MENA Dry Powder Availability

By H1 2026, MAGNiTT had identified 17 MENA-focused venture funds, representing $1,647M in target fund size since 2024. While fundraising has continued to strengthen the region’s venture capital base, only 12% had been deployed into startups, leaving the remaining 88% available as dry powder for future investment.

This report reviews publicly identifiable MENA-focused funds from 2024 through H1 2026. It tracks capital committed and deployed across these funds, highlighting the growing gap between available capital and actual deployment as recently raised funds remain early in their investment cycles.

If you’re looking to understand where MENA’s venture capital is being deployed, which funds hold the largest dry powder reserves, and how fundraising has evolved since 2024, this report provides a data-driven view of the region’s venture fund landscape through H1 2026.

 

📊 Key Takeaways

• 17 MENA-focused venture funds raised $1,647M between 2024 and H1 2026, with only 12% of committed capital deployed into startups, leaving $1,450M available as dry powder.
• Deployment activity was concentrated between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which together accounted for the majority of capital deployed by MENA venture funds between 2024 and H1 2026.
• Capital formation is accelerating. Committed capital grew at a 97% CAGR over the period, with the sharpest jump, $705M, between 2024 and 2025. 
• BECO Booster Growth Fund I ($250M), Shorooq Partners’ Late Stage Growth Fund ($200M), and Jasoor Fund ($180M) had the largest target fund sizes across the period.
• AI emerged as a key fundraising theme, with four AI-focused venture funds launched between 2024 and H1 2026, reflecting growing institutional interest in artificial intelligence.

🎯 Who Should Read This Report 

This report is for the investors, fund managers, and founders tracking how much venture capital MENA has raised and how quickly it is being put to work:

• General Partners benchmarking deployment pace and fundraising conditions against the wider market.
• Limited Partners and institutional investors weighing continued allocation to MENA vehicles across the 2024 to 2026 vintages.
• Corporate venture teams sizing co-investment and partnership opportunities alongside active regional funds.
• Founders gauging how much committed capital is available heading into the second half of 2026.
• Policymakers and ecosystem builders monitoring whether committed capital is converting into on-the-ground activity.

Where is this data from?

The report was created using MAGNiTT’s proprietary data platform, the leading VC and PE data platform across the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Southeast Asia. With data on 34,800+ startups, 22,500+ funding rounds, and 1,300+ exits, MAGNiTT offers a comprehensive directory of technology innovation trends.

For MGTI, MAGNiTT combined proprietary venture data with verified public-market data, including exchange filings, annual reports, share price history, free float market capitalization, liquidity metrics, FX data, and public disclosures. The index methodology applies a documented screening process covering MENA headquarters, verified technology revenue, minimum free float market capitalization, trading liquidity, and continuous post-listing trading history.

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