This past year has been an incredibly dynamic one for the entrepreneurship ecosystem across the Middle East and North Africa. We have witnessed more exits than ever before, record-breaking investment deals and the continued boom of digitisation across industries. The startup ecosystems across the region differ in their levels of maturity, but one thing is becoming clear – innovation is a necessity and startups are a crucial part of enabling innovation.   

Below is a small sample of our top stories of 2021: 

• The VC map of Saudi Arabia
• India’s startup expansion to Mena: A cause for concern?
• The Abraham Accords and its impact on the 48er ecosystem
• Will Bitcoin valuations drop this year?
• Why Mumzworld is a unique story for the Arab region
• E-commerce’s next wave of growth is in B2B
• Anghami’s story is one to celebrate and emulate
• The startups tackling food waste in Mena
• Is the region ready for femtech?
• Can Saudi Arabia become the region’s fintech frontrunner?
• How we pivoted our startup with grace
• Ride hailing in Egypt: A global tug of war
• Can direct-to-consumer maintain its momentum in Mena?
• Has last-mile delivery reached its saturation point?
• Iraq’s big new opportunity
• A look at Kitopi’s three-year journey

We also published two reports this year:

How Covid-19 unlocked the adoption of e-commerce in the Mena region, published in partnership with the The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT.

The impact of Covid-19 on the state of mental health and wellbeing of entrepreneurs in Mena, published in partnership with Microsoft for Startups.