$42B+ committed to tech under Vision 2030. Open data APIs, hyperscaler cloud regions, $14.9B in AI investment, and 1,600+ startups. This is where to build next.
Nine technology verticals where Saudi government mandates, allocated budgets, and a 36 million population create massive addressable markets.
SDAIA and the National Center for AI (NCAI) drive national AI strategy. LEAP 2025 announced $14.9B in AI investments. Project Transcendence commits $100B to AI infrastructure. Arabic NLP, computer vision for oil/gas, and govtech AI are wide open.
200+ SAMA-licensed fintechs. Tamara raised $2.4B. Lean Technologies provides open banking APIs. STC Pay is the Kingdom's first fintech unicorn. BNPL, wealthtech, insurtech, and Shariah-compliant digital banking are all scaling fast.
Noon is the regional Amazon. Sary ($75M raised) digitized B2B wholesale. Jahez IPO'd on Tadawul. Last-mile, dark stores, and supply chain automation are the build opportunities in a $20B+ addressable market.
AWS, Google Cloud (Dammam), Oracle (Jeddah), and Azure all have or are building Saudi regions. Foodics (valued at $500M) proved Saudi-built SaaS scales globally. Enterprise SaaS for Arabic-first markets is massively underbuilt.
$45B+ healthcare market privatizing from 75% to 35% government spend. Telemedicine, AI diagnostics, and hospital management SaaS are all in demand. The Health Sector Transformation Program is actively procuring technology. NPHIES standardizes health data exchange.
$6.8B projected market by 2033 (12.8% CAGR). Classera is the leading Saudi EdTech. Arabic AI tutoring, upskilling platforms, and K-12 adaptive learning are underserved. The Human Capability Development Program drives government procurement.
Saudi Arabia ranks #1 globally on the UN Global Cybersecurity Index. The NCA (National Cybersecurity Authority) enforces mandatory standards. With critical infrastructure, oil/gas, and banking all digitizing, cybersecurity is a $3B+ and growing opportunity.
NEOM, The Line, and Oxagon are building cities from scratch on IoT, AI, and digital twin infrastructure. The Digital Government Authority is procuring govtech across 150+ agencies. Smart mobility, energy management, and citizen services platforms.
Savvy Games Group (PIF-backed, $37B mandate) is building the Kingdom into a global gaming hub. Esports World Cup in Riyadh. Game studios, interactive entertainment, and creator tools are all being actively funded.
Hyperscaler cloud regions, 99%+ urban 5G, national open data APIs, and the largest data center buildout in the Middle East.
ME (Bahrain) + Saudi edge locations
Dammam region (me-central2)
Jeddah region live
$2.1B Saudi investment
MENA region
5G national coverage
11,400+ datasets, JSON/CSV/XML APIs
Hexagon Data Center (building)
Saudi Arabia deployed $94M in startup funding in November 2024 alone — an 88% month-over-month increase. Here's where the capital comes from.
STV — largest VC in MENA ($750M fund). RAED Ventures — early-stage, Riyadh-based. IMPACT46 — multi-stage Saudi VC. Shorooq Partners — fintech-focused. Plus 50+ regional and global VCs actively deploying in KSA.
Flat6Labs — seed up to SAR 750K ($200K). Badir (KACST) — tech incubator. Wamda — MENA ecosystem builder. LEAP Startup Program — pitch to 1,900+ investors at the world's biggest tech event.
PIF — $1B+ allocated to VC and PE. MISA — investor licensing and SEZ incentives. MCIT — tech sector development grants. Monsha'at — SME authority with financing and support programs for startups. SDAIA grants for data/AI projects.
Three unicorns, $3.8B+ raised collectively by the top 3, and a pipeline of companies scaling across fintech, logistics, SaaS, and AI.
BNPL payments platform. Largest funding round in MENA history. Integrated with major regional retailers.
First SAMA-licensed fintech and the Kingdom's first fintech unicorn. Digital wallet with millions of users.
BNPL leader across GCC. Split payments into 4 installments. Growing into a full consumer finance platform.
Cloud POS and restaurant management. Saudi-built SaaS scaling globally. Orders, inventory, staffing, analytics in one platform.
B2B wholesale marketplace. Digitized procurement for retailers and restaurants. Expanding to Egypt and UAE.
Open banking API. Universal financial data access for MENA. Powering budgeting, investment, and payment apps.
AI-powered learning management. Deployed across Saudi schools and expanding globally. Arabic-first LMS.
E-commerce ecosystem: marketplace, groceries, food delivery, instant delivery. Competing head-to-head with Amazon MENA.
Last updated: February 2026 · 3,500+ words · 15 min read
Saudi Arabia is no longer a market you sell into — it is a market you build in. The Kingdom's tech sector is growing from 1% to 5% of GDP by 2030, backed by $42B+ in government commitments, $100B earmarked for AI through Project Transcendence, and an ecosystem of 1,600+ startups that has produced three unicorns in the last three years. Whether you are a solo developer shipping an Arabic-first SaaS product, a startup founder looking for seed capital, or a scale-up entering MENA through Riyadh — this guide covers everything you need to know.
The numbers tell the story. Vision 2030 is not a slide deck — it is a $1.1 trillion restructuring of the world's 18th largest economy. For tech builders specifically, the opportunity is structural: the government is actively procuring technology across 150+ agencies through the Digital Government Authority. Every mega-project — NEOM, Red Sea Global, Qiddiya, Diriyah Gate — needs software. The Ministry of Communications and IT (MCIT) has made the IT market a $27B sector. And the Regional HQ mandate means every Fortune 500 company operating in Saudi needs a Riyadh tech team.
For developers, three things matter most: Saudi Arabia ranks #1 globally on the Open Government Data Index with 11,400+ datasets available via API. All major cloud hyperscalers (AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, Azure) have or are building Saudi regions. And 99%+ urban 5G coverage through STC, Mobily, and Zain means your mobile-first product has infrastructure parity with any developed market.
Foreign tech founders can own 100% of a Saudi company under the 2024 New Investment Law — no local partner required. The standard vehicle is an LLC registered through MISA (Ministry of Investment). For pure-play tech companies, the process is streamlined: MISA has pre-approved activity codes for software development, SaaS, consulting, and IT services.
If you are building with data-intensive or AI applications, consider incorporating in a Special Economic Zone — 0% corporate tax for up to 50 years, 100% foreign ownership, and customs duty exemptions. NEOM operates its own tech-focused SEZ framework. King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) offers similar incentives.
| Step | What | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Apply for MISA investor license | 1–7 days |
| 02 | Notarize Articles of Association | 1–3 days |
| 03 | Register with Ministry of Commerce | 1–3 days |
| 04 | Register with ZATCA for tax/VAT | 1–3 days |
| 05 | Open corporate bank — SNB, Al Rajhi | 2–4 weeks |
| 06 | Register with GOSI for employees | 1–3 days |
Total: 4–6 weeks to full operational readiness. Lighter than Singapore, faster than the EU, with far more government incentives than either.
SDAIA operates the National Open Data Platform — 11,400+ datasets across health, economy, education, environment, transport, and public administration. All data is free, no registration required, and available in machine-readable formats (CSV, JSON, XML) via REST APIs. Saudi Arabia achieved #1 globally in the Open Government Data Index in 2025. The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) provides economic and demographic datasets. The National Portal aggregates government service APIs.
Google Cloud's Dammam region (me-central2) provides full GCP services with data residency in-Kingdom. Oracle Cloud's Jeddah region is live. AWS serves through ME-Bahrain with Saudi edge locations and is building dedicated Saudi capacity. Microsoft committed $2.1B to Saudi cloud infrastructure. For data-sovereignty-sensitive workloads (government, healthcare, financial services), on-Kingdom cloud residency is increasingly mandatory under SDAIA's data governance framework.
The Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) — Saudi Arabia's GDPR equivalent — is enforced by SDAIA. Key requirements for developers: explicit consent for personal data collection, data minimization, breach notification within 72 hours, data localization for certain categories, and cross-border transfer restrictions requiring adequate safeguards. Full compliance has been required since September 2024. If you are building any consumer-facing product, PDPL compliance is not optional — build it into your architecture from day one.
LEAP 2026 runs April 13–16 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center. Numbers: 200,000+ attendees, 1,000+ speakers, 600+ startups, 1,900+ investors, 1,800+ exhibiting brands. The Startup Program offers exhibit pods, pitch competitions, and AI-powered investor matchmaking. DeepFest, the co-located AI conference, is the region's flagship AI event. LEAP 2025 secured $1.2B in investment announcements and $14.9B in AI commitments. If you are building in MENA, LEAP is the single highest-ROI event on the calendar.
The Saudization (Nitaqat) program requires minimum Saudi workforce ratios that vary by sector and company size. For tech companies, the ratios are generally more favorable than traditional industries — but you need to plan for them. KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) in Thuwal produces world-class CS and AI graduates. KACST operates tech transfer and R&D programs. The Tuwaiq Academy runs coding bootcamps. And the Human Capability Development Program is actively funding technical skills development.
| Tax | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate Income Tax | 20% | On foreign-owned share of profits |
| SEZ Corporate Tax | 0% | Up to 50 years in qualifying zones |
| VAT | 15% | Most goods and services |
| Personal Income Tax | 0% | No personal income tax in KSA |
| Capital Gains | 20% | On share disposal by non-residents |
60+ double tax treaties. ZATCA administers all tax collection. No personal income tax means your engineers take home more. SEZs mean your company can pay 0% corporate tax for half a century.
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