{"id":79319,"date":"2025-08-17T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/?p=79319"},"modified":"2025-08-17T11:15:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T08:15:04","slug":"exel-by-merak-showcases-saudi-arabias-next-generation-of-game-studios-at-exel-gaming-accelerator-first-demo-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/2025\/08\/17\/exel-by-merak-showcases-saudi-arabias-next-generation-of-game-studios-at-exel-gaming-accelerator-first-demo-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Exel by Merak Showcases Saudi Arabia\u2019s Next Generation of Game Studios at Exel Gaming Accelerator First Demo Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Exel by Merak<\/em>, Saudi Arabia\u2019s premier gaming accelerator, hosted its first-ever <strong>Demo Day. <\/strong>Showcasing 17 gaming startups selected from a competitive pool of over +300global applications, the accelerator provides each with $300,000 in investment and equips them with mentorship and hands-on support from global industry leaders. The event marks a defining moment in the Kingdom\u2019s position as a global force in gaming innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attended by investors, publishers, and strategic partners, the Demo Day spotlighted the entrepreneurial talent driving Saudi Arabia\u2019s rise as a global gaming hub. Participating studios unveiled original IP inspired by local stories, designed for international appeal, built to world-class standards, and backed by scalable business models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Demo Day is not only an opportunity to showcase the next gaming talent, but it also signals to the world that Saudi Arabia is a global hub for game studios, not just a market for consuming games,\u201d said <strong>Faisal Sedrani<\/strong>, Vice President \u2013 Innovation Platform at <strong>Merak Capital<\/strong> and Head of <strong>Exel<\/strong>. \u201cWith the support of our partners and backing of Merak Capital\u2019s Gaming Fund, we\u2019re defining a new benchmark in startup acceleration in the region, one that\u2019s built on investment, mentorship, and scaling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building on the success of its first cohort, Exel has created a long-term pipeline to nurture future Saudi gaming startups, strengthening the Kingdom\u2019s gaming ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The accelerator backs studios, technologies, and publishing platforms with a holistic program\u2014combining investment, mentorship, relocation support, and essential tools\u2014to grow scalable gaming businesses rooted in Saudi culture and primed for global markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exel by Merak\u2019s efforts closely align with Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 digital transformation strategy, which seeks to support gaming as both a creative industry and as an economic growth engine. The accelerator is powered by <strong>Merak Capital\u2019s $80 million Gaming Fund<\/strong>, with institutional backing from the <strong>National Development Fund (NDF)<\/strong> and in collaboration with the <strong>Social Development Bank (SDB)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Accelerator provides startups with structured equity investment, market readiness support, legal and relocation assistance, and access to global technology partners, including <strong>Microsoft<\/strong>, <strong>Huawei<\/strong>, and <strong>AWS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Exel by Merak, Saudi Arabia\u2019s premier gaming accelerator, hosted its first-ever Demo Day. Showcasing 17 gaming startups selected from a competitive pool of over +300global applications, the accelerator provides each with $300,000 in investment and equips them with mentorship and hands-on support from global industry leaders. The event marks a defining moment in the Kingdom\u2019s &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3455,3457,3456],"class_list":["post-79319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-exel","tag-first-demo-day","tag-game-studios"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Exel by Merak Showcases Saudi Arabia\u2019s Next Generation of Game Studios at Exel Gaming Accelerator First Demo Day - Gulf Tech News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Exel by Merak Showcases Saudi Arabia\u2019s Next Generation of Game Studios at Exel Gaming Accelerator First Demo Day\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gulftech-news.com\/en\/2025\/08\/17\/exel-by-merak-showcases-saudi-arabias-next-generation-of-game-studios-at-exel-gaming-accelerator-first-demo-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exel by Merak Showcases Saudi Arabia\u2019s Next Generation of Game Studios at Exel Gaming Accelerator First Demo Day - 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