TL;DR Saudi Arabia is the big home market of the Gulf, with about 37 million people, near-total internet use and mostly urban living. Oil still dominates exports, and huge building programmes keep contractors busy. The ideas that fit serve plants, sites and water networks, handle the crowds that pilgrimage brings, and help a large population with everyday health and money.

The market in numbers

  • Population: about 37.0 million in 2025[1].
  • GDP per capita: about US$34,537 in 2025[2].
  • Internet use: the World Bank reports 100% of people online in 2024[3].
  • Cities: about 85% of people lived in urban areas in 2025[4].
  • Exports: fuels were about 79% of merchandise exports in 2025[5].
  • Money sent abroad: personal remittances paid out came to about US$58.7 billion in 2025[6].
  • Currency: the Saudi riyal (SAR), issued by the Saudi Central Bank[7].

What founders here actually have to work with

Unlike its smaller neighbours, Saudi has real scale. Thirty-seven million people[1] who are almost all online[3] means a consumer product can actually find volume here, and that is not something you can say about most of the Gulf.

The B2B side is just as deep. Oil plants, petrochemicals and a long pipeline of construction work need inspection, safety and maintenance, and big contractors buy on proof and references.

Water is a national headache. The country leans on desalination and long pipelines, so leak finding and cheap treatment for remote sites have obvious buyers.

Then there's pilgrimage, which brings large crowds into Makkah and Madinah on fixed dates and gives crowd safety a very specific market [Requires validation].

My honest view - sell to one large buyer in Riyadh, Jeddah or the Eastern Province first, and don't try to cover the whole country in year one.

Ideas that fit Saudi Arabia

All of these were researched for India. The rupee costs and Indian rules won't apply, so rebuild every page with riyal prices and local approvals.

Water and farms

  • Spathewing: Drone pollination for date palms instead of hiring climbers each bloom. Date farms are a natural fit, so test it on one grove and measure fruit set.
  • Saltfree: Solar units that make salty groundwater drinkable. Remote farms, camps and work sites off the main network are the buyers.
  • Leakfinder: Acoustic leak surveys paid per verified leak. Water utilities losing expensive desalinated water have a reason to listen.
  • Linesong: In-pipe leak inspection for big water mains. Long transmission lines make this a better fit here than in most places.

Crowds and pilgrimage

  • Throngline: Live crowd-density alerts. Pilgrimage sites, stadiums and festivals all need it, but you'll need official approval to deploy anything at holy sites [Requires validation].
  • Pathlantern: Guided VR pilgrimage sessions for older people who can't travel. Work with religious scholars on what is appropriate before you build a single scene.

Plants, energy and construction

  • Saltplain: Water, power and port screening for green hydrogen sites. Developers and their lenders are the buyers.
  • Yardshift: Hydrogen-diesel retrofits for yard trucks at plants that already make hydrogen. Refineries and chemical complexes are where to start.
  • Hailward: Weather risk checks for solar and wind parks before a deal. Swap the cyclone model for dust, heat and sandstorms.
  • Furnacewing: Caged-drone surveys inside boilers and stacks during shutdowns. Sell to maintenance contractors as well as plant owners.
  • Heatmeter: Heat readings and work-rest schedules for outdoor crews. Fit them to the Saudi summer work rules [Requires validation].
  • Tieoffly: Solar cameras that spot unclipped harnesses at slab edges. Large contractors with safety targets are your first customers.
  • Swingclear: Crane and truck plans tested in 4D before a tight site opens. Big projects with many subcontractors feel this pain most.
  • Tinestep: Kits that make existing pallet stackers driverless. Fast-growing warehouses around the main cities are the market.
  • Freightindex: Truck lane benchmarks and fuel-linked contract formulas. Long hauls between the coasts make freight pricing a real argument.

Health and money

  • Sugarturn: Employer-paid follow-up for staff flagged as prediabetic. Large employers are buyers, but check how local health insurance pays for this [Requires validation].
  • Pentally: A cap that logs insulin pen doses for the clinic. Diabetes clinics are the channel, and it needs device approval from the food and drug regulator [Requires validation].
  • Bellbreak: Type 1 diabetes plans and staff drills for schools. Private schools are the easier first sale.
  • Crescentvest: Shariah-screened investing with zakat maths. Here it competes with well-funded local players, and any investment product needs regulatory approval [Requires validation].

Rules to check before you start

Foreign investors usually get an investment licence from the Ministry of Investment first[8], then a commercial registration from the Ministry of Commerce[9]. Zakat, VAT and customs are handled by the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority[10]. The Saudi Central Bank regulates banks, payments and insurance[7]. Health devices, investment apps and food each need separate approvals [Requires validation].

This is a starting list, not legal advice. Check with a local lawyer or the agency itself.

Questions founders ask

Services sold to contractors and plants are the cheapest start. Heatmeter, Freightindex and Leakfinder mostly need a small team and the right introductions, and the buyers already pay for outside help.

Do foreigners need a local partner to start a company in Saudi Arabia?

It depends on the activity. Foreign investors start with a licence from the Ministry of Investment[8], and the conditions change by sector, so check your exact activity with the ministry before you commit.

Is Saudi Arabia a good market for consumer apps?

It's one of the few in the Gulf with the headcount for it. With about 37 million people[1] and almost everyone online[3] the volume is there, but you'll need an Arabic-first product.

Talk to Yash

Saudi rewards founders who pick one sector and one city and go deep. If you'd like to test which one suits your idea, you know where to find me.

Talk to Yash →

Sources

  1. World Bank, "Population, total: Saudi Arabia", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?format=json&mrv=1
  2. World Bank, "GDP per capita (current US$): Saudi Arabia", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?format=json&mrv=1
  3. World Bank (ITU data), "Individuals using the Internet (% of population): Saudi Arabia", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  4. World Bank, "Urban population (% of total population): Saudi Arabia", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  5. World Bank, "Fuel exports (% of merchandise exports): Saudi Arabia", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/TX.VAL.FUEL.ZS.UN?format=json&mrv=1
  6. World Bank, "Personal remittances, paid (current US$): Saudi Arabia", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SAU/indicator/BM.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT?format=json&mrv=1
  7. Saudi Central Bank, home page, 2026. https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/Pages/default.aspx
  8. Ministry of Investment, Saudi Arabia, home page, 2026. https://misa.gov.sa/en
  9. Ministry of Commerce, Saudi Arabia, home page, 2026. https://mc.gov.sa/en
  10. Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, home page, 2026. https://zatca.gov.sa/en/Pages/default.aspx

For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.