{
  "id": 7759542,
  "title": "The Gulf’s female startup ecosystem is flourishing. So, where’s the funding?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/the-gulfs-female-startup-ecosystem-is-flourishing-so-wheres-the",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-16T09:48:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/16/the-gulf-female-startup-ecosystem-is-flourishing-so-wheres-the-funding/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Gulf's startup scene is booming, yet women entrepreneurs are still vastly underfunded. In August of last year, female-led startups only received $8.5 million out of the $375 million in capital deployed in the Middle East and North Africa region. Despite this, the region's startup industry is thriving, with more women launching their own businesses. Abu Dhabi has seen a surge, issuing 3,058 new business licenses to Emirati women in the first half of 2026. One factor contributing to the funding gap is the predominance of male investors at decision-making levels. Lucy Chow, secretary general of the World Business Angels Investment Forum in the UAE, highlighted this male-dominated investor network as a key issue, stating, \"Gulf investor networks are still very male-dominated, especially at decision-making levels\". This phenomenon leads to deal flow following the existing networks. However, progress is being made. In May 2025, Aliph Capital, the first women-founded private equity firm in the Gulf, closed its debut fund at $200 million. The fund will invest $15 million–$40 million in Gulf-based companies across high-growth sectors. Additionally, initiatives like the Women in Tech Accelerator, supported by Standard Chartered and executed by Village Capital and Falak Holding, have provided financial support for early-stage female-led tech startups. Standard Chartered and Falak Holding recently awarded three Saudi women-led startups equity-free grant funding totaling $45,000 at Demo Day in Riyadh. The Women Shaping Wealth Summit 2026, scheduled for September 28-29 in Riyadh, will connect female founders with investors and showcase opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and networking.",
  "summary": "In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}