2019 has seen $516M invested in GCC-based startups, a 22% drop in total funding from $661M in 2018, mainly concentrated in the United Arab Emirates

 

The United Arab Emirates still accounts for the larger share of funding and investment activity in the region, even though its share of GCC funding and investment deals dropped by 15% and 37% respectively from 2015, meaning that startup ecosystems in neighboring countries are increasing in size.

 

What's included in this 49-page report?

GCC's most comprehensive research report on venture trends

- Funding Trends in GCC, incl. deals & funding evolution, avg. funding, and top deals
- Exits in GCC, incl. a list of all 2019 exits
- Investors in GCC, with most active investors ranked by funding stage
- Industry Insights, with an overview of the top performing industries in the region
- Pre-money Valuation by Funding Stage, highlighting the avg. pre-money valuation at Early Stage & Series A
- Country Rankings & Trends, incl. a ranking of GCC countries by deals and funding

 

Want to obtain a free sample? Download a copy here.

 

 

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia took the lead by number of deals in 2019, with 44% and 25%, respectively of all deals. Both countries took the lead by number of deals, followed by Bahrain (11%), Oman (11%) and Kuwait (6%). Although the United Arab Emirates witnessed a drop of 37% in its share of GCC investment activity, neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia have shown constant growth over the last few years, with investors' appetites to invest in the region have increased by tenfold.