Where deep tech meets future finance

Finspire is open to Saudi founders, international fintech teams, and KFUPM-affiliated founders building technologies that can shape the future of financial services. Applicants need a functioning MVP or validated technical architecture, clear ownership or commercialization rights over their IP, and an in-house technical lead. The program is backed by Saudi National Bank (SNB) and powered by Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV), and applicants are expected to operate within one of Finspire’s four priority fintech domains. See the program page for the full eligibility criteria.

Finspire is not the right fit for:

• Idea-stage concepts, research projects, or pitch decks without a working product
• Solo founders, or teams whose core technology is fully outsourced
• Ventures with unclear, contested, or unresolved intellectual property ownership
• Founders whose employment contract or sponsorship terms prohibit commercial activity
• Teams seeking remote-only participation
• Ventures unable to commit to operating and scaling from Saudi Arabia

Finspire is designed for ventures past the idea stage. At minimum, applicants need a working MVP or a validated technical architecture that can be demonstrated, tested, or meaningfully assessed; a concept on paper or a pitch deck alone is not enough. Products in live beta, early commercialization, or already generating revenue are equally welcome. Technology maturity is an entry requirement: teams at idea stage are not eligible, regardless of how strong the rest of the application is.

Finspire Cohort 1 targets more than 300 applications. Shortlisted teams are invited to a five-day bootcamp in Dhahran, culminating in Demo Day, after which up to 10 startups are selected to join the 12-week delivery program.

Finspire is focused on four priority fintech domains:

1. Embedded Finance & Credit Intelligence. Solutions that embed financing into commercial and digital journeys, or use technology and data to improve credit decision-making, underwriting, risk, and servicing.

• AI credit scoring and underwriting
• Trade-embedded financing, including B2B BNPL, asset financing, payables financing, and anchor-led supply-chain finance
• Micro and nano lending automation
• Digital onboarding, risk management, and collections

2. InsurTech & WealthTech. Technology-led solutions improving how insurance, wealth-management, and investment products are distributed, managed, priced, and accessed.

• Embedded and digital insurance distribution
• AI-enabled underwriting, pricing, and claims
• Digital wealth-management and robo-advisory
• Capital-markets access and crowdfunding solutions

3. B2B Commerce & Merchant Solutions. Platforms and technologies helping businesses and merchants transact, operate, comply, and grow more effectively.

• B2B commerce platforms and marketplaces
• Merchant operations software
• E-invoicing and ZATCA compliance solutions
• Growth, loyalty, and merchant-intelligence tools

4. FinTech Aggregation Solutions. Platforms that bring together financial products, services, or providers to create more integrated experiences for businesses and customers.

• Demand-side aggregation, including SME super-apps
• Supply-side financial-services marketplaces

Applicants should demonstrate a clear and direct fit with at least one of these domains. Applications are assessed in part on how closely the product, technology, and commercial opportunity align with the domain being addressed.

• A product that meets the required maturity threshold, with clear evidence of what has been built
• A strong fit with one of Finspire’s four priority domains
• Technology, data, IP, or other defensibility that is difficult to replicate
• Evidence of genuine customer engagement: interviews, letters of intent, pilots, active users, or paying customers
• A founding team whose experience and capabilities match the technology and market being addressed

Applications are screened against the technology maturity requirement first, then assessed across product strength, market opportunity, defensibility, traction, and team capability.

No. Founders may apply before incorporating a company; supporting selected founders through company formation is part of the Finspire journey. At application stage, what matters is the validity and defensibility of the technology, the strength of the team, and the venture’s ability and willingness to establish the required Saudi entity. Already-incorporated ventures are equally welcome to apply.

Yes. International ventures selected for the program are expected to establish the appropriate Saudi legal presence, and Finspire supports founders throughout this process. International ventures are guided through the entrepreneurial licensing process administered by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), including supporting documentation from DTV where applicable, as well as support letters for founder visa requirements. Following incorporation and licensing, ventures also receive advisory support on subsequent permits, registrations, and regulatory requirements. All licenses, visas, permits, and approvals remain subject to the requirements and processing timelines of the relevant authorities.

Yes, provided the intellectual property position is appropriately resolved before the program begins. Securing ownership of the technology, or obtaining sufficient rights to commercialize it, is the founder’s responsibility and forms part of the due diligence process. Ventures may be required to provide appropriate documentation, such as a no-objection letter, assignment, or licensing agreement covering the relevant IP. KFUPM-affiliated founders should follow the university’s established intellectual property and commercialization process. Founders whose technology is owned by another university, research institution, employer, or third party are encouraged to begin those discussions early, as these arrangements can take time.

No. Applications to Finspire are free for all eligible applicants.

Yes. Applications are submitted through a secure platform, with access limited to individuals involved in the evaluation and selection process. Technical and business reviewers, including representatives from DTV, SNB, and relevant external committee members, are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations. Application information is used to evaluate and administer the program and is not shared with unrelated external parties.

You do. Startups retain ownership of the IP they bring into the program and of the IP they develop during it. Participation in Finspire does not transfer, assign, or license a startup’s IP to DTV or SNB. Neither DTV nor SNB takes ownership of a startup’s IP as a condition of participating in the program.

Not under standard program participation. Access to SNB technical environments, APIs, sandbox infrastructure, or enterprise teams as part of normal program support does not create a claim over the startup’s IP. If a specific pilot develops into genuine co-development or joint product creation, that work is governed by a separate written agreement, with any ownership, licensing, usage, or commercialization rights defined and agreed between the relevant parties before that work begins, not after it.

Each selected startup receives a support package valued at up to SAR 200,000, delivered across two components:

• Development funding, up to SAR 100,000: eligible product, technology, regulatory, and venture-development costs
• In-kind support, up to SAR 100,000: coaching, mentorship, workspace, market access, technical and regulatory support, program activities

The SAR 100,000 development funding is not provided as an unrestricted cash payment to the startup or its founders. It is deployed against eligible, approved, and evidenced costs in accordance with the program’s spending requirements.

The development funding supports eligible product and venture-development requirements during the 12-week delivery program. It is not transferred to the startup as unrestricted cash. Eligible expenses must fall within the program’s Spending Scope policy and may require prior approval, supporting quotations, invoices, receipts, or other evidence.

• Eligible uses: product and software development, SaaS tools and technology infrastructure, APIs and third-party technology services, regulatory and legal support, IP-related costs, cybersecurity and technical assurance, specialized third-party services, prototyping and testing, relevant certifications
• Not eligible: general operating overhead, including founder or employee salaries, general hiring costs, office rent, founder compensation, general administrative expenses, and routine running costs unrelated to approved development activity

The SAR 100,000 is the maximum development budget available to each venture. It is a ceiling rather than an automatic entitlement, and any unused amount does not convert into a cash payout.

Yes. Regulatory readiness and market-entry support are core components of Finspire. Depending on the venture’s business model, teams receive guidance relating to Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) requirements, Capital Market Authority (CMA) requirements, regulatory licensing pathways, and relevant sandbox opportunities, delivered through the bootcamp, dedicated regulatory sessions, mentorship, expert consultations, and introductions to relevant ecosystem stakeholders. Finspire does not guarantee any regulatory license, sandbox admission, exemption, or approval; all regulatory decisions remain solely with the relevant authorities.

The support is not a grant. DTVC’s participation is structured as an investment and documented through a founder-friendly SAFE or other agreed investment instrument. The support package itself combines approved development expenditure with in-kind venture-development services rather than unrestricted cash. Investment terms are discussed with selected ventures and documented formally before investment.

DTVC takes a minority equity position, capped at a maximum of 5% ownership. The 5% figure is a ceiling, not a target; the final position is determined through the agreed investment documentation and will not exceed that cap.

No. The value of the support package is not converted into a fixed equity percentage using a formula. The resulting DTVC ownership position depends on the agreed investment structure, but in all cases remains within the applicable ownership cap.

No. DTVC does not dictate or cap a startup’s valuation; a venture’s valuation is determined through the relevant financing process between the company and its investors. What Finspire caps is DTVC’s own ownership position, not the company’s valuation.

No. DTVC’s ownership dilutes alongside other shareholders when the company issues additional equity in future financing rounds, subject to the terms of the relevant investment documents. Finspire is designed to support founder-led companies as they grow and raise further capital.

Nothing is agreed at the application stage; applying to Finspire creates no investment obligation for either the startup or DTVC. Ventures progressing into the program receive the relevant participation and engagement documentation, and any investment is documented separately through a SAFE or other applicable instrument following incorporation and completion of the required due diligence. Detailed terms are shared with the relevant teams before signing, and the executed legal documents govern the final arrangement.

The Finspire bootcamp runs for five days and is delivered fully in person in Dhahran; full attendance is required. Each startup must be represented by at least two team members for the full duration of the bootcamp, with at least one attendee being a founder. The bootcamp provides intensive support across product, technology, business model, regulatory readiness, market validation, and pitching ahead of Demo Day.

The 12-week delivery program requires a significant commitment and is centered on the Finspire ecosystem in Dhahran. Startups are expected to participate in scheduled activities including:

• Venture-building and coaching sessions
• Milestone and progress reviews
• Technical sessions
• Regulatory and legal sessions
• Sessions delivered by SNB and external subject-matter experts
• Enterprise and pilot-development activities
• Demo Day and Deal Day

The program combines physical and hybrid sessions, with in-person participation preferred, particularly during the early weeks when company formation, technical alignment, regulatory preparation, team onboarding, and engagement with SNB and DTV are most intensive. The final on-site cadence and attendance requirements are communicated to selected ventures and reflected in the Engagement Letter.

Finspire is not designed as a remote-only accelerator, and fully remote participation is not accepted. The five-day bootcamp is fully in person, and Demo Day and Deal Day are also conducted physically in Dhahran. Physical participation supports activities that are difficult to replicate remotely, including company setup, licensing, regulatory preparation, technical integration, enterprise engagement, and direct interaction with SNB and DTV teams.

Yes, in limited circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. A venture may submit a written request where a specific technical, operational, or business requirement prevents a particular activity from being completed on site. Requests are reviewed by DTV management, and any approved exception is normally limited in scope and duration. Exceptions are not intended to replace the program’s expected level of participation or to support a general preference for remote working.

Continued participation in Finspire and access to program support are conditional on the venture meeting its agreed participation requirements. If circumstances arise that prevent a startup from meeting those commitments, DTV will discuss the situation directly with the founders and determine the appropriate next steps. The final obligations, attendance requirements, and participation conditions are set out in the Engagement Letter signed before the program begins.

For teams based outside the Eastern Province, DTV covers one roundtrip journey per person for up to two team members per startup, at least one of whom must be a founder. The covered journey supports participation in the bootcamp and Demo Day period, which are treated as one continuous visit. Travel is arranged and booked directly by DTV in accordance with the program’s travel policy.

Yes. Accommodation is provided for the same two covered team members during the bootcamp and Demo Day period. Coverage begins the day before the bootcamp starts and ends the day after Demo Day, arranged in accordance with the program’s travel and accommodation policy.

Yes. Startups may bring additional team members where they believe this would add value to their participation. Any travel, accommodation, transportation, or related costs for attendees beyond the two covered places are the responsibility of the startup.

No. Selected ventures are responsible for their own accommodation, travel, living expenses, and day-to-day arrangements during the 12-week delivery program. DTV may provide referrals or access to preferred rates with hotels, serviced apartments, or other accommodation providers where available, but these costs remain the responsibility of the venture.

No. The return leg of the original covered roundtrip is the only return journey included within the bootcamp and Demo Day travel support. If a founder or team member chooses to return home after Demo Day and later travel back to Dhahran for the start or continuation of the 12-week program, that additional travel is at the venture’s own expense. Applicants are encouraged to consider this when planning their arrangements.

Yes. DTV provides visa-support documentation for eligible international participants attending the bootcamp and, where applicable, for selected ventures progressing into the program, including supporting letters and guidance on the appropriate processes. All visa issuance remains subject to the requirements, assessment, and approval of the relevant Saudi authorities.

Ventures that successfully complete the 12-week program receive six months of incubation support at Dhahran Techno Valley, including co-working access, continued venture-building support, ecosystem access, progress monitoring, and support as startups build commercial traction and pursue relevant pilot, investment, and market-entry opportunities. Where applicable, ventures also continue progressing their engagement and pilot pathway with SNB.

Finspire communicates key cohort milestones as the program progresses, including announcements covering the number of ventures progressing into the bootcamp, the startups selected for the 12-week delivery program, and key milestones reached throughout the cohort. Selected ventures may also be featured across DTV and SNB communication channels, subject to the relevant communications and confidentiality requirements. A cohort recap is published following completion of the program to highlight participating startups, program outcomes, and key milestones.