SVC Investment in Startups (Direct Co-Investment)

SVC Investment in Startups (Direct Co-Investment)

Invests with partners through SVC for co investment in Saudi startups and expanding companies, sharing minority risk positions.

The Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) Direct Investment programme co-invests equity alongside lead venture capital investors into startups and SMEs that are based in Saudi Arabia or are actively expanding into the Saudi market. Founded in 2018 as a subsidiary of SME Bank under the National Development Fund, SVC operates a dual mandate: a fund-of-funds arm that has committed capital to 65+ private capital funds, and a direct co-investment arm that participates in individual funding rounds at the company level. The organisation's original mandate was SAR 2.8 billion (approximately $750 million), and it has deployed SAR 1.2 billion across 40+ fund relationships to date, with an additional SAR 1 billion announced into 17 US-based VC and private equity funds in November 2025.

For direct co-investments, SVC participates at all stages from early to late pre-IPO, with a minimum ticket size of SAR 1,000,000 (approximately $267,000) and a hard cap of 30% of the total individual funding round. The programme is sector-agnostic in principle but focuses on impact-driven opportunities with strategic relevance to the Saudi economy. Only for-profit companies are eligible; the funding is equity, not a grant. There is no stated maximum ticket, and SVC does not lead rounds — it co-invests alongside a lead VC.

Applicants should approach SVC through its official programmes portal. The co-investment structure means that securing a lead investor first is a practical prerequisite. SVC's portfolio spans AI infrastructure, biotech, climate technology, and hardware, among other sectors. Businesses targeting the Saudi market as part of their expansion should note that Saudi-registered entities or those with a credible Saudi market-entry plan are the intended beneficiaries of this programme.