RIYADH: Women entrepreneurs made a strong showing at the “Startups Gateway” track of the Biban 2025 Forum, with female-founded startups accounting for about 18.5 percent of the more than 1,000 participating companies.
The presence reflects the growing role of women in ’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly across the technology, creative, and service sectors.
Female-led startups were active in diverse fields, including communications and information technology, digital health, innovative financial services, culture, entertainment, and trade. Many showcased business models built on digital solutions, data analytics, and artificial intelligence applications, offering scalable products for local and regional markets.
The Startups Gateway track at Biban provides practical pathways to support entrepreneurs, including live investor pitch sessions, exhibition booths, and networking zones with accelerators and enablers. It also facilitates one-on-one meetings to help startups access financing, partnerships, and distribution channels.
These initiatives highlight the continued efforts of the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority, known as Monsha’at, to empower women entrepreneurs through targeted programs that support business establishment, capacity building, and access to markets and investors.
Held from Nov. 5 to 8 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Center under the theme “A Global Destination for Opportunities,” Biban 2025 serves as a national platform and global opportunity hub. The forum aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and accelerate SME growth in line with Vision 2030 goals to boost private sector participation and empower women.
In a related development, Monsha’at signed a memorandum of understanding with Standard Chartered during the forum to collaborate on the “Women and Technology” Future Makers Program — a global acceleration initiative designed to empower ambitious female founders of technology-based startups.
The agreement was signed by Saud Al-Sabhan,deputygovernor for Entrepreneurship atMonsha’at, and Mazen Al-Bunyan, CEO andhead of Banking at Standard Chartered .
Now in its third iteration in the Kingdom, the Women in Tech program supports gender diversity and inclusion in the technology sector. Launched in May under Standard Chartered’s global Future Makers initiative, the program has supported 30 Saudi startups through mentorship, with nine securing a combined $145,000 in non-equity seed funding to scale their businesses.
The partnership underscores Monsha’at’s strategy to build effective collaborations with international financial institutions, supporting women-led enterprises and reinforcing their role in driving economic growth and innovation.
