers and leading family offices are specifically chosen to participate in highly interactive roundtable discussions through a custom program designed to explore the development of the investment ecosystem and showcase the Kingdom’s offerings.

Catalyze Saudi fosters deep and meaningful relationships for the Kingdom, focused on three verticals:

  • Catalyze Saudi Trips: highly curated events focused on targeted themes, aimed at reinforcing local and international relationships as well as strengthening the ecosystem;
  • Catalyze Saudi Activations: smaller trips, panels, workshops and other events in the Kingdom, ensuring a high-touch experience for participants; and
  • Catalyze Saudi Alumni Network: Event and activation participants are tracked to ensure they continue to productively engage with KSA.

About the Ministry of Investment

The ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia under the Vision 2030 economic development and diversification plan is unlocking new investment opportunities at an unprecedented pace. The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) is facilitating access to these opportunities by developing a vibrant cross-government investment ecosystem, facilitated by Saudi Arabia’s National Investment Strategy.

Through a network of representative offices across the world, MISA partners with businesses of all scales and sizes—from start-ups to blue-chip multinationals—to help make investing in Saudi Arabia as simple as possible. MISA also plays a leading role in improving Saudi Arabia’s overall business environment by facilitating investment data across regions and sectors, creating investment incentives, spearheading business reforms and opening up investment opportunities.

For more information on MISA, please visit the website or connect with #MISA on Twitter @MISA and LinkedIn.

For more information, please visit www.misa.gov.sa