Outliers Venture Capital, in an exclusive partnership with SVC, has unveiled the second cohort of its Outliers Fellowship program. After reviewing over 400 applicants and conducting hundreds of interviews, 14 individuals were selected to join the initiative, which aims to cultivate the next generation of builders and founders within the MENA tech ecosystem.
Quick Facts
- 14 fellows selected for the 2026 cohort.
- Over 400 applications were received.
- The summer program is based in Riyadh.
Building a Talent Pipeline in Riyadh
The 2026 cohort will be based in Riyadh, one of the region’s most active hubs for technology and venture capital. The fellows will gain direct operational experience by working at high-growth technology companies within the Outliers and SVC portfolios, including Lean, Stream, Ejari, and Stitch.
Beyond their company placements, the program includes a series of closed-door sessions with prominent founders, investors, and thinkers from across the region. Each fellow also receives one-on-one mentorship, embedding them into a community focused on shaping the future of MENA’s tech landscape. The partnership with SVC underscores a shared goal: strengthening the region’s talent base to match its growing access to capital.
Riding a Wave of Ecosystem Growth
The fellowship launches at a significant moment for the region’s startup scene. According to the announcement, MENA’s venture capital activity climbed 74% year-on-year to $3.8 billion last year from over 600 funding rounds. This made it the only emerging market globally to see growth in both funding value and deal volume during that period.
The initiative is designed to feed this momentum by investing in a long-term pipeline of operators and future founders, compounding the ecosystem’s capacity to build and scale new ventures.
Meet the Outliers Fellows Class of 2026
The new cohort brings together talent from top global universities, who will be interning at some of the region’s notable startups:
- Abdulaziz Aldakheel; King’s College London — Interning at Ejari
- Abdulilah Aldukhail; UC Berkeley — Interning at Stream
- Abdulrahman Alhamdan; KSU — Interning at Ejari
- Almontaha Sonbul; UCSD — Interning at Outliers
- Ayazhan Kadessova; KAUST — Interning at Lean
- Farah Alrubaish; University of Washington — Interning at Soum
- Lama Alahdal; MIT — Interning at Strataphy
- Lama AlBuolayan; UC Berkeley — Interning at Twinkle
- Layla Alghamdi; UCLA — Interning at Lean
- Mahmoud Alhussen; KFUPM — Interning at Stitch
- Noor Alhazmi; University of Washington — Interning at Vault
- Raed Tulbah; MIT — Interning at Jyad Capital
- Rawad Elgasseer; UCLA — Interning at SVC
- Yazan Alflayyeh; Stanford University — Interning at Stream
About Outliers Fellowship
The Outliers Fellowship is an initiative by Outliers Venture Capital, designed to identify and cultivate promising emerging talent in the MENA startup and venture capital ecosystem. The program provides fellows with hands-on experience at high-growth technology companies, 1:1 mentorship, and access to a network of leading founders and investors. It aims to build a long-term talent pipeline to support the scaling of technology companies across Saudi Arabia and the wider region.
Source: Outliers Venture Capital
