Taleed
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold vast potential to drive economic growth and prosperity. Supporting these enterprises in Saudi Arabia so they can continue to thrive and grow will help nurture a more diverse and vibrant economy. Their development can help create the next-generation of skilled workforces in our industry and beyond.
This is where the Aramco Taleed program comes in. It is the third stage in Aramco’s four-stage venture life-cycle support initiative — coming after the pre-seed (LAB7) and start-up (Wa’ed Ventures) stages. It is designed to support Saudi SMEs to grow from being a viable business to becoming a well-established SME or major corporation, by nurturing the SME ecosystem that can accelerate their growth and with it their ability to create jobs.
The following and final stage is the Namaat program, which will nurture trailblazing organizations with the potential to become National Champions — those who are able to lead and shape their industry, and create impact on a national or even global scale.
Home-grown success
The name Taleed is derived from Arabic and means ‘innate’, ‘rooted’, and ‘original’. It also carries the meaning of ‘to be born’, ‘birth’, and ‘reproduce’. This range of meanings captures the breadth of this initiative, which has been crafted to nurture Saudi talent and enterprise.
Taleed is designed to be a catalyst for change — it is well positioned to help unlock capital, support the development of commercial ecosystems, enable new SME growth, and nurture scalable and sustainable job creation. By helping and supporting Saudi SME founders and employees, Taleed aims to support them to realize more of their potential.
Portfolio of support
SMEs often need support in multiple areas, from planning and strategy development to training and capability building. They require help, too, in gaining access to markets and finance.
The program aims to deliver funding and financial solutions to existing and new SME businesses through multiple major national funds, with a combined capital exceeding SAR 3 billion ($800 million).
Some of these national funds include the Saudi Development Bank and the Saudi Industrial Development Fund. Others have a particular specialty including: the Aramco Entrepreneurship Center covering sustainability, and the digital and social innovation domains; Al-Rajhi Holding covering social innovation; Lamar Holding covering sustainability; and Energy Capital Group covering the energy sector.
Improved access to markets across Saudi Arabia
Join Taleed on its journey
Aramco Taleed is designed to help SMEs accelerate their growth, creating more jobs and making a lasting impact to benefit the national economy.
To be part of this initiative — either as an SME or a partner — or to find out more, contact us at Taleed@aramco.com