Noha Gad

In an era where technological disruption accelerates at remarkable speeds, businesses worldwide are at a crossroads: adapt or fail. Artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as a transformative force reshaping the future of industries, economies, and daily operations.

AI-first business models redefine the way companies operate, compete, and scale by embedding AI at the core of their DNA rather than as a helping tool. These models treat AI as the foundational engine driving innovation, decision-making, and customer value in key sectors such as fintech and startups. Traditional businesses often integrate AI into outdated processes, yielding marginal gains, while AI-first pioneers redesign everything around intelligent systems for exponential advantages. This shift enables hyper-personalization, predictive analytics, and autonomous operations that thrive on data abundance.

How do AI-first business models work?

AI-first business models embed AI as the core engine for operations, decision-making, and growth, enabling radical automation, hyper-personalization, real-time insights, and scalable efficiency through autonomous agents and data-driven feedback loops, fundamentally redesigning organizational structures and workflows around intelligent systems rather than just adding AI as a feature. 

Unlike traditional AI-enhanced approaches, these models reimagine processes from the ground up, prioritizing data flows, automation, and machine learning as core infrastructure to ensure seamless scalability and adaptability in fast-evolving markets. 

Compared to AI-augmented models, AI-first models make intelligence proactive and pervasive, influencing every layer from product development to customer engagement. These approaches treat data as the primary asset for real-time analytics and predictive capabilities, fostering continuous learning loops without heavy human intervention.

Main features 

AI-first business models are defined by characteristics that prioritize intelligence as the central pillar, enabling unprecedented efficiency, adaptability, and value creation across operations. Key features include:

• Automation. AI handles end-to-end workflows autonomously, from transaction processing to compliance checks, reducing human involvement in major processes. For instance, in wealth management, AI-first platforms dynamically rebalance portfolios based on real-time market data and user life events.
• Data-based decisions. Real-time analytics from vast datasets power predictive insights, replacing intuition with probability-based forecasting for agile market responses.
• Hyper-personalization. AI-first models can help companies and startups provide tailored experiences by analyzing individual behaviors, preferences, and contexts to anticipate needs proactively. For example, banking applications deploy conversational AI agents to answer queries and execute actions, such as freezing cards or updating addresses via biometrics, enhancing user trust and retention.
• Scalable infrastructure: Cloud-native AI supports rapid growth and continuous model refinement.

How AI-first models could support startups’ businesses

Along with enhancing decision-making processes and providing hyper-personalized products, AI-first models help startups enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs by automating repetitive tasks, such as customer support via chatbots or inventory optimization. AI-first startups command investor attention due to their proven scalability, data moats, and rapid revenue trajectories. This advantage arises from AI's ability to demonstrate measurable revenue on investment (ROI) quickly, such as predictive models forecasting user acquisition costs.

For product innovation, accelerated prototyping via AI tools eliminates time-to-market from months to weeks and allows startups to test minimum viable products (MVPs) with real user data. AI-first models can also contribute to talent and team optimization since AI handles hiring screening, skill matching, and performance analytics.

AI-first startups can improve their risk mitigation strategies by utilizing AI to forecast market risks, regulatory hurdles, or supply disruptions early.

In summary, the rise of AI-first business models represents a fundamental architectural shift, not a mere technological upgrade. It transforms AI from a tool that supports business into the foundational engine that defines it. For startups and established companies alike, this approach unlocks exponential advantages through radical automation, hyper-personalization, and predictive, data-driven decision-making. 

Ghada Ismail

Saudi Arabia’s venture capital market is no longer finding its footing. It has found its pace. What began as an ecosystem driven by experimentation and policy-led pilots has evolved into a more mature, institutionalized market that now attracts regional and international attention. According to data compiled by MAGNiTT and the Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC), Saudi Arabia has ranked among the most active venture capital markets in the MENA region over the past three years, both in terms of capital deployed and the number of deals completed.

This momentum is often cited as proof that the Kingdom’s startup ecosystem is working. Funding volumes are rising. New funds are being launched. More founders are building locally. Yet as the market grows, a more serious discussion has started to surface. Scale alone is no longer enough. Increasingly, investors, founders, and policymakers are asking how capital is being distributed across sectors, and whether that distribution reflects the broader economic ambitions Saudi Arabia has set for itself.

At the center of this conversation sits fintech.

According to MAGNiTT’s Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Reports, fintech startups consistently attract one of the largest shares of venture investment activity in the Kingdom, particularly when measured by deal count rather than absolute capital raised. Payments platforms, digital lenders, BNPL providers, wallets, and financial infrastructure startups appear again and again in funding announcements, accelerator cohorts, and portfolio disclosures.

This raises a structural question rather than a critical one. Has Saudi venture capital become overly concentrated around fintech, and if so, what does that mean for the long-term health and resilience of the startup ecosystem.

Fintech by the Numbers: A Clear Leader in Deal Activity

Look across multiple datasets, and the pattern is hard to miss. Fintech dominates venture deal flow in Saudi Arabia.

According to MAGNiTT’s 2024 Saudi Arabia Venture Capital Report, fintech ranked among the top sectors by number of transactions completed during the year. In several quarters, it led outright. While total capital raised shifted depending on the presence of large late-stage rounds in other sectors, fintech maintained steady activity across seed, Series A, and growth stages.

SVC’s FY2024 venture capital analysis reinforces this conclusion. The report showed that fintech accounted for a significant portion of all VC deals closed in the Kingdom, even during periods when sectors such as e-commerce surpassed fintech in total disclosed funding value due to one or two large transactions.

This distinction matters.

• Fintech frequently leads in deal volume, reflecting repeated investor willingness to back early- and mid-stage startups
• Capital rankings can be distorted by isolated mega-rounds in other sectors
• Fintech activity remains consistent across market cycles

According to Fintech Saudi’s 2024 Annual Report, more than 260 fintech companies were operating in the Kingdom by the end of the reporting period. The report also noted that cumulative investment into Saudi fintechs had reached several billion riyals, surpassing earlier ecosystem targets set under the national fintech strategy.

Together, these figures position fintech not just as a successful sector, but as a defining pillar of Saudi Arabia’s venture story.

Why Fintech Attracts Venture Capital So Readily

Investor appetite for fintech is not driven by hype. It is driven by structure.

According to Fintech Saudi and regional banking studies, Saudi Arabia has one of the highest digital payments adoption rates in the Middle East. Consumers are comfortable transacting digitally. Merchants are rapidly onboarding payment solutions. Banks are increasingly open to collaboration rather than competition. Regulators have moved early to create sandboxes, licensing pathways, and open banking frameworks.

This combination has created fertile ground for fintech startups to test, launch, and scale.

MAGNiTT’s sector analyses consistently highlight fintech as a category that offers:

• Clear monetization models
• Faster visibility into revenue generation
• Defined regulatory pathways
• More predictable exit scenarios

From a venture capital perspective, this reduces uncertainty. Payment platforms can scale merchant adoption quickly. Consumer finance products grow through mobile-first distribution. Enterprise fintech solutions integrate directly with banks and large corporates, embedding themselves into core systems.

Fintech also aligns closely with national policy priorities. According to official government strategies and Fintech Saudi publications, financial inclusion, SME financing, and payment digitization remain key economic objectives. Venture capital flowing into fintech, therefore, delivers both commercial returns and measurable policy outcomes.

That dual alignment helps explain why fintech consistently outperforms other sectors when it comes to deal activity.

The Cost of Concentration

Concentration, however, is not without consequences.

According to ecosystem observers and VC market analyses, when one sector absorbs a disproportionate share of capital, talent tends to follow. Engineers, compliance specialists, data scientists, and senior product leaders are naturally drawn to startups with clearer funding pipelines and higher valuation benchmarks. In Saudi Arabia, that often means fintech.

This dynamic creates several knock-on effects.

First, talent clustering. Founders building outside fintech face a tougher challenge when assembling experienced teams, particularly in technically demanding sectors such as healthtech, climate technology, or industrial software.

Second, idea shaping. Market analysts note that founders increasingly design startups around perceived investor appetite. When fintech appears more fundable, entrepreneurs may reshape ideas toward financial use cases, even when the underlying problem sits more naturally in healthcare, sustainability, or logistics.

Third, portfolio exposure. When most venture capital goes to just a few sectors, the whole ecosystem becomes more vulnerable to changes in rules or the economy. For example, if consumer credit, payment margins, or financial regulations take a hit, it wouldn’t just affect one company; it could impact many startups at once. These are risks for the system as a whole, not failures of individual businesses.

Sector Concentration and Portfolio Exposure

Saudi Arabia’s VC ecosystem demonstrates capital clustering, which carries both advantages and risks. In 2024, e-commerce and retail startups led total disclosed funding, largely due to a few mega rounds, while logistics, mobility, and enterprise software received steady but smaller investments. Meanwhile, healthtech, climate and sustainability solutions, advanced manufacturing, and deep technology (including applied AI) captured only a minor share of VC funding, despite their strategic importance. 

Fintech fits into this concentration pattern differently. While not always the top sector in total capital, it leads in deal count, with repeated investor backing in early- and mid-stage startups. Its dominance demonstrates the ecosystem’s strength but also its vulnerability: heavy focus on one or a few sectors means that regulatory shifts, macroeconomic downturns, or changes in financial policy could ripple across the startup ecosystem, affecting many companies simultaneously. These are systemic risks, not failures of individual startups.

A Market in Transition

Early-stage concentration is not unique to Saudi Arabia. According to global venture capital studies, emerging ecosystems often gather around one or two scalable sectors before diversifying more broadly.

Saudi Arabia appears to be following a similar trajectory.

Recent signals suggest growing awareness of the need to broaden sector exposure. According to public announcements and fund mandates, several Saudi-backed investment vehicles and accelerators have launched programs specifically targeting health innovation, climate solutions, and industrial technology.

Corporate venture arms are also beginning to look beyond fintech. Increasingly, they are seeking strategic technologies that align with operational needs, supply chains, and productivity gains rather than purely financial returns.

These shifts suggest fintech dominance may represent a phase rather than a permanent imbalance.

Investors and the Role of Incentives

Venture capital firms shape the startup ecosystem by deciding where to put their money. Many investment funds in Saudi Arabia were created when financial technology was growing quickly. Their teams, networks, and investment strategies were built around that sector.

Industry observers say that moving into new areas of investment requires important changes:

• Spending more time and effort understanding the technology behind startups
• Being willing to invest for a longer period before seeing returns
• Adjusting expectations about when and how investments will succeed

Investors who provide the capital for these funds, such as large institutions and government-backed organizations, play a key role. They can support longer-term projects that may take years to pay off but can have a lasting impact on the economy.

What the Data Means for Founders

For founders operating outside fintech, the fundraising environment is more selective, but it is not closed. Non-fintech startups are expected to demonstrate credibility earlier in the fundraising process. That often includes:

• Clear regulatory progress
• Pilot deployments with credible partners
• Revenue-linked traction
• Well-defined scalability pathways

Saudi Arabia offers structural advantages here. Government procurement programs, large corporate buyers, and centralized decision-making can dramatically shorten adoption cycles if accessed effectively.

In this environment, execution matters more than narrative. Strong fundamentals can still unlock capital, even in less appealing sectors.

Conclusion: Fintech as a Foundation, Not a Ceiling

According to every major dataset tracking Saudi Arabia’s venture capital market, fintech has earned its place as a leading sector. Regulatory reform, market readiness, and investor confidence have aligned to create one of the region’s most active fintech ecosystems.

At the same time, the same data highlights concentration. Deal flow, talent, and capital remain heavily going after fintech, while other strategically important sectors continue to lag behind.

The challenge ahead is one of balance. Not replacing fintech, but building alongside it.

Noha Gad

The global financial ecosystem is undergoing a quiet yet profound transformation, driven by the rise of digital assets. At the forefront of this shift are stablecoins, digital currencies designed to maintain a stable value by being pegged to a reserve asset such as the US dollar, gold, or another fiat currency. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, whose prices fluctuate sharply, stablecoins aim to combine the speed and efficiency of digital assets with the reliability of traditional money. 

Stablecoins promise the transparency and borderless nature of blockchain technology while mitigating the wild price swings that have hindered the everyday use of digital currencies. They are becoming a critical infrastructure layer for the new economy, enabling instant settlements, powering decentralized finance applications, and offering a digital haven of stability. Thanks to their potential to streamline payments, reduce transaction costs, and enhance financial inclusion, stablecoins are increasingly used for faster payments, remittances, and cross-border transactions.

Regulated rollout in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is taking steady moves toward launching stablecoins under national regulation, signaling a new phase in the Kingdom's digital asset strategy. Recently, Saudi Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing Majed Al-Hogail announced that the government plans to launch stablecoins soon in partnership with the Capital Market (CMA) and the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), affirming that digital currencies could create a faster financial system if they were developed within Saudi values and regulations.

With 79% of retail transactions already cashless, Saudi Arabia is uniquely positioned to utilize stablecoins as part of its vision to become a global logistics and financial hub. 

Experts believe that the Kingdom’s exploration for regulated, utility-based stablecoins marks a turning point for the region’s digital asset landscape and reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to modernization, consumer protection, and financial stability. They emphasized that stablecoins could advance the Saudi financial ecosystem when embedded in rigorous regulatory frameworks and governed transparently, ultimately enhancing payments, trade, and innovation.

Impacts on key sectors

Utilizing regulated stablecoins could have transformative impacts across key sectors in the Kingdom, thanks to their stability, speed, and blockchain efficiency. They could revolutionize the fintech and payments landscape through a foundational shift towards a real-time, programmable, and seamlessly integrated financial infrastructure. The inherent transparency of blockchain transactions, when designed with privacy safeguards, can automate regulatory reporting and anti-money laundering checks, creating a more secure and efficient financial system. Additionally, stablecoins could enable instant, low-cost remittances vital for the Kingdom's large expatriate population, outpacing traditional systems by reducing fees and settlement times.

In logistics and e-commerce, stablecoins will play a pivotal role in streamlining cross-border settlements, cutting friction in supply chains, and reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics hub. By eliminating the settlement delays and interbank fees inherent in current card and transfer systems, consumers will enjoy near-instant checkout, both online and in physical stores, using QR codes or device-to-device transfers. This will eventually create a more dynamic, cash-lite economy where small merchants benefit from immediate settlement, reducing their working capital burdens.

Integrating stablecoins into the real estate sector will also facilitate fractional ownership of tokenized assets and attract global capital inflows. In his speech at the World PropTech Summit 2025, Al-Hogail highlighted that stablecoins could expand the SAR 300 billion real estate funds market by enabling transparent, real-time investor access to commercial, residential, and land properties. Additionally, a regulated, Riyal-pegged stablecoin would enable atomic settlements, where payment and asset title transfer occur simultaneously in a single, irreversible transaction. This eliminates the need for lengthy escrow processes, reduces counterparty risk, and significantly cuts the administrative and legal fees associated with property transactions.

Furthermore, High-value properties can be divided into digital tokens representing shares, traded on regulated platforms, thereby unlocking immense liquidity in a traditionally illiquid market and opening the sector to a broader base of investors.

Launching and integrating regulated stablecoins into major sectors in Saudi Arabia will not merely digitize cash but also deploy a programmable monetary platform that reshapes economic interactions. The transformation across retail, real estate, and finance sectors will be characterized by the near-elimination of settlement risk, a substantial reduction in transaction costs and time, the unlocking of new asset classes and liquidity, and the creation of a more inclusive, transparent, and globally competitive digital economy for the Kingdom.

Major challenges 

Regulating stablecoins in Saudi Arabia presents different challenges that entwine technological innovation with core financial and national priorities. These challenges include:

• Regulatory classification and legal clarity. Determining whether a stablecoin is a payment instrument, a security, a commodity, or a new, unique asset class is pivotal to deciding which regulatory authority, either SAMA, the CMA, or both, has oversight. Creating a seamless, non-overlapping regulatory border for potentially hybrid instruments that blend payment and investment features requires unprecedented inter-agency coordination and potentially new legislative frameworks.
• Implementing rigorous Shariah-compliance frameworks. Stablecoins must comply with Shariah principles to gain mass acceptance in the Kingdom. Thus, regulators will need to establish clear and standardized guidelines, which may lead to a preference for asset-backed or gold-backed stablecoin models over algorithmic ones.
•  Operational and technological hurdles. Regulators may face the operational and tech hurdles of cross-border coordination and effective supervision. Domestically, Saudi regulators might need to build new supervisory capacities to monitor 24/7 blockchain-based systems, conduct real-time audits of reserve holdings, and oversee smart contract security to protect consumers from technical failures or hacks.

Finally, the emergence of stablecoins represents a pivotal evolution in the architecture of global finance, offering a fusion of blockchain innovation and monetary stability. In Saudi Arabia, the deliberate and regulated integration of this technology is a modern means to advance the strategic ambitions of Vision 2030, ultimately enhancing payments efficiency, revolutionizing capital markets through tokenization, and fortifying the Kingdom’s position as a cross-border trade connection.

The successful navigation of regulatory and technological challenges will eventually determine whether the Kingdom can transform these digital instruments into robust pillars of its future economy.

Ghada Ismail

In the early stages of a startup, sales are rarely handled by a dedicated team. Instead, founders are often the first—and sometimes only—salespeople. This approach, known as founder-led sales, plays a critical role in shaping how a startup understands its market, refines its product, and builds early traction.

Founder-led sales refers to a model where the founder is directly responsible for selling the product or service. This typically includes pitching to customers, running demos, negotiating commercial terms, and closing the company’s first deals. While it may appear informal, founder-led sales is a deliberate and necessary phase for most early-stage startups.

Why founder-led sales is common in early-stage startups

Startups operate under conditions of uncertainty. Products are still evolving, customer segments are not fully defined, and pricing models are often being tested. In this environment, hiring a sales team too early can lead to misalignment and wasted resources.

Founder-led sales allow startups to:

• Leverage the founder’s deep understanding of the problem and solution
• Build trust with early customers who want to engage with decision-makers
• Adjust messaging and positioning quickly based on live feedback
• Validate assumptions before scaling commercial efforts

Early customers are not only buying a product. They are buying into a vision, and founders are best positioned to communicate that vision clearly.

How founder-led sales support product-market fit

One of the most important outcomes of founder-led sales is learning. Direct conversations with customers help founders understand what truly matters to buyers and where the product delivers the most value.

Through founder-led sales, startups can:

• Identify recurring pain points and unmet needs
• Understand why deals are won or lost
• Test pricing, packaging, and positioning
• Use customer feedback to shape the product roadmap

This process accelerates the journey toward product-market fit and reduces the risk of building solutions that lack real demand.

Where founder-led sales works best

Founder-led sales is especially effective in B2B startups, particularly those serving mid-market or enterprise customers. In these segments, purchasing decisions often involve multiple stakeholders and longer sales cycles, making credibility and trust essential.

It is most effective in:

• B2B and enterprise-focused startups
• Products that are new, technical, or complex
• Markets where relationships and long-term commitment matter

In such cases, founder involvement signals accountability and long-term intent.

When founders should transition away from sales

Founder-led sales is not a permanent model. As the startup matures, founders should begin translating their experience into repeatable processes that can be passed on to a dedicated sales team.

A transition becomes viable when:

• The ideal customer profile is clearly defined
• Sales messaging is consistent and repeatable
• Demand follows predictable patterns
• The founder can train others based on proven insights

Wrapping Things Up…

Founder-led sales is not a distraction from building a startup; it is a foundational phase that informs strategy, product development, and future growth. For early-stage startups, particularly in emerging ecosystems, founder-led sales provide the clarity and confidence needed to scale effectively. By staying close to customers early on, founders can build stronger businesses and better sales engines for the long term.

Noha Gad

In the dynamic world of startups, founders chase breakthroughs amid fierce competition, while investors hunt for the next big opportunity in a sea of pitches. In recent years, we have seen a major shift as investing in startups is no longer limited to venture capital (VC) firms. It increasingly includes individual investors who use technological tools and data to steer capital directly into the startups they care about and believe in. Angel syndicates emerged as a game-changer, pooling resources to fuel innovation and deliver shared rewards.

What are angel syndicates?

An angel syndicate is an informal group of individuals and/or angel investors who pool their resources together to invest in startups, normally via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), a separate company with its own balance sheet that can be established as a trust, a corporation, a limited partnership, or a Limited Liability Company (LLC).

Each member of the group may not qualify as a BA themselves, but together they have access to more opportunities. One or two investors may "lead" the syndicate.

These high-net-worth individuals invest some of their own money into startups, typically in exchange for equity. The total amount invested will probably be lower than funding from a VC firm or a bank; however, founders can receive cash much earlier compared to traditional funding routes or from bigger investors.

In addition to investing in early-stage deals, an angel syndicate allows a startup founder to deal with just one representative of the syndicate, rather than with 10 or 20 individuals.

How do angel syndicates work?

At the beginning, the syndicate lead must secure an allocation or a piece of the round. They do this from their source of deal flow, either from inbound interest from a founder or via cold outreach. Once leaders find a deal they deem worthy, they will bring it to the syndicate members to choose to collectively invest in the startup.

A syndicate lead can request more info, such as milestones reached, business model, market size, team, financial data, as well as the term sheet, to determine and regulate the relationship between investors once the investment vehicle has been materialized.

To close the deal, the SPV will be created, which will be the party that will execute the investment in the startup. The important decisions will be made by the leader. The expenses related to the creation of the investment vehicle are usually equally paid by the investors, regardless of the amount invested.

Benefits of syndicate investing

• Better deal access. By forming a syndicate, investors can pool their resources and invest a larger amount in each deal. Syndicating an investment this way is frequently required to gain access to the most competitive opportunities alongside VC firms, since founders may have high minimum investment requirements.
• Portfolio diversity. Syndicate investing allows angels to build larger portfolios. By investing with an angel syndicate and increasing portfolio size, investors can significantly increase the probability of tripling or quintupling their invested capital across the entire portfolio
• Shared deal flow and due diligence. Syndicate investing allows angel investors to pool their knowledge, experience, and resources. By leveraging the collective intelligence of the entire angel syndicate, they are able to source more opportunities and carry out more informed due diligence on the startups they review. 
• Simplicity. The rise of online syndication platforms made it easier for investors to participate in syndicate investing. These platforms provide a central location where investors can connect, identify and evaluate potential investment opportunities, and manage their investments. 

How do angel syndicates support startups' businesses?

• Financial backing: Startups can secure substantial capital infusions by pooling resources from multiple investors, often enabling larger funding rounds than a single angel could offer alone. This supports critical business functions such as product development, team expansion, and market entry strategies.
• Guidance and mentorship: syndicates deliver invaluable mentorship and strategic guidance from experienced lead investors and syndicate members. Their collective networks open doors to potential customers, partners, and subsequent VC opportunities, accelerating growth and credibility in competitive ecosystems.
• Reducing administrative burdens: When a lead handles due diligence and negotiations, this will reduce administrative burdens on founders, leading to quicker deal closures and freeing up time for core business activities. 

In summary, angel syndicates revolutionize early-stage investing by offering startups not just essential capital but also mentorship, networks, and streamlined processes that propel business growth amid fierce competition. Investors, in turn, gain access to premium deals, diversified portfolios, and shared due diligence, amplifying their chances for substantial returns without the isolation of solo ventures.

Ghada Ismail

In the first article, we explored the API Economy as a global shift, but understanding the concept is only the beginning. The real story emerges when we look at how the API Economy takes shape on the ground, inside actual markets.

When a user taps “pay,” links a bank account, or signs into a digital wallet, the experience looks simple. But behind every smooth tap lies a hidden world: API gateways, microservices, integration layers, open-banking rails, and banking-as-a-service components working in perfect coordination. While global conversations highlight Stripe, PayPal, and social media APIs, Saudi Arabia’s reality is driven by a growing network of local firms quietly building the financial infrastructure of the future.

This article maps the local ecosystem, the players powering it, how the architecture works, and why Saudi Arabia’s API economy is becoming a strategic backbone for the region.

Why the API Economy Is Accelerating in Saudi Arabia

The foundations of Saudi Arabia’s API ecosystem are being shaped by three intersecting forces:

1. Regulatory clarity and open banking readiness.
Saudi regulators and banks have laid down frameworks that encourage standardized APIs, account-data access, and safe third-party integrations. This clarity reduces friction for both fintechs and API providers.

2. Rapid consumer adoption of digital payments.
With mobile wallets, tap-to-pay, and online banking becoming mainstream, demand for stable, scalable backend infrastructure has never been higher.

3. The need for speed, cost efficiency, and modular development.
Instead of reinventing infrastructure, fintechs can now assemble it — using APIs for payments, identity, compliance, or card issuance. This modularity is what allows Saudi fintechs to launch fast and scale without massive upfront investment.

Together, these factors have created the conditions for a strong local market of API builders, integrators, and specialized fintech-infrastructure companies.

Who Is Building Saudi Arabia’s API Infrastructure?

Saudi’s API ecosystem isn’t driven by one type of company — it’s a layered network of infrastructure specialists. Below are the key categories and the local firms shaping each layer.

1. Microservices, Cloud & Integration Firms: SkyTech Digital, AusafTech, Tech Polaris

These companies form the technical backbone that many fintechs rely on:

SkyTech Digital

• Designs microservices architectures and cloud-native applications.
• Helps businesses migrate from legacy or monolithic systems to modular, API-driven backends.
• For fintechs, this means faster performance, better scalability, and easier maintenance.

AusafTech

• Specializes in full-stack API integration — from advisory to testing to long-term maintenance.
• Connects systems to payment gateways, CRMs, cloud platforms, and messaging services.
• Plays a crucial role when fintechs need multiple integrations handled reliably.

Tech Polaris

• Offers API development and integration support for businesses building modular services.
• Represents the growing demand for API-first engineering firms in the Kingdom.

These firms make fintech architecture possible: without microservices, cloud-native environments, or integration scaffolding, fintech products simply wouldn’t scale.

2. Fintech-Facing API Platforms: Open Banking, Payments, Cards & Payouts

Beyond general integration, Saudi fintechs rely on API-first firms that offer ready-made financial infrastructure.

Open banking aggregators (e.g., Lean Technologies, SingleView)

• Provide account-data APIs, payment initiation, and bank connectivity.
• Let fintechs fetch transaction data, verify accounts, or build budgeting tools without separate bank integrations.

Banking-as-a-Service & card-issuing platforms (e.g., NymCard)

• Enable virtual cards, user payouts, financing modules, and program management — all via APIs.
• Allow fintechs to launch financial services without building rails from scratch.

Payment service providers and merchant platforms (e.g., Geidea)

• Offer robust payment APIs, checkout solutions, and payment links.
• Let marketplaces, apps, and online merchants embed payments instantly.

When assembled together, these API components create a “plug-and-play fintech stack” — one that allows startups to focus on the product rather than the plumbing.

How These Layers Work Together: A Realistic Saudi Fintech Stack

To understand how this ecosystem behaves in practice, imagine a Saudi fintech launching a digital wallet, BNPL service, or SME-payments tool:

• Backend architecture: A firm like SkyTech builds the cloud-native, microservices-based foundation.
• Payment processing: The fintech integrates Geidea’s payment APIs.
• Cards and payouts: They plug into NymCard’s card-issuing or payout APIs.
• Bank-account connectivity: Lean Technologies or SingleView enables account linking and open-banking flows.
• Additional integrations: AusafTech manages CRM, SMS, cloud services, and other connections.

The result?
A fully operational fintech product built in months — not years — thanks to a layered ecosystem of specialized API providers.

This is the API Economy made real.

Why Local Firms Matter More Than Ever

While global API giants dominate headlines, Saudi fintechs increasingly depend on regional infrastructure firms — for reasons that are both practical and strategic:

• Regulatory alignment: Local providers are built for SAMA compliance and Saudi banking rules.
• Localization: They understand cultural norms, payment behaviors, and Arabic-language user journeys.
• Speed of integration: Proximity enables faster iteration and customization.
• Resilience: Relying only on global providers increases risk; a diverse regional stack is more stable.

These companies are not outsourced vendors; they are ecosystem enablers building national infrastructure.

Implications for Founders, Investors, and Policymakers

For startups and founders:

• APIs significantly reduce time-to-market.
• Modular infrastructure lets teams focus on UX and differentiation.
• Choosing the right integration partners becomes a strategic decision.

For investors:

• API providers are long-term infrastructure bets.
• Their value compounds as the fintech market expands.

For regulators:

• Clear API standards and sandboxes accelerate innovation.
• Supporting local API firms strengthens national digital sovereignty.

Conclusion: Saudi Arabia’s API Economy Has Entered Its Infrastructure Phase

If the first article explained what the API Economy is, this article explains how it is being built in Saudi Arabia — and by whom.

The Kingdom’s fintech growth is not powered solely by consumer-facing apps, but by the invisible architecture behind them: APIs, microservices, integration frameworks, open-banking rails, card-issuing platforms, and PSP gateways. Companies like SkyTech Digital, AusafTech, Tech Polaris, Geidea, NymCard, Lean Technologies, and SingleView are quietly building the rails that make everything possible.

The real story of Saudi fintech is not just about innovation on the surface.
It’s about the infrastructure underneath — reliable, compliant, modular, and fast-evolving.

And as Saudi Arabia accelerates toward a fully digital economy, those who understand and invest in this infrastructure will be shaping not just apps, but the future of finance across the region.

Noha Gad

The tourism sector in Saudi Arabia is witnessing a historic and transformative change, reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a global tourism powerhouse. This strategic shift is a cornerstone of Vision 2030, which targets increasing tourism’s contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP) from 3% to 10% by 2030, and aims to attract 150 million visitors annually by the end of the decade.

During the first half (H1) of 2025, the total number of inbound tourists in Saudi Arabia reached 14.3 million tourists, with inbound tourism spending estimated at SAR 90.5billion, according to recent figures released by the Ministry of Tourism. Additionally, the tourism hospitality facilities in the Kingdom recorded an overall occupancy rate of over 51% during the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, with Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) standing at SAR  154 in the same quarter. 

Driving this ambition is a dual commitment to sustainability and technological innovation. The Kingdom is not merely expanding its tourism offerings, which span from the pristine Red Sea coast and the ancient Nabatean tombs of AlUla to futuristic megaprojects like NEOM, but is doing so with a foundational pledge to environmental stewardship. 

Also, the Kingdom is at the forefront of integrating cutting-edge technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR), to revolutionize the visitor experience and operational efficiency. From AI-powered personalized itineraries and smart city management to immersive VR previews of heritage sites and AR-enhanced cultural exhibitions, technology is becoming the invisible backbone of Saudi tourism.

Green tourism in Saudi Arabia 

Saudi Arabia is putting sustainability at the core of its tourism strategies, particularly through eco-tourism integrated into its latest destination concepts that protect and preserve natural habitats and local wildlife. A range of nature reserves have already been established, including the Harrat al-Harrah Reserve, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve. The National Center for Wildlife works to protect, develop, and resettle ecosystems and biodiversity, in addition to treating risks related to wildlife.

The Kingdom’s national initiatives, like the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and the National Tourism Strategy (NTS), mandate that growth must be sustainable, regenerative, and aligned with ambitious conservation targets. For instance, the SGI aims to reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030 and increase the percentage of protected land and marine areas to 30% of the Kingdom's total area. Therefore, all tourism giga-projects are required to align with these goals. The 30% protection target is particularly crucial, as many projects, like the Red Sea Project, are located within or adjacent to protected zones, mandating a regenerative approach that enhances the environment.

The NTS targets implementing guidelines for energy, water, and waste management across new and existing destinations, acting as the operational link between the SGI's high-level goals and on-the-ground tourism development.

Giga projects, such as the Red Sea project, NEOM, and Al Ula, are large-scale experiments and benchmarks for building tourism from the ground up on green principles. The Red Sea project, spanning an archipelago of 90 islands scattered along the western coast of Saudi Arabia, targets developing luxury resorts using 100% clean energy, aiming for 100% carbon neutrality. Al Ula region, Saudi Arabia’s historical open-air museum, is expected to be on the global tourist radar, combining heritage with modern sustainable worldviews. This project is expected to contribute to carbon neutrality in the long term. 

All mega- and gig-projects underscore the Saudi government’s efforts to forge a future where tradition, innovation, and sustainability go hand-in-hand. According to the World Tourism Barometer, published by UN Tourism in January 2025, Saudi Arabia was one of the best-performing destinations in the world for 2024, seeing a tourism uplift of over 69% for the full 12-month period compared to 2019.

Digital tools driving Saudi Arabia's sustainable tourism

Smart tourism in Saudi Arabia refers to the integration of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and smart city infrastructure, into the travel and tourism experience. It aims to enhance convenience, personalization, and sustainability for both domestic and international visitors.

Building upon its sustainable foundation, Saudi Arabia is strategically deploying advanced technologies to create seamless, personalized, and immersive visitor experiences. These technologies are integral to managing tourism growth efficiently while elevating engagement to world-class standards.

AI serves as the central nervous system of this new tourism ecosystem. Beyond powering personalized recommendations on platforms like the official Visit Saudi portal, AI is crucial for operational sustainability and management. It is used for predictive analytics to optimize energy and water use in large resorts, manage visitor flows to prevent overcrowding at sensitive heritage sites, and provide real-time, multilingual assistance through AI-powered chatbots and virtual concierges. 

For immersion and accessibility, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are transforming how visitors explore Saudi heritage and future destinations. Before travel, VR enables potential tourists to take digital journeys through destinations like the ancient tombs of Hegra in AlUla or the futuristic models of NEOM. Platforms like the Metaverse let visitors explore Saudi landmarks from anywhere, offering a glimpse into the Kingdom’s rich heritage, no matter where they are in the world.

On-site, AR applications enrich the physical experience; for instance, at historical locations, visitors can use their smartphones or AR glasses to see historical recreations superimposed on ruins, receive interactive guided narrations, or access instant translation of inscriptions, bringing millennia of history to life in an engaging, educational format. Interactive museums, such as the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization, turn history into an experience through screens, sound, and smart displays. Historic and cultural sites like AlUla, Diriyah, and Jeddah’s Al-Balad offer AR experiences that let visitors interact with stories from the past.

Key smart tourism platforms in Saudi Arabia

The smart tourism ecosystem in Saudi Arabia is supported by several key digital platforms, ranging from official government portals to giga-project-specific applications. These platforms leverage AI, data analytics, and integrated services to enhance the visitor journey from planning to post-trip.

• ‘Visit Saudi’ portal and application is the official national tourism platform that serves as the primary digital gateway for all international and domestic tourists. It offers AI-driven personalized itinerary planning, destination discovery, event bookings, and integrated visa application links. 
• Nusuk is the official unified digital platform for pilgrims performing Hajj and Umrah, managed by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. It offers end-to-end journey management, including eVisa, electronic permit issuance, accommodation booking, flight packages, and health services. The platform uses data analytics for crowd management and a seamless spiritual experience.
• Tawakkalna app. Thanks to its robust identity verification infrastructure, this application is integrated into the tourism and events sector. It provides a secure digital identity, via Absher integration, for fast-track entry at major events, festivals, and tourist attractions, reducing queues and enhancing security.

As Vision 2030 continues to unfold, Saudi Arabia’s model offers a forward-looking blueprint for how destinations can grow responsibly. It demonstrates that with clear vision, supportive policy, and strategic investment, tourism can be a force for economic vitality, cultural celebration, and environmental preservation. This transformation in the Saudi tourism sector represents a purposeful integration of environmental stewardship and technological innovation. By establishing a firm green foundation through national initiatives and advancing a sophisticated smart toolbox with artificial intelligence, immersive tech, and data-driven platforms, the Kingdom is not merely expanding its tourism sector; it is redefining its future. 

Ghada Ismail 

In the startup world, growth and scaling are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Understanding the difference can save founders time, money, and headaches, and help attract investors who care about leverage and efficiency.

Growth: Getting Bigger

Growing means increasing revenue while increasing resources roughly in proportion. More customers require more support. More features require more engineers. Revenue rises, but so do costs, headcount, and operational complexity. Growth is usually linear: a 40% revenue increase often comes with roughly 40% more expenses.

For early-stage startups, growth is necessary. You hire people to build the product, test features, and serve clients. You experiment with pricing, marketing, and distribution. It’s hands-on, manual, and resource-intensive, and that’s fine at this stage.

Scaling: Getting More Efficient

Scaling means increasing revenue significantly without a matching rise in costs. In other words: more output with minimal additional input. While growth is linear, scaling is exponential.

Scaling depends on leverage: repeatable processes, automation, and systems that allow serving more customers without proportionally increasing overhead. This is why tech and digital startups often scale faster: software, platforms, and automated processes can handle volume at near-zero marginal cost.

In short: growth makes your startup bigger; scaling makes it more efficient.

When to Grow vs When to Scale

Most startups should grow first, scale later.

Grow when:

• You’re building the product and learning from early users
• Your processes are manual or experimental
• You’re testing pricing, positioning, or marketing channels

Growth at this stage is about survival, validation, and assembling the machine.

Scale when:

• You have product-market fit and repeatable demand
• Operations can handle more volume without proportional cost
• Customer acquisition or revenue patterns are predictable

Scaling at the right time multiplies results without multiplying costs — unlocking higher margins and sustainable growth.

Risks of Confusing Growth and Scale

Scaling too early can lead to overspending, inefficient hires, and operational collapse before product-market fit.
Growing indefinitely without scaling leads to overstaffed teams, rising expenses, and stagnant margins, a business that can’t expand without proportional resource increases.

Understanding where your startup sits ensures smarter decisions and clearer communication with your team and investors.

Wrapping Things Up…

• Growth is about size; scaling is about efficiency.
• Startups grow first to validate and learn; they scale to multiply output and impact.
• Confusing the two can waste resources, slow progress, and frustrate teams.

The most successful founders don’t just aim to grow; they aim to scale at the right time, turning a validated product into a business that can expand rapidly, sustainably, and profitably.

Noha Gad

In today’s fast-growing startup landscape, founders face several challenges, most notably securing capital to fuel growth without sacrificing equity or facing rigid repayment schedules. Traditional options like venture capital dilute ownership, while bank loans demand collateral that many early-stage businesses lack. Hence, revenue-based financing (RBF) emerged as a flexible, performance-aligned model that reshapes the way entrepreneurs fund their ventures. 

What is revenue-based financing (RBF)?

Revenue-based financing, or royalty-based financing, allows businesses to raise capital by giving investors a share of their ongoing gross revenues. This model provides founders with fast, non-dilutive capital that aligns with their actual revenue, offering valuable insights beyond just funding to fuel their sustainable growth.

Unlike debt and equity financing, RBF enables investors to receive a regular share of the business's income until a certain amount is paid. This amount is typically three to five times the original investment.

RBF is particularly popular in small to mid-sized companies or Software-as-a-Service (Saas) sectors as it provides an alternative for companies that are unable to secure traditional financing. It is an ideal option for growing online businesses, especially those with predictable, recurring revenue, that need capital for inventory, marketing, or other operational expenses.

How does RBF work?

A company that raises capital through revenue-based financing will be required to make regular payments to pay down an investor's principal. It is distinct from debt financing for several reasons: interest is not paid on an outstanding balance, and there are no fixed payments.

Payments to investors depend on the company’s performance because they vary based on the level of the business's income. For instance, if sales fall off in one month, investors will see their royalty payment reduced. Likewise, if sales in the following month increase, payments to the investors for that month will also increase.  

RBF also differs from equity financing because investors do not have ownership in the business. This is why revenue-based financing is often considered a hybrid between debt financing and equity financing.

Benefits and drawbacks

When considering revenue-based financing as a funding option, it is important to weigh its advantages alongside its limitations. This approach offers a set of benefits that appeal to many growing businesses, but it also has potential drawbacks that may impact suitability depending on the company’s specific circumstances. 

Benefits

• Non-dilutive capital: It allows entrepreneurs to raise funds without giving up ownership or control, which is crucial for founders keen to retain strategic decision-making power.
• Flexible repayments: Payments fluctuate with revenue, reducing financial pressure during slow periods. This eventually helps maintain healthier cash flow compared to fixed loan installments.
• Fast and accessible: Approval processes emphasize actual revenue performance rather than projections or credit scores.

 Drawbacks

• Higher Cost: RBF can be costlier than traditional debt, with repayment caps often ranging from 1.3x to 2.5x the initial amount.
• Revenue dependence: Companies with fluctuating or unpredictable revenue may face extended repayment terms, which can strain long-term financial planning.​
• Not for early-stage startups: RBF generally requires a reliable revenue stream. This makes it less suitable for pre-revenue or high-risk ventures.​

RBF vs. traditional funding options

Revenue-based financing stands out in a crowded funding landscape by offering a middle path between equity-heavy venture capital and rigid traditional debt. Evaluating it against alternatives like VC, bank loans, and venture debt reveals key trade-offs in ownership, repayment flexibility, and accessibility. RBF preserves full ownership without equity dilution, unlike VC, which requires giving up shares and often board seats. Additionally, RBF does not require collateral or personal guarantees, compared to bank loans, which have fixed payments and asset requirements.

RBF avoids interest rates and equity warrants typical in venture debt, offering purely revenue-based terms without fixed schedules, though both target growth-stage firms.

Finally, Revenue-based financing offers a compelling alternative for founders seeking flexible, non-dilutive capital aligned with their business performance. Although it may carry higher costs than traditional debt and requires steady revenue, its scalable repayment and quick access make it an attractive option for growing companies. As startups navigate funding choices, understanding RBF's unique workings can empower smarter decisions for sustainable growth. 

Ghada Ismail

When an ecosystem grows fast enough, its consumers often become its creators.. and potentially its funders. Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia’s gaming and esports sector has transformed from a niche leisure activity into a central plank of the Kingdom’s economic‑diversification strategy. This shift is creating a new dynamic: engaged, affluent gamers who understand games, audiences and monetization, and who may soon act like investors. 

The resulting feedback loop seems promising: state‑backed capital and high-profile events generate interest; local entrepreneurs launch studios, platforms and tools; and successful players, creators and founders begin to emerge as potential angel investors — accelerating the cycle.

The scale of the opportunity helps explain the momentum. According to according to Savvy Games’ 2024 report, Saudi Arabia’s gaming market generated about US$1.19 billion in revenue in 2024, making it the largest gaming market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 

Projections in that report estimate the market could reach US$1.64 billion by 2028, assuming steady growth across platforms (console, mobile, PC). 

Moreover, the overall appetite for gaming in the Kingdom appears substantial. According to one 2025 analysis by Antom.com, Saudi Arabia outpaces the MENA average in per‑capita gaming spending (almost three times higher) and counts about 23.5 million players, with a reported penetration of about 63%. 

Thanks to these numbers, as Saudi gamers participate in tournaments, build communities, create content, and use local or regional platforms, they are gaining a kind of product and market literacy, the kind of instinctive sense for audience behavior, monetization and content dynamics that investors typically rely on. With the gaming sector expected to expand steadily through at least the latter half of the decade, the Kingdom may be approaching a novel phenomenon: where players and creators don’t just consume the ecosystem — they fund it.

Why Gamers Could Make Effective Investors

The idea of a gamer acting like an angel investor may sound bold, but in Saudi Arabia’s current context, it is increasingly plausible. Gamers tend to develop deep product intuition: after thousands of hours engaging with games, they learn to spot good user experience, balance design, monetization potential, and retention dynamics. They understand what players want, a useful skill when evaluating new gaming or esports startups.

Content-creating gamers — whether they stream, compete, commentate, or run communities — usually build strong followings. That audience gives them real influence. A single post, stream, or tournament partnership can draw attention to a startup, bring in early users, or even attract investors. Because they have this direct reach and credibility, creators can be powerful early supporters or even valuable co-founders.

Some gamers have moved beyond playing or content creation into informal micro‑businesses: coaching, streaming monetization, community tournaments, and even indie game development. These ventures mirror early-stage startup experience, giving gamer‑entrepreneurs a head start.

Because many of these initiatives build on local tastes, culture, language, and regional understanding, there is strategic alignment: Saudi gamer‑investors may be especially motivated to support platforms and titles that resonate regionally.

Institutional Support: Savvy Games Group

At the top of the new gaming ecosystem sits Savvy Games Group, created under the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund to lead the charge. According to its 2023 annual report, it was set up to align with Saudi Vision 2030 goals: leveraging a young, affluent, tech-savvy population to build a national games industry. 

Savvy’s backing gives legitimacy and resources to the sector — from infrastructure and studio development to global publishing and esports investments. This sovereign‑scale commitment signals strongly to local entrepreneurs and prospective gamer‑investors that gaming is not a passing trend, but a long-term strategic industry for the Kingdom. 

Emerging Domestic Platforms and Startups

As institutional capital flows, local startups and regional platforms are shaping the ecosystem from the grassroots upward. Their existence expands the possible entry points for gamer‑investors. These are the most prominent players in the local market:

• Grintafy — A Saudi sports-tech platform (founded in 2018 / 2019, based in Jeddah) that connects amateur and semi-pro footballers to clubs, matches, and talent scouts. Grintafy allows users to build a “football CV,” organize or join games, rate players, track performance, and get visibility among clubs and academies — effectively democratizing access to football opportunities across the Middle East. Grintafy has raised external investment: a 2022 convertible note from Wa’ed Ventures, and more recently a strategic investment from Chiliz (a global sports-blockchain company) to accelerate its transition toward Web3 and scale its talent-discovery ambitions. 

• Spoilz  — A Saudi game-development studio (founded 2020) focused on mobile games and live-ops services for the MENA region. Spoilz recently secured investment from investors including Merak Capital and Impact46, with plans to build globally competitive games and expand beyond mobile to PC/console/smart-TV platforms. 
• Fahy Studios — A Riyadh-based game studio that in 2025 closed a US$1.75 million funding round to develop hybrid-casual games globally. The studio graduated from the educational accelerator program at NEOM Media Industries’ Level-Up accelerator and signed a publishing deal with international publisher Kwalee. 
• Starvania Studios — A newer Saudi indie studio (founded 2022) that secured US$1.1 million in funding from Merak Capital and Impact46, aiming to expand into PC and console game development. Its first released game (on Steam) draws on Arabian mythology themes, showing local creative ambition and regional cultural resonance. 
• Rize.gg  — A newer, pre-seed startup (headquartered in Riyadh) building a platform for competitive gamers to team up, stream gameplay, and organize tournaments, representing early-stage, community-driven startup activity in Saudi Arabia’s esports ecosystem. 

What These Real Examples Tell Us

• The ecosystem is diverse; not just big capital-heavy firms, but indie studios (Spoilz, Starvania, Fahy), and platform/community-builders (Rize.gg). There is active investor interest and early-stage funding: studios like Fahy and Starvania have secured external investment; Spoilz is scaling. This shows that Saudi Arabia’s gaming scene is beginning to attract real capital beyond state-backed conglomerates.
• These companies emphasise regional relevance and global ambition — games drawing on local cultural references, but aiming for international distribution; venues and platforms designed for local communities but part of broader esports networks.
• For “gamer-investors,” this variety offers multiple entry points: investing in indie studios, backing platforms, co-owning venues or clubs, or even participating directly in community-driven content/competition.

Government and Regulatory Support: Clearing the Path for Gaming Investment

Saudi Arabia’s gaming ecosystem is buoyed by proactive government policies. The Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) have implemented frameworks to support esports tournaments, professional leagues, and content creation. Initiatives like SEF Arena in Riyadh, which hosts competitive gaming events, serve not only as a physical hub for players but also as a proving ground for potential investor-gamers to assess market dynamics firsthand. 

Additionally, regulatory clarity around digital assets, in-game monetization, and content licensing is improving, lowering barriers for both startups and investor-gamers. Policies encouraging local IP development and regional content distribution provide incentives for Saudi gamers to participate in funding domestic projects rather than relying solely on foreign titles. These regulatory advances reinforce the sustainability of a gamer-investor ecosystem.

The Role of Education and Skills Development in Gaming Investment

Another emerging trend is the overlap between gaming literacy and professional skills. Many Saudi gamers are students or professionals in computer science, design, data analytics, or digital media. Their gaming experience equips them with deep insights into user behavior, digital monetization, and community management, skills that are directly transferable to evaluating startups or running small gaming-focused ventures.

Local educational initiatives, including partnerships with universities and coding academies, are increasingly incorporating esports management, game design, and content production into their curricula. Programs like these provide structured pathways for aspiring investor-gamers to transition from hobbyist participation to professional involvement in the gaming economy, further reinforcing the pipeline from player to investor. 

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia’s gaming push is no longer just about big tournaments or major acquisitions. Thanks to strong government support, a young population, and growing local spending, the Kingdom now has the foundations of a gaming sector that can sustain itself.

These foundations could also create a new kind of investor- gamers who understand products, digital culture, and community needs better than traditional investors. As the market grows and more Saudi studios, tools, and platforms appear, these gamers may increasingly step into roles as founders, early backers, or active stakeholders.

In short, Saudi Arabia might be on its way to creating one of the world’s most unique groups of digital-native, gaming-driven investors. This future now feels realistic, it’s just not fully here yet.

 Shaimaa Ibrahim

The quick delivery services and e-commerce sector in the GCC and the Middle East are undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the development of logistics technologies and changing consumer preferences. In this dynamic landscape, Rabbit emerged as one of the leading models that reshaped the standards of quick delivery services. As it broadens operations across Egypt and Saudi Arabia and adopts a flexible, tech-based operating model, Rabbit plans to strengthen its presence and expand market share in this competitive industry.

In this context, Sharikat Mubasher held an exclusive interview with Shaza Yahia, Regional Marketing Director at Rabbit, on the sidelines of the fourth edition of the HERizon 2025 Summit, organized by Carerha, a leading platform focusing on empowering women across the region to compete in the job market.

The interview discussed the company’s journey since its foundation and its mechanisms to address the real challenges within the delivery sector, in addition to highlighting the competitive edges that boost Rabbit’s expansion across the fastest-growing and evolving markets in the region.

It also underscored the pivotal role of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing operational efficiency, and showcased the company’s achievements and the key challenges it faced to expand regionally, in addition to providing insights on the future of e-commerce in the region amid the rapid transformations that the sector witnesses.

What is the core concept behind Rabbit? And how does it fill the gap in the quick delivery sector in Egypt and the GCC?  

The idea behind Rabbit emerged five years ago when the founders identified common challenges facing consumers in Egypt and the broader region, notably home delivery delays, inaccurate orders, and missing items upon receipt. Hence, the vision was born to establish a platform based on a model that offers a swift and accurate shopping experience, with a firm promise to deliver within only 20 minutes. The focus was to offer a reliable service that customers could trust and integrate seamlessly into their daily lives.

There were several key players in the Egyptian and Saudi markets when Rabbit was launched; however, the company chose to enter the market with a distinct approach centered on reliability, speed, and building long-term relationships with customers. Rabbit delivered clear added value and crafted personalized experiences that accurately meet each customer’s needs. This ultimately fostered strong user loyalty and enabled Rabbit to attract a growing segment of the market.

With this approach, Rabbit seeks to fill a genuine gap in the quick delivery sector in Egypt and the GCC, offering an operational model capable of keeping pace with the rapidly evolving lifestyle of consumers and enhancing the reliability of e-commerce services across the region.

What are the factors and features that give Rabbit a competitive edge over other companies in the Egyptian and Saudi markets?

Since its launch, Rabbit has focused on two core principles at the heart of its operations: convenience and simplicity. Our clear goal is to provide customers with a seamless experience, ensuring orders are delivered quickly and accurately, and offering all essential products at affordable prices, along with daily promotions that add genuine value to users.

Diversity is an integral part of Rabbit’s strategy to foster customer loyalty. As the number of online applications grows, the market experiences intense competition both among e-commerce platforms themselves and between these platforms and traditional stores, which continue to attract a significant segment of consumers, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

What sets Rabbit apart is that it adopts the ‘House of Brands’ model, being a home for brands, while focusing on supporting local products and providing them with a broad platform to reach more customers. Many of these brands have achieved growth through Rabbit that exceeds what they have achieved through global competitors, thanks to joint campaigns and additional marketing within the platform.

Rabbit’s competitive edge relies on multiple factors: quick services, product diversity, affordable prices, and strong support for local brands. Together, these factors enable Rabbit to compete effectively in this dynamic and rapidly evolving market.

How does Rabbit utilize technology and AI to enhance customer experience and improve operational efficiency?

Rabbit relies entirely on an advanced, in-house technology infrastructure, a rare approach in the e-commerce market where ready-made systems or partnerships with external technology providers are more common. At its early stages, the company relied on some partners but quickly developed its own infrastructure, enabling it to create a fully integrated application built on custom-designed systems tailored to meet its operational needs.

This technology infrastructure enables customers to place orders in under two minutes, maintaining a delivery promise of approximately 18 minutes. Internal system development also facilitated rapid responses to customer feedback, significantly improving their experience.

AI became an integral part of Rabbit’s operations. We employ AI in managing operations, data analysis, marketing personalization, and reducing operational costs. The company also integrates AI in content creation and marketing materials design to enhance team efficiency and accelerate marketing campaign development. 

What are the key figures and milestones that Rabbit has recently achieved?

Rabbit achieved remarkable growth in a short period, with over two million customers benefiting from its services, despite its marketing budget being significantly lower than that of its competitors. This reflects how our services meet customers' needs and reaffirms the company’s capability to build long-term relationships with customers.

The platform also enabled several local companies to achieve four- and five-fold growth rates by expanding their customer bases and boosting sales through Rabbit. Some of these companies successfully transformed their products into regional brands and expanded beyond Egypt, thanks to their partnership with the platform.

Additionally, Rabbit provides brands with strategic opportunities to reach new customer segments and showcase their products on a broader scale, unlocking new growth opportunities that were not accessible before.

What were the major challenges that Rabbit faced during the expansion phase, and how did the company overcome these challenges? 

We faced several challenges across various expansion phases, most notably the variance in marketing budgets compared to competitors, which significantly exceeded our resources. We also noticed that customer needs change rapidly, and that each stage of time imposes different priorities and behaviors, which puts constant pressure on companies to keep up with these changes. 

We were able to overcome these challenges thanks to the team’s ability to develop and respond quickly to changes, along with our approach that focuses on continuous testing, whether to measure customer satisfaction or to test new features within the application.

We learned a fundamental lesson from this experience: addressing challenges begins with understanding their nature. Are they temporary and time-bound, or are they fundamental problems that require modifying the business model? Therefore, we are always keen to try new ideas quickly and make the required changes, driven by our belief that flexibility and quick decision-making are key factors to maintain the company’s ability to compete and achieve rapid growth.

What motivated Rabbit to expand into the Saudi market, and what investment opportunities did the company find in the Kingdom?

Since its foundation, Rabbit has had a clear expansion plan, which focused on launching operations in Cairo before moving to Riyadh. We obtained the necessary licenses to expand into Saudi Arabia during the first year of our launch in Egypt; however, we preferred to postpone this step till early 2025 to deeply understand the Saudi market and ensure a strong and balanced entry.

The Saudi market is a highly competitive one, thanks to the emergence of new companies and large investments in growth, as well as intense competition between online applications and traditional stores. This eventually increased consumer awareness of digital services and paved the way for applications that deliver exceptional experiences and added value. 

Despite this intense competition, the Saudi market remains abundant with opportunities for any application offering a high-quality experience and building a genuine connection with the local community.

Rabbit currently focuses its efforts on Riyadh, aiming to provide an experience that the Saudi customer feels is tailored specifically for them, not just a copy of a foreign service.

Does Rabbit plan to expand into new markets beyond Egypt and Saudi Arabia?

Yes, we have clear expansion plans, but we always ensure a thorough study of the target markets before taking any step by analyzing demand size, competition levels, and gaps we can fill to guarantee a successful and sustainable entry.

In the short term, our plans focus on expanding into new cities across Saudi Arabia, following the success we achieved in Riyadh. The Saudi market still holds significant growth opportunities, and expanding into other cities is a pivotal step before moving to new markets beyond Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

How do you see the future of the delivery services and e-commerce sectors in GCC and the Middle East?

The delivery and e-commerce sectors in the GCC and the Middle East are experiencing rapid growth, driven by changing consumer behavior and their increasing reliance on online shopping, both in Cairo and Riyadh. Riyadh, in particular, stands as a model for this transformation, given the high youth population who prefer digital solutions and applications that meet their needs quickly and easily. 

The more companies can offer an integrated experience combining speed, convenience, and a variety of options, the more they will be able to capture larger market shares. Government policies, especially in Saudi Arabia, also accelerate this growth by supporting the adoption of cutting-edge technology and investing in AI solutions to enhance the efficiency of logistics and supply chains.

In light of these developments, the sector is expected to continue expanding, triggered by the entry of new players and increased investment volume. This will ultimately boost market competitiveness and reshape the future of e-commerce in the region.

Translation: Noha Gad

Ghada Ismail

Some startups seem to explode overnight, appearing in feeds, conversations, and headlines almost magically. But virality is rarely accidental. Behind every breakout success is a careful mix of human psychology, clever product design, perfect timing, and engineered growth mechanics. Virality is not luck then; it’s strategy. Understanding why certain products spread like wildfire can reveal patterns that founders, marketers, and product teams can intentionally leverage. In other words, going viral is less about chance and more about creating the conditions that make sharing irresistible, adoption effortless, and growth self-propagating.

1. Psychology: Why People Share

Viral products succeed because they tap directly into human behavior. People don’t just share products; they share experiences that make them feel seen, valued, or emotionally engaged.

• Identity expression: Users share things that reinforce how they see themselves or how they want to be perceived.
• Emotional impact: Strong emotions—whether delight, surprise, or even frustration—motivate people to talk about a product. The more emotionally charged an experience, the more likely it spreads.
• Social currency: Sharing gives users a sense of contribution or status. By showing others something new, useful, or exclusive, they feel like they are providing value to their network.

Pro Tip: Emotional engagement often drives more shares than functional usefulness. Products that trigger strong, shareable emotions scale faster.

2. Product Loops: Growth Built Into the Product

The most viral startups design mechanisms that naturally pull in more users. This is called a “growth loop.”

• Network effects: Messaging apps or collaborative tools become more valuable as more people join.
• Referral loops: Incentivized invitations, like Dropbox’s early free-storage strategy.
• Content loops: Platforms like Instagram or TikTok grow because user-generated content spreads organically.

Pro Tip: Products that embed sharing into their core functionality can sustain long-term viral growth without heavy marketing spend.

3. Onboarding: Instant Value Matters

A viral product must deliver value immediately. Users ask:

• “Can I understand this in seconds?”
• “Is it easy to start using without instructions?”
• “Can I quickly experience the benefit?”

Pro Tip: Frictionless onboarding directly correlates with higher share rates. The simpler the first experience, the more likely users are to invite others.

4. Timing: Hitting the Cultural Sweet Spot

Even the best product may fail if the market isn’t ready. Virality often depends on alignment with cultural or technological trends.

• Zoom’s rise coincided with remote work adoption.
• Fitness apps surged during global lockdowns.
• New social media tools often succeed when network behaviors are shifting.

Pro Tip: Timing amplifies the effectiveness of psychological triggers and product loops. A perfectly engineered product launched too early or too late may never go viral.

5. Social Proof and FOMO: Accelerating Momentum

Virality grows faster when users see others using or endorsing the product. Techniques include:

• Invite-only launches and waitlists to create scarcity.
• Influencer endorsements for credibility.
• Shareable content (screenshots, posts) that spreads awareness.

Pro Tip: Social proof multiplies momentum by increasing the probability that users will share or invite others.

6. Speed and Experimentation Create “Luck”

While luck plays a role, successful startups usually create conditions for it. They:

• Launch quickly and expand based on feedback.
• Test bold ideas and pivot fast.
• Observe trends and react before competitors.

Pro Tip: Virality rarely happens without a culture of rapid experimentation. Startups that move fast can capitalize on windows of opportunity that others miss.

Conclusion: Virality Can Be Engineered

Virality is often treated as a mysterious, almost magical phenomenon, but the truth is more tangible. Successful startups achieve virality by understanding human behavior, embedding sharing mechanisms into their products, launching at the right moment, leveraging social proof, and moving faster than anyone else. The brands that truly explode don’t wait for luck; they create it. By studying these patterns, founders can shift their mindset from hoping for virality to designing it into their products, making growth predictable, measurable, and sustainable.