TLDR
State of Venture Q3’23: Middle East & North Africa
MENA funding continues to slow down in
Q3’23. But other indicators are looking up.
-24%
QoQ funding drop in
Q3’23 —the third
straight decrease.
Dealmaking continued to
slow down in MENA. Funding
dropped 24% QoQ to hit
$340M in Q3’23, marking the
region’s third straight
quarterly funding drop.
Despite the broader
decrease, fintech
experienced a 56% funding
jump QoQ, while digital
health saw funding rise from
$2M to $15M over the same
period.
37%
United Arab
Emirates funding
share in Q3’23.
Among evaluated countries,
the UAE secured the most
funding in Q3’23, drawing
$127M across 29 deals.
However, both totals
represent a QoQ decline.
Competition for funding
among MENA countries
remains strong. The UAE,
Saudi Arabia, and Turkey
have all taken turns leading
the region in quarterly
funding since 2022.
$30M
Median deal size
for late-stage deals
in 2023 YTD.
Late-stage deals are holding
strong in MENA. While early-
and mid-stage deal sizes are
down vs. 2022 levels, median
late-stage deal size is up
200% in 2023 YTD.
Still, late-stage deals have
only accounted for 5% of
deals in 2023 so far. The vast
majority (85%) of deals have
been early-stage in 2023 YTD
—and the median deal size
at this stage is down 17% vs.
2022.
19
Months from Series
B to C. Mid-stage
fundraising is
quickening.
Mid-stage companies are
raising faster in 2023 YTD vs.
2022. The median number of
months between Series B
and C rounds in MENA sits at
19 in 2023 YTD, down from
22 in 2022.
However, it’s taking longer
for startups to reach mid-
stage status. The median
number of months from
Series A to B rose from 19 to
40 over the same period.
13
M&A deals in Q3’23,
a 46% drop QoQ.
After holding steady in Q2’23,
M&A deals fell by 46% QoQ
to hit 13 in Q3’23. This marks
a 67% drop from its peak of
39 deals in Q1’22.
Companies in major MENA
dealmaking countries (i.e.,
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and
Turkey) were involved in
region’s biggest M&A deals
in Q3’23. Two Turkey-based
companies secured top M&A
deals: one in HR tech and
one in online research.