Stride Ventures Raises $300M, Aims to Bridge Global Capital with Emerging Markets

Stride Ventures has taken another confident step into the global private credit arena, revealing that it has secured around USD 300 million across three of its funds spanning the GCC, India, and the UK. The firm is aiming for a final close of USD 600 million, backed by sovereign investors, banks, insurers, treasuries, and large asset managers. For a platform that prides itself on strict underwriting and transparent governance, this level of institutional interest comes as no surprise — though I reckon the timing is particularly spot on, given how alternative credit is gaining traction in emerging markets.

What caught my attention is how Stride is positioning itself as a bridge between global capital and innovation hotspots. The expansion in the Gulf feels especially timely. As someone who often hears founders across MENA talk about the struggle of finding non‑dilutive financing, it’s encouraging to see more players step in. It reminds me of a chat I once had with a young Bahraini founder who said navigating local funding options felt like “a bit of a faff” — and honestly, he wasn’t wrong.

Stride has been busy building partnerships in the region too. Its collaboration with SAB Invest, one of Saudi Arabia’s heavyweight institutional investors, is designed to ease access to growth and private credit for both startups and SMEs. And believe it or not, it’s not stopping there. The firm has also teamed up with Erad, the Shariah‑compliant fintech helping SMEs unlock revenue‑based financing, and BRKZ, a procurement marketplace that’s quietly shaking up how the construction sector sources materials in Saudi Arabia. These partnerships aim to bring global-standard venture and growth debt structures to ambitious local businesses, which could be a real game‑changer — if executed well… I mean, the region isn’t always the simplest place for cross-border financial models.

Since its inception, Stride says it has deployed more than USD 1.6 billion across over 200 companies operating in sectors like fintech, healthtech, mobility, enterprise software, and consumer brands. With teams on the ground in the GCC, Europe, and Asia, the firm blends local familiarity with an international playbook — a mix that many founders across Arageek’s readership often tell me they crave when scaling responsibly.

Apoorva Sharma, Managing Partner at Stride Ventures, noted that the firm seeks partners who prioritise governance and long-term stewardship alongside growth. According to Sharma, the growing involvement of sovereign and institutional investors reflects a shared commitment to prudent strategies and founder-focused solutions that can support the next phase of regional innovation and cross-border cooperation. On the flip side, I’m not a fan of jargon-heavy mission statements, but in this case the message feels fairly grounded.

Another detail worth highlighting is Stride’s adherence to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. In practice, that means the firm is aligning itself with international ESG and governance standards while maintaining close engagement with the markets it operates in. It’s a big claim, definately, but one that could strengthen its credibility as a long-term partner for policymakers, founders, and global investors.

In short, Stride Ventures seems to be carving out a solid role for itself as a connector between institutional capital and high-growth businesses across several continents. For a region like ours that’s hungry for stable, non-dilutive financing, moves like this could make all the difference — even if the true impact will unfold over the coming years.

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