How corporate venture capital works in Saudi Arabia
Corporate venture capital in Saudi Arabia starts with Aramco, which runs four vehicles on the map: Aramco Ventures ($7.5B in committed capital, investing globally in energy, sustainability and industrial innovation), Prosperity7 (its diversified growth fund, $3B after expanding from $1B, six offices worldwide), Wa'ed Ventures (the $500M fund for startups that can localise in Saudi Arabia, with a $100M early-stage AI allocation) and LAB7, the deeptech venture builder with a purpose-built facility in Dhahran; Aramco SAiL is the group's digital innovation space in Al-Midra Tower. The telecom group stc has tali ventures (corporate VC, portfolio Nile, Rewaa and NearPay, co-investing alongside Sanabil and Prosperity7) and colab by stc, an internal venture builder with no external intake. The banks have their own arms: 1957 Ventures (Riyad Bank, SAR 1B fintech fund, Series A and B), NEOV — NeoVentures (Saudi National Bank, Pre-Seed to Series A in fintech and lifestyle) and the alinma Digital Fund (strategic fintech investments such as Qashio and Wadaie). Industrial and family groups complete the picture: SABIC Ventures, Imad Ventures (Nesma & Partners, construction technology), SRMG Ventures (the media group), X by Unifonic ($26.6M Venture Studio and Accelerator Fund for SaaS), Al Faisaliah Group, Scene Holding, the NEOM Investment Fund and HUMAIN.
Stages and tickets: Wa'ed Ventures writes cheques up to $20M from seed to Series C and has deployed $320M+ across 100+ portfolio companies. 1957 Ventures invests at Series A and B from its SAR 1B fund. NEOV invests from Pre-Seed to Series A; Imad Ventures at Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A in construction technology; SRMG Ventures from seed to Series B in media, with no fixed minimum; tali ventures asks for the current round and investment history in its form; SABIC Ventures makes early-stage investments; LAB7 takes a minority stake in early-stage deeptech startups that have completed lab tests, in exchange for funding and in-kind contributions. Prosperity7 and Aramco Ventures invest from early to growth stage globally; X by Unifonic combines fund investment, studio co-building and a three-month accelerator for early-stage SaaS. Most corporate arms publish no ticket size — the exceptions are Wa'ed (up to $20M) and the fund sizes above.
What the corporate brings besides money: 1957 Ventures and NEOV open the client base and banking services of Riyad Bank and SNB; NEOV also localises global startups into Saudi Arabia and supports Saudi startups expanding abroad. Imad Ventures gives real pilots on Nesma & Partners projects and introductions to decision-makers. LAB7 offers joint product development, specialised infrastructure with 115+ pieces of equipment and market access in Dhahran. SABIC Ventures provides technical and commercial guidance plus access to its global markets and infrastructure, through a five-step process from a non-confidential introduction to a term sheet, due diligence and investment agreement. tali ventures opens stc group's ecosystem and market reach. Wa'ed targets startups that can localise in Saudi Arabia and sits next to Aramco's own operations.
Sectors: fintech is covered by the three bank arms (1957 Ventures, NEOV, alinma Digital Fund) and by Wa'ed and tali ventures; AI and deeptech by Wa'ed ($100M AI allocation), LAB7, HUMAIN (which has invested in MOZN but publishes no startup programme), Prosperity7 and tali ventures; energy, sustainability and industrial innovation by Aramco Ventures and SABIC Ventures (circular economy, energy transition, differentiated materials, agri-nutrients); construction technology by Imad Ventures (robotics, AI, digital project controls, procurement); media, content and ad-tech by SRMG Ventures; SaaS by X by Unifonic; fintech, real estate and creative industries by Scene Holding; brain-computer interfaces by the NEOM Investment Fund's partnership with Paradromics.
Applying: 7 of the 18 Saudi corporate investors publish a route. Wa'ed Ventures takes applications through the Apply for Funding form on its dealflow portal; tali ventures through its Apply for fund form; 1957 Ventures through its Apply for Funding form (typical response within 5 business days; it asks where the HQ is and whether a Saudi presence exists or is planned); NEOV through the Startup Information form linked from its site; LAB7 through its startup application form; SABIC Ventures by e-mail with a non-confidential introduction; SRMG Ventures by e-mail, open throughout the year. Imad Ventures and X by Unifonic take proposals through contact routes without a form; Prosperity7, Aramco Ventures, Aramco SAiL, alinma Digital Fund, Al Faisaliah Group, Scene Holding, the NEOM Investment Fund and HUMAIN publish no application route, and colab by stc takes no external applications at all. Every entry with a public route carries an Apply button on GulfPitch.
In numbers: 18 corporate VCs in Saudi Arabia, 7 taking applications; 3 state on their own websites that they take companies from abroad (November 2026).
Facts from each programme’s own website, checked October 2026. Amounts in the currency the programme publishes.
1957 Ventures
LAB7 (Aramco)
NEOV — NeoVentures (SNB)
SABIC Ventures
SRMG Ventures
tali ventures
Wa'ed Ventures
Al Faisaliah Group (AFG)
alinma Digital Fund
Aramco SAiL
Aramco Ventures
colab by stc
HUMAIN
Imad Ventures (Nesma & Partners)
NEOM Investment Fund
Prosperity7 (Aramco)
Scene Holding
X by Unifonic
Questions founders ask about corporate VC in Saudi Arabia
Which Saudi corporate VCs take applications online?
Wa'ed Ventures (Apply for Funding on its dealflow portal), tali ventures (Apply for fund form), 1957 Ventures (Apply for Funding form, response typically within 5 business days), NEOV — NeoVentures (Startup Information form), LAB7 (startup application form), SABIC Ventures (e-mail with a non-confidential introduction) and SRMG Ventures (e-mail, open all year). Imad Ventures and X by Unifonic work through contact routes; the other Aramco vehicles, alinma, Al Faisaliah, Scene Holding, NEOM Investment Fund and HUMAIN publish no route.
What are Aramco's venture arms and how do they differ?
Aramco Ventures ($7.5B committed capital) invests globally in energy, sustainability and industrial innovation. Prosperity7 ($3B) is the diversified growth fund investing in deep tech, robotics, mobility, security tech, cloud and foodtech from six offices. Wa'ed Ventures ($500M, cheques up to $20M, seed to Series C, $100M AI allocation) backs startups that can localise in Saudi Arabia and is the one with an application form. LAB7 is the deeptech venture builder in Dhahran taking minority stakes in startups past lab tests. Aramco SAiL is the digital innovation space at headquarters, with no open intake.
Which Saudi banks have venture arms, and what do they invest in?
Riyad Bank's 1957 Ventures (SAR 1B fund, fintech, Series A and B, HQ in Saudi Arabia, the GCC or elsewhere), Saudi National Bank's NEOV — NeoVentures (fintech and lifestyle, Pre-Seed to Series A, Saudi or international startups, with access to SNB's clients, banking services and operations) and alinma bank's alinma Digital Fund (strategic fintech investments including Qashio, Wadaie, Amwal Tech, Ejari, Lean Technology and NearPay; no application route). NEOV is not the same as NeoVentures (Mashreq) in the UAE.
How big are the cheques?
Wa'ed Ventures invests up to $20M per deal. 1957 Ventures invests at Series A and B from a SAR 1B fund, X by Unifonic from a $26.6M fund, Wa'ed's AI allocation is $100M. SRMG Ventures fixes no minimum and evaluates each opportunity individually. tali ventures, NEOV, SABIC Ventures, Imad Ventures, LAB7, Al Faisaliah Group, Scene Holding and the NEOM Investment Fund publish no ticket size.
Do I need a Saudi company to pitch a Saudi corporate VC?
Wa'ed targets startups that can localise in Saudi Arabia; 1957 Ventures asks for the HQ (Saudi Arabia, other GCC or elsewhere) and the current or planned Saudi presence; NEOV invests in Saudi startups and localises global startups into the Kingdom. Imad Ventures invests across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia; Prosperity7, Aramco Ventures and SABIC Ventures invest globally; SRMG Ventures' portfolio spans Riyadh, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. LAB7 works from its facility in Dhahran.
Which Saudi corporate VCs invest in fintech?
1957 Ventures (Riyad Bank), NEOV — NeoVentures (SNB), alinma Digital Fund, Wa'ed Ventures (fintech among AI, deeptech, robotics and cybersecurity), tali ventures (fintech, AI, proptech, cloud, IoT, cybersecurity) and Scene Holding (fintech, real estate, creative and culture).
Which Saudi corporate VCs invest in deep tech, AI or industrial technology?
Wa'ed Ventures ($100M AI allocation; AI, deeptech, robotics, cybersecurity), LAB7 (deeptech at the intersection of technology and industrial transformation: manufacturing, digital, sustainability), Prosperity7 (deep tech, robotics, mobility), Aramco Ventures (carbon management, renewables and storage, hydrogen, AI and analytics), SABIC Ventures (circular economy, energy transition, differentiated materials), Imad Ventures (construction robotics and AI) and HUMAIN (full-stack AI, no startup programme published).
What does a corporate investor give me that a VC fund does not?
Pilots and distribution inside the parent: Imad Ventures runs real pilots on Nesma & Partners projects, LAB7 shares Aramco's specialised infrastructure and joint product development, SABIC Ventures opens its global markets and infrastructure, 1957 Ventures and NEOV open the client base and banking services of Riyad Bank and SNB, tali ventures the stc group ecosystem, and SRMG Ventures the group's media reach. The trade-off is strategic fit: SABIC, Imad, SRMG and the bank arms invest only in sectors aligned with the parent.
Corporate VCs elsewhere in the Gulf
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