Flat6Labs’ Riyadh Demo Day Showcases Saudi Arabia’s Booming Startup Scene

Editorial Team

Last updated 14-01-2026

3 min

Flat6Labs marked its sixth Riyadh Seed Demo Day, uniting founders, investors and ecosystem partners.

Since 2023, over 60 startups raised $17m, unlocking $38m more and creating 440 jobs.

The programme offers “hands-on, market-driven acceleration” tailored for the Saudi context.

Startups span AI, fintech, health tech, mobility and industrial AIoT, including “no small feat” pilots.

Backed by national partners, it signals growing confidence in Saudi Arabia’s seed-stage ecosystem.

Flat6Labs wrapped up the sixth Demo Day of its Riyadh Seed Program this week, bringing together founders, investors and ecosystem players in the Saudi capital. The programme, backed by F6 Ventures and supported by partners including the Saudi Venture Capital Company, Jada Fund of Funds and Riyadh Valley Company, marks the end of six accelerator cycles that have been running since 2023 with backing from the National Technology Development Program.

The numbers tell part of the story, and they’re pretty spot on. More than 60 startups have gone through the Riyadh Seed Program so far, with around $17 million deployed in seed cheques. That early backing has helped unlock a further $38 million in follow-on funding and co-investments, while supporting over 130 founders and creating more than 440 jobs across Saudi Arabia. For anyone following the local ecosystem on Arageek, this kind of momentum feels like a big deal, not just a press-release win.

Beyond the capital, Flat6Labs has leaned into a hands-on, market-driven acceleration model. Founders get strategic mentoring, business training and investor exposure, all tailored to the Saudi context. I’ve sat in on similar demo days before, and well… I mean, the difference between a polished pitch and a half-baked one often comes down to this kind of support. It can be a bit of a faff building operational muscle early on, but it pays off later.

The latest cohort shows how wide the net has been cast. There are startups working across AI and data infrastructure, fintech, health tech, enterprise software, industrial AIoT, mobility and retail analytics. Among them is CoreTechX, which uses AI to turn handwritten Arabic archives into searchable databases, and Digital Petroleum, applying AIoT sensors to oil, gas and manufacturing. There’s also Bookahospi, tackling the international mobility of healthcare workers, and Sanadk, an all-in-one AI-powered accounting platform. On the mobility front, Nero’s autonomous delivery vehicle has even landed a spot in the Transport Authority’s future mobility sandbox, which is no small feat.

During Demo Day, companies from this sixth batch presented their progress to investors and partners, while F6 Ventures also showcased its broader portfolio activity from the past year. That wider lens matters. On the flip side of the hype, not every startup will scale, but I reckon the real win here is the depth being built into the pipeline and the growing confidence of institutional capital to play at seed stage.

All of this is happening with continued support from the National Technology Development Program’s Empowering Accelerators initiative, aligning the accelerator with Saudi Arabia’s broader push for tech-led growth. Believe it or not, that kind of coordination between capital, policy and capability-building is still rare in many markets.

As these startups move into their next chapters, ongoing collaboration will be critical. Flat6Labs and F6 Ventures seem definately committed to that long game, helping founders sharpen their tools and connect the dots across the ecosystem. For those of us watching the Saudi startup scene evolve, it’s hard not to be chuffed to bits by how far it’s come in such a short time, even if the real test is still ahead.

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