---
title: BRKZ Secures $30M To Power The Platform Saudi Contractors Actually Need
description: BRKZ secures $30 million debt from Stride Ventures to ease Saudi construction payment delays, scale AI-led procurement and embedded finance for Vision 2030.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-10-28T10:04:47.000Z
updated: 2026-02-26T18:01:45.316Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/brkz-secures-30m-to-power-the-platform-saudi-contractors-actually-need
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/BRKZ-team-photo.webp
categories: Finance
content_type: News
region: Riyadh
publication: Sovereign Magazine
about:
  - type: Organization
    name: BRKZ
    description: "BRKZ is a B2B managed marketplace transforming construction procurement in Saudi Arabia. By connecting contractors and factories with suppliers through a tech-enabled platform, BRKZ provides access to thousands of SKUs, competitive pricing, and technology-enabled payment and financing enablement solutions. With a focus on efficiency and transparency, BRKZ empowers MENA’s construction sector to meet the ambitious goals. For more information please visit https://brkz.com/en"
    url: https://brkz.com/en
    sameAs:
      - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brkz/id6447361944, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.brkz.buyer&pli=1
---

[BRKZ](#about-brkz) has secured up to $30 million in growth debt from Stride Ventures. For a three-year-old construction procurement marketplace, the choice of debt over equity signals something specific: the company believes its unit economics can service debt from operating cash flows. The Riyadh-based company previously raised $22.5 million in equity funding, making this debt facility a calculated bet that the cash flow crisis plaguing Saudi Arabia’s construction sector represents a bankable business opportunity.

Saudi Arabia’s construction market faces a systemic payment problem. Contractors typically wait 60 to 90 days for payment, with delays sometimes stretching to 180 days on large projects. Subcontractors fare worse, waiting an average of 56 days compared to 30 days for general contractors. About one-third of projects experience claims or disputes linked to payment issues. These delays cascade through subcontracting layers, creating a liquidity crunch that threatens project execution across the Kingdom’s [$1.5 trillion construction pipeline](https://insight.astrolabs.com/saudi-arabia-leads-construction-sector-in-mena-with-1-5-trillion-pipeline-opportunities-for-high-growth-businesses/).

For a country preparing to host Expo 2030 with a $7.8 billion budget and the 2034 FIFA World Cup featuring 15 stadiums across five cities, payment delays pose a material risk to project completion. Add mega-projects like the $63 billion Diriyah Gate development and the $23 billion King Salman Park, and the coordination challenge becomes clear. Advanced [infrastructure technology solutions](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/pinpointing-progress-how-skylink-s-micro-positioning-tech-gets-saudi-infrastructure-moving) are becoming critical to managing these complex developments.

## Why Debt Financing Matters Now

Venture debt now accounts for 44% of Saudi startup funding in 2025, with [$930 million deployed in H1 2025](https://fastcompanyme.com/news/saudi-arabia-leads-mena-startup-funding-in-h1-2025-with-1-34-billion-surge/) alone. That represents a 342% year-on-year increase in total startup funding, driven largely by debt instruments. The Saudi venture debt market has grown at a 54% CAGR from 2020 to 2024, significantly outpacing global averages.

Debt financing allows companies to scale without equity dilution, but only if they can generate sufficient cash flows to service debt obligations. As [venture debt becomes a strategic weapon for startups](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/the-smallest-startups-are-weaponising-debt-to-dodge-down-rounds) looking to avoid down rounds, BRKZ grew revenues fourfold in 2024 while maintaining what it describes as healthy unit economics. The latest equity round was fully covered by repeat investors including BECO, BNVT Capital, Better Tomorrow Ventures and Aramco’s Wa’ed. When existing investors double down rather than seeking exits, it typically signals strong confidence in the business model.

‘This growth debt facility from Stride Ventures strengthens our ability to support contractors and factories with more flexible payment and financing enablement options across the Saudi building materials market’, said Ibrahim Manna, founder and CEO of BRKZ. ‘It allows us to further expand our tailored embedded financing, helping customers manage project cash flows more efficiently.’

## Bridging The Payment Gap

The problem stems partly from ‘pay when paid’ clauses embedded in construction contracts. When a general contractor doesn’t receive payment from a project owner, they delay payments to subcontractors. Those subcontractors then delay payments to suppliers. The cash flow squeeze moves down the chain, hitting smaller players hardest.

BRKZ’s financing model addresses this bottleneck directly. The $30 million facility will enable approximately $48 million in transactions, providing working capital that bridges payment gaps. ‘BRKZ’s financing enablement solutions have been a game-changer for our projects’, said Khaled Hamada, general manager of AlFanar Contracting. ‘Having access to tailored payment terms through their platform allowed us to execute multiple projects across Saudi Arabia more efficiently, while meeting tight deadlines without the usual financing hurdles.’

## The Numbers Behind The Model

Since launch in 2022, BRKZ has processed $837 million in requests for quotations across its platform. The company has expanded its catalogue to more than 7,500 SKUs sourced from 1,300 suppliers, serving over 850 contractors across the Kingdom.

The customer mix is shifting. Factories are expected to form 50% of BRKZ’s customer base by next year, up from a primarily contractor-focused model. This expansion into manufacturing suggests the cash flow problems extend beyond project execution into raw materials sourcing and production.

BRKZ was hand-picked for the Saudi Unicorns Program, a government initiative identifying high-potential startups aligned with national priorities. The selection provides validation that solving construction procurement and financing challenges fits within the Kingdom’s economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030. The [Saudi fintech sector continues attracting major international investment](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/bono-s-tpg-rise-fund-places-first-middle-east-bet-on-saudi-fintech-hala), signalling the maturity of the Kingdom’s financial technology ecosystem.

## Stride’s GCC Expansion Strategy

Stride Ventures is committing $500 million to the GCC by 2026, with Saudi Arabia as a focal point. The firm previously backed Saudi fintech [erad with a $33 million debt round](https://www.wamda.com/2025/09/saudi-fintech-erad-raises-33-million-debt-round-led-stride-ventures), marking its entry into the Kingdom’s startup scene.

‘BRKZ is a standout startup, building the financing infrastructure to match the pace and scale of Saudi Arabia’s construction boom under Vision 2030’, said Ishpreet Singh Gandhi, founder and managing partner at Stride Ventures. ‘This partnership reflects our commitment to the region’s growth.’

Stride has deployed over $1.3 billion in credit globally across 180+ portfolio companies, with particular expertise in B2B marketplace models that embed financing into procurement workflows. ‘Having previously partnered with leaders in similar models in India, we believe BRKZ is well-positioned to replicate and localise that success in the Kingdom’, said Fariha Ansari Javed, partner at Stride Ventures.

## Scaling The Financial Plumbing

BRKZ plans to invest in AI-driven procurement tools and expand its buy now, pay later financing suite. As [AI adoption accelerates across MENA enterprises](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/ai-marketing-funding-surges-across-mena-amid-rapid-enterprise-adoption), the integration of artificial intelligence into procurement workflows represents a significant competitive advantage. The company is growing its supplier network across Saudi Arabia, China and India, targeting both breadth of product offerings and geographic diversification of sourcing.

The company is also pursuing cloud manufacturing models and supply arrangements with factories, moving beyond pure marketplace dynamics into deeper supply chain integration. Saudi Arabia’s construction materials procurement represents an $11.8 billion market in 2024, expected to reach $16.23 billion by 2033.

BRKZ isn’t just digitising procurement. It’s becoming the financial plumbing that keeps Saudi Arabia’s construction boom flowing when traditional payment terms would cause it to seize up. The debt facility is both a vote of confidence in that model and the working capital needed to scale it. In a sector where cash flow problems threaten project execution on billion-dollar developments, [solving the payment delay crisis](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/kuwait-build-2026-new-spaces-new-stakes-for-construction-and-interiors) has become critical infrastructure.

**About BRKZ**

BRKZ is a B2B managed marketplace transforming construction procurement in Saudi Arabia. By connecting contractors and factories with suppliers through a tech-enabled platform, BRKZ provides access to thousands of SKUs, competitive pricing, and technology-enabled payment and financing enablement solutions. With a focus on efficiency and transparency, BRKZ empowers MENA’s construction sector to meet the ambitious goals. For more information please visit https://brkz.com/en

[Website](https://brkz.com/en)