KAUST has reached a major milestone as its startup portfolio crossed 1 billion dollars in total investments. The university has built one of the strongest deep tech ecosystems in the region. Its startups now generate hundreds of millions in revenue and create jobs across several high growth sectors. This achievement highlights Saudi Arabia’s progress toward a knowledge driven economy.
A billion dollar milestone for Saudi deep tech
KAUST announced that its portfolio companies have raised more than 1 billion dollars to date. These startups have generated 925 million dollars in revenue and created 6,661 jobs. The portfolio also holds a total valuation of more than 2 billion dollars.
Ian Campbell, Senior Vice President of the KAUST National Transformation Institute, says the funding milestone shows that Saudi deep tech can compete globally. The university continues to position itself at the centre of the country’s innovation push.
Growing investor confidence in 2024
In 2024 alone, KAUST backed startups raised 150 million dollars. Investors from Saudi Arabia and around the world continue to increase their involvement in high tech ventures linked to the university. KAUST Innovation Ventures focuses on co investment strategies that help these startups scale beyond local markets.
Some notable success stories from 2024 include:
- Edama raised 5.6 million dollars from the Saudi Investment Recycling Company
- Rize secured 35 million dollars to scale its rent now pay later real estate platform
- Flynow landed 44 million dollars to build eCopter manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
- Intelmatix raised 20 million dollars to simplify AI adoption and support better decision intelligence
These investments show the rising demand for technology that delivers real solutions in sustainability, mobility and artificial intelligence.
Global expansion across multiple sectors
KAUST is helping its startups enter international markets. Two strong examples include Rimrubber and iStoria. Rimrubber offers on demand tire sales and fitting services in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. iStoria helps non native speakers learn English in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
Through these companies, KAUST demonstrates its ability to support founders from idea to global rollout. The ecosystem focuses on commercializing research and pushing Saudi technology into new markets.
KAUST as a national innovation engine
These achievements were highlighted at SPECTRUM 2025, KAUST’s flagship startup and investor event in Riyadh. The event took place in partnership with several major organizations including Wa’ed Ventures, 500 Global, Antler, Impact46 and The Garage.
KAUST aims to remain a national driver of innovation. It continues to develop human capital, convert research into new ventures and attract global investment. Haitham Alhumsi, Director of the KAUST Innovation Ecosystem, says the impact of KAUST startups goes beyond funding. He believes these companies are shaping future industries and building global connections that will define the next decade of Saudi innovation.