Venture Capital

Background

In Venture Capital, we focus on providing advice, capital, and industry support to promising starts-ups across the globe in line with our and our partners investment themes. The practice is organized into Angel and Venture investments categories based on the investment stage.

If you are an accredited or institutional investor or a client looking to raise funds then please reach out to our Venture Investments team.

Email The Team

As Angel Investors, we invest in entrepreneurial companies at the earliest stage where the opportunities for value creation are typically highest and company valuations are usually at their lowest. In addition to opportunities from our angel and venture capital partners network, we selectively invest at pre-seed and seed stage startups that come across our desks through our Advisory-Mentorship practice.

As Venture Investments, it is a natural progression for some of our Angel and Early-Stage portfolio companies as well as new opportunities, where we advise and invest along with our institutional and qualified investor partners. Investing in new and follow through rounds, we rely on a team of dedicated investing professionals, our network of angel and venture capital partners.

Our Cases

We focus on Early Stage and Growth startups leveraging technology to disrupt B2B and select B2C industries in emerging markets, providing not only financial capital, but also a human capital in form of expertise, insights, and relationships

Focus on ClimateTech, FinTech, RegTech, Industrial Automation, and Mobility.

Deal flow built on key long-term relationships with notable venture capital funds in Japan, Singapore, Central Asia, Middle East, and US(East Cost + Silicon Valley).

A leading tech enabled global automotive connected car platform acquired by Zurich Insurance Group in 2017 at an eight-digit valuation;

Venture Partner and Investment Committee Expert on automotive, mobility, and electrification at the most active US Venture Capital Fund based in Silicon Valley and affiliated with Stanford University.

Investments in 30+ companies with a global footprint and potential to disrupt their respective sizable markets.

Related Insights

08/03/24

One year after SVB, the throne sits empty

One year after Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion, the venture debt market has yet to crown a new king.

When the bank, which held accounts for almost 50% of VC-backed tech and life science companies in 2022, collapsed on March 10, 2023 , the impact saw widespread financial panic among start-ups and in related markets.

23/02/24

As venture capital funds pull back on consumer, more private equity firms look to play a bigger role in startup investing

Private equity funding is playing a greater role in consumer startup funding, particularly as venture capital funding dipped last year.

Among startup brands, venture capitalists typically make early investments in promising companies — or sometimes even concepts — predominately based on the potential for big growth. But private equity involves making controlling investments in more established companies and helping sustain profitability.

22/02/24

Investors Have Got Your Number: Navigating The Data-Driven Shift In Venture Capital

The venture capital (VC) sector is undergoing a transformative shift towards data-, analytics-, and AI-driven methodologies, profoundly altering the traditional paradigms of sourcing, evaluating, and managing startup investments. While not necessarily incipient, this movement, reminiscent of the algorithmic trading revolution that redefined public markets, is set to revolutionize venture capital. By 2025, data, analytics, and AI are expected to inform over 75% of VC deal analyses according to a report by Data-driven VC.

19/02/24

The new realism in venture capital is healthy

Rising stockpile of ‘dry powder’ is a sign of private capital’s growing attraction as an asset class.

The stampede of new Silicon Valley unicorns emerging into the world has thinned into a straggling herd.

Venture capital firm Cowboy Ventures recently reported that of 532 US start-ups with billion-dollar-plus valuations in 2023, 60 per cent were what it dubbed “Zirpicorns” — companies last priced between January 2020 and March 2022 when zero-interest rate policies propped up valuations.

08/01/24

Maalexi raises $3 million in pre-Series A led by Global Ventures

Maalexi, the UAE-based dynamic risk management platform for SME agri-businesses, announces the completion of a $3 million pre-Series A fund raise.

The funding round was led exclusively by Global Ventures, MENA’s leading venture capital firm, which joins existing venture capital investors Rockstart (Amsterdam) and Ankurit Capital (New Delhi).

The proceeds will be deployed by Maalexi for: (i) tech development—to enhance its full-stack platform to help SME agri-buyers procure faster, cheaper, and safer from globally placed SME sellers; and (ii) drive customer acquisition—specifically more buyers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and to add sellers from 50+ origin countries.

21/12/23

Tabby secures $700M in debt financing from J.P. Morgan and extends its Series D round to $250M with participation from Hassana Investment Company

Tabby, the MENA’s leading shopping and financial services app, has secured up to $700 million in receivables securitization from J.P. Morgan. The deal represents the largest asset-backed facility obtained by a fintech company in the MENA region.

In parallel to the securitization financing, Tabby has extended its Series D financing to close $250 million with participation from Hassana Investment Company. The Series D was also joined by US-based Soros Capital Management and KSA-based Saudi Venture Capital (SVC).

18/12/23

Goldman-Backed Saudi Fintech Firm Tamara Hits Unicorn Valuation

- ‘Buy now, pay later’ start-up eyes IPO in a few years
- Growing number of Mideast tech startups planning share sales

Saudi Arabian financial technology company Tamara, which is backed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., has been valued at over $1 billion in its latest equity funding round.

Tamara raised $340 million from investors including Sanabil, a unit of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, and SNB Capital, a unit of the kingdom’s largest bank, according to a statement from the fintech.

06/06/23

Kilde bags $1.1m to bankroll securities tokenization project

Private debt platform Kilde has raised US$1.1 million in seed funding from investors including Big Sky Capital, Borderless Capital, AXL Ventures, and Algorand Foundation.

The fresh funds will help the Singapore-based firm expand its private credit offerings and develop SafeBay, its securities tokenization project.

07/02/22

Korean micro mobility startup Swing grabs $24M for growth, expands to Japan

Swing, a South Korean electric scooter and micromobility startup, announced today it has raised $24 million in a Series B round to spur its growth and expansion to Japan.

The funding was led by White Star Capital, which also invested in Berlin-based Tier Mobility, and included existing backer Hashed, among others. With the fresh capital, Swing has raised a total of approximately $33 million (40 billion KRW) since its inception in 2019.

06/09/21

Alif receives $100 million valuation, raising $8 million in equity and $50 million in debt

Alif, a digital banking challenger, founded in Tajikistan in 2014, received a company valuation of over $100 million, raising $8 million in equity and $50 million in debt.

This is one of the largest funding rounds in Central Asia to date, making Alif one of the highest valued fintech startups in the region.

The total investment has been raised from its existing shareholder Jefferson Capital Holdings Limited – a UK-based investment vehicle founded by Khofiz Shakhidi.

22/12/17

Zurich Insurance buys Bright Box for connected car expertise

Zurich Insurance Group has bought Bright Box HK Ltd to strengthen its expertise in connected cars, the Swiss insurer said on Friday.

Founded in 2012, Bright Box provides telematics technology that links drivers to their vehicles and the vehicles to networks of car dealers and carmakers, Zurich Insurance said, giving no financial details in its statement.

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