Anb Capital and Lexham Partners Launch $200M MENA Tech Growth Fund

Big news has just dropped for anyone keeping an eye on the MENA tech scene. Anb capital and Lexham Partners have joined forces to roll out a hefty $200 million growth fund aimed at technology companies across the region—with a particular nod to Saudi Arabia. It’s not every day you see such a chunky sum focused so squarely on boosting regional innovation, especially at the growth and pre-IPO stages.

The idea behind this fund, from what’s been shared, is pretty straight forward: support what they’re calling “category-defining” technology businesses, especially those with solid fundamentals and big ambitions. It’s looking to funnel capital into companies that have proper scalable platforms and tap into Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030—a plan to supercharge the country’s digital transformation. In my view, that's a timely move. You know, sometimes funding at this stage can feel like finding a needle in a haystack for even the most promising founders.

They’ll be using a mix of investing methods—secondary transactions and direct growth equity. On the face of it, that should make life a bit easier for the companies involved, allowing for more flexibility and stronger backing. The aim isn’t just to pump money in for the sake of it, but to help scale these businesses so they’re ready for the global stage and, hopefully, boost MENA’s own capital markets along the way. If you ask me, the region's been crying out for this sort of joined-up, high-level investment for yonks.

Dominic Perks, Lexham Partners' managing partner, seems more than a little excited about the potential here. He’s described the current moment as “a golden era for growth investing” in MENA, pointing to a “powerful combination” of talent, capital, and reform sweeping across the region. According to Perks, this new fund will mean ambitious founders can partner up with serious backers, giving them a shot at building globally relevant businesses. That’s spot on, honestly—there’s plenty of drive out there and sometimes all folks need is that extra nudge.

A quick look at Lexham Partners’ track record shows they’ve got their fingers in quite a few interesting pies—from AI endeavours started by ex-Apple heads to major UK fintech and deeptech ventures like Atom Bank and Nexeon. With that kind of experience, it’s fair to hope that the new MENA fund isn’t just money for the sake of prestige—it might actually mean proper strategic guidance for local founders.

What catches my attention—and, I suspect, that of many in the Arageek community—is how this kind of fund could energise not just startups but the entire regional ecosystem. There’s no denying that, for some teams, scaling up can be a bit of a faff without the right backers. Well… I mean, who wouldn’t want support from a fund that looks beyond the numbers and genuinely gets the realities of building in this part of the world?

On the flip side, only time will tell if this capital will filter down to a diverse mix of founders or whether it’ll mostly benefit the bigger, shinier names already on the radar. I reckon a good spread is key; sometimes the most interesting ideas come out of left field when you least expect it.

That said, taking such a massive step to attract institutional investment at scale feels like a win for the region. If all goes well, Saudi’s digital transformation could set a new standard, and, with luck, inspire the next batch of bold founders to take centre stage. As always, Arageek will be keeping an eye out for those stories that deserve more than just a headline. Here’s hoping this new pot of cash leads to a whole bunch of chuffed-to-bits founders right across MENA—there’s plenty of untapped talent just waiting for its moment.

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