Shortly after the launch of Nuwa last year, we dug into previous economic dislocations and what they have historically meant for innovation in the tech sector. Since April 2020, we have made nine investments in companies delineating the future of various sectors (six of these announced: eyewa, homzmart, Flexxpay, Valeo, Speero, and baraka). 

The dynamics of the MENA ecosystem have also continued to change; in the last few years, companies have reached unprecedented levels (and speed) of growth and have become strong contenders to their traditional counterparts, often redefining the industry as a whole along the way. A new generation of founders is building the future, especially in Saudi Arabia, where a new crop of early-stage companies has emerged, bolstered in part by new, forward-thinking regulations, and access to capital. A number of exits have already created knock-on effects, the VC market has changed, and MENA is settling into the creation of a brand new narrative. 

A year or so into the post-pandemic world and the accelerated digitization brought on by COVID-19, we wanted to share some broad strokes on what the next few years may look like.

By no means is this document comprehensive, it is a work in progress, meant to help us think through some of the trends shaping up, and changing our economies.

*George Will, author and political commentator.

Stephanie Nour Prince is Partner at Nuwa Capital where she leads on the fund’s network engagements and operations.

Ghassan Noursi is Nuwa Capital’s Venture Lead.

This document includes work by Hossein Alsharif, Kemuel Sabula, and Mahnoor Sabir, participants in Nuwa Capital's VC-in-Training program.