From Riyadh to the World: EW Partners’ Secret Sauce for Startup Domination
EW Partners, led by Jessica Wong, is scaling Saudi startups globally. With over $1 billion AUM, international investors, and successes like J&T Express, the firm combines strategic support and sector focus to turn local ventures into global champions.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Eight years ago, Jessica Wong and her co-founder spotted Saudi Arabia’s untapped potential — a market opening up in the GCC, full of opportunity. They launched EW Partners, inviting entrepreneurs from Asia and beyond to explore the Kingdom together and build something lasting.
Since then, EW Partners has launched two funds, managing over $1 billion in assets. Backed by institutional heavyweights like Jada and SBC, the firm helps startups localize quickly, scale efficiently, and become market “vertical champions.” Take J&T Express: in just five years, it became the number one company in Southeast Asia, cracked China’s top five, and in under two years of entering the Kingdom, ranked top three in Saudi Arabia and number one in the UAE.
EW Partners’ global reach is reflected in its funds. Fund One was $400 million, 75% local and 25% international. Fund Two flipped the script, attracting 75% global capital from major players like Malaysia’s largest pension fund, Hong Kong’s sovereign wealth fund, and Oman’s Investment Authority, while retaining all Fund One LPs.
The firm now supports a broad range of sectors, including tech, healthcare, and food security, partnering with giants like Lenovo. Wong’s philosophy is clear: identify entrepreneurs’ strengths, provide the right support, and let them execute. Success comes from localization, strategic growth, and embedding the right tools — including AI — to defend their business moat.
For Jessica Wong, the Kingdom isn’t just a market to enter — it’s a launchpad. With EW Partners guiding startups from Riyadh to global markets, the Kingdom’s entrepreneurs are proving they can dominate locally, regionally, and beyond.
Eight years ago, Jessica Wong and her co-founder spotted Saudi Arabia’s untapped potential — a market opening up in the GCC, full of opportunity. They launched EW Partners, inviting entrepreneurs from Asia and beyond to explore the Kingdom together and build something lasting.
Since then, EW Partners has launched two funds, managing over $1 billion in assets. Backed by institutional heavyweights like Jada and SBC, the firm helps startups localize quickly, scale efficiently, and become market “vertical champions.” Take J&T Express: in just five years, it became the number one company in Southeast Asia, cracked China’s top five, and in under two years of entering the Kingdom, ranked top three in Saudi Arabia and number one in the UAE.
EW Partners’ global reach is reflected in its funds. Fund One was $400 million, 75% local and 25% international. Fund Two flipped the script, attracting 75% global capital from major players like Malaysia’s largest pension fund, Hong Kong’s sovereign wealth fund, and Oman’s Investment Authority, while retaining all Fund One LPs.
