Riyadh - Sharikat Mubasher: The preliminary rounds of the Entrepreneurship World Cup 2025 (EWC 2025) kicked off in Riyadh with unprecedented global participation, as submissions doubled from last year to more than 10,000 projects from 169 countries, according to a recent statement by the Saudi Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at).

The global finals will be organized in the Saudi capital by Monsha’at, in partnership with Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk) and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), reinforcing the Kingdom’s leading position as a global hub for innovators and entrepreneurial ventures.

The submitted projects spanned 16 key sectors, including agriculture, food industries, healthcare, industry, education, and communications and information technology.

An international jury comprising experts in entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment selected the top 1,000 projects from 122 countries to advance to the next stage, before narrowing the list to 250 projects. The final 100 projects will be presented to global investors in Riyadh, competing for cash prizes totalling $1.5 million.

Hosting the EWC 2025 rounds in Riyadh reflects the Kingdom’s attractiveness for entrepreneurship, backed by an innovation-driven ecosystem and an advanced investment environment that empowers promising projects to access markets and attract international investments, reinforcing the position of the Saudi market as a key platform for entrepreneurial solutions.