Dubai's Oraseya Capital doubles venture fund to $272M and broadens global mandate

Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) has doubled the size of Oraseya Capital’s venture fund to AED1 billion ($272 million), giving its investment arm more capital to back companies at later stages of growth and widening its remit internationally.

The expansion also raises Oraseya’s maximum investment per company from $3 million to $6 million. Its mandate will now cover companies of strategic relevance to the UAE wherever they are based, extending beyond businesses with a direct link to the country.

DIEZ launched Oraseya in November 2023 with an AED500 million fund. Its original remit ran from pre-seed through Series B, targeting companies in Dubai and international businesses seeking to establish operations there. The expanded mandate now includes companies beyond Series B, while retaining its early-stage investments.

Oraseya now has 66 active portfolio companies and has averaged around 25 investments a year, according to DIEZ. The authority said it ranked as the UAE’s most active investor by deal count in 2024 and 2025 and retained that position in the first half of 2026, citing MAGNiTT data. It ranked second across MENA by both overall deal count and early-stage activity in that six-month period.

Oraseya’s investments include Calo’s $39 million Series B extension in July 2025 and SME lender erad’s $22 million Series A this September. At the earlier end, it co-led AI commerce startup Revora’s $2 million seed round with i2i Ventures in June.

Oraseya will also continue investing early alongside the increased emphasis on growth-stage companies. Its SANDBOX accelerator, which began in 2022 before becoming part of Oraseya, targets pre-seed and seed-stage tech startups with a $150,000 investment and five months of support covering fundraising, commercial development and access to investors. The next cohort is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027.