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Saudi Arabia Advances Tech Hub Leadership Position with $888 Mln in Deals at LEAP 24 

Saudi Arabia further advanced its position as a regional tech and investment hub during LEAP 24, with the announcement on Tuesday of $888 million in investment funds and funding rounds backing innovation and tech entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and across the region. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia further advanced its position as a regional tech and investment hub during LEAP 24, with the announcement on Tuesday of $888 million in investment funds and funding rounds backing innovation and tech entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and across the region. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Advances Tech Hub Leadership Position with $888 Mln in Deals at LEAP 24 

Saudi Arabia further advanced its position as a regional tech and investment hub during LEAP 24, with the announcement on Tuesday of $888 million in investment funds and funding rounds backing innovation and tech entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and across the region. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia further advanced its position as a regional tech and investment hub during LEAP 24, with the announcement on Tuesday of $888 million in investment funds and funding rounds backing innovation and tech entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and across the region. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia further advanced its position as a regional tech and investment hub during LEAP 24, with the announcement on Tuesday of $888 million in investment funds and funding rounds backing innovation and tech entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and across the region.

On the second day of LEAP 24 in Riyadh, Investcorp launched a $500 million growth-stage fund.

Oasis Capital launched "Fund II" with a capital of $100 million.

The National Development Fund and the Social Development Bank established the $40 million Gaming and Esports Investment Fund, managed by Impact46.

Merak Capital established a fund with $80 million to support game accelerators in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s Takamol Holdings launched a $50 million investment arm, focused on funding early-stage tech companies.

Plug and Play launched its first fund to invest in technology startups, while X by Unifonic announced its first investment fund to support business software services for startups.

Funding rounds

As part of Saudi Arabia's position as the largest tech and digital economy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, startups raised more than $53.4 million through funding rounds during LEAP 24.

BRKZ, a Saudi-based international information technology company, raised $8 million in a Series A round.

FanZ, a Saudi AI-enabled sport tech company, announced a pre-seed funding round of $1.5 million.

Lawazem, an online Saudi B2B supplies player, announced a pre-Series A round of $8 million to expand its operations, while RemotePass, a cross-border team onboarding services company, announced a Series A funding round of $5.5 million.

Moyasar, a Saudi payment gateway, announced a Series A funding round to scale operations across the MENA region as it deepens services in the Kingdom with Saudi-based Jahez.

Buildnow, a Saudi fintech company, announced a seed funding round led by RAED Ventures and Khawarizmi Venture Fund.

A liquidity bridge initiative was launched to support startups by providing immediate financial assistance, covering up to 50% of capital investment financing. The SourceTech initiative will grant financial support to incentivize technology outsourcing companies to establish and expand their services across the Kingdom.

NTPD initiatives

Saudi Arabia's National Technology Development Program (NTDP) launched five initiatives to expand the IT sector. These initiatives guide and source funding for pre-seed and early-stage startups. They will support emerging technologies focusing on priority sectors, such as Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, space technology, biotechnology, smart cities, mobility technology, open radio access networks, and deep tech.

NTDP launched the AIM initiative to stimulate the AI ecosystem and provide access to R&D infrastructure. The AIM initiative aims to elevate local talent, address sector challenges, and create projects with lasting impact over the next five years.

NTDP announced the AdoptTech initiative to bridge the technology gap for startups and small and medium-sized companies in the Kingdom. The initiative will accelerate digital transformation for companies, enhancing a robust technological ecosystem and providing financial assistance and access to technological solutions.

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Business

Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."