Christina Khalife and Lawrence Ong

Khalife and Ong are the co-founders of Arable, a Saudi Arabia-based agritech company developing hydroponic farming solutions for arid and desert environments. Founded in 2024, the business is focused on increasing local food production while addressing some of the Gulf’s most persistent agricultural constraints, including heat, water scarcity and challenging growing conditions.

Ong serves as the commercial leader of the business, while Khalife brings agricultural and operational expertise. Together, the pair have positioned Arable around controlled-environment agriculture and hydroponics, where crops can be grown with tightly managed inputs rather than relying solely on conventional open-field farming.

Their most important independently verified financial milestone came in January 2025, when Arable closed a $2.55m seed funding round. Wamda reported that the financing would support the company’s expansion in Saudi Arabia and the development of hydroponic systems designed to strengthen local agricultural production.

Ong subsequently said that Arable intended to expand significantly in the kingdom and increase the production of locally grown fruits and vegetables through Saudi-made and Saudi-sourced facilities. The company operates in a sector of strategic importance to Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.

Arable has already moved beyond the concept stage and secured $2.55m in seed backing.