What the Data Actually Says About Venture Capital in MENA
Listen to teaser:
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE ON:
🎙 Apple Podcasts
🎙 Spotify
🎙 and all other relevant podcast platforms.
Venture capital is often discussed through funding totals and headline deals.
But the real signal sits underneath the numbers.
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Philip Bahoshy, Founder and CEO of MAGNiTT, to break down what the latest venture data actually says about emerging markets and where capital is really moving.
Drawing from MAGNiTT’s newest annual report, Philip unpacks the divergence across emerging markets, the growing dominance of the GCC in venture funding, and why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are increasingly shaping the region’s venture outcomes. The conversation goes beyond raw numbers to explore liquidity, exits, fund cycles, and what maturity really looks like for venture ecosystems.
The episode dives deep into FinTech’s continued dominance, the realities behind mega rounds, why exits remain the biggest unlock for founders and investors, and how AI, private credit, and digital assets are reshaping capital allocation.
🎙️ In this episode:
• Why venture funding in emerging markets is diverging
• How Saudi Arabia and the UAE came to dominate MENA venture capital
• What the data reveals about deal volume versus deal quality
• Why exits, not funding rounds, define ecosystem maturity
• The real state of FinTech, digital assets, and venture debt
• How AI is changing venture economics beyond the hype
• What founders should understand about liquidity and long-term outcomes
• Where emerging markets could see the next wave of growth
👉 Watch the full conversation to understand how venture capital in the Middle East is evolving, what the data is really saying beneath the headlines, and why the next phase of growth will be defined by exits, not valuations.
PARTNERS
Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by:
Adyen → https://www.adyen.com/
Thunes → https://thunes.com/
Mastercard → https://mastercard.com/
e& → https://www.eand.com/
Digit9 → https://www.digitnine.com/
SC Ventures → https://scventures.io/
SOCIAL LINKS
Arjun’s LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/
Couchonomics LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/couchonomics-with-arjun-singh/
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/couchonomics/
Twitter (X) → https://twitter.com/Arjun_Vir_Singh
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@couchonomics
Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3WI4A6E
CHAPTERS
00:00 Venture capital beyond the headlines
02:00 What MAGNiTT tracks and why the data matters
05:30 The divergence across emerging markets
09:30 Why the GCC now dominates MENA venture funding
14:30 Saudi Arabia vs UAE. Scale, capital, and strategy
20:30 Mega rounds, outliers, and what they really signal
26:30 The exit problem and why liquidity matters
33:00 FinTech’s continued dominance and where it is evolving
39:00 Digital assets, regulation, and investor risk appetite
44:30 Venture debt and the rise of private credit
49:30 AI investment trends and what is real versus hype
55:00 What founders should prepare for in 2026
1:00:30 The future of emerging venture ecosystems