French Entrepreneur: Saudi Arabia is a Launchpad for Technology into Global Markets

French entrepreneur Julie Barbier says Saudi Arabia is a launchpad for global tech

French entrepreneur and investor Julie Barbier, founder and CEO of Merit, said Saudi Arabia is not merely a promising market but a launchpad that enables testing, development and scaling of breakthrough technologies into regional and international markets. Barbier highlighted the Kingdom’s digital infrastructure, access to capital, rapid execution and broad customer base as the combination that makes Riyadh attractive for building technology products destined for global expansion.

"That is why I see Saudi Arabia not simply as a technology market, but as a launchpad for companies with regional and global ambitions," Barbier said.

Barbier pointed to concrete performance metrics from Merit’s own operations as evidence. The company’s Saudi team, she said, achieves innovation efficiency levels 59 percent higher than the company’s internal innovation benchmark and generates about eight innovation initiatives each week. Those figures, she said, reflect how Vision 2030 has created an ambitious environment that moves quickly to embrace new ideas while restructuring major sectors including finance, tourism, transportation, trade, logistics, and government services.

• Company: Merit — global engagement and incentive technologies
• Performance: Saudi team performs 59% better on Merit’s internal innovation index
• Output: Around eight innovation initiatives launched each week from Saudi operations

Barbier attributed these outcomes to a convergence of factors. She said the clarity and ambition of Vision 2030 give government institutions, businesses, investors and entrepreneurs a shared direction that accelerates decision-making and encourages experimentation. "In a transformation of this scale, it is natural for some goals to progress faster than others, but the direction is clear and the momentum is strong," she said.

She also emphasized the practical advantages of a digital-first environment. Many services that once required paperwork or intermediaries are now digital, from government services and digital identity to payments and banking. This, Barbier argued, shortens the path from idea to execution and raises expectations for execution speed and customer experience — conditions that enable rapid product testing and iteration.

Barbier named local technology players that strengthen the ecosystem, citing HUMAIN for capabilities in data centres, cloud infrastructure, models and applications, and Elm as an example of deep technology integration across government services, finance, logistics and business services. For Merit, establishing Riyadh as its regional headquarters gives "direct access to customers and partners while enabling it to develop and test products before introducing them internationally," she said.

On the future of female entrepreneurship in the Kingdom, Barbier described strong momentum and visible ambition among founders. She recalled meeting several female founders at the Saudi Unicorns Forum in Abha and praised the growing support ecosystem of business leaders, investors and mentors. She also singled out Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Ambassador to the United States, for her leadership and support in creating opportunities for the next generation of Saudi female entrepreneurs.

Looking ahead, Barbier sees Saudi Arabia’s rapid transformation and willingness to challenge traditional methods as a sustained advantage for companies seeking to validate and scale new technologies. For Merit, the combination of high digital adoption, collaborative institutional partners and abundant capital means Riyadh will remain a primary testing ground and springboard for international expansion.