Licensed Foreign Startups to grow 118% in the Kingdom by 2025

The number of foreign startups licensed by the Ministry of Investment in the Kingdom reached 550 by mid-2025, achieving a growth of 118% compared to the same period last year.

This increase comes within the framework of joint national efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a regional hub for entrepreneurship by facilitating the entry of foreign startups into the Saudi market and providing a flexible regulatory environment that contributes to supporting innovation and attracting investment.

For its part, the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) issued 364 licenses to business incubators and accelerators in the Kingdom. These incubators played a pivotal role in attracting international entrepreneurs and supporting them during the establishment and growth stages by providing an appropriate environment for developing prototypes, providing guidance, and connecting them with investors and market partners, enabling them to launch effectively in the Saudi market. International events hosted by the Kingdom, such as Biban and LEAP, have also contributed to attracting entrepreneurs from around the world by highlighting the attractiveness of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the investment opportunities available in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the participation of government and private entities and Saudi entrepreneurs in international events, such as Web Summit, Vivatech, and Slush, has enhanced opportunities to connect with entrepreneurs around the world and promote the Kingdom as an attractive entrepreneurial destination.

This rapid growth reflects the growing confidence of foreign entrepreneurs in the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial and investment environment, supported by flexible regulations and legislation, an advanced digital infrastructure, and various enabling programs launched by the Kingdom to achieve the goals of Vision 2030.

The “Riyadi” license (investment registration for entrepreneurial companies) is one of the Ministry of Investment’s initiatives. Aimed at enabling the entrepreneurship ecosystem’s enablers and international and local entrepreneurs to easily establish their projects with partners from around the world, in support of the Kingdom’s drive to diversify the economy, promote innovation, and consolidate a culture of entrepreneurship within the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.