Shorooq Partners

What Shorooq Partners does

Shorooq Partners is an Abu Dhabi-headquartered, ADGM FSRA-regulated alternative investment fund manager (FSRA Registration No. 190004) founded in 2017 by Mahmoud Adi and Shane Shin. The firm operates a multi-asset, multi-strategy platform spanning venture capital (Bedaya Funds, meaning "beginnings"), Sharia-compliant private credit (Nahda Funds, meaning "Renaissance"), a global AI innovation fund co-managed with Presight/G42 (Presight-Shorooq Fund I, $100M), a late-stage growth fund backed by the Qatar Investment Authority (Qatalyst Series, $200M), and a corporate venture fund with UAE telecom du (du Ventures, $50M). Assets under management have grown from approximately $2 million at founding to roughly $500 million, with $450M of additional fund commitments raised in 2024-2026, and the portfolio comprises 80-100+ companies across 11 countries with $5BN gross equity value and 5 disclosed exits.

The firm invests across Fintech, Software, Frontier Tech, and Platforms from pre-seed through growth stage, serving two principal customer bases: tech founders seeking equity or non-dilutive capital and value-creation support, and institutional LPs (sovereign wealth funds, fund-of-funds, family offices) seeking regulated, Sharia-compliant exposure to MENA alternative investments. Its credit practice embeds data verification providers, independent trustees and cash managers, and continuous monitoring frameworks into facility structures. The platform is anchored by sovereign LPs (Mubadala, PIF/Jada, SVC, ISSF, QIA, MSMEDA, KVIC, Al Waha, DFDF, Lunate) and offers portfolio companies differentiated access to G42 GPU compute, du enterprise distribution, and co-investment alongside Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Google Ventures, and Y Combinator. Shorooq monetizes through fund management fees and carried interest on its venture and credit vehicles, distributed via direct institutional sales (LP side) and a public Typeform founder-intake funnel and regional offices (founder/deal side) spanning Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo, and Seoul.

Name

Shorooq Partners

Legal name

Shorooq Partners Ltd

Website

https://shorooq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shorooq Partners is an Abu Dhabi-based, FSRA-regulated alternative investment fund manager that invests across venture capital, Sharia-compliant private credit, AI, and late-stage growth in MENA tech founders, serving sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and institutional LPs with multi-asset, multi-strategy fund vehicles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Asset Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio Management–Led RIAs (Discretionary/Model-Based) (FSAAACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Thematic / Sector-Focused Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAH)

Keywords

• Venture capital management
• Private credit funds
• Alternative asset management
• Venture debt financing
• Sharia-compliant investments

Headquarters

HQ city

Abu Dhabi

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns (Bedaya Funds): Equity returns from early-stage to growth-stage technology investments across Fintech, Software, Frontier Tech, and Platforms. Portfolio generates ~$500M in revenue with $5BN portfolio gross equity value; capital appreciation from successful investments and exits (5 exits disclosed).
2. Private Credit Returns (Nahda Funds): Returns from venture debt and structured credit facilities (including asset-backed financing, mezzanine facilities, and Sharia-compliant debt) extended to high-growth startups and regulated fintechs across the MENA region.
3. Fund Management Fees: Management fees earned as regulated Fund Manager under FSRA for managing multiple vehicles including Bedaya Funds, Nahda Funds, Presight-Shorooq Fund I ($100M), du Ventures ($50M), and the $200M late-stage growth fund (Qatalyst Series).
4. Carried Interest / Performance Fees: Performance-based fees from successful fund vintages, including Bedaya Fund 0, I & II and Nahda Fund II (Qualified Investor Fund registered with FSRA ADGM).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shorooq Partners is an Abu Dhabi-based alternative investment fund manager operating a multi-asset, multi-strategy platform that invests in technology companies across the MENA region. The firm deploys capital through venture capital funds (Bedaya Funds), Sharia-compliant private credit funds (Nahda Funds), an AI innovation fund (Presight-Shorooq Fund I), a corporate venture fund (du Ventures), and a late-stage growth fund (Qatalyst Series), serving both tech founders from pre-seed through growth and institutional limited partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bedaya Funds (Bedaya Fund 0, I & II): Shorooq's venture capital fund series; 'Bedaya' means 'beginnings' and reflects the firm's focus on early-stage founders.
• Nahda Funds
• Presight-Shorooq Fund I (PSFI)

Products and services

• Bedaya Funds (Venture Capital Series) Shorooq's flagship venture capital fund series (name means 'beginnings' in Arabic) backing founders from pre-seed through growth stage across fintech, software, platforms, frontier tech, and deep tech. Supports 80+ portfolio companies across 11 countries with $5BN portfolio gross equity value.
• Nahda Funds (Private Credit Series) Shorooq's private credit fund series (name means 'Renaissance' in Arabic) providing Sharia-compliant venture debt, asset-backed financing, mezzanine facilities, and structured credit to startups and growth-stage companies in MENA. One of the only providers of credit to tech startups in the Middle East.
• Presight-Shorooq Fund I (AI Innovation Fund) $100 million global AI innovation fund co-managed with Presight (a G42 company), with Shorooq acting as FSRA-regulated Fund Manager. Targets AI/ML, smart cities, energy, fintech, AR/VR, GameDev, Industry 4.0, and deep tech startups worldwide, offering portfolio companies access to Presight/G42's GPU compute, secure data environments, and UAE enterprise distribution network.
• Qatalyst Series (Late-Stage Growth Fund) $200 million late-stage growth fund (Qatalyst Series) backed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and other sovereign and institutional partners, targeting growth-stage technology companies across MENA.
• du Ventures (Corporate Venture Fund) $50 million corporate venture capital fund managed by Shorooq in partnership with du (Emirates Integrated Telecommunications), targeting early-to-growth-stage digital startups in fintech, AI, cybersecurity, cloud, loyalty, gaming, and enterprise software, with significant allocation to UAE-based ventures. Portfolio companies gain access to du's infrastructure, enterprise customer network, and market reach.

Quantifiable outcome

• $5BN portfolio gross equity value
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• du (Emirates Integrated Telecommunications)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026du, the UAE telecom and digital services provider, launched du Ventures, a $50 million corporate venture fund, in partnership with Shorooq. Shorooq acts as fund manager and deploys capital into early-to-growth-stage digital startups in fintech, AI, cybersecurity, cloud, loyalty, gaming, and enterprise solutions, with a significant share dedicated to UAE-based ventures. Portfolio companies gain access to du's infrastructure, enterprise customer network, and market reach.
• PayLater (Qatar)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026Shorooq signed an MOU with PayLater, Qatar's first Qatar Central Bank-licensed, Sharia-compliant BNPL provider, during Web Summit Qatar to explore structuring a scalable, institutional-grade Sharia-compliant credit facility providing non-dilutive capital for PayLater's next phase of growth.
• IFZA (International Free Zone Authority)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 October 2025Shorooq is a partner in IFZA's first Scale360 accelerator program launched during GITEX 2025 in Dubai, alongside NVIDIA. The cohort includes 15 startups focused on AI and Sustainability; the program culminates in a Demo Day for investor presentations.
• NVIDIAminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 October 2025Co-partner with IFZA and Shorooq in the Scale360 accelerator program at GITEX 2025, supporting the AI-focused startup cohort with compute resources and ecosystem access.
• Presight (G42)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2025Presight, a leading global AI and big data analytics company, and Shorooq co-manage the Presight-Shorooq Fund I (PSFI), a $100 million global AI innovation fund. Shorooq acts as FSRA-regulated Fund Manager; portfolio companies gain access to Presight/G42 infrastructure (GPU compute, secure data environments) and UAE enterprise distribution network. Six first investments unveiled in March 2026 (AMI-Advanced Machine Intelligence, NodeShift, Hebbia, Candid Intelligence, Crunched, Blue).
• Autarky CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2021Shorooq Partners acquired Bahrain-based Autarky Capital, which now leads Shorooq's venture debt practice (conceived in 2018), enabling Shorooq to scale its private credit capabilities across the MENA region.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Global Ventures: MENA-focused VC investing from seed to Series A in tech-enabled businesses, with offices in Cairo and Dubai. Directly comparable in stage, geography, and sector focus.
• Wamda Capital: Dubai-based MENA venture capital firm investing across seed and growth stages in tech-enabled businesses. Directly comparable as a regional early-stage VC with similar sector focus and LP profile.
• Algebra Ventures: Egypt-focused early-stage VC backing tech startups across the MENA region. Comparable as a regional VC with overlapping portfolio companies (e.g., Octane) and similar ticket sizes.
• Flat6Labs: Leading MENA early-stage VC and seed accelerator with operations across North Africa and the Gulf. Comparable as a founder-facing seed platform with regional LP backing.
• BECO Capital: MENA-focused early-stage VC investing in tech startups from seed to growth, headquartered in Dubai. Directly comparable as a regional VC competitor with similar ticket sizes, sector focus, and LP base.
• COTU Ventures: Early-stage MENA VC with similar pre-seed and seed focus; has co-invested alongside Shorooq in regional deals (e.g., Rekaz, Safqah). Comparable in stage, geography, and ticket size.
• Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP): One of the largest MENA-focused VCs with both early- and growth-stage strategies, including managed funds in partnership with regional corporates. Comparable in geography, stage coverage, and fund structure.
• 500 Global (MENA operations): Global early-stage VC with a dedicated MENA program, frequently co-investing alongside regional VCs including Shorooq. Comparable in seed/Series A stage and founder-facing GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Mubadala Ventures: Sovereign-backed venture arm of Mubadala, an LP in Shorooq's vehicles. Comparable as a much larger sovereign-affiliated investor in MENA tech with overlapping deal flow and LP relationships.
• Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC): Saudi government-backed VC investor and fund-of-funds, an LP in Shorooq's vehicles. Comparable as a government-affiliated allocator shaping MENA venture activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shorooqinvest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@shorooqpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shorooqpartners
• Instagraminstagram.com/shorooqpartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/shorooqpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments152 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shorooq Partners