RIYADH: Saudi entrepreneurs received funding worth SR100.02 billion ($27 billion) in the first quarter as the number of small and medium-size businesses operating in the Kingdom rose by 15 percent, according to a government report. The number of SMEs in the Kingdom increased to 755,979 in the first three months of the year from 650,550 a year ago, Saudi Arabia’s General
Venture Capital Investments Climb 65% in Saudi Arabia aawsat.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aawsat.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Rise of angels: More money or more inexperienced investors?
Angels are coming forth in the Middle East, more ready than ever to start investing in startups. Over the past year, several new angel investment networks have emerged, while existing networks are expanding their activities, hoping to contribute to, and benefit from the growth of startups and their technology.
What began as a rather informal landscape, with keen investors coming together every so often to invest in startups in the region, has bourgeoned into well-established networks and syndicate structures providing crucial early-stage investment.
Across the startup funding spectrum, angel investment is focused on the seed to pre-Series A investment stage, typically before a startup has a proven track record. Ticket sizes can range from $10,000 to $100,000 and in some cases, reach a few million. Given these smaller cheque sizes, angel investors tend to be more agile than traditional venture capital (VC) firms and respon