500 Global and Sanabil Unveil Promising New Cohort for Accelerator’s Milestone Tenth Batch

It’s always a bit of a thrill watching how accelerator programmes evolve in the region, and the latest update from 500 Global and Sanabil Investments really shows how far things have come. The pair have just revealed the tenth batch of the Sanabil Accelerator by 500 Global, narrowing down more than 735 applications to just nine startups that will now push towards Demo Day on 17 December 2025. I’ve seen a few founders go through previous editions, and believe it or not, the shift in confidence across the Saudi and wider MENA ecosystem is pretty spot on.

This new cohort covers a broad mix of sectors — everything from AI and cybersecurity to fintech, data infrastructure, martech, and e-commerce enablement. What stood out, according to the announcement, is that these nine teams didn’t just pitch shiny decks but showed real traction and a strong grip on their customers’ problems. I reckon that’s exactly what investors want these days; hype alone won’t cut it.

What’s interesting this year is how the programme has become more execution-heavy. Rather than long lectures and theory, there’s been a bigger push for fast iterations, hands-on support, and founders learning directly from other founders. It reminds me a bit of the messy early days we used to hear about in Silicon Valley — intense, collaborative, sometimes a bit of a faff, but incredibly productive. And around Arageek we’ve noticed more entrepreneurs craving that kind of practical, no-nonsense support.

Amal Dokhan, Managing Partner at 500 Global MENA, highlighted how both the accelerator and the startups have matured over the years. She pointed out that some founders are even returning with new ventures after exiting their earlier ones — a small but telling sign that a real startup cycle is forming in the region. On the flip side, Sanabil’s spokesperson emphasised the rise in ambition inside Saudi Arabia’s ecosystem, saying the surge in applications reflects growing confidence. They stressed that the innovations coming out of the programme are contributing to economic diversification and creating new opportunities far beyond the Kingdom.

The final nine startups weren’t named in the announcement, but they’ll take the stage in mid-December before a curated group of VCs — an invitation-only crowd, of course. And with Batch 10 wrapping up, applications for the next round are already open to founders across MENA who want to join what’s become a pretty influential community. If I’m being candid, programmes like this can make a meaningful dent when they get the right mix of speed, capital, and mentorship… well, most of the time anyway, unless someone forgets their pitch deck at home (seen that happen, it was definately awkward).

The backdrop to all of this is the growing footprint of both organisations. 500 Global now manages around $2.2 billion in assets and has backed more than 3,000 companies worldwide, including several unicorns. Sanabil, meanwhile, deploys over $3 billion a year into private investments as part of the Public Investment Fund’s broader push into global growth and VC opportunities.

For founders aiming to scale from MENA to global markets, these accelerators are becoming an increasingly important launchpad. And if Batch 10 is anything to go by, the next wave of innovators in the region might be even stronger.

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