Wa’ed, the entrepreneurship arm of Aramco, has increased its allocated capital for investment to SAR 75 million with a focus to invest in five core areas, including sustainability, manufacturing, social, digital, and industrial sectors. The company will also target later stage funding rounds, widening its local investment scope and further capitalizing on its current success.
In 2021, Wa’ed increased its venture capital portfolio by an additional eight new deals and four follow-on investments, reaching up to SAR 34 million in total dedicated funds.
Wa’ed Ventures, the VC investment arm of Wa’ed, currently supports more than 37 companies. Some of those are: Red Sea Farms, AgTech startup, who uses saltwater-based agriculture systems, Cura, the telehealth startup, and Lamaa, the FinTech company that provides financing solutions for small and medium sized companies.
“2021 signaled a transformational year for Wa’ed. Our continuous support for visionary founders and scalable startup solutions has given us the right foundation to embark on this new chapter as we aim to create greater impact on the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. We plan to strengthen our role as a founder-focused partner and the five identified sectors will help activate a clear and sustainable strategy for the years ahead,” Fahad Alidi, the Managing Director at Wa’ed said.
Wa’ed’s incubation program also onboarded 17 startups across various sectors in 2021 including e-commerce startup, Naseej Market, and the first local B2B manufacturer for enclosed sleeping capsules, Wassan, both were enrolled during the six-city Wa’ed Entrepreneurship Roadshow.
If you see something out of place or would like to contribute to this story, check out our Ethics and Policy section.
