The Middle East’s female founders are on the rise. Why isn’t the funding following?
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s startup ecosystem has become increasingly vibrant in recent years and boasts a string of unicorns and innovative businesses. But despite the progress that has been made, female founders remain woefully underrepresented in accessing capital. MENA’s startup ecosystem attracted $1.7 billion in VC funding across 242 rounds in the first half of 2026, according to tech accelerator Wamda. However, female-founded startups secured…