Sanabil 500

Seed accelerator programme and venture fund for pre-seed and seed-stage MENA startups, launched in Riyadh in February 2021 by 500 Global (then 500 Startups) with Sanabil Investments.

Industry: Seed accelerator and venture fund | Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Founded: 2021

About Sanabil 500

Sanabil 500 is the name of a seed accelerator programme and venture fund for pre-seed and seed-stage startups in the Middle East and North Africa, run from Riyadh by 500 Global, then named 500 Startups, in partnership with Sanabil Investments. Argaam describes Sanabil Investments as wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund. The accompanying fund is a 500 Startups fund.

The programme was announced in February 2021, shortly after 500 Startups announced a regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa in Riyadh. Wamda reported that it would consist of six programmes run over three years, that selected startups would receive 100,000 dollars for 10 percent equity, and that the fund expected to back about 100 startups, including some outside the accelerator. Bedy Yang, then a managing partner at 500 Startups, was named general partner of the fund.

500 Global's team page lists Amal Dokhan as managing partner for 500 MENA, and an interview with Lucidity Insights described her as overseeing the Sanabil 500 programme and fund. It also lists Daif Alrajhi as head of the MENA accelerator programme. Dokhan was formerly manager of learning and design at the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center, where she co-designed the TAQADAM accelerator.

Arab News reported in June 2021 that the first cohort of 14 startups from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine had completed a 12-week accelerator and received 100,000 dollars each, from about 500 applications. As read in October 2026, 500 Global's MENA page said the tenth batch selected nine companies from more than 735 applications. That page also lists related Sanabil programmes: Startup Unlocked, a bootcamp for early-stage founders, VC Unlocked, for fund managers, and Angel Investing Unlocked, for angel investors. It says the seed accelerator and fund were set up with Sanabil Investments in 2021 and the angel training followed in 2022.

The fund's size has not been published in the sources read. CADO, a gifting platform, announced a 4.5 million dollar pre-seed round in October 2025 with Sanabil 500 and an unnamed German family office named as investors; TechScoop reported that Sanabil 500 led it.

Leadership

  • Amal Dokhan, Managing Partner, 500 MENA; oversees the Sanabil 500 programme and fund
  • Daif Alrajhi, Head of MENA Accelerator Program
  • Bedy Yang, General Partner, Sanabil 500 MENA Seed Accelerator Fund (at launch)

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