Dubai’s GMNSM Secures $2M to Expand Jiu-Jitsu Network into Saudi and Europe

Dubai-based SportsTech startup GMNSM has pulled in $2 million in fresh funding as it prepares to push deeper into Saudi Arabia and make a first step into Europe. The round came from investment firm VEYRA Capital and a private investor, with the company saying the money will go towards opening its first jiu-jitsu academy in Riyadh and launching a new site in Monaco.

For readers at Arageek who keep an eye on how Gulf startups grow, this one feels a bit different. GMNSM is not just another fitness play. It sits somewhere between sport, extra learning and child development, which, I reckon, gives it a wider lane than a standard martial arts academy.

The company was founded in 2022 by former professional athlete and entrepreneur Andrey Kupriev. Since then, it has built a network of 11 academies across the UAE, Qatar and Cyprus, serving more than 700 children and adults. Its programmes cover Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, gymnastics and wider development activities, with children able to join from as young as two years old.

What makes the model stand out, at least on paper, is the structure of its flagship programme. GMNSM combines one hour of physical training with 30 minutes focused on personal development, including emotional resilience, goal setting, critical thinking and problem-solving. In a region where many parents are looking for something beyond screens and exam drills, that sounds pretty spot on.

Kupriev said the business is responding to a broader cultural and educational shift, where physical activity, confidence and in-person social interaction are becoming more valued alongside digital learning. That said, the company is not turning its back on technology. Quite the opposite, really.

GMNSM has built an internal platform called Allim AI, which analyses lessons by looking at instructor performance, student engagement and retention indicators. The idea is to help keep teaching standards consistent as the company opens more branches across different countries. Anyone who has seen an education business scale knows this is often where things go pear-shaped, so the focus on consistency is not a bad shout.

The new capital will also support hiring. GMNSM plans to grow its team from 40 to 60 employees by the end of 2026 as the expansion gathers pace. Saudi Arabia is expected to be the key market in the next phase, with Riyadh acting as the launchpad for wider growth across the Kingdom.

On the flip side, Monaco will become its next European base, and the company has also flagged future plans for the UK, Switzerland and Spain. That is quite an ambitious map for a startup still in its early years, but believe it or not, this kind of cross-border thinking is becoming more common among UAE-founded ventures that want to prove they can travel well… not just locally, you know?

VEYRA Capital, whose portfolio includes Dwelly, ZINIT and DVC, is backing that thesis. Konstantin Katsev, investment partner at VEYRA Capital, said the firm invested because of GMNSM’s model and its ability to scale into different markets while maintaining service quality. He also pointed to the team’s execution and experience as key reasons behind the decision.

I’ve seen plenty of startup founders in the region talk about “holistic growth” in a way that feels like a bit of a faff, but GMNSM seems to be trying to make it operational, not just marketng language. If it can hold quality steady while expanding into Saudi Arabia and Europe, the company may have something genuinely interesting on its hands.

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