Careem, a leading ride-hailing app in the region, has announced its commitment to recruit more women as “Captains” (Careem drivers) on its platform. Founded in 2012 in Dubai, Careem now has a footprint of close to 100 cities across the wider Middle East and some 500,000 Captains signed up to its platform.
Careem currently has female Captains in the UAE, Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, and Palestine. Despite societal norms of driving being a job associated only with men, Pakistan leads the female fleet in numbers and sees female Captains signed up to drive bikes and rickshaws as well as cars.
Following the historical announcement in Saudi Arabia in September 2017 that women would now be allowed to drive, Careem was quick to register more than 2,000 women across Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. With a female-only call center already operational in Jeddah, Careem will look to launch a female-only training center in the Kingdom later this year with specialized training materials and female coaches.
The Women Captains Committee at Careem will work on a range of projects such as improving experience for female Captains in all markets as well as preparing female Captains to drive in Saudi Arabia. The committee includes Captain Experience, Safety and Security, Social Impact, Sustainability and Supply teams, who together, will create tailored programs for female Captains to both attract and retain them. In light of the ongoing instability in certain areas of the region, heightened safety and security measures will be put in place to keep female Captains safe.
Careem said it will also address the needs of mothers wishing to register on their platform, looking into incentive structures and comfortable, flexible environments for them to work in.
Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem, said: “We realize that up until today we have focused our efforts predominantly on attracting and catering to male Captains.
It’s time for us and the entire industry to wake up. Not only is there a moral obligation to do so, but there’s also a huge opportunity to grow our business around women and give them the economic opportunity to excel. Women are often the primary breadwinners and are looking for alternative, flexible ways to support their families.”
Careem pledges to recruit 20,000 female Captains by 2020
Careem pledges to recruit 20,000 female Captains by 2020
SVC invests $1.2bn and contributes to Kingdom’s pole position in VC funding
Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) released its annual “Impact Report,” which highlighted SVC’s role in the record growth rates achieved by the Saudi private capital ecosystem in 2025.
The report emphasized SVC’s impact on the Kingdom's private capital ecosystem (Venture Capital, Private Equity, Venture Debt, and Private Debt) since the company’s establishment in 2018.
The report showed that SVC's total committed investments since its inception have reached $1.2 billion, while its investments have stimulated partner commitments totaling $5.9 billion, or 4.9 times SVC’s commitment. This highlights SVC’s role as a key catalyst and market maker in the private capital ecosystem.
The report indicated that the number of funds backed by SVC increased to 65, while the number of startups and SMEs supported exceeded 1,000 across several vital sectors, including e-commerce, fintech, healthcare, education technologies, transport, and logistics.
Commenting on the report, Nora Alsarhan, Deputy CEO and Chief Investment Officer at SVC, said: “The report highlights the transformative progress happening across Saudi Arabia’s private capital ecosystem as a direct result of the initiatives and goals of the Saudi Vision 2030.”
She added: “We remain committed to developing investment programs, products, and developmental initiatives based on market needs analysis and aligned with leading global models, which enhance the competitiveness of the Saudi private capital ecosystem, support diversification of the national economy, and help achieve the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030.”
The report showed that SVC’s strategy contributed to the Kingdom’s maintaining its first rank in the MENA region for the third straight year in VC funding in 2025, reaching a historic total of $1.7 billion. This reflects the growth seen across various economic and financial sectors under Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to strengthen the national economy.
The report indicated that the number of venture capital investors has increased sixfold since SVC was founded in 2018, when the number did not exceed 34, reaching 200 in 2025. This reflects the depth of the market and the expansion of the institutional investor base in Saudi Arabia.
The report also highlighted the launch of the inaugural Private Capital Forum, a regional platform to advance dialogue on private capital. The forum brought together 1,070 participants and 59 speakers across 20 sessions, reaching 7.2 million people digitally and generating over 10.5 million media impressions.
