The startup scene in the Arab world continues to boom, culminating this year in several high value deals. These include the acquisition of Souq. com by Amazon, construction major Emaar Malls buying a majority stake in Namshi.com, and Careem raising half a billion dollars from the likes of Rakuten Inc., STC Ventures, Kingdom Holding Company and Daimler.

Investors in the region are also maturing, with corporates and large private companies taking risks and investing in startups. Al Tayyar Travel Group, the largest travel company in the region and Majid Al Futtaim Group, a diversified private company, have both invested in startups recently.

Venture capitalists are also growing in numbers and in size, and although the U.A.E. is still the hub, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan are also very active.

This year we have compiled three lists to rank the brightest startups and investors across the Arab World. 100 Startups in the Arab World comprises those startups that have championed the most innovative ideas and received the most external funding in the last year. 50 Start-ups to Watch are those who have not yet received big-ticket funding but are looking promising for the future.

And the 50 Most Active Investors ranking recognizes the backers spotting the entrepreneurial talent and helping these businesses thrive through funding.