Pin Invest
Pin Invest is a Dubai-based private venture capital firm investing deal-by-deal in early-stage companies across MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa, with up to 30% allocated globally. It also allocates to select venture funds and oversees strategic holdings within the Ghassan Oueida Family Office.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pin Invest does
Pin Invest is a privately held venture capital and investment firm headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that invests in early-stage, high-growth potential companies across the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, with up to 30% of capital allocated globally. The firm was founded in 2017 when its current partners began investing together, and it operates a deal-by-deal model in which capital is pooled into single-purpose vehicles alongside co-investors and venture capital partners. In addition to direct investments in startups, Pin Invest allocates capital to select regional and international venture funds — including MEVP, Launch Africa, Argonautic Ventures, and No Limit Holding — and oversees specific strategic holdings within the Ghassan Oueida Family Office, ensuring alignment across the wider investment platform.
The firm's core team comprises two Partners (Ghassan Oueida, Gry Loseth), a CFO (Houssam Fakih, PhD), and one Analyst (Jaber Moujaes), supported by four Senior Advisors (Chris Corsi, Mohamed Semary, Zahi Kallab) and one Technology Advisor (Charbel Nasr). The team's credentials include the founding of the first regional GSM operator in West Africa (later sold to MTN Group for $5.5bn), senior roles at Abraaj Group, Nokia, Lenovo, BlackBerry, Samsung, and MENASA Capital. Pin Invest does not develop or sell technology products; its offering is an investment platform combined with operator-network support for portfolio companies spanning fintech, logistics, consumer, and SaaS sectors.
Pin Invest's revenue model is transaction-based, generated through equity investments in early-stage companies and venture funds. As a private firm with no external LP base disclosed and no publicly available financial reporting, neither revenue, AUM, nor fund vintages are disclosed. The firm has screened over 1,000 deals and deployed across four continents, with a portfolio of roughly 18 direct investments (Ambulnz, Affinity Ghana, Lori, FlexxPay, Goodworld, Credable, TheList, RealKey Per, Aza Finance, Ogram, Mano Africa, Mersal, NowMoney, Supy, Grubtech, Futurate, Carv.io) and four fund allocations.
Pin Invest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pin Invest
- Legal name
- Pin
- Website
- https://pininvest.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pin Invest is a Dubai-based private venture capital firm investing deal-by-deal in early-stage companies across MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa, with up to 30% allocated globally. It also allocates to select venture funds and oversees strategic holdings within the Ghassan Oueida Family Office.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pin Invest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Private Equity Buyout Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAD)
Keywords
Where Pin Invest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dubai
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pin Invest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Pin Invest generates returns through equity investments in early-stage companies and venture funds. Capital is deployed deal-by-deal through single-purpose vehicles alongside co-investors and VC partners.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Pin Invest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pin Invest is a private investment firm that deploys capital into early-stage companies across MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa (with up to 30% allocated globally), investing deal-by-deal through single-purpose vehicles and selectively allocating to venture funds. The firm sources and manages a portfolio of startup equity stakes alongside a parallel practice of fund-of-funds investments.
Product overview
Pin Invest is a venture capital and investment firm that provides investment services to early-stage companies and fund managers across the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. The company operates as a single investment platform rather than a technology product company, offering direct investments in startups via single-purpose vehicles, allocations to select venture funds, and strategic holdings management for a family office. No named technology products, modules, or branded service offerings were identified in the source material.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Direct Early-Stage Equity Investments Deal-by-deal equity investments in early-stage companies across MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, and up to 30% globally, executed through single-purpose vehicles for founders and operators raising primary capital.
- Venture Fund Allocations (LP Investments)
- Pin Capital Private Fund
Quantifiable outcome
- Founding team sold first regional GSM operator in West Africa to MTN Group for $5.5bn
Companies that use Pin Invest
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pin Invest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pin Invest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ghassan Oueida Family OfficecorePin Invest oversees specific strategic holdings within Ghassan Oueida's family office, ensuring alignment across the wider investment platform.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Pin Invest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Partech: Global venture capital firm with a dedicated Africa fund (Partech Africa) investing across the continent. Comparable on the Africa-early-stage axis, but significantly larger AUM and broader global footprint make it a broad incumbent in the same space.
- 500 Global (500 Startups): Global venture capital firm and accelerator with a large MENA/MEA presence. Operates as a broad incumbent in early-stage global VC with significant MENA exposure; Pin has invested in 500 Vintro (a regional fund vehicle), confirming an ecosystem relationship.
Direct peers
- MEVP (Middle East Venture Partners): One of the largest and most established early-to-growth-stage venture capital firms in the MENA region. Directly comparable as a MENA-focused VC; Pin has even allocated capital to MEVP as a fund investment, making them both competitor and portfolio relationship.
- B&Y Venture Partners: MENA-focused early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology startups across the region. Directly comparable in thesis (MENA early-stage) and stage, with a similar lean, regionally-anchored operating model.
- Flat6Labs: Leading early-stage venture capital firm and seed accelerator in the MENA and North Africa region. Comparable in focus (MENA early-stage) and stage (seed/Series A), with a more institutionalized seed-program approach.
- Sawari Ventures: Egypt-based venture capital firm investing in early- and growth-stage technology companies across the MENA region. Comparable in stage and geography with a similar operator-network approach to portfolio support.
- Launch Africa Ventures: Pan-African venture fund investing in early-stage technology companies across Sub-Saharan Africa. Highly comparable to Pin given overlapping Sub-Saharan Africa focus and early-stage thesis; Pin is also an LP in Launch Africa.
- Argonautic Ventures: Venture firm investing in early-stage companies with a focus on MENA and global markets. Directly comparable in stage, geography, and approach; Pin has allocated capital to Argonautic, indicating a fund-to-fund relationship alongside direct competition for deals.
Regional players
- Algebra Ventures: Egypt-based early-stage venture capital firm focused on technology startups in Egypt and the MENA region. Comparable in stage and regional focus, with a more concentrated single-country (Egypt) emphasis versus Pin's broader MENA+SSA spread.
- Outlierz Ventures: Africa-focused seed venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies primarily in Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable on early-stage Africa focus, with a more geographically concentrated mandate than Pin's broader MENA+SSA+global split.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pin Invest social profiles
Digital presencePin Invest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pin Invest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Pin Invest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pin Invest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pin Invest
What does Pin Invest do?
Pin Invest is a private investment firm that deploys capital into early-stage companies across MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa (with up to 30% allocated globally), investing deal-by-deal through single-purpose vehicles and selectively allocating to venture funds. The firm sources and manages a portfolio of startup equity stakes alongside a parallel practice of fund-of-funds investments.
Is Pin Invest a public or private company?
Pin Invest is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Pin Invest founded?
Pin Invest was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pin Invest based?
Pin Invest is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Pin Invest make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Pin Invest's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Partech and 500 Global (500 Startups). Direct peers are MEVP (Middle East Venture Partners), B&Y Venture Partners, Flat6Labs, Sawari Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures and Argonautic Ventures. Regional players are Algebra Ventures and Outlierz Ventures.
Does Pin Invest have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pin Invest.
What industry is Pin Invest in?
Pin Invest's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAI, Micro-VC & Angel Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAGAD, Private Equity Buyout Fund-of-Funds. Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6799.