The Largest Startups in the Middle East

The Middle East has become one of the fastest-changing startup regions in the world. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are investing heavily to diversify their economies away from oil, funding startups, venture funds, AI infrastructure and technology hubs. Israel, meanwhile, remains one of the world's most prolific producers of technology companies, especially in cybersecurity and enterprise software. This guide ranks the largest private startups in the region in our database and explains what drives their growth.

We include companies headquartered in the Middle East, plus Israeli-founded companies headquartered there. Several Israeli-founded companies, such as Cyera and Island, are headquartered in the US and are discussed separately. Each company links to a full profile.

The ranking

Gulf startups

Buy now, pay later and fintech

Saudi Arabia's Tabby, valued at US$6.5 billion, is the region's most valuable private fintech, letting shoppers split purchases into instalments online and in stores. Tamara, its main rival, is also a unicorn. Buy now, pay later grew quickly in the Gulf thanks to young, digitally engaged consumers and supportive regulation, and both companies have been preparing for listings.

Commerce and quick delivery

Ninja, founded in Riyadh in 2022, became a unicorn in 2025 by delivering groceries within minutes from its own dark stores, and has selected banks for a potential Saudi IPO. Salla lets Saudi merchants build online stores, while Dubai's Kitopi runs cloud kitchens for restaurant brands.

Restaurant and business software

Foodics provides cloud point-of-sale, payments and financing to restaurants across the Middle East and North Africa, an example of vertical software plus fintech serving a fast-growing industry.

Israeli companies

Cato Networks, valued at US$4.8 billion, provides cloud-based networking and security. HiBob makes HR software for mid-sized companies. Many other Israeli-founded companies, including Cyera, Island, Gong, Tipalti and Rapyd, keep large research teams in Israel but list headquarters in the US or UK. Israel's strength comes from technical talent, much of it trained in military technology units, a dense network of experienced founders and investors, and a history of large acquisitions.

What drives Gulf startup growth

Government strategy

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy, grow the private sector and create jobs for a young population. The government supports startups through funds such as Jada and the Saudi Venture Capital Company, and through Sanabil, the Public Investment Fund's investment arm. The UAE has positioned Dubai and Abu Dhabi as global business hubs, with free zones, startup visas and initiatives such as Hub71.

Sovereign wealth

Gulf sovereign funds, including PIF, Mubadala, ADIA, ADQ and the Qatar Investment Authority, are among the world's largest investors. They invest in local startups and also in global technology companies, sometimes encouraging them to open regional operations. Gulf investors have become major backers of AI companies and infrastructure, as shown by HUMAIN's investment in Luma AI and Aramco Ventures' lead role in Together AI's round.

Young, digital consumers

Gulf countries have young populations with high smartphone use and strong purchasing power. E-commerce, delivery, digital payments and entertainment have grown rapidly, creating opportunities for consumer startups.

Local IPO markets

Saudi Arabia's Tadawul and the UAE's exchanges have become active IPO venues, with governments encouraging local listings. Several regional technology companies have listed at home, giving investors a path to exits.

Challenges

• Market size: outside Saudi Arabia, individual Gulf markets are relatively small, so startups must expand regionally.
• Talent: experienced technical talent is scarce in some markets, although governments are attracting international talent.
• Regulation: rules differ by country and continue to evolve, especially in fintech.
• Geopolitics: regional conflicts can affect investor sentiment, particularly for Israeli companies.

Using this list

International companies entering the Gulf can identify partners and competitors. Investors can track regional unicorns and upcoming IPOs. Founders can study which models have scaled in the region.

Fintech in the Gulf

Financial services are the largest category of Gulf startups by value. Beyond buy now, pay later, startups offer digital banking, payments, payroll, lending to small businesses and investing apps. Central banks in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have created regulatory sandboxes and new licences for fintechs, and Saudi Arabia has set targets for the number of fintech companies operating in the kingdom. Open banking frameworks are being introduced, which will let licensed companies access customer data with consent. Cash use has fallen sharply as card and mobile payments have become the norm, especially among younger consumers. These conditions have helped Tabby and Tamara grow from startups into some of the most valuable private companies in the region within a few years.

E-commerce and logistics

E-commerce in Saudi Arabia and the UAE has grown rapidly, supported by large marketplaces such as Noon and Amazon, delivery platforms such as Talabat, HungerStation and Jahez, and enabling companies such as Salla for online stores. Logistics investment, including government-backed projects to improve ports, warehouses and last-mile delivery, has made fast delivery more viable. Quick-commerce companies such as Ninja depend on these improvements, as well as on dense urban populations and relatively affordable delivery labour.

AI and data centres in the Gulf

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the world's most aggressive investors in artificial intelligence. Saudi Arabia launched HUMAIN, backed by the Public Investment Fund, to build AI models and data centres, and has partnered with Nvidia, AMD and US technology companies. The UAE's G42 and MGX have invested in AI infrastructure and in companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. These investments aim to make the Gulf a global hub for AI computing, using the region's capital and energy resources. For startups, this creates opportunities to partner with or sell to large state-backed projects, and access to well-funded investors.

Women in the workforce

Social reforms in Saudi Arabia have significantly increased women's participation in the workforce over the past decade. This has created new consumer demand, for example in childcare, convenience services and fashion, and a larger talent pool for startups. Platforms like Salla report that many of their merchants are women running businesses from home.

How to research Gulf startups

Information about private companies in the Gulf can be harder to find than in the US or Europe, because disclosure requirements are lighter and many deals are reported only in local media. Useful sources include regional news outlets such as Wamda, MAGNiTT data on venture deals, company announcements and, for companies preparing to list, prospectuses filed with regulators. Our guide to researching a private company explains general techniques that apply in the region.

Egypt, Jordan and the wider region

Beyond the Gulf and Israel, the wider Middle East and North Africa region has growing startup ecosystems. Egypt, with a population of more than 100 million, has produced fintechs such as Fawry (public) and MNT-Halan, along with e-commerce and logistics startups, although currency devaluations have hurt dollar valuations. Jordan has a strong base of technical talent and has produced companies such as Mawdoo3 and companies acquired by regional and global buyers. Many founders from these countries relocate to Dubai or Riyadh to access capital and larger markets, while keeping engineering teams at home. Regional investors such as BECO Capital, Global Ventures, STV, Raed Ventures and Shorooq Partners have become important backers, alongside sovereign-linked funds. MENA venture funding has increasingly concentrated in Saudi Arabia, which accounted for a growing share of regional deal value in 2024 and 2025.

Regional expansion

Startups founded in one Gulf country often expand across the region quickly, from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, and sometimes Egypt. Shared language and culture help, but each market has its own regulations and competitors.

Many startups also open offices in Dubai to serve the wider region, attracted by its business-friendly regulations, international talent and connections to global investors.

That regional reach is an important growth driver.