Riyadh entrepreneurship meet sees big-buck deals

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Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdulla Alswaha speaks at GEC 2022. Twitter
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  • Several government entities and large firms are expected to sign 40 agreements during the conference
  • The Saudi Ministry of Investment has, during the event, granted four licenses to startups and a venture capital fund

The four days of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), which continues till March 30, are expected to see 40 agreements being signed between government agencies and major corporations, besides the launch of investment funds, acquisitions, and financing.

The GEC, currently taking place in Riyadh, has already seen deals worth around $4.5 billion being signed.

The conference is conducted, under the theme We Re-Innovate – Renew, by the Saudi General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) in collaboration with the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN).

It covers a range of topics to establish a unified global system for entrepreneurship, assist entrepreneurs in sustaining, and disseminate knowledge about emerging global trends in entrepreneurship in the post-pandemic stage through more than 100 discussion sessions featuring over 150 speakers.

The discussion sessions will feature over 26 ministers from around the world and speakers from international business leaders, economists, and policymakers.

Launching of Nusaned Fund 2

During the first day of the conference, the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Al-Ahly Financial Company launched the Nusaned Fund 2 with a value of $200 million.

An agreement was also reached with the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s Jada Fund of Funds company to invest in the Nusaned Fund 2, in line with the Saudi PIF national goals to boost investments in private equity and venture capital funds and finance the growth of the SME’s sector.

The first day also saw the signing of 33 agreements and the launch of investment initiatives totaling more than $4.2 billion to support entrepreneurship in various fields and strengthen the kingdom’s position as an appealing environment for pioneers, innovators, and creators in the MENA region.

Saudi Aramco signed 10 memoranda of cooperation and two agreements with local and international companies in digital transformation, information technology, and national development.

Moreover, the Social Development Bank signed agreements with several entities represented by the Royal Commission for Yanbu and the National Entrepreneurship Institute.

It also announced the launch of several products and initiatives to support empowering entrepreneurs with a total value of about $3 billion.

The Saudi Venture Investment Company (SVC) also signed agreements with several investment funds with a total value of $656 million.

Furthermore, global automotive ecommerce platform Cars24, Asia’s largest eyewear retailer Lenskart, and a cloud-kitchen specialist Kitopi signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Monsha’at to support entrepreneurs in specialized industries.

Additionally, Monsha’at signed an MoU with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority to launch and expand the Ruwad initiative, in collaboration with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Ministry of Investment issues licenses

Several agreements were reached on the second day of the conference, the most notable of which was the Saudi Ministry of Investment’s granting of four licenses to startups and a venture capital fund.

Meanwhile, many banks signed agreements with Monsha’at.

For example, the Al Rajhi Bank announced financing programs worth $5.3 million, the Bank Albilad announced innovative financing programs worth $500 million, and the Arab National Bank announced financing programs and products worth $300 million.

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