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VC

Jordan

+3

Endeavor Jordan selects Replit founders Amjad Masad and Haya Odeh, marking the network's 100th unicorn globally

Mar 20, 2026

•

4 min read

Endeavor Jordan selects Replit founders Amjad Masad and Haya Odeh, marking the network's 100th unicorn globally

The selection comes weeks after Replit closed a $400 million Series D at a $9 billion valuation led by Georgian, with participation from QIA, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue, Craft Ventures and Y Combinator, among others.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

+2

STV deploys its callable equity instrument in Africa for the first time, backing Kenyan smartphone platform MoPhones

Mar 20, 2026

•

3 min read

STV deploys its callable equity instrument in Africa for the first time, backing Kenyan smartphone platform MoPhones

The deal makes MoPhones the first African company to receive the instrument, which STV has previously deployed into GCC-based companies including Tabby, Invygo and Stake. STV has committed over $65 million through the NICE structure to date.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Morocco

+3

Speedinvest launches dedicated Africa fund with €40m EIB anchor for fintech and mobile-first startups

Mar 20, 2026

•

5 min read

Speedinvest launches dedicated Africa fund with €40m EIB anchor for fintech and mobile-first startups

The EIB's commitment is structured against a maximum fund size of €200 million under the bank's project terms, though Speedinvest has not disclosed a final fundraising target for the vehicle.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+3

Shorooq joins $1B seed round in Yann LeCun's AMI Labs, one of the largest AI seed financings ever, at a $3.5B pre-money valuation

Mar 12, 2026

•

3 min read

Shorooq joins $1B seed round in Yann LeCun's AMI Labs, one of the largest AI seed financings ever, at a $3.5B pre-money valuation

The Abu Dhabi-based firm invested alongside Bezos Expeditions, Temasek, and NVIDIA, in the Paris-headquartered startup, which is building "world model" AI systems designed to reason about physical environments rather than just predict text.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

Peak XV raises $1.3B amid partner exodus while quietly deepening its MENA portfolio

Feb 27, 2026

•

8 min read

Peak XV raises $1.3B amid partner exodus while quietly deepening its MENA portfolio

The firm formerly known as Sequoia India closed its first independent fundraise after three senior partners departed over a profit-sharing dispute on a 52x return. Meanwhile, GV Ravishankar has been quietly building from Dubai, sitting on the boards of Tabby, Huspy, and Lean Technologies, and leading four MENA deals in the past year.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+3

Presight-Shorooq Fund reveals first five investments from $100M AI fund, backing startups from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco

Feb 24, 2026

•

5 min read

Presight-Shorooq Fund reveals first five investments from $100M AI fund, backing startups from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco

The fund, a partnership between G42's Presight and Abu Dhabi VC Shorooq, has invested in NodeShift, Candid, Hebbia, Blue, and Crunched after screening over 1,000 companies in its first 120 days.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Jordan

+2

Jordan's Oasis500 launches $20M+ fourth fund to back early-stage tech startups

Feb 16, 2026

•

2 min read

Jordan's Oasis500 launches $20M+ fourth fund to back early-stage tech startups

Founded in 2010 through the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, Oasis500 has invested in 193 startups to date, which have collectively raised over $135 million and generated nearly 5,000 jobs across 22 countries.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

MASNA Ventures launches Saudi Arabia’s first defence-focused VC fund, targets $100M

Feb 8, 2026

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2 min read

MASNA Ventures launches Saudi Arabia’s first defence-focused VC fund, targets $100M

MASNA plans to complete around 10 investments, initially focusing on drone and counter-drone systems, precision-guided munitions, and AI-enabled defence technologies.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Funding

+4

Shorooq launches $200m late-stage growth fund backed by QIA

Feb 2, 2026

•

3 min read

Shorooq launches $200m late-stage growth fund backed by QIA

The fund is backed by Qatar Investment Authority alongside other sovereign and institutional investors from the GCC and Asia, with the launch announced at Web Summit Qatar.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

Qatar's fund-of-funds backs five new global VC firms

Feb 2, 2026

•

4 min read

Qatar's fund-of-funds backs five new global VC firms

The funds are Greycroft, Ion Pacific, Liberty City Ventures, Shorooq, and Speedinvest, all of which are establishing offices in Doha, QIA said in a statement.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

Qatar to double venture fund-of-funds to $2B, unveils 10-year residency for founders

Feb 2, 2026

•

3 min read

Qatar to double venture fund-of-funds to $2B, unveils 10-year residency for founders

The expansion builds on Qatar’s existing $1 billion Fund of Funds, launched in February 2024 to attract international venture firms to Doha and channel capital into local and regional startups.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Startups

+3

MENA tech predictions for 2026

Jan 14, 2026

•

19 min read

MENA tech predictions for 2026

Why the IPO dam is finally about to break, the rise of "agentic" AI in the boring back-office, and why the Gulf’s next sovereign race could be all about longevity.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Startups

+3

MEVP’s annual letter discloses a number of unannounced funding rounds, including for Stake, Ziina, and MealPlanet

Jan 9, 2026

•

2 min read

MEVP’s annual letter discloses a number of unannounced funding rounds, including for Stake, Ziina, and MealPlanet

In 2025, MEVP deployed $18.1 million across eight new investments and two follow-on rounds.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

+3

Red Sea Global partners with Bunat Ventures to launch AI-focused venture fund in Saudi Arabia

Jan 7, 2026

•

2 min read

Red Sea Global partners with Bunat Ventures to launch AI-focused venture fund in Saudi Arabia

The new fund will back early- and growth-stage AI startups, combining capital with access to Red Sea Global’s operating environment, and builds on Bunat Ventures’ track record backing companies such as Ninja and the recently acquired CoinMENA.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Jordan

+3

Propeller launches $50M Fund III to back AI infrastructure and AI-native software across US and MENA

Nov 26, 2025

•

2 min read

Propeller launches $50M Fund III to back AI infrastructure and AI-native software across US and MENA

Founded in 2017 by Zaid Farekh and Tambi Jalouqa, Propeller operates across Amman, Riyadh, Boston, and Silicon Valley, positioning itself as a bridge between MENA AI builders and US growth markets.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Startups

+3

Irish firm Quintas Capital invests $18 million in UAE e-commerce business Petal Group

Nov 11, 2025

•

2 min read

Irish firm Quintas Capital invests $18 million in UAE e-commerce business Petal Group

The deal marks Quintas Capital’s first managed equity investment as it eyes cross-border growth across the Irish–Middle Eastern corridor.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Startups

+3

Saudi VC firm SVC eyes $3 billion target by 2030 as over a dozen portfolio companies prepare IPOs

Nov 7, 2025

•

2 min read

Saudi VC firm SVC eyes $3 billion target by 2030 as over a dozen portfolio companies prepare IPOs

SVC Chief Executive Nabeel Koshak revealed that more than 13 of the companies in its portfolio have begun preparations for an initial public offering on the sidelines of the Private Capital Forum in Riyadh.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

+2

SAB Invest partners with Stride Ventures to expand startup and private credit financing in Saudi Arabia

Oct 31, 2025

•

2 min read

SAB Invest partners with Stride Ventures to expand startup and private credit financing in Saudi Arabia

The collaboration marks SAB Invest’s move into startup-focused investments and SME financing.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

+4

Key Capital’s London Trek and the Architecture of Gulf Capital Flows

Oct 22, 2025

•

12 min read

Key Capital’s London Trek and the Architecture of Gulf Capital Flows

As global investors look to deploy into the Gulf, Key Capital’s London Trek has quietly become one of the region’s most effective bridges between mandate and deployment. Behind its small, curated format sits a deliberate architecture designed to convert interest into capital flow.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

Crescent Enterprises launches $68M investment programme to scale CE-Creates venture studio

Oct 21, 2025

•

2 min read

Crescent Enterprises launches $68M investment programme to scale CE-Creates venture studio

The move comes alongside the appointment of Rakhil Fernando as Head of CE-Creates, signalling a more aggressive build-out of the platform.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

Investcorp closes $750M Golden Horizon Fund with CIC to target GCC-China growth

Oct 15, 2025

•

2 min read

Investcorp closes $750M Golden Horizon Fund with CIC to target GCC-China growth

The fund will focus on sectors including consumer, healthcare, logistics, and business services. It targets established companies with scale and maturity, with a clear path to IPOs or strategic exits within three to five years.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Saudi Arabia

+1

Saudi Arabia’s Sukna Capital partners with PFG on $50M non-dilutive financing platform

Oct 3, 2025

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2 min read

Saudi Arabia’s Sukna Capital partners with PFG on $50M non-dilutive financing platform

The partnership will expand Sukna’s Sukna Fund for Direct Financing (SFDF), the Kingdom’s first open-ended direct lending vehicle.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+2

BECO Capital closes $370M across two funds to back Gulf founders from pre-seed to IPO

Sep 29, 2025

•

2 min read

BECO Capital closes $370M across two funds to back Gulf founders from pre-seed to IPO

The raise includes $120 million for BECO Fund IV, the firm’s fourth early-stage vehicle, and a $250 million Growth Fund targeting companies from Series B to pre-IPO.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

Startups

+2

MENA's top founders head to London as Key Capital builds cross-border investor bridge

Sep 29, 2025

•

3 min read

MENA's top founders head to London as Key Capital builds cross-border investor bridge

The event builds on two earlier editions, which facilitated more than 200 meetings between 30+ global investors and 40 MENA startups in 2024.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane

News

+1

PayPal to deploy $100M in MENA and Africa through ventures, acquisitions, and tech rollouts

Sep 26, 2025

•

2 min read

PayPal to deploy $100M in MENA and Africa through ventures, acquisitions, and tech rollouts

The announcement follows the launch of its first regional hub in Dubai earlier this year, set up to provide businesses with seamless payments, enhanced security, and access to global markets.

Jamie Lane
Jamie Lane
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