Top Startup Investors in Abu Dhabi

If you’re building a startup in the UAE, it’s getting harder to ignore Abu Dhabi. In just a few years, it’s gone from quiet oil capital to a genuine magnet for founders, especially if you’ve got a solid pitch deck and an eye on early-stage VC funding.

The government’s been determined to diversify away from hydrocarbons, pouring resources into the startup ecosystem and rolling out the red carpet for accelerators, angel investors, and nearly every type of venture capital firm you can imagine.

Access to capital is, let’s face it, what makes or breaks early-stage startups. If you want to actually acheive scale, you need more than hustle: you need the right backers. Below, you’ll find an alphabetical list of the most active VCs in Abu Dhabi as of 2025 – the order’s A to Z, because when you’re out to raise, fair’s fair. If you’re about to launch your next funding round, these are the names you’ll be bumping into.

VC List (A–Z)

Launched in 2019, Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners bridges global investors with Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone, ADGM. Backed by Mubadala and Alpha Wave Global, they deploy $1 billion in capital, investing directly and in funds. They’re sector-agnostic, with the main goal of nudging firms to set up shop in Abu Dhabi, adding a few more logos to ADGM’s cap table. Standout deals include 8F Asset Management and AlphaStream. With sovereign support and a mission to turn ADGM into a global name, they suit founders seeking a heavyweight strategic investor who brings more to the table than just a term sheet.

BECO Capital has become a mainstay among tech investors in the Middle East, with a presence felt far beyond Abu Dhabi. Known for their straightforward approach, BECO throws its weight behind founders at seed round all the way up to Series B, often investing between $500,000 and $5 million each time. Their team, with entrepreneurial chops themselves, like to think about how your company will scale in the regional market, not just survive. With 36 investments stitched into their portfolio, BECO’s quietly helped shape several fast-growing Middle Eastern startups – though they’re not big on trumpet-blowing.

DisruptAD sits at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s mega push into innovation. As ADQ’s venture arm, it manages hundreds of millions (with the mothership at a casual $225 billion AUM), investing across healthcare, food, energy, transport, and more. With a goal to bring 1,000+ startups into the AD pipeline by 2025, DisruptAD doesn’t just write cheques – they build the wider ecosystem and attract talent, especially founders looking for a robust base. Programmes range from Alpha Wave Incubation Fund (targeting India and SE Asia) to a Ventures Fund squaring up to MENA’s future unicorns.

If you run into early-stage founders in MENA, chances are they’ve at least applied for Flat6Labs. Founded back in 2011, this accelerator/VC hybrid offers more than cash – founders get mentorship, workspace, and a bit of much-needed accountability too. The focus is on tech and media, and the Abu Dhabi office acts as a very accessible on-ramp for ambitious but green startups. Flat6Labs is a byword in regional startup circles, with launches like Instabug and Chefaa to its name. If your pitch deck is more minimum viable than maximum polish, you won’t be alone here.

If you fancy having a co-founder with a $200 million war chest, Further Ventures could be the one. Set up with money from ADQ in 2022, they help founders at the “barely an idea” stage, validating, prototyping, and handling those fiddly regulatory bits. They’re pretty hands-on—think of them more as partners than passive investors. Sector focus is fintech, digital assets, and logistics, all lines the UAE is pushing for. The goal? To make sure promising founders don’t get lost switching between angel investors and accelerators – they want to get you from zero to one, properly.

Since landing in 2018, Global Ventures has become a go-to for growth-hungry startups past their first product. They play in the Series A to Series C leagues, writing cheques for around 50 companies so far, all tackling big issues in fintech, healthtech, food, insurance, and cyber. Led by Noor Sweid, who’s a bit of a star in the regional VC world, Global Ventures is on the lookout for founders looking to break through that tricky scaling wall. Big names in their portfolio include Proximie and Moniepoint. Don’t expect them to back ideas that lack teeth – this crew cares about traction and what your startup actually solves, not just buzzwords on a deck.

One of the true old hands in the local VC game, MEVP kicked off back in 2010, which makes them practically ancient for a Middle Eastern venture crew. With $260 million AUM, they back early-stage, especially tech-enabled businesses across MENA, drilling into the GCC and Levant. Their decades in the business mean MEVP gets things like term sheets, working with family offices, and how to keep a cap table tidy. Sorry, no public success stories named, but in conversations among founders you’ll hear MEVP’s name mentioned more than a few times.

Mubadala’s venture arm is exactly what you’d expect from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth behemoth – big scale, big ambition. Launched in 2016, they invest globally across tech and healthcare, blending the firepower of a multi-billion dollar fund with the nimbler moves of traditional venture shops. The team splits time between Abu Dhabi, London, and San Francisco, giving portfolio companies the sort of global handshakes most early-stage startups can only dream of. Their sweet spot is highly ambitious founders who’ll leverage both capital and networks. Not a place for lifestyle businesses or small thinking.

Shorooq built its reputation backing ambitious founders across tech, from pre-seed all the way to Series A. They’re hands-on – as close to true partners as most founders get from any VC, stepping in with advice, connections and more than a little patience. With a $3.5 billion portfolio value and over 68 investments like Nuqtah and Breadfast, Shorooq lives and breathes startups. You’ll find them in the thick of any Abu Dhabi accelerator event, quietly checking who’s actually got skin in the game. Not much fanfare, but the real founders know who they are.

VentureSouq is more network than old-school fund. Since 2013, they’ve connected early-stage startups with a spread of investors and corporations, using the crowd’s wisdom (and wallet) to get to 144 investments. They stick to impact-driven companies – think fintech, healthtech, digital media – focusing on what actually moves the dial for MENA’s next wave of entrepreneurs. VSQ’s model is less gatekeeper and more matchmaker; if your mission lines up with Arageek-style impact or you’re tackling problems that matter, this is a pragmatic place to pitch.

Sports and esports in Abu Dhabi get their own VC fund: Yashaa Global Capital, born out of “Da One Global Ventures” and co-founded by cricket legend Shikhar Dhawan. They’ve lined up a $75 million fund for early and growth-stage companies trying to shake up sports technology, fitness, esports, and media. Yashaa isn’t just for local founders; about 30% of their cash targets Indian startups, the rest spread across Asia. Warm intros help, but if you’re innovating in how fans engage, or using data in new ways, definitely keep this fund on your radar. Just don’t show up without something real to demo – they want working proof, not just pitch buzz.

Abu Dhabi’s venture capital scene is a world away from where it was a decade ago. There’s a VC for nearly every startup niche – whether you’re deep tech, sports, seed funding hopeful, or late-stage operator itching for a fresh funding round. With sovereign support, heavyweight accelerators, and sector experts now in the mix, it’s little wonder more founders are drawn here each quarter. The capital’s open for business, keen to diversify, and loaded with dry powder. Just bring your numbers, your vision, and maybe a double espresso.