STV
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
STV firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STV
- Legal name
- STV
- Website
- https://stv.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STV industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital and Growth Equity
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Independent Venture Debt Funds / Platforms (FSANAIAB)
Keywords
Where STV is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Riyadh
- HQ country
- Saudi Arabia
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
STV business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- VC Management Fees: Standard venture capital management fees charged on committed capital under management
- Carried Interest / Performance Fees: Performance-based carried interest from successful portfolio company exits and realizations
- NICE Revenue Share: Revenue-linked equity buyback structure where STV receives variable repayments tied to portfolio company performance
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
STV product offering
Product offeringCore offering
STV is the largest independent venture capital and growth equity firm in MENA, deploying capital into growth-stage technology startups through its main VC fund, the $100M AI Fund (backed by Google), the $100M NICE non-dilutive capital platform, and the STV Total Growth platform. The firm also operates the STV Alpha talent development program and provides strategic, operational, and IPO advisory support to its 30+ portfolio companies.
Product overview
STV is a venture capital and growth equity firm operating in MENA since 2018, with approximately $800M+ in deployed capital across 30+ portfolio companies. The firm operates multiple investment vehicles: its core VC fund for growth-stage equity investments, the $100M AI Fund (backed by Google) for AI-native startups, the NICE non-dilutive capital platform providing Sharia-compliant funding without dilution, and the STV Alpha talent development program. The portfolio spans fintech (Tabby, Stream, Manafa, Tweeq, Abyan, D360), foodtech (Calo), restaurant tech (Foodics), e-commerce/enabling (Salla, Floward), logistics (Careem, Mrsool, Trukker), hospitality (Gathern), automotive (Morni, Invygo, BuildNow), edtech (Noon Academy, Wajeez), healthtech (Vezeeta), communications (Unifonic), and AI applications (Sawt, Clarity, Signit, Jasper).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- STV NICE: Non-dilutive Investment in Callable Equity platform providing Sharia-compliant funding to tech startups without equity dilution
- STV AI Fund
- STV Alpha
- STV Lens
Products and services
- STV Growth Equity Fund Primary venture capital fund deploying equity capital into growth-stage MENA technology startups that have graduated from early-stage. For founders and companies raising Series A and beyond.
- STV AI Fund $100 million AI-focused fund backed by Google, dedicated to supporting AI-native startups in the MENA region across application-layer AI, localized AI models, and supporting infrastructure.
- STV NICE (Non-Dilutive Investment in Callable Equity) Sharia-compliant non-dilutive capital instrument providing growth funding to tech startups without equity dilution. Revenue-linked repayment model where companies buy back equity over the maturity period, with no covenants. Targets growth-stage companies generating $3M+ in revenue.
- STV Alpha Talent development program designed to attract top talent into venture capital and entrepreneurship. Two-year engagement with competitive salary, access to STV resources, networks, and industry expertise, focused on AI and transformative sectors.
- STV Total Growth Platform Platform offering both equity and debt instruments to accelerate technology company growth, anchored by NTDP.
Quantifiable outcome
- Portfolio companies have raised more than $1.5B in total
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use STV
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
STV technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
STV partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WamidcoreSTV and Wamid (technology arm of Saudi Tadawul Group) partnered to jointly develop an electronic trading platform for buying and selling shares in private companies in Saudi Arabia, creating a dedicated secondary market for private company shares.
- GooglecoreGoogle backs STV's $100M AI Fund to enable AI-native startups in MENA. Partnership includes capacity building, hands-on training on Google Ads and Cloud products (Vertex AI, Bard, BigQuery, Search), and launch of a regional AI-first accelerator for tech startups.
- EYcoreStrategic partnership with EY to provide IPO advisory services to STV portfolio companies approaching IPO stage. EY's extensive IPO preparation experience guides portfolio through complex listing process on regional and international markets.
- MetaminorPartnership with Meta to nurture tech ecosystem through technical capability building and enablement of portfolio companies via strategic and financial incentives on Meta's platforms.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
STV competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Global Ventures: MENA-focused growth investor backing regional tech champions across stages. Comparable as a regional VC with overlapping sector focus and similar Series A/B ticket sizes.
- Raed Ventures: Saudi-focused early-to-growth-stage VC that led Signit's Series A alongside STV. Comparable Saudi-rooted investor sharing deal flow and target stages.
- Mubadala Ventures: Sovereign-backed growth-stage investor in MENA tech, co-investing in STV rounds (e.g., Stake Series B). Directly comparable as a large-scale regional growth-equity investor pursuing similar Series B+ opportunities.
- BECO Capital: UAE-based early-to-growth-stage VC active across MENA tech, co-investing alongside STV in deals such as Stream's seed round. Comparable target market, deal sizes, and stage focus in MENA.
- MEVP (Middle East Venture Partners): MENA-focused multi-stage VC participating in STV's rounds (Stake, Invygo). Directly comparable as a regional growth-equity investor with similar portfolio overlap and target stages.
- Sanabil Investments: PIF-affiliated primary investor deploying capital into MENA tech (led Gathern's Series B; co-invested in Salla). Directly comparable as a deep-pocketed institutional investor co-bidding on the same regional growth rounds.
- Wa'ed Ventures: Saudi Aramco's venture arm investing across MENA tech, co-investing alongside STV (Abyan Series A, Manafa Series A, Stake Series B). Comparable Saudi-rooted growth investor sharing deal sourcing and portfolio overlap.
- Shorooq Partners: UAE-based early-to-growth-stage investor focused on MENA tech and fintech. Comparable as a regional growth fund pursuing similar Series A/B opportunities in UAE and Saudi markets.
Regional players
- Algebra Ventures: Egypt-focused growth-stage VC with deep MENA portfolio. Adjacent regional player with overlapping thesis on regional tech champions but concentrated in Egypt rather than the GCC.
Broad incumbents
- Prosus Ventures: Global growth-stage tech investor with active MENA exposure, co-investing with STV in Foodics (Series C) and Clarity (co-led with STV). Comparable as a larger global incumbent increasingly participating in the same MENA deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
STV social profiles
Digital presenceSTV financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STV leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
STV funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STV M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments67 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about STV
What does STV do?
STV is the largest independent venture capital and growth equity firm in MENA, deploying capital into growth-stage technology startups through its main VC fund, the $100M AI Fund (backed by Google), the $100M NICE non-dilutive capital platform, and the STV Total Growth platform. The firm also operates the STV Alpha talent development program and provides strategic, operational, and IPO advisory support to its 30+ portfolio companies.
Is STV a public or private company?
STV is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was STV founded?
STV was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is STV based?
STV is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East region.
How does STV make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. VC Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest / Performance Fees and NICE Revenue Share.
Who are STV's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Global Ventures, Raed Ventures, Mubadala Ventures, BECO Capital, MEVP (Middle East Venture Partners), Sanabil Investments, Wa'ed Ventures and Shorooq Partners. Algebra Ventures is listed as a regional player. Prosus Ventures is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does STV have an API?
No public API is recorded for STV.
What industry is STV in?
STV's product category is Venture Capital and Growth Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAA, Technology & Software Growth Equity, with a secondary code of FSANAIAB, Independent Venture Debt Funds / Platforms. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.