The Start Smart competition concluded its 9th edition at LEAP 26 and launched its 10th, having drawn more than 1,000 submissions from which 40 ideas participated and 4 startups won: Nazra in healthcare data analytics, Findligent in smart retail, and ApolloByte in cloud design and Jamaa in collaborative commerce tied for third. Participants went through a 2-month training programme, and the tenth edition runs 4 tracks. The competition launched in 2016 and is organised by the Jameel Community Arabia Foundation with the National Program for Information Technology Development, the Digital Leadership Center and the Savola Foundation.
Receiving over 1,000 submissions and narrowing them to 40, then to 4, demonstrates an effective selection process. The primary value of a program like this lies in the top 40, rather than just the final winners.
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Saudi carries half of Gulf tourism
Saudi Arabia's travel and tourism sector contributed $178 billion to the economy in 2025, 46% of the entire Middle East's travel and tourism economy, growing 7.4%, nearly double the global rate of 4.1%, with international visitor spending up 8.2% against a 3.2% global rate.
Nearly half of the entire region's tourism economy now lies in Saudi Arabia, growing at twice the global rate, a shift large enough that the map of Middle Eastern travel needs to be redrawn before the guidebooks catch up.
What BNPL actually earns
Argaam's read on the sector after SAMA lifted the BNPL financing ceiling to SAR 10,000 puts the Saudi market at $4.96 billion in 2025, $5.29 billion in 2026 and $7.31 billion by 2031, a 6.66% compound rate overall, against 28.85% for bank-linked BNPL services and 33.97% for the healthcare segment. Tabby ran an effective financing yield of 19.5% on $1.6 billion of assets in Q1 2026, Tamara 31.7% on $1.8 billion.
There is no longer a single economic model for BNPL services. The 19.5% and 31.7% market segments operate as distinct businesses. Banks, compounding at 28.85%, benefit from lower funding costs and established customer relationships. As a result, standalone BNPL providers should prioritize their cost of capital over market share.
Medevac by the Dozen
PIF's Helicopter Co. ordered 8 more H145S under a 120-aircraft framework, expanding EMS alongside a 60+ fleet
The takeaway: air-medical response is scaling, and response-time assumptions just changed for healthcare logistics and insurers
