Announcing Outliers Fellows 2026 – in Exclusive Partnership with SVC

When we launched the Fellowship last year, we set out to find the people who may not yet call themselves founders, investors, or company-builders — but already think like them. The intellectually restless. The commercially sharp. The ones drawn to hard problems,  and 0 to 1 environments, and the possibility of building something far bigger than themselves.

This year, in exclusive partnership with SVC, we’re thrilled to welcome the second cohort of Outliers Fellows: 14 exceptional fellows selected from over 400 applicants and hundreds of interviews.

Competitively chosen for their drive, intellectual curiosity, and courage to build, this year’s cohort represents some of the most promising emerging talent in the MENA startup and venture capital ecosystem.

This summer, the fellows will be based in Riyadh, one of the region’s fastest-growing hubs for technology, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. They will work at some of the fastest-growing technology companies across the Outliers and SVC network, gaining direct exposure to high-growth startups, operating teams, founders, and investors shaping the future of the region. 

Alongside their company placements, the fellows will take part in a curated program of closed-door sessions with leading thinkers, founders, and investors in Riyadh. They will also benefit from 1:1 mentorship and join a lifelong community of builders committed to shaping the future of MENA.

The timing could not be more significant. MENA’s venture capital activity surged 74% year-on-year to $3.8B last year across over 600 startup funding rounds, making it the only emerging market globally to grow both funding and deal activity in the same year. The fellows are stepping into this ecosystem at a genuine inflection point; one defined by rising ambition, expanding capital markets, and a new generation of founders building category-defining companies from the region to the world.

Our partnership with SVC reflects a shared belief at a critical inflection point: venture ecosystems are not built by capital alone, but by the depth of talent capable of turning capital and ambition into execution and economic opportunity. By investing in a long-term pipeline of emerging operators, builders, and future founders, the Outliers Fellowship is set to enable  the talent base of high-growth technology companies across Saudi Arabia and the wider region and in return, not only exposing talent to the ecosystem, but also compounding the ecosystem’s capacity to scale.

Welcome, Class of 2026! You reflect the ambition and momentum of the ecosystem you’re stepping into. We’re here to back it — and we can’t wait to see you build it.