Global Ventures: Noor Sweid's Mission-Driven Bet on Emerging Markets

With $400M in AUM, 70+ portfolio companies and three funds including a $150M+ SVC-backed vehicle, Global Ventures is Dubai's thesis-driven VC for mission-driven founders across MENA and Africa.

Dubai has no shortage of capital, but Global Ventures set out to build something rarer: a thesis-driven, emerging-markets VC led by one of the region's most accomplished operators. Founded in 2018 by Noor Sweid — Founder and Managing Partner — and General Partner Basil Moftah, the firm invests in "global-first founders on a mission to change the world."

Thesis: consequential sectors in emerging markets

The firm partners with growth-stage companies using technology to transform emerging markets, focused on sectors "positively affecting millions of lives": FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, AgriTech and Enterprise SaaS — and more recently Supply Chain Tech, AI and Deep-tech. It invests across the Middle East, Africa and beyond: 12 markets to date.

Funds: $400M and counting

The firm's own site reports $400M in AUM and 70+ portfolio companies. The first fund closed at $50 million in early 2020, backed by Jada (the $1 billion fund of funds created by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund), Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. A second fund targeted $100 million for pre-Series A and Series A deals in MENA and Africa. In January 2025, Saudi Venture Capital (SVC) announced its investment in Global Ventures III, an early-stage fund in excess of $150 million targeting tech and tech-enabled sectors across Saudi Arabia, MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa. Typical cheques run $1–3 million.

Portfolio

Names include Paymob, Tabby, Tarabut Gateway, Elmenus, Helium Health, Proximie, Arrow Labs, Tribal, Ogram, Pyypl, Munch:on, HolidayMe, Mamo, Immensa, BioSapien, Seafood Souq, Zid and Yodawy.

The founder behind the fund

Sweid's operating pedigree is unusual in venture: she scaled her family business Depa tenfold and led the region's first IPO on the LSE and Nasdaq Dubai at a billion-plus valuation; founded ZenYoga, MENA's first yoga studio chain; and served as Chief Investment Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation. She is Chairwoman of MEVCA, a founding board member of Endeavor UAE, and was named to Forbes' World's Top 50 Women in Tech. The investment team also includes Medea Nocentini, Simon Sharp, Diya Kumar, Noor Shawwa and Ankit Kavadia.

Why it matters for founders

If you're a mission-driven founder in MENA or Africa building in fintech, health, supply chains or applied AI, Global Ventures offers something scarce: a genuinely global network, sovereign-linked capital, and a hands-on value-creation framework — from a team that has scaled companies to IPO itself.