Key figures, October 2026
- 378startup funding programmes in six countries
- 205taking applications today
- 66open to founders from abroad, by their own website
- 73take no equity
- 6with a published closing date
Programmes by country and type
| Country | Accelerators & incubators | VC funds & investors | Grants & prizes | Government programmes | Angel networks | Corporate VCs | State equity | Loans & guarantees | Funds of funds | Support programmes | Total | Taking applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 19 | 49 | 4 | 14 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 122 | 66 |
| UAE | 14 | 47 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 114 | 54 |
| Qatar | 17 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 65 | 41 |
| Kuwait | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 16 |
| Oman | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 17 |
| Bahrain | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 11 |
| GCC | 67 | 126 | 22 | 51 | 20 | 40 | 7 | 22 | 5 | 18 | 378 | 205 |
Counted from the GulfPitch map on 16 Oct 2026. Download the table (CSV).
Questions, answered from the map
How many startup funding programmes are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 378 startup funding programmes across the six GCC countries: 122 in Saudi Arabia, 114 in the UAE, 65 in Qatar, 29 in Kuwait, 24 in Oman, 24 in Bahrain. They include 67 accelerators & incubators, 126 VC funds & investors, 22 grants & prizes, 51 government programmes, 20 angel networks, 40 corporate VCs, 7 state equity programmes, 22 loans & guarantees, 5 funds of funds, 18 support programmes. 373 of them passed their latest check against the organisation’s own website (October 2026); the others show the month of their last passed check on their own page.
How many VC funds and venture capital investors are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 126 VC funds & investors in the GCC: 49 in Saudi Arabia, 47 in the UAE, 16 in Qatar, 6 in Kuwait, 6 in Oman, 2 in Bahrain.
How many startup accelerators and incubators are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 67 accelerators & incubators in the GCC: 19 in Saudi Arabia, 14 in the UAE, 17 in Qatar, 3 in Kuwait, 7 in Oman, 7 in Bahrain.
How many startup grants and prizes are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 22 grants & prizes in the GCC: 4 in Saudi Arabia, 6 in the UAE, 9 in Qatar, 2 in Kuwait, 1 in Bahrain.
How many government startup programmes are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 51 government programmes in the GCC: 14 in Saudi Arabia, 9 in the UAE, 8 in Qatar, 8 in Kuwait, 7 in Oman, 5 in Bahrain.
How many angel investor networks are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 20 angel networks in the GCC: 8 in Saudi Arabia, 9 in the UAE, 2 in Qatar, 1 in Bahrain.
How many corporate venture capital investors are there in the GCC?
GulfPitch lists 40 corporate VCs in the GCC: 18 in Saudi Arabia, 13 in the UAE, 2 in Qatar, 4 in Kuwait, 3 in Bahrain.
How many GCC startup programmes take applications right now?
205 of the 378 programmes on GulfPitch take applications today (an application link and not closed): 66 in Saudi Arabia, 54 in the UAE, 41 in Qatar, 16 in Kuwait, 17 in Oman, 11 in Bahrain. The Apply list shows them with the link: https://gulfpitch.com/apply
How many GCC startup programmes take no equity?
73 programmes on GulfPitch say on their own terms that no equity is taken: 11 accelerators & incubators, 17 grants & prizes, 29 government programmes, 13 loans & guarantees, 3 support programmes. List: https://gulfpitch.com/programs/no-equity/
Can foreign founders apply to startup programmes in the Gulf?
Of the 219 programmes with an application link, 66 say on their own website that companies from outside the country can apply — 32 without conditions, 34 with a stated condition. 19 require a company in the country and 16 are for nationals or residents. List: https://gulfpitch.com/programs/international-founders/
Which GCC startup programmes close soon?
6 programmes publish a closing date: Finspire (Saudi Arabia, 18 Oct 2026); WISE EdTech Accelerator (Qatar, 31 Oct 2026); QSTP Incubation (Qatar, 1 Nov 2026); KFAS Applied Research Grant (Kuwait, 15 Nov 2026); KFAS Young Researcher Grant (Kuwait, 15 Nov 2026). All deadlines: https://gulfpitch.com/programs/closing-soon/
How the figures are made — and how to cite them
Every figure on this page is counted from the GulfPitch map when the site is built. An organisation is on the map when its own website shows that it funds startups in the GCC, and every entry is re-checked against that website from the first of each month; a figure no current primary source carries is dropped. The numbers describe the map, not every investor in the region.
Cite as: GulfPitch, “GCC startup funding in numbers”, October 2026, https://gulfpitch.com/programs/gcc-startup-funding-statistics/
Every number on this page is a light on the map — open it and filter by country, type, deadline and equity.
Open the map →