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Zawya
12-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Merak Capital and AWS collaborate toempower the next generation of gaming innovators
The collaboration aims to help early-stage gaming companies scale their operations, achieve international growth, and contribute to a vibrant gaming ecosystem through mentorship, technical expertise, and a focus on long-term impact Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Merak Capital, a technology-focused investment firm, licensed by Capital Market Authority (CMA), and AWS, a global leader in cloud computing, are collaborating to drive innovation and growth in Saudi Arabia's gaming industry. Together, AWS and Merak Capital aim to provide technical guidance and cloud adoption support to early-stage gaming companies, helping them scale their operations and make progress towards global success. The collaboration is expected to support gaming startups through initiatives such as the Exel Gaming Accelerator, which offers a comprehensive program tailored to the unique needs of gaming entrepreneurs. This accelerator, developed in alignment with Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy, represents a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's national efforts to build a vibrant and competitive gaming ecosystem. AWS's contributions include cloud credits for eligible startups, practical workshops, and tailored technical support which will help in, enabling gaming startups to adopt advanced cloud-native technologies, optimize costs, and enhance scalability. The collaboration's holistic approach emphasizes innovation and long-term sector development, positioning Saudi Arabia as a global leader in the gaming sector. This collaboration builds on the solid foundation established by the 'Merak Gaming Fund' (MGF), an $80 million investment fund under the Gaming and Esports Sector Financing Program overseen by the National Development Fund (NDF) in collaboration with the Social Development Bank and the Saudi Esports Federation. The Merak Gaming Fund plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy and the Ignite Digital Content Program, in alignment with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. As part of its broader mandate, the National Development Fund (NDF) oversees an integrated development finance ecosystem that supports key sectors, including E-gaming and esports. Through initiatives like the Merak Gaming Fund (MGF), NDF plays a pivotal role in driving investment and innovation in the gaming industry, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030. By fostering strategic collaborations, NDF strengthens the sector's growth and positions the Kingdom as a regional leader in digital entertainment and economic development. Abdullah Altamami, Founder and CEO of Merak Capital, commented: 'Our collaboration with AWS marks an exciting new chapter in Merak Capital's objective to cultivate a thriving gaming ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. By equipping startups with cutting-edge technology and critical resources through Exel Gaming Accelerator, we are empowering a new generation of gaming entrepreneurs to innovate, compete, and achieve global success.' Exel Gaming Accelerator is now accepting applications for its inaugural cohort. Startups with scalable business models and strong growth potential are encouraged to apply. Participants will gain access to mentorship, investment opportunities, and technical expertise from leading partners, including AWS. Applications will remain open until February 16, 2025. About Merak Capital: Merak Capital is an investment firm focused on technology opportunities across multiple stages and industries. Built on deep technological research and understanding, Merak Capital identifies investment opportunities aligned with digital adoption cycles locally, regionally, and globally. The firm's mission is to partner with the builders of tomorrow, unlocking new markets and driving technological transformation. About Amazon Web Services Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and management from 105 Availability Zones within 33 geographic regions, with announced plans for 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit About Amazon Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth's Best Employer, and Earth's Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit and follow @AmazonNews.
Zawya
12-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Merak Capital and Huawei Cloud partner to power Saudi Arabia's gaming industry
Huawei Cloud provides gaming startups with advanced cloud technology, free resources, and tailored technical support through Merak Capital's gaming accelerator. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Merak Capital, a leading technology-focused investment firm, licensed by Capital Market Authority (CMA), and Huawei Cloud, a pioneer in advanced cloud computing solutions, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's gaming industry through comprehensive technical and business support for gaming startups. This partnership builds on the solid foundation established by the Merak Gaming Fund (MGF), an $80 million investment fund under the Gaming and Esports Sector Financing Program, overseen by the National Development Fund (NDF) in collaboration with the Social Development Bank and the Saudi Esports Federation. Playing a key role in advancing the National Gaming and Esports Strategy and the Ignite Digital Content Program, the fund aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 to drive innovation and growth in the gaming industry. As part of its broader mandate, the National Development Fund (NDF) oversees an integrated development finance ecosystem that supports key sectors, including E-gaming and esports. Through initiatives like the Merak Gaming Fund (MGF), NDF plays a pivotal role in driving investment and innovation in the gaming industry, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030. By fostering strategic collaborations, NDF strengthens the sector's growth and positions the Kingdom as a regional leader in digital entertainment and economic development. Through this partnership, gaming startups participating in the Exel Gaming Accelerator program will receive cloud infrastructure credits, enabling them to access Huawei Cloud's advanced infrastructure, to develop and scale gaming solutions, advanced technical workshops focused on cloud-native gaming development, personalized technical consultation for optimizing cloud architecture and costs. The initiative will also feature regular knowledge-sharing sessions, technical workshops, and collaborative events designed to foster innovation in the gaming sector. Abdullah Altamami, Founder and CEO of Merak Capital, commented: "The $80 million gaming fund, supported by the National Development Fund, and the launch of Exel Gaming Accelerator reaffirm our dedication to cultivating a thriving gaming ecosystem in the Kingdom. Through our partnership with Huawei Cloud, we are ensuring that startups have access to cutting-edge technology and essential resources, empowering them to enhance their capabilities and successfully expand into new markets." Lawrence Liu, CEO of Huawei Cloud Saudi Arabia, said: "The gaming industry represents a crucial frontier in Saudi Arabia's digital transformation. By combining Huawei Cloud's advanced infrastructure with Merak Capital's investment expertise, we're creating a powerful ecosystem empowering local gaming startups to innovate and compete globally. This partnership demonstrates our commitment to supporting Vision 2030's goals of digital economic diversification and our broader mission of developing the tech ecosystem in Saudi Arabia." The strategic partnership between Huawei Cloud and Merak Capital underscores a unified commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and E-Sports Strategy (NGES) and the broader objectives of Vision 2030. By leveraging Huawei Cloud's cutting-edge technical expertise and Merak Capital's investment leadership, this program aims to foster a thriving ecosystem that drives innovation, empowers local talent, and supports the growth of gaming businesses in the Kingdom. Applications for the inaugural Exel Gaming Accelerator cohort remain open until February 16, 2025. The program seeks gaming startups with innovative solutions and strong growth potential, offering them access to this comprehensive support ecosystem. About Merak Capital Merak Capital is an investment firm focused on technology opportunities across multiple stages and industries. Merak is built on deep technological research and understanding, staying at the forefront of digital trends and finding investment opportunities aligned with adoption cycles from different sectors, locally, regionally, and globally. The firm aims to partner with the builders of tomorrow in leading technological transformations, unlocking new markets and opportunities for growth, where innovation, fueled by the entrepreneurial spirit, shapes our future. About Huawei Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 207,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world. Our Vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they're at home, in the office, or on the go. For more information, please visit Huawei online at: or follow us on: Middle East:
Al Bawaba
12-02-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Merak Capital and Huawei Cloud Partner to Power Saudi Arabia's Gaming Industry
Merak Capital, a leading technology-focused investment firm, licensed by Capital Market Authority (CMA), and Huawei Cloud, a pioneer in advanced cloud computing solutions, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's gaming industry through comprehensive technical and business support for gaming startups. This partnership builds on the solid foundation established by the Merak Gaming Fund (MGF), an $80 million investment fund under the Gaming and Esports Sector Financing Program, overseen by the National Development Fund (NDF) in collaboration with the Social Development Bank and the Saudi Esports Federation. Playing a key role in advancing the National Gaming and Esports Strategy and the Ignite Digital Content Program, the fund aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 to drive innovation and growth in the gaming industry. As part of its broader mandate, the National Development Fund (NDF) oversees an integrated development finance ecosystem that supports key sectors, including E-gaming and esports. Through initiatives like the Merak Gaming Fund (MGF), NDF plays a pivotal role in driving investment and innovation in the gaming industry, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030. By fostering strategic collaborations, NDF strengthens the sector's growth and positions the Kingdom as a regional leader in digital entertainment and economic development. Through this partnership, gaming startups participating in the Exel Gaming Accelerator program will receive cloud infrastructure credits, enabling them to access Huawei Cloud's advanced infrastructure, to develop and scale gaming solutions, advanced technical workshops focused on cloud-native gaming development, personalized technical consultation for optimizing cloud architecture and costs. The initiative will also feature regular knowledge-sharing sessions, technical workshops, and collaborative events designed to foster innovation in the gaming sector. Abdullah Altamami, Founder and CEO of Merak Capital, commented: "The $80 million gaming fund, supported by the National Development Fund, and the launch of Exel Gaming Accelerator reaffirm our dedication to cultivating a thriving gaming ecosystem in the Kingdom. Through our partnership with Huawei Cloud, we are ensuring that startups have access to cutting-edge technology and essential resources, empowering them to enhance their capabilities and successfully expand into new markets." Lawrence Liu, CEO of Huawei Cloud Saudi Arabia, said: "The gaming industry represents a crucial frontier in Saudi Arabia's digital transformation. By combining Huawei Cloud's advanced infrastructure with Merak Capital's investment expertise, we're creating a powerful ecosystem empowering local gaming startups to innovate and compete globally. This partnership demonstrates our commitment to supporting Vision 2030's goals of digital economic diversification and our broader mission of developing the tech ecosystem in Saudi Arabia." The strategic partnership between Huawei Cloud and Merak Capital underscores a unified commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia's National Gaming and E-Sports Strategy (NGES) and the broader objectives of Vision 2030. By leveraging Huawei Cloud's cutting-edge technical expertise and Merak Capital's investment leadership, this program aims to foster a thriving ecosystem that drives innovation, empowers local talent, and supports the growth of gaming businesses in the Kingdom. Applications for the inaugural Exel Gaming Accelerator cohort remain open until February 16, 2025. The program seeks gaming startups with innovative solutions and strong growth potential, offering them access to this comprehensive support ecosystem.
