• Entertainment and leisure industries are the theme of the three-day, two-city event, with attendees exploring investment opportunities in gaming, hospitality, sports, and music.
     
  • Catalyze Saudi focuses on increasing the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the Saudi economy, a sector that is expected to reach 35% by 2030.
     
  • 50% more venture capital funding has been raised in Saudi Arabia this year than last, with the country now capturing over a third of the region’s total funding, nearly double 2020’s share.  

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Entrepreneurs and global investors from the growing entertainment sector and beyond are gathering for the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia’s (MISA’s) next Catalyze Saudi event. Beginning on December 9 in AlUla and concluding in Riyadh on December 11, the event aims to explore venture capital, private equity and other investment partnership opportunities in the Kingdom.  

Catalyze Saudi is a program aiming to connect government leaders, innovative startups, institutional investors and leading family offices to support the growth of Saudi Arabia’s startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem by connecting it with global funding, expertise and networks. This effort is in line with the country’s goal of increasing the SME contribution to GDP from 20% to 35% in 2030, as set out in its Vision 2030 economic growth and diversification blueprint and National Investment Strategy.

According to MAGNiTT, a startup platform for emerging venture capital markets, last year was a record-breaking year for the Saudi venture capital ecosystem, which grew 270% year-over-year as startups accumulated US$548m in funding. 

This momentum has continued into 2022 as the Kingdom defied challenges in the global ecosystem to see significant funding growth, with US$818m raised over 106 deals in the first three quarters of the year. The value is already 50% higher than the record funding raised last year and took Saudi Arabia’s share of the total funding in the MENA region to 35%, up from 18% in 2020.

Catalyze Saudi was launched in March 2022.  Participants have included Mayor Francis Suarez from Miami, David Grutman, Rio Ferdinand, Onefootball, Liberty City Ventures, Todd English, Animoca Brands, Silicon Valley Bank, Ginkgo Bioworks, Warner Music Group, Fernando Garibay and others. This edition of Catalyze Saudi will focus on the future of the entertainment industry, bringing together guests to discuss opportunities across sectors such as gaming, media, music, sport, design, tourism, and hospitality, with a specific lens on increasing investment in Saudi Arabia.

As host of the event, MISA, which aims to promote Saudi Arabia as a world-class investment destination, will hold roundtable discussions with global and Saudi entrepreneurs and investors and also provide networking, learning, and other engagement opportunities.

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Media Contact
misa@consulum.com

About Catalyze Saudi

Catalyze Saudi is an engagement platform powered by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), bringing together industry leaders from the Kingdom and across the globe to enable cross border, meaningful engagement in the fields of Venture Capital, Private Equity and Saudi SME expansion. Catalyze Saudi focuses on building long term relationships by using high touch, bespoke, experiential trips and activations, introducing international guests to the Kingdom’s best and brightest.  Catalyze guests will develop essential skills to better understand and navigate the market in KSA, while building relationships with other like-minded investors and thought leaders.

Representatives from governments, institutional investors, companies, funds, artists, influencers and leading family offices have been specifically chosen to participate in highly interactive roundtable discussions through a custom program designed to explore the development of the investment ecosystem and showcase the Kingdom’s offerings. Catalyze Saudi is a unique engagement platform with the sole intention of fostering deep and meaningful relationships for the Kingdom, focused on three verticals:

  • Catalyze Saudi Trips: highly curated events focused on targeted themes, aimed at reinforcing local and international relationships as well as strengthening the ecosystem 
     
  • Catalyze Saudi Activations: smaller trips, panels or workshops, alongside other events in the Kingdom, ensuring a high touch experience for guests who come through our program
     
  • Catalyze Saudi Alumni Network: Event and Activation participants will be tracked to ensure relationships with KSA flourish and continue to productively engage with KSA.

About the Ministry of Investment

The ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia under the Vision 2030 economic development and diversification plan is unlocking new investment opportunities at an unprecedented pace. The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) is facilitating access to these opportunities by developing a vibrant cross-government investment ecosystem, facilitated by Saudi Arabia’s National Investment Strategy.

Through a network of representative offices across the world, MISA partners with businesses of all scales and sizes—from start-ups to blue-chip multinationals—to help make investing in Saudi Arabia as simple as possible. MISA also plays a leading role in improving Saudi Arabia’s overall business environment by facilitating investment data across regions and sectors, creating investment incentives, spearheading business reforms and opening up investment opportunities.