Small and medium enterprises(SMEs), high growth technology and media companies attracted significant private equity investment last year and were the most active areas in the industry. According to a report from the MENA Private Equity Association, compiled in partnership with Zawya and KPMG, the private equity sector in the region continued to show significant signs of recovery with both investments and exits growing as compared to the previous year. The information technology (IT) sector alone accounted for about 40 per cent of the investment volume due to increased activity by venture capital funds in the region. Dr. Philip Boigner, director of technology investment at the Dubai Silicon Oasis authority and a member of the association’s task force said: “Most economies in the region are growing despite political uncertainty. Private equity houses are capitalising on this trend by focusing more and more on young companies that are on stellar growth trajectories. We have seen this, for example, in the venture capital space, where VCs are investing in ecommerce and digital media platforms that can be scaled across the whole Arab region.”
