Investors & Ecosystem

52 profiles

Who funds and builds the UAE startup ecosystem — venture capital firms, accelerators, incubators, sovereign investors, and government funds active across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Each profile tracks the funding rounds they back and the news they appear in. Looking for the companies themselves? Browse the startup directory.

23 VC · 7 Corporate venture · 6 Accelerator · 5 Gov fund · 4 Other · 3 Incubator · 3 Sovereign · 1 Ecosystem

All Ecosystem Accelerator Incubator VC Sovereign Gov fund Authority

500 Global

Global early-stage VC founded in 2010 by Dave McClure and Christine Tsai, with about $2.3B in assets under management across 2,400+ companies. Active in MENA since 2012 with a Riyadh regional HQ, the Sanabil 500 accelerator and UAE bets such as Eyewa, TruKKer and Sarwa.

VCSan Francisco, USA

A-typical Ventures

Doha-based early-stage VC fund and venture studio launched in February 2025 by Utopia Capital Management with backing from Qatar Investment Authority's Fund of Funds and Qatar Development Bank. It backed Abu Dhabi risk-intelligence startup Azraq's oversubscribed pre-seed in 2026.

VCDoha, Qatar

AI71

Applied-AI company launched in November 2023 by Abu Dhabi's ATRC and its commercialisation arm VentureOne, building enterprise and government products on TII's Falcon models. Co-led UAE data-and-AI firm CNTXT AI's $60M Series A with BlueFive Capital in June 2026.

Corporate ventureAbu Dhabi, UAE

Access Bridge Ventures

Pre-Series A venture fund of $35M investing across MENA and Pakistan, with LPs including ADQ, Mubadala Capital, Jada, SVC and ISSF. UAE portfolio includes Keyper, RemotePass, Skillbee and Yozo ($1.7M, 2026).

VCDubai, UAE

Area 2071

Dubai's government innovation hub supporting startups and future-economy projects under the UAE Centennial 2071 vision.

IncubatorDubai

AstroLabs

Dubai-based accelerator and coworking platform helping tech startups expand across MENA.

AcceleratorDubai

BECO Capital

Dubai-based early-stage venture firm investing in MENA technology companies across seed and Series A.

VCDubai

BlueFive Capital

Abu Dhabi (ADGM)-based global private-markets platform founded in late 2024 by ex-Investcorp co-CEO Hazem Ben-Gacem; AUM reported at $7.4B in 2026. Strategies span PE, infrastructure and tech growth; UAE deals include Origen ($50M, 2026), CNTXT AI and CargoX Series A rounds.

OtherAbu Dhabi, UAE

DIFC FinTech Hive

DIFC's fintech accelerator connecting startups with banks, regulators, and regional capital markets.

AcceleratorDubai

Dubai Future District Fund

Dubai government-backed fund investing in technology startups and scale-ups aligned with Dubai’s future economy agenda.

Gov fundDubai

Dubizzle Ventures

Corporate venture arm of Dubizzle Group (formerly EMPG), the Dubai classifieds unicorn behind dubizzle and Bayut, backing pre-seed to Series A startups in real estate, automotive and re-commerce across the GCC. 2026 deals include UAE proptechs Tern (June) and Takeem (July).

Corporate ventureDubai, UAE

EBRD Venture Capital

Venture arm of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, launched in 2012 and investing from a $300M third programme with tickets up to $30M in tech companies across 40 emerging markets. Led Dubai-headquartered RemotePass's $17.4M Series B in May 2026.

Gov fundLondon, UK

Emirates Growth Fund

AED 1 billion growth-equity fund launched in May 2025 at Make it in the Emirates by Emirates Development Bank, the UAE's federal development bank. It takes active minority stakes of AED 10–50M in UAE SMEs with revenues from AED 10M in manufacturing, food security, healthcare and advanced technology.

Gov fundAbu Dhabi, UAE

Ethereal Ventures

Crypto-native early-stage VC founded in 2021 as a ConsenSys Labs spin-out by Min Teo, with Joseph Lubin as chairman, managing about $150M across two funds and 80+ pre-seed/seed bets. Co-led Dubai-based Bundle's $5.5M pre-seed in July 2026.

VCRoad Town, British Virgin Islands

First Drop VC

Impact VC registered in Luxembourg with a Spanish team and an acceleration programme in Valencia, investing €100K–€300K at pre-seed and seed with follow-ons above €1M. Led Abu Dhabi proptech eVoost AI's €2M ($2.2M) round in May 2026.

VCLuxembourg

Flat6Labs

MENA seed accelerator and early-stage VC with programmes across the region, including the UAE.

AcceleratorDubai

Franklin Templeton

Global asset manager founded in 1947 with about $1.66T AUM (2025), increasingly active in digital-asset and fintech rounds. In the UAE it joined Utexo's $7.5M Tether-led seed (March 2026) and Abu Dhabi's Soter Insure Series B led by Galaxy (July 2026).

OtherSan Mateo, USA

Further Ventures

Abu Dhabi venture builder and investor launched in 2022 with a $200M fund anchored by ADQ, focused on fintech and digital assets. UAE portfolio includes CredibleX ($55M seed, 2024), Fuze, Aurem and Bundle (co-led $5.5M pre-seed, 2026).

VCAbu Dhabi, UAE

Galaxy Ventures

Venture arm of Galaxy (Galaxy Digital), the New York digital-asset financial services firm founded by Mike Novogratz in 2018. Investing from Galaxy's balance sheet since 2018 and its $175M Galaxy Ventures Fund I (closed 2025), it led Abu Dhabi-based Soter Insure's Series A (2025) and Series B (2026).

VCNew York, USA

Global Ventures

Dubai-based VC investing in high-growth technology companies across emerging markets including MENA and Africa.

VCDubai

Gulf Investment Corporation

Kuwait-based investment institution founded in 1983 and equally owned by the six GCC governments, with $2.1B paid-up capital. Part sovereign fund, part private-equity house, it invests in GCC industrial, infrastructure, financial and technology assets rather than early-stage venture.

SovereignKuwait City, Kuwait

HUMAIN

Saudi full-stack AI company launched in May 2025 and owned by PIF, spanning data centres, sovereign cloud, the ALLaM Arabic models and HUMAIN Chat. It makes strategic investments in Arabic-language AI, including Arabic.AI (formerly Tarjama) in September 2026.

Corporate ventureRiyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hub71

Abu Dhabi's government-backed global technology ecosystem supporting startups with incentives, capital access, and market connections across the UAE.

EcosystemAbu Dhabi

Iliad Partners

UAE venture firm founded in 2016 by Christos Mastoras and Omar Al-Madhi, now headquartered in ADGM, Abu Dhabi and a Hub71 partner. Its $50M second fund (second close Sept 2025) backs B2B software; it led Comfi's $65M pre-Series A in 2026 and holds Qashio and OTO.

VCAbu Dhabi, UAE

Incubayt Investments

Dubai-based investment firm founded in 2019 by solar entrepreneur Sami Khoreibi, focused on early-stage climate-tech startups across EMEA plus LP stakes in funds like BITKRAFT. UAE portfolio includes Planno (2026), The Waste Lab and Wisewell.

VCDubai, UAE

Infinity Constellation

New York-based AI-native company builder incubated by Invisible Technologies that launches 'built, not bought' professional-services challengers sharing one data backbone. Raised a $24M Series A in June 2026 and co-led Dubai-based Algebra AI's $7M seed.

IncubatorNew York, USA

Karatage

London-based investment firm founded in 2017 that invests in crypto assets, fund managers and companies, and is an LP in managers such as Multicoin and ParaFi. It was sole investor in UAE broker Epic Markets' $10M pre-seed round in July 2026.

VCLondon, UK

Khalifa Fund

Abu Dhabi's government fund supporting Emirati entrepreneurs and SMEs with financing programmes and ecosystem initiatives.

Gov fundAbu Dhabi

Lunara Partners

Multi-stage alternative investment firm investing predominantly across MENA, co-founded by ex-Global Ventures senior partner Said Murad and Omar Alkhawaja. In 2026 it led Cobi's $1M pre-seed and HeyBreez's $2.5M seed, backing founders from first build through to pre-liquidity.

VCDubai, UAE

Lux Capital

New York venture firm founded in 2000 with about $7B AUM and a $1.5B ninth fund closed in January 2026, backing frontier tech such as Anduril, Hugging Face and Runway. Led GCC sovereign-AI startup 1001's $30M Series A in June 2026, with PIF's Sanabil joining.

VCNew York, USA

MEVP

Middle East Venture Partners — regional VC backing tech startups across MENA from seed through growth.

VCDubai

MGX

Abu Dhabi AI and technology investment company backing foundational AI infrastructure and platforms globally.

SovereignAbu Dhabi

Mubadala

Abu Dhabi's sovereign investor deploying capital across technology, infrastructure, and global growth companies.

SovereignAbu Dhabi

Nuwa Capital

UAE-based venture firm backing early-stage technology companies with a focus on the Middle East.

VCDubai

Oraseya Capital

AED 500M ($136M) venture fund launched in November 2023 by Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ). Invests $500K–$3M from pre-seed to Series B in UAE-linked startups such as Calo, Ziina, NymCard and Clarity, and was MAGNiTT's most active UAE investor in 2024 and 2025.

Gov fundDubai, UAE

Pharsalus Capital

New York-based crypto venture firm founded in 2024 by Anthony Ghosn, investing in and building companies and protocols that expand crypto access in emerging markets. Led UAE fintech Sovra's $2M+ pre-seed in June 2026 alongside angels including Naguib Sawiris.

VCNew York, USA

Plug and Play

Silicon Valley innovation platform and accelerator founded in 2006 by Saeed Amidi, running corporate innovation programmes in 35+ cities and making hundreds of early-stage investments a year. Its GCC hub launched at ADGM in 2018; UAE deals include Cobi's 2026 pre-seed.

AcceleratorSunnyvale, USA

Plus VC

Abu Dhabi (ADGM)-based early-stage VC founded in 2020 by Hasan Haider and Sharif El-Badawi, former managing partners of 500 Startups' MENA fund. It has made 100+ investments across MENA and its diaspora, including UAE startups Holo and GrowDash.

VCAbu Dhabi, UAE

Raed Ventures

Riyadh-based early-stage VC founded in 2015 by Omar Almajdouie, Saed Nashef and Talal Alasmari with backing from Almajdouie Holding. It has made 50+ investments in Saudi and MENA startups including Tabby, Lean, Salla and Mozn, and led UAE fintech Wafeq's $3M seed in 2023 and XSquare's pre-seed in 2026.

VCRiyadh, Saudi Arabia

Ruya Partners

Abu Dhabi (ADGM)-based independent private credit firm founded in 2020, backed by Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, Jada Fund of Funds and other sovereign-linked LPs, with a $250M target for its first fund. Deals include $15M facilities for TruKKer (2025) and Whiteshield (2026).

OtherAbu Dhabi, UAE

SBI Holdings

Tokyo-listed financial conglomerate founded in 1999 spanning securities, banking, insurance and digital assets, with SBI Investment as its venture arm. It led Dubai stablecoin neobank Fasset's $68M Series C at a $1B valuation (Aug 2026) and backs a $100M digital-asset JV in DIFC.

Corporate ventureTokyo, Japan

STV

Riyadh-based technology VC founded in 2018 by Abdulrahman Tarabzouni and anchored by stc, with $800M under management plus a $100M Google-backed AI fund and a $100M NICE non-dilutive fund. UAE-linked portfolio includes Careem, TruKKer, Qlub and Tabby.

VCRiyadh, Saudi Arabia

Sheraa

Sharjah's entrepreneurship center backing founders through programmes, capital, and community across the UAE.

AcceleratorSharjah

Shorooq Partners

Abu Dhabi-based multi-asset investment manager founded in 2017 by Shane Shin and Mahmoud Adi, running venture capital and private credit strategies with about $500M AUM. Its 100+ portfolio companies include UAE names Pure Harvest, Sarwa, NymCard, Qlub, Pemo and Prypco.

VCAbu Dhabi, UAE

Speedinvest

Vienna-headquartered early-stage VC founded in 2011 with 400+ investments and more than €1bn raised across funds, investing €250K–€5M at seed and up to €30M at growth. In 2026 it launched a MEA fund backed by Mubadala and QIA and led Keyper's $11M Series A.

VCVienna, Austria

Tawuniya

Saudi Arabia's first national insurer, established in Riyadh in 1986 and listed on Tadawul, offering health, motor, property and takaful cover. It makes strategic startup investments and led UAE agri-trade platform Maalexi's $2.8M round in June 2026.

Corporate ventureRiyadh, Saudi Arabia

Turmeric Capital

Asia-centric consumer-sector private equity firm with its main hub in Singapore and offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh; it says it has deployed over $1.5B in direct deals. Its Growth Fund backs emerging GCC, India and SE Asia brands, including UAE's The Giving Movement and Eyewa.

OtherSingapore

Wamda Capital

Early-stage MENA venture capital firm investing in founders building regional and global tech companies.

VCDubai

Woven Capital

Toyota's growth-stage venture arm, founded in 2021 with an $800M Fund I and a matching $800M Fund II (2025), investing in mobility, AI, robotics and energy from Tokyo and Palo Alto. Co-led UAE-headquartered Moove's $250M Series C at a $2.1B valuation in August 2026.

Corporate ventureTokyo, Japan

Y Combinator

Silicon Valley startup accelerator founded in 2005 by Paul Graham, Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris and Trevor Blackwell. It has funded thousands of companies; UAE alumni include Ziina (W21), Nomod (S21), Camelan (W21) and Kaso (W22).

AcceleratorSan Francisco, USA

e& Capital

Corporate venture and investment arm of e& (formerly Etisalat Group), launched in October 2022 with a $250M VC fund and roughly $500M in total capital deployed and committed. Portfolio spans Careem Technologies, Starzplay, Vuz, Qlub, Airalo and Fuze.

Corporate ventureAbu Dhabi, UAE

in5

TECOM Group's startup and entrepreneurship incubator in Dubai supporting early-stage tech, media, and design companies.

IncubatorDubai

Funding Tracker — live UAE rounds →Guide: Every VC and Funding Source a Dubai Startup Should Know in 2026 →

About UAE investors on DXBStart

What is listed in the DXBStart investors directory?

VCs, incubators, accelerators, sovereign investors, government funds, and ecosystem organisations active in Dubai and the UAE — distinct from the startup company directory.

How is this different from the startup directory?

The company directory profiles startups raising and building products. This directory profiles the capital and ecosystem actors who back, incubate, or enable them.

Can I filter by investor type?

Yes. Use the type chips (Ecosystem, Accelerator, Incubator, VC, Sovereign, Gov fund, Authority) to narrow the list.