Your guide to breaking into the Middle East’s venture‑capital fellowships and scout pools – how they work, what selection teams want, and essential reading before you apply
You are reading this because you want to move from following funding headlines to helping shape them. The timing is right. Saudi Arabia alone captured 56 percent of all MENA venture capital in the first half of 2025, pulling in $860 million across 114 deals according to MAGNiTT’s latest report. Yet regional early‑stage funding remains patchy. Wamda’s June dashboard shows only $10.6 million in seed checks that month and just one Series A, proof that the first‑check gap is still real. Funds are plugging that gap with two fast‑growing talent pipes: scout networks and fellowship cohorts.
Scout pools give you someone else’s money – typically US $50‑100 k – to write your own micro‑checks. You do not invest personal cash; you keep 10‑20 percent of any upside. Think of it as angel investing with training wheels. Fellowships invest in your time instead. Across eight weeks to a full year you attend live deal‑review sessions, shadow partners on diligence calls, and leave with a track record on paper or in fact.
Why has the Middle East leaned into these models?
Application funnels usually include a culture chat, a written memo, and a partner interview. Acceptance rates hover near three percent – the same odds as top accelerators – so prepare early.
A typical week mixes
Scout tracks often ask for one qualified lead per month. Fellowship tracks culminate in a mock investment committee where you defend a deal and outline follow‑on strategy. Plan on ten hours a week.
Upload these assets before applications open. Deadlines move fast. DFDF, for instance, closed its first cohort after a six‑week window and drew hundreds of applicants for twenty spots.
Remember that regional insight is not a footnote. A scout in Muscat plugged into shipping logistics or a fellow in Ramallah fluent in SaaS procurement cycles offers value no head office can replicate. Lean into the contexts you already know, commit to the workload, and you will exit the cohort able to speak the language partners and limited partners respect – valuations, risk ladders, and portfolio support – while still bringing nuance that global capital often lacks.
If you are an African graduate, professional and entrepreneur trying to get into venture capital, here are five African VC fellowships you should consider joining.
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Join the Superscout community!
🌍 Meet other scouts globally.
👀 Get first dibs on new scout programs and VC openings.
✨ Get feedback and investor recommendations for your deal memos.
✌️ Learn and grow together as a community!