Nama Ventures
Nama Ventures is a Riyadh-based, CMA-licensed venture capital firm managing Fund I (SAR 120M) that backs pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across MENA, with a focus on Saudi Arabia, and selectively co-invests globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Nama Ventures does
Nama Ventures is a Riyadh-based, Saudi Capital Market Authority–licensed venture capital firm (License No. 24293-02) that operates Fund I, a SAR 120 million (USD 32 million) early-stage vehicle backing pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across the MENA region with a concentration in Saudi Arabia. The firm deploys capital via checks of $100K–$1M at pre-seed and $500K–$2M at seed, selectively co-investing in later stages and doubling down on winners, while also making selective global bets such as Brev.dev (acquired by NVIDIA).
The fund earns revenue through two streams typical of a venture manager: recurring management fees on its SAR 120M AUM, charged to limited partners comprising high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors; and transaction-based carried interest on successful portfolio exits. Portfolio outcomes to date include two regional unicorns (Salla and Tamara), the NVIDIA acquisition of Brev.dev, and lead positions in rounds such as PIESHIP ($2.1M seed) and Nowlun ($1.7M seed). Deal flow is sourced via a direct application portal, angel and accelerator networks, and partnerships (e.g., the STC InspireU MOU).
The firm differentiates through Silicon Valley–credentialed leadership (Mohammed Alzubi, Kauffman Fellow and former Cisco/Sun Microsystems/American Express advisor), a proprietary AI-powered due diligence and quantitative underwriting framework, active board involvement, and bilingual Arabic/English market positioning. Fund I has deployed into over 30 companies across Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Pakistan, and Nigeria, spanning e-commerce, fintech, logistics, HR tech, EdTech, and B2B payments.
Nama Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nama Ventures
- Legal name
- Nama Ventures Capital Company
- Website
- https://namaventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Nama Ventures is a Riyadh-based, CMA-licensed venture capital firm managing Fund I (SAR 120M) that backs pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across MENA, with a focus on Saudi Arabia, and selectively co-invests globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nama Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital Fund Management
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Nama Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Riyadh
- HQ country
- Saudi Arabia
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Nama Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Carried Interest (Performance Fees): Nama Ventures generates returns through carried interest on successful exits and distributions from its portfolio companies. As a VC fund managing Fund I (SAR 120 million / USD 32 million), the fund earns a share of profits from portfolio company exits, including the acquisition of Brev.dev by NVIDIA and future exits from unicorns Salla and Tamara.
- Management Fees: As a licensed venture capital fund regulated by the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA License No. 24293-02), Nama Ventures Capital Company earns management fees from its LP investors (high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors) for managing Fund I.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Pre-seed investment check sizes from Nama Ventures |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Seed investment check sizes from Nama Ventures |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Later-stage investment participation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Nama Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nama Ventures operates an early-stage venture capital fund (Nama Fund I, SAR 120 million / USD 32 million) that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across the MENA region with primary focus on Saudi Arabia. The firm deploys capital typically ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000 per company, leads or co-leads rounds, takes board or observer seats, and provides value-added services including mentorship, coaching, strategic guidance, and introductions to global networks.
Product overview
Nama Ventures is a technology-focused venture capital fund offering investment products and services to early-stage tech startups. The primary offering is Nama Fund I (SAR 120M / USD 32M early-stage fund) which provides funding at pre-seed and seed stages across MENA with focus on Saudi Arabia. Beyond capital, Nama Ventures offers value-added services including mentorship, coaching, strategic guidance, and network access to help portfolio companies scale from early idea to growth across local and international markets. The firm also operates a funding application platform for startup submissions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Nama Fund I Nama Fund I is a SAR 120 million (USD 32 million) early-stage venture capital fund that backs pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across the MENA region with strong focus on Saudi Arabia. The fund deployed capital into 30+ portfolio companies including regional unicorns Salla and Tamara, and made selective global investments including Brev.dev (acquired by NVIDIA). The fund typically deploys $100k-$2M per company, leads rounds, and takes board or observer seats.
- Funding Application Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Portfolio includes 2 regional unicorns (Salla and Tamara)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Nama Ventures
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Nama Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Nama Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- STC InspireUcoreSTC Group's InspireU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nama Ventures to enhance joint cooperation in serving the InspireU program incubators. The partnership was announced at the Global Entrepreneurship Conference and is designed to support startups within the InspireU incubator ecosystem through potential investment, mentorship, and ecosystem connections.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Nama Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wamda Capital: MENA-focused venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies. Comparable as a direct competitor for pre-seed and seed deals across the same geographies with a similar sector-agnostic approach.
- Raed Ventures: Early-stage MENA-focused VC investing in pre-seed and seed startups across Saudi Arabia. Highly comparable as a Saudi-anchored fund leading seed rounds in similar sectors and stages; co-led Rize Series A with Nama portfolio backing.
- 500 Global (MENA): Global seed-stage accelerator/VC with significant MENA operations including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Directly comparable for early-stage check sizes, sector-agnostic tech investing, and accelerator-driven deal flow in the same geographies as Nama.
- Flat6Labs: MENA-focused seed VC and accelerator operating across Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other regional markets. Comparable as a co-investor in iStoria seed round and as a direct competitor for early-stage MENA deal flow with similar check sizes.
- STV: One of the largest MENA-focused VC funds investing across seed through growth stages. Comparable as a Saudi-headquartered fund competing for the same deal flow and LP base, though operating at materially larger AUM.
- Global Ventures: MENA-focused VC investing in early and growth-stage technology companies across the region. Comparable as a sector-agnostic tech investor with overlapping portfolio themes (fintech, SaaS) and similar Saudi and Egypt coverage.
- Beco Capital: Early-stage MENA VC investing in technology startups from seed to Series A. Comparable as a regional seed-stage fund with similar investment thesis and overlapping portfolio companies in the Saudi and broader MENA ecosystem.
- Shorooq Investments: UAE-based early-stage VC investing in MENA and Pakistan technology startups. Comparable as a regional fund targeting pre-seed and seed startups with similar check sizes and sector-agnostic thesis; overlapping geographies.
- SEEDRA Ventures: Early-stage MENA VC focused on Saudi Arabia and the broader region. Comparable as a co-investor (PIESHIP seed) and direct competitor for pre-seed/seed rounds in the same geographic and sector footprint.
Regional players
- Sanabil 500 Global: Sanabil Investments' partnership with 500 Global deploying capital into MENA startups. Comparable as a co-investor (Nowlun seed) and as a regional fund competing for the same seed-stage Saudi and Egypt deal flow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nama Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceNama Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Nama Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nama Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Nama Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nama Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments50 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nama Ventures
What does Nama Ventures do?
Nama Ventures operates an early-stage venture capital fund (Nama Fund I, SAR 120 million / USD 32 million) that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups across the MENA region with primary focus on Saudi Arabia. The firm deploys capital typically ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000 per company, leads or co-leads rounds, takes board or observer seats, and provides value-added services including mentorship, coaching, strategic guidance, and introductions to global networks.
Is Nama Ventures a public or private company?
Nama Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Nama Ventures founded?
Nama Ventures was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Nama Ventures based?
Nama Ventures is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East region.
How does Nama Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Carried Interest (Performance Fees) is the primary driver. The others are management Fees.
Who are Nama Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wamda Capital, Raed Ventures, 500 Global (MENA), Flat6Labs, STV, Global Ventures, Beco Capital, Shorooq Investments and SEEDRA Ventures. Sanabil 500 Global is listed as a regional player.
Does Nama Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nama Ventures.
What industry is Nama Ventures in?
Nama Ventures's product category is Venture Capital Fund Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6282.