Nuwa Capital, a venture capital company based in Dubai and Riyadh, has announced the first closure of its Nuwa Ventures Fund I (NVFI) flagship fund, having raised three-quarters of its US$100 million target in less than a year since its launch. The Fund is aimed primarily at fast-growing MENA markets and neighbouring areas, including Turkey, Pakistan and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Khaled Talhouni, Sarah Abu Risheh and Stephanie Nour Prince formed Nuwa Capital in February 2020 in response to a lack of impactful investor operational and strategic support. The fund has launched the ‘Nuwa Network’ to this effect, a close-knit network of founders and operational experts, to help startups navigate challenges with scaling and expansion.
The uniqueness of the organization stems from its closeness to the Middle East investment and startup community, acting as a hub for establishing enduring and impactful relationships. Nuwa Capital has built its value proposition around supporting entrepreneurs and companies in which it invests through a structured value creation process with an operating partner network and by connecting investors and limited partners (LPs) of the fund, particularly corporate investors, with startups that are changing their respective industries.
Till date, the fund has signed a selective pool of large groups and family offices, such as Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, Real Estate, F&B, Media and Logistics, that are leaders in their respective industries. This investment represents their first such role in a MENA fund for many of Nuwa Capital’s LP’s. Among its investors, Nuwa Capital also has leading regional institutional investors.
This is combined with a clear thesis-driven approach and the long-standing track record of investment by the Nuwa Capital team in some of the leading companies that have emerged in MENA over the past decade, including but not limited to: Careem, Mumzworld, Goldenscent, Twiga Foods, Insider, and Nana Direct.
