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Initiatives
10.11.2025

Expanding health innovation across the kingdom

KaRama VS is an initiative spearheaded by Karen Thomasine as part of its broader commitment to building sovereign innovation platforms that align with national priorities in Saudi Arabia. Focused on catalyzing breakthroughs in MedTech and BioTech, KaRama VC brings together deep sector expertise, cross-border structuring, and a platform-first approach to company building. At the heart of this vision is KaRama iT Co, one of the venture’s anchor investments, which exemplifies a new model for health innovation by combining digital diagnostics, artificial intelligence, and localized biotechnology solutions in alignment with Vision 2030.

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Saudi Arabia is undergoing a historic transformation in how it views healthcare, technology, and national capacity building. At the intersection of these priorities stands KaRama iT Co, a Saudi-Canadian health technology platform that integrates biotechnology, AI, and digital infrastructure to reshape early diagnosis, pediatric care, and national resilience. Headquartered in Riyadh and Halifax, KaRama iT Co represents more than just another startup; it is the Kingdom’s first fully integrated digital-biotech platform focused on non-invasive diagnostics, AI-driven analytics, and family-centric health applications. Every component has been built from the ground up to serve Vision 2030 priorities while addressing the needs of global health markets.

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Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 explicitly identifies digital health, biotechnology, and local research and development capacity as foundational priorities. The National Biotechnology Strategy launched in 2022 set a target to position Saudi Arabia as a regional leader in biotech innovation by 2030. Yet, the infrastructure to realize that goal remains underdeveloped. Today, the Kingdom imports more than 80 percent of its diagnostic tools and platforms, many of which are costly, non-localized, and ill-suited for national scalability. Health expenditure reached $62.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to surpass $74.6 billion by 2030, driven by aging demographics, rising rates of non-communicable diseases, and sustained investment in public-private healthcare infrastructure. Despite this momentum, biotech research and development spending remains under 0.1 percent of GDP compared to 1.2 percent in Germany and 0.9 percent in South Korea. KaRama iT Co was created to bridge this gap by localizing biotechnology and digital innovation, ensuring that Saudi Arabia develops its own health technology ecosystem rather than relying on external suppliers.

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KaRama iT Co is not a traditional product company; it is a full-stack health innovation platform. It combines AI-powered screening and diagnostics, microbiome and genetic analysis using local biobanks, and pediatric-first tools for immune disorders, allergies, and developmental delays. The company’s cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity systems are designed to comply with Saudi data protection regulations, while its mobile applications allow families, teachers, and doctors to monitor, intervene, and collaborate more effectively.

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Two of the platform’s core products demonstrate the power of its integrated model. TwinGuard AI delivers advanced, non-invasive diagnostics through microbiome, hair, and saliva sample analytics. MEDKA Dx provides a family-centric pediatric support system that unites diagnostic tools, educational resources, and caregiver coordination features in one seamless platform. Together, they represent a new generation of Saudi-developed technologies built for scalability and social impact.

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Saudi Arabia represents one of the fastest-growing health markets in the Middle East and North Africa, yet remains among the least digitized at the diagnostic level. With a population of more than 36 million, a rising birth rate, and increasing demand for preventive care, the need for early-stage screening and data-driven intervention is urgent. More than ten million children in the Kingdom lack access to early-stage allergy or neurodevelopmental screening, and over half a million students show undiagnosed signs of behavioral, cognitive, or immune-related conditions. Ninety-five percent of diagnostic testing tools used in the country are foreign-developed, leading to latency, cost, and localization challenges. Healthcare digitization remains only forty percent complete across public providers, underscoring the space for innovation. KaRama’s approach is proactive, predictive, and population-based, offering a framework for nationwide screening, early-stage intervention, and data-driven policy planning.

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In the broader context, KaRama iT Co is contributing to what it calls Digital BioSovereignty. In an era defined by supply chain volatility and increasing technological protectionism, Saudi Arabia cannot rely on imported biotech and diagnostics infrastructure. Digital BioSovereignty means localized innovation, homegrown intellectual property, secure data, and direct national benefit. Through this model, KaRama iT Co is helping the Kingdom establish its own biotechnology footprint and safeguard its health independence.

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The implications of this platform are far-reaching. KaRama iT Co could one day power the Kingdom’s national genomics and diagnostics cloud, support school health programs through public-private collaboration, and serve as an exportable model for health technologies across Africa, South Asia, and the wider Arab world.

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KaRama iT Co is not simply building tools; it is laying the foundation for an entirely new health technology ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. By fusing biotechnology with artificial intelligence and embedding these capabilities within the Kingdom’s own infrastructure, it transforms Vision 2030 from an aspiration into a living, evolving reality. It is not just about running the train; it is about laying the tracks for the next generation of Saudi innovation.

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