Recently formed Dubai and Riyadh-based Nuwa Capital aims to redefine the relationship between founders and capital by providing a progressive founder centric approach to investing in emerging markets.

New investment platform Nuwa Capital was launched today at STEP 2020 by managing partner Khaled Talhouni. The fund will target emerging markets, primarily covering the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) including KSA and UAE, East Africa, Pakistan and Turkey.

“The ambition of the team at Nuwa Capital is to rewrite the book on how we think about Venture Capital in emerging markets. There exists at this moment an incredible opportunity to help build the next generation of disruptive companies that will come to define their respective industries and we at Nuwa along with our Partners are primed to lead this transformation,” said Talhouni.

Nuwa Capital is launching with a key partner

Saudi-based conglomerate Al Faisaliah Group is joining Nuwa Capital as a strategic partner and anchor investor. The financial and strategic partnership between Al Faisaliah Group and the Nuwa Capital team brings together an unparalleled network across the GCC and the wider region, providing Nuwa portfolio companies unrivaled access to key markets and expertise.

A radical investment platform for a maturing ecosystem

Over the past few years, the regional startup ecosystem has witnessed explosive growth with rapidly increasing number of startups and supporting stakeholders coming into the market. And while capital is gradually becoming more available, support for entrepreneurs addressing the challenges of the market remains limited.

Recognizing the gap created by the lack of adequateandstrategic support, Nuwa Capital has built its model to deliver a founder-led, value creation approach to venture investment. By placing seasoned entrepreneurs and operational partners at the core of the Nuwa Capital platform, the fund offers its network the ability to act as a true extension of the team, dedicated to delivering value to Nuwa Capital portfolio companies.

The Nuwa network comprises entrepreneurs behind some of the region’s most successful exits, with Tabby founder and ex-Namshi founder Hosam Arab, Tarjama founder Nour Al Hassan, Maktoob, Souq and Jabbar’s Hussam Khoury and Samih Toukan playing an integral role in supporting Nuwa Capital’s portfolio.

The fund will focus primarily on supporting exceptional founders and entrepreneurs operating in the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), Software as a Service (SaaS), Fintech and mobility and logistics segments.