Saudi Arabia Elevates Its International Presence at the G20 Startup20 Summit in South Africa

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated in the G20 Startup20 Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 13 to 14 November 2025, H.R.H Prince Fahad bin Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Head of the delegation, President of the Saudi G20 Startup20 Group, Powered by NEOM.

The Saudi delegation included government entities within the entrepreneurship ecosystem, alongside representatives from private and nonprofit sectors, as well as entrepreneurs and investors. This participation aimed to showcase the Kingdom’s entrepreneurship progress and expand its international partnerships.

The delegation’s agenda featured a series of vauable visits to signaficant entrepreneurship and innovation hubs in South Africa. Among the most notable were visits to the Innovation Hub in Pretoria to explore leading practices in innovation and entrepreneurship, also visited Investec Group to learn about investment experiences in South Africa, and “On Sloane22” the entrepreneurship hub affiliated with the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN). The tour also included visits to Discovery Group-renowned for its life-enhancing technologies-and the Nelson Mandela House, one of the country’s most iconic heritage sites. These visits aimed to exchange knowledge, foster collaboration, and benefit from global best practices in supporting startup growth.

The delegation’s participation also featured distinguished Saudi representatives, including Ms. Adwa AlDakheel, Founder and CEO of Falak Investment Hub, who delivered an inspiring speech during the official dinner, affirming that the Kingdom is experiencing a “golden moment” in its entrepreneurship journey. She highlighted the importance of women's role in developing the national economy, contributing to economic growth, and the impact of her company, Falak Investment, which has invested in startups valued at up to 2 billion and contributed to creating thousands of jobs.

On the second day of the summit, Mr. Khalid AlMutawa General Manager of Entrepreneurship at National Technology Development Program (NTDP) of Saudi Arabia. Delivered a speech addressing the Kingdom’s role in strengthening the innovation ecosystem and enabling startups, as part of national efforts to enhance collaboration between entrepreneurs and investors both locally and globally, and to build a more competitive and dynamic entrepreneurship environment.

In a significant achievement, the Kingdom concluded its participation with Net Zero winning first place in the Sustainability and Green Technology category, led by Dr. Mohammed AlShaikh a recognition that highlights the Saudi startups and their ability to create global impact.

In Addition to, Saudi Arabia participated in the summit’s exhibition through a dedicated national pavilion that showcased valuable Saudi projects and promising investment opportunities. The pavilion also highlighted the rapid growth of the Kingdom’s entrepreneurship ecosystem in technology and energy, and hosted a number of interactive workshops presenting key programs supporting startup development.

In this context, the Saudi participation generated substantial interaction, resulting in the signing of several Memorandum of Understanding and the exploration of new collaboration opportunities with international innovation-focused organizations, further reinforcing the global presence of Saudi startups.

During the main sessions, H.R.H. Prince Fahad bin Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud emphasized that developing entrepreneurship and increasing the contribution of small and medium sized enterprises to the Gross Domestic Product are key to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, highlighting the significant progress of the Kingdom’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and its growing global competitiveness.

Saudi Arabia concluded its participation with impactful outcomes that strengthened its international presence, highlighted the advancement of its entrepreneurship ecosystem, and supported its path toward a diversified and sustainable economy driven by innovation.