The Innovation Races.
A structured, data-driven venture building programme for Saudi Arabia's deep tech founders and researchers, run as two interconnected races, joined by the Qualifier Event.
How the two races connect
The Qualifying Races are an always-on, virtual feeder for ventures at TRL 4-6. The Championship Races are an annual, time-boxed cohort for ventures at TRL 7-9. They meet at the Qualifier Event: Qualifying Races graduates join direct entrants, and up to 40 teams compete for 10 finalist places in Race 2027.
Two interconnected races. One always-on engine, run every cycle.
The Qualifying Races
Virtual, self-paced and free to enter. Ventures join whenever they are ready and progress at their own pace. There is no cohort and no fixed dates. Each step is verified, and graduation means reaching a verified TRL 6.
The Qualifying Races award grants, not investment.
The Championship Races
An annual, time-boxed cohort that turns the strongest ventures into investable companies. Most accelerators teach the same classroom to everyone and end on a pitch day; the Championship Races are built differently. Each team works to its own assessment, against real-world challenges, and every step is measured, so the backing decision is the conclusion of the evidence.
The Championship Races open with the Qualifier Event, where ten finalists are selected. From there, the build runs across roughly six months and combines in-person competitive events, mentor input, and team-specific real-world challenges.
All ten finalists run the full build. The race ranks teams for investment and grants on measured progress against their own baseline, not elimination.
Full Championship structure, including the in-person calendar, is shared with finalists and partners.
Assessment you can trust
Selection and progress run on objective, auditable assessment, calibrated for Saudi Arabia and scored against Vision 2030 priority sectors, not committee opinion. The same data informs the build and the backing decision. The assessment, TACTIC, is available free at tactic.science.
Race 2027, key information
Pick your race.
Pre-register for The Qualifying Races, or apply directly to The Championship Races, Race 2027.