Country comparison
United Arab Emirates vs Saudi Arabia: startup funding compared
Since 17 June 2025, startups in the United Arab Emirates raised $1.7B across 52 rounds, 1.7 times Saudi Arabia's $976M.
Capital raised running total by month
Where the money goes share of capital by sector
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Biggest rounds
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Stage mix share of rounds
Most active investors rounds joined
| Investor | United Arab Emirates | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Global | 1 | 5 |
| COTU Ventures | 2 | 4 |
| Impact46 | 1 | 5 |
| Oraseya Capital | 4 | 2 |
| Plus VC | 5 | · |
| Merak Capital | · | 4 |
| Rua Growth Fund | 1 | 3 |
| BECO Capital | 2 | 1 |
| F6 Ventures | 2 | 1 |
| Nuwa Capital | 1 | 2 |
| Outliers VC | · | 3 |
| Salica Oryx Fund | 3 | · |
Startup hubs rounds and capital by city
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Latest rounds
Questions
Which country raised more startup funding, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia?
The United Arab Emirates. Since 17 June 2025, startups in the United Arab Emirates raised $1.7B across 52 rounds, against $976M across 42 rounds in Saudi Arabia, 1.7 times more. That is 0.2% and 0.1% of all the capital FundraiseBase tracked worldwide over the period.
How many startup funding rounds were announced in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia?
52 rounds in the United Arab Emirates and 42 rounds in Saudi Arabia since 17 June 2025, about 3 and 3 a month.
Are startup rounds bigger in the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia?
The median round is $4.5M in the United Arab Emirates and $3.5M in Saudi Arabia, and the average round $32.6M and $23.2M. The median shows the typical round; the average is pulled up by a few very large ones.
What is the biggest startup round in the United Arab Emirates?
The biggest startup rounds in the United Arab Emirates since 17 June 2025 are Cadena ($275M, Series C, 10 Jun 2026), Moove ($250M, Series C, 5 Aug 2026) and Tabby ($233M, 15 Sept 2026).
What is the biggest startup round in Saudi Arabia?
The biggest startup rounds in Saudi Arabia since 17 June 2025 are barq ($330M, Series A, 15 Sept 2026), Ninja ($254M, Growth, 8 Jul 2025) and Gathern ($72.1M, Series B, 20 Aug 2025).
Which sectors attract the most startup funding in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia?
In the United Arab Emirates, AI ($684M, 40% of the capital), Fintech ($384M, 23%) and Enterprise software ($62.5M, 4%) lead. In Saudi Arabia, Fintech ($485M, 50% of the capital), Consumer ($257M, 26%) and Enterprise software ($116M, 12%) lead.
Is the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia better for early-stage startups?
Early-stage rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A) make up 65% of rounds in the United Arab Emirates and 79% in Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates recorded 28 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds and Saudi Arabia 24 Pre-Seed or Seed rounds, with a median of $2M and $1.7M.
How much growth funding (Series B and later) goes to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia?
Startups in the United Arab Emirates raised $696M in 6 Series B or later rounds, 41% of the country's capital. In Saudi Arabia, $132M in 3 rounds, 14% of the capital.
Who are the most active startup investors in the United Arab Emirates?
Plus VC (5 rounds, 2 led), Oraseya Capital (4 rounds, 1 led) and Salica Oryx Fund (3 rounds, 1 led) are the most active investors in the United Arab Emirates.
Who are the most active startup investors in Saudi Arabia?
Impact46 (5 rounds, 3 led), 500 Global (5 rounds) and Merak Capital (4 rounds, 3 led) are the most active investors in Saudi Arabia.
Which investors back startups in both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia?
24 investors joined rounds in both countries. The most active: Oraseya Capital (4 in the United Arab Emirates, 2 in Saudi Arabia), COTU Ventures (2 in the United Arab Emirates, 4 in Saudi Arabia), Impact46 (1 in the United Arab Emirates, 5 in Saudi Arabia), 500 Global (1 in the United Arab Emirates, 5 in Saudi Arabia) and Rua Growth Fund (1 in the United Arab Emirates, 3 in Saudi Arabia).
Which cities lead startup funding in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia?
Dubai leads the United Arab Emirates with $1.1B across 35 rounds, ahead of Abu Dhabi ($302M). Riyadh leads Saudi Arabia with $920M across 27 rounds, ahead of Jeddah ($1.2M).
Which month brought the most startup funding?
In the United Arab Emirates, January 2026 ($429M). In Saudi Arabia, September 2026 ($364M).
How much did startups in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia raise in the last 90 days?
In the 90 days to 22 Oct 2026, startups in the United Arab Emirates raised $519M across 9 rounds and in Saudi Arabia $384M across 11 rounds.
Where does this data come from?
FundraiseBase lists startup funding rounds from public announcements: press releases, company posts and news coverage, checked and updated every day. Amounts are in US dollars. Some rounds are never announced, so the figures show what was made public, not every round. Corrections are welcome.