Key Takeaways
- • The headline claims Saudi VC deal count fell 35% while capital rose, but none of the available coverage confirms that 2026 figure, so the claim should be treated as unverified.
- • The most recent MAGNiTT data in the sources shows Saudi Arabia closed a record 254 VC deals in 2025, surpassing $1.7B, with more than 35 new VC and PE funds launched across the GCC.
- • Across the GCC, startups raised $3.8B across 688 deals in 2025, up 74% year over year, according to MAGNiTT, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the region.
- • Bahoshy, MAGNiTT's CEO, has pointed to mega-deals, a rise in Series A and B activity, and growing international investor participation as drivers of Saudi momentum.
Summary
A Bloomberg video segment featuring Philip Bahoshy, CEO of MAGNiTT, is titled to report that Saudi venture capital deal volume fell 35% even as capital deployed rose. The available coverage does not include the underlying figures for that period, so the deal-count decline cannot be confirmed from the sources reviewed here.
The most recent MAGNiTT data cited in related coverage points in a different direction. Saudi Arabia closed 254 VC deals in 2025, the highest annual count ever recorded, and total Saudi VC funding surpassed $1.7B. More than 35 new VC and PE funds launched across the GCC in the same year. Regionally, startups received $3.8B across 688 deals in 2025, up 74% from the prior year, according to MAGNiTT.
Earlier 2025 data also showed strength. MAGNiTT reported that Saudi capital deployed rose 53% year over year in Q1 2025, with a rise in Series A and B non-mega deal activity, a 30% increase in international investors backing Saudi startups, and the return of mega-deals, including Tabby's $160M round. Bahoshy has said the market remained cautious because of U.S. tariff-related macroeconomic pressures, while expecting new government initiatives and fund announcements from SVC and Jada Fund of Funds.
Longer-term context shows the Kingdom's trajectory. Venture investment into Saudi startups grew 72% in 2022 to $987m, according to The Banker, and Saudi Arabia secured $750 million in 2024, equal to 40% of total regional VC capital, per MAGNiTT. Earlier 2025 commentary also noted M&A scarcity, limited exits, and a growing role for secondary transactions and IPOs.
The most recent MAGNiTT data cited in related coverage points in a different direction. Saudi Arabia closed 254 VC deals in 2025, the highest annual count ever recorded, and total Saudi VC funding surpassed $1.7B. More than 35 new VC and PE funds launched across the GCC in the same year. Regionally, startups received $3.8B across 688 deals in 2025, up 74% from the prior year, according to MAGNiTT.
Earlier 2025 data also showed strength. MAGNiTT reported that Saudi capital deployed rose 53% year over year in Q1 2025, with a rise in Series A and B non-mega deal activity, a 30% increase in international investors backing Saudi startups, and the return of mega-deals, including Tabby's $160M round. Bahoshy has said the market remained cautious because of U.S. tariff-related macroeconomic pressures, while expecting new government initiatives and fund announcements from SVC and Jada Fund of Funds.
Longer-term context shows the Kingdom's trajectory. Venture investment into Saudi startups grew 72% in 2022 to $987m, according to The Banker, and Saudi Arabia secured $750 million in 2024, equal to 40% of total regional VC capital, per MAGNiTT. Earlier 2025 commentary also noted M&A scarcity, limited exits, and a growing role for secondary transactions and IPOs.
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