UAE Q1 2022 Venture Investment Report

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The Q1 2022 United Arab Emirates (UAE) Venture Report provides a quarterly update on the venture capital and startup ecosystems in the MENA region. 

After 3 consecutive quarter-on-quarter growth in funding, the UAE-based VC ecosystem explores new heights in the first quarter of 2022. Considered the most-funded quarter after UAE’s record-high of $587M in Q2’2021, the $297M raised in the first quarter of the year marked a 75.7% QoQ growth and a 10% growth compared to Q4’2021

Observing a 1,200% QoQ growth in funding, FinTech climbed one rank to become the most-funded industry in Q1’2022 with Transport & Logistics (T&L) also climbing a rank to come in second. The prevalence of international investor interest in the UAE was evident in the first quarter of the year where over Q1'2022, international investors accounted for 61% of all active investors backing UAE-based startups. 

 

Key Highlights - UAE 2022 Venture Investment Report

  • $297M was recorded in VC funding across the UAE in the first quarter of the year; UAE's second-highest quarter fundraise to date.

  • The highest number of transactions (15) were closed in the $1M-$5M round size bracket, while the quarter’s top 5 funding rounds accounted for 62% of all funds raised in 2022 YTD

  • The UAE still reigns in MENA by total funding and transactions, albeit, with only a 2-deal difference from its runner-up KSA.

  • While Fintech startups closed almost 40% of UAE's total transactions, Fintech and T&L together constituted 67% of all funds raised over the first quarter of the year

  • The 5 Exits recorded in the UAE over Q1'22 are almost half of those recorded over FY 2021 

What’s In The Report?

This quarterly report provides a comprehensive overview and a deep dive into the Middle East and North Africa venture capital and funding investment space and includes the following: 

• A 5-year analysis of UAE venture funding evolution, with a focus on 2022 YTD country and industry performance benchmarks

• Top 10 investor ranking, together with the business type and HQ analysis of all investment firms in the region

• Top 10 startup funding rounds that were closed during the analyzed period, as well as the ticket size split of the entire deal flow

• A 5-year UAE exit evolution with country benchmark breakdown

• Top 10 last exits by UAE-based startups

Who will benefit from the report?

The UAE Venture Investment Report is ideal for investors tracking startup activity, consultants looking to identify technology innovation trends, as well as government entities searching for investments.

This report was created with data from MAGNiTT, a comprehensive directory of technology innovation trends. The platform provides the following analytics tools:

 

• Investment directories, a comprehensive list of all startup venture funding across the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Turkey

• Market Sizing Tools to visualize investment growth and trends across industries, geographies, and stage

• Startup Resources including a deal flow tool for applications to leading Venture Capitalists for investment

• Exit comparisons, looking at Mergers & Acquisitions from across the region

 

Sign-up for a demo to learn more about how our platform can help you make data-driven decisions.

*This report aggregates and analyses tech startup investments in 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa - listed alphabetically: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen.

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