BRKZ Secures $30M to Revolutionise Saudi Arabia’s Construction Procurement

Saudi Arabia’s construction boom just got another boost, as BRKZ, a homegrown contech startup, locked in up to $30 million in growth debt from Stride Ventures. With the Kingdom gearing up for giant undertakings like Expo 2030, the FIFA World Cup in 2034, and the giga-projects everyone’s talking about—King Salman Park, Qiddiya, Diriyah Gate, and The Red Sea Project—it feels like the sector is in overdrive. And honestly, it’s about time someone tackled the age-old problem of how chaotic buying and financing building materials can be.

BRKZ, founded in 2022 by entrepreneur Ibrahim Manna, is doing exactly that. The company runs a managed online marketplace that connects contractors and factories to suppliers, allowing them to get quotes in minutes instead of days, and even tap into built-in financing. In 2024 alone, the startup’s revenues grew fourfold, and it has handled more than SAR 3.14 billion (around $837 million) worth of material requests so far. That’s no small potatoes in a market this competitive.

What stood out to me is how BRKZ isn’t just helping people buy concrete and cables. It’s easing cash flow headaches—the kind that can make or break projects when funds are tied up or payments are delayed. Stride Ventures’ decision to back the company speaks volumes; they’ve got a knack for spotting scalable models that mix tech with finance. “This growth debt facility strengthens our ability to support contractors and factories with more flexible payment options,” Manna said, noting that their inclusion in the Saudi Unicorns Program has put them in pole position to scale further.

Contractors seem rather chuffed, too. Khaled Hamada from AlFanar Contracting called BRKZ’s platform a “game-changer”, saying it’s helped his teams deliver projects faster without the usual financing faff. Having seen similar struggles during my own days chatting with small construction suppliers for Arageek’s entrepreneurship series, I reckon BRKZ’s model really hits a nerve—this industry’s long needed a smoother way to finance progress on-site.

Stride Ventures isn’t shy about its expectations, either. The firm’s founder, Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, described BRKZ as “a standout startup building financing infrastructure to match Saudi Arabia’s transformation pace”. His colleague, Fariha Ansari Javed, added that with a half-billion-dollar GCC expansion plan set to roll out by 2026, they see BRKZ as a linchpin for modernising the sector.

Looking ahead, BRKZ plans to pour resources into AI-driven procurement tools and expand its supplier network beyond Saudi borders—reaching into India and the Far East. They’re also exploring cloud manufacturing and long-term sourcing deals to strengthen the backbone of the Kingdom’s materials industry.

All told, it’s a bold move, but in a nation betting big on infrastructure, it may just be spot on. Though personally, I’m not sure how quickly traditional players will adapt to all this tech—change can be a bit of a slog. Still, one thing’s clear: BRKZ has its foot firmly on the gas, and by the looks of it, they’re not slowing down anytime soon. Quite an exciting chapter, if you ask me, even if the occasional sceptic still wonders whether fintech and cement really do mix that well… I’d say they definately do.

🚀 Got exciting news to share?

If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!

✉️ Send Us Your Story 👇

https://en.arageek.com/send-us-your-story-or-a-news-tip