Viaka

What Viaka does

Viaka is a US-incorporated (Delaware LLC) access infrastructure platform, founded in 2022, that connects MENA-connected founders with global investors, operators, and growth resources across North America, Europe, and the MENA region. The company describes itself as a "modern Silk Road" for capital, talent, and opportunities, operating at the intersection of community, capital, and growth through four integrated platforms: City Chapters (curated networking in New York, Boston, Toronto, Washington DC, London, and San Francisco), the Viaka Angel Network (a 40-member syndicate that co-invests alongside funds like Sequoia, a16z, and Y Combinator via Delaware SPVs with 2-9.99% admin fees), MENA Rising (an annual conference franchise hosted in NYC and Toronto), and paid GTM Programs (a 12-week US market-entry program and a two-week GCC Landing Program, each priced at $20,000, the latter co-delivered with Sekuity).

Viaka is not a technology product company; its core offering is curated access, deal flow, and event-driven community activation rather than proprietary software, AI, or data products. The Angel Network has executed four disclosed 2025 investments (Oasys, BOND, Vessel, and Ciphero's $2.5M pre-seed), and the company has hosted 10+ demo days funneling $60M+ to portfolio companies, alongside 50+ events. Viaka generates revenue from (a) GTM program fees ($20,000 per founder cohort), (b) SPV administration fees on angel network commitments (2-9.99% of committed capital, no management fees or carry), and (c) implicitly event sponsorship. The company is led by founders Reem Goussous and Hani Azzam, with Layss Majed as Angel Investment Lead, and operates with a team of 1-10 employees. No institutional funding round, revenue figure, or valuation has been disclosed.

Viaka's customer base is intentionally diversified across three primary segments: MENA-connected founders (pre-seed to seed stage), angel investors and VCs seeking curated MENA-tied deal flow, and global founders paying for cross-border market-entry programming. Strategic partners include DLA Piper, DMZ, Inovia Capital, Sequoia, a16z, Y Combinator, Sekuity, Graphite Ventures, Hustle Fund, and Silicon Badia, which collectively provide distribution, venues, validation, and co-investment leverage.

Name

Viaka

Legal name

Viaka

Website

https://viaka.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Viaka is a Delaware-incorporated access infrastructure platform founded in 2022 that connects MENA-connected founders with global investors through city chapters, an angel syndicate, an annual conference (MENA Rising), and paid US and GCC market-entry programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Ecosystem Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager) (FSANAGAF)

Keywords

• Angel network
• Venture capital syndicate
• Startup ecosystem
• Market entry advisory
• Investor network

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. GTM Advisory Programs: Viaka generates revenue through paid go-to-market programs that support startup expansion between North America and MENA. Programs include 12-week cohort-based training, 1:1 coaching, workshops, investor introductions, and demo day participation.
2. Angel Network SPV Administration: Viaka collects fees (2% to 9.99% of committed amount) for setting up and administering SPV LLCs that aggregate angel investments into portfolio companies. No management fees or carry currently charged.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Viaka is an access infrastructure platform that backs MENA-connected founders across North America and Europe. It operates a global angel network (Angel Syndicate) that co-invests alongside funds like Sequoia, a16z, and Y Combinator, runs curated city chapters in six cities, hosts the annual MENA Rising conferences in NYC and Toronto, and delivers paid go-to-market (GTM) advisory programs that help startups expand between MENA and North America.

Product overview

Viaka is an access infrastructure platform backing exceptional MENA-connected founders across North America and Europe. The platform operates at the intersection of community, capital, and growth through multiple interconnected services: the Angel Network (a global angel syndicate providing investment and co-investment opportunities), City Chapters (local networking chapters in major cities), MENA Rising (annual flagship conferences), GTM Programs (market-entry advisory including North America and GCC programs), plus educational content through newsletters, podcasts, and an Angel Investing Educational Series. The portfolio also includes a trusted community of 5K+ founders, operators, and investors, 10+ Demo Days that have funneled $60M+ raised, and 50+ events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MENA Rising: Annual global convening connecting entrepreneurial ecosystem with MENA innovators, hosted in NYC and Toronto
• Viaka Angel Network
• City Chapters
• Viaka Global Access: North America
• Viaka Global Access: GCC

Products and services

• GTM Programs (Global Access) Market-entry advisory programs supporting founders expanding globally, with guidance on go-to-market, fundraising, operations, and leadership. Includes Global Access: North America (12-week US readiness program, US$20,000) and Global Access: GCC (two-week in-market immersion in UAE and Saudi Arabia delivered with Sekuity, US$20,000).
• Viaka Angel Network (Angel Syndicate) A global angel syndicate backing founders with MENA roots. Members commit starting from US$1K per company, with group investments typically US$25K–US$250K per company. Viaka administers SPV LLCs for syndication, charging setup fees of 2%–9.99% of committed amount, with no management fees or carry. The network co-invests alongside Sequoia, a16z, and Y Combinator.
• MENA Rising Conference Annual global convening hosted in NYC and Toronto that connects the entrepreneurial ecosystem of each host city with high-impact innovators from the MENA region and its diaspora, featuring startup showcases, panels, fireside chats, and networking.
• City Chapters Curated local community spaces in New York, Boston, Toronto, Washington DC, London, and San Francisco that connect founders, investors, and professionals and enable localized ecosystem activation and deal sourcing.

Quantifiable outcome

• $60M+ raised by founders through Viaka Demo Days with top-tier VC participation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered champion partner and core.

• DLA Piperchampion partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025DLA Piper served as host and champion partner for MENA Rising Toronto 2025 conference, attended by 250+ ecosystem voices. Morgan McDonald, Partner at DLA Piper, participated as moderator on funding panel.
• DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDMZ (Executive Director Abdullah Snobar) partnered on MENA Rising Toronto, hosting startup showcase with 5 startups pitching for investment and Viaka Angel Network introduction. DMZ provided venue and programming support.
• MejuricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMejuri (Founder & CEO Noura Sakkijha, President Majed Masaad) participated as event partner and speaker, sharing scaling story as MENA-rooted global jewelry brand.
• SekuitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerViaka partnered with Sekuity to deliver the GCC Landing Program - a two-week market-entry program for North American startups expanding to UAE and Saudi Arabia. Reciprocal execution model combining Viaka's North America network with Sekuity's MENA expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hub71: Abu Dhabi-based global tech ecosystem backed by sovereign capital, offering founders market access, capital, and corporate partnerships in MENA. Comparable to Viaka because both operate curated MENA-founder ecosystems that bridge regional startups to global investors.
• Flat6Labs: MENA-focused seed-stage investor and accelerator running programs across North Africa and the Middle East. Direct peer to Viaka because both back early-stage founders in MENA with cohort-based programming, mentorship, and investor introductions.
• AngelList: Platform enabling angel syndicates, SPVs, and rolling funds for individual investors and emerging managers. Direct peer to Viaka because Viaka's Angel Network functions similarly — aggregating angel capital into SPVs for portfolio investments.
• Republic: Retail angel investing platform operating syndicates, SPVs, and curated deal flow for individual investors. Comparable to Viaka because both monetize by aggregating angel investors around vetted startup deals via SPV structures.
• Wefunder: Community-driven angel and crowdfunded investment platform with curated deal flow and SPV-style vehicles. Comparable to Viaka because both leverage community membership as a funnel for angel capital deployment into early-stage companies.
• Raed Ventures: Saudi Arabia-based early-stage venture fund investing in MENA-rooted founders. Comparable to Viaka because both target MENA-connected founders, deploy early-stage capital, and leverage regional LP/angel networks.
• B&Y Venture Partners: Early-stage VC investing in MENA-rooted, US-based technology startups. Comparable to Viaka because both invest in and support MENA-diaspora founders building in North America, providing co-investor alignment and ecosystem access.
• 500 Global: Global venture firm and accelerator with active MENA programming for early-stage founders. Comparable to Viaka because both run multi-region accelerator-style programs, deal-flow funnels, and angel/investor network components targeting emerging-market founders.

Broad incumbents

• Plug and Play: Global innovation platform and accelerator with multi-region programs including MENA. Comparable to Viaka in operating multi-city founder programs, demo days, and corporate-investor matchmaking, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• StartUp Grind: Global startup community hosting events, content, and programming across 600+ chapters worldwide. Comparable to Viaka's community-and-event-driven GTM through city chapters, newsletters, and podcasts, though StartUp Grind is broader and non-investing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLPM3V0hzunjdCalSGAHn-e2Z0sDg_ay1I
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viaka1
• Xx.com/Viaka16

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Viaka