MUMBAI: After years riding Dubai’s growth wave, Balu Nayar, the man behind several billion-dollar businesses, is betting big on the Middle East’s next blockbuster: Saudi Arabia. And he’s doing more than cheering from the sidelines—he’s launching AraIndica, a venture platform built to plug Indian innovation into the Kingdom’s transformation story.

“Saudi Arabia is the next in line for transformation—and a much larger economy,” says Nayar, pointing to stats that read like an investor’s dream:

●    $26 billion FDI in 2023, up 91 per cent year-on-year

●    Mega projects like Neom and Jeddah Central pumping in billions and promising thousands of jobs

●    Tourism up 73 per cent, VC funding leading MENA, and green energy powering toward 60 GW

●    A leap to 13th place on the 2025 A.T. Kearney FDI Confidence Index

But Nayar isn’t launching yet another consultancy. “We’re not consultants. We’re builders. We have skin in the game,” he says. AraIndica’s approach is rigorous, selective, and unapologetically blunt.

First up is market fit diagnostics. No flattery if your business doesn’t align with Saudi needs, you’ll hear a hard “no”. The platform vets Indian ventures against Saudi mega-projects, digitalisation goals, and local demand realities.

Then comes strategic localisation, which is a regulatory fast-tracking, partner matchmaking, and investor-ready positioning tailored for Saudi dynamics. AraIndica even grooms founders on etiquette and investor psychology before hosting high-stakes roadshows.

Post-entry, AraIndica sticks around—hiring local talent, ensuring Nitaqat compliance, and establishing advisory boards to guide long-term growth.

With Saudi’s Vision 2030 eyeing non-oil sectors like healthcare, agri-tech, education, and green energy, Nayar says the time is ripe—but tricky. “Market entry isn’t easy. You need deep local expertise and real relationships,” he adds.

AraIndica is out to fill that gap, with hard-earned wisdom, not PowerPoint theory. “We know what it’s like to make mistakes and still scale. That’s the edge we bring,” Nayar says.

The bottom line is AraIndica isn’t selling maps to Saudi Arabia’s gold rush, it’s laying the roads brick by brick.

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