Shane Shin (شين شن) 신유근

🌍 Emerging Fund Managers: Unlocking Saudi & GCC Capital In the past week, we’ve engaged with 50+ emerging fund managers eager to learn more about Equivator®’s Co-GP Program—an initiative designed to help launch new funds while advancing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 priorities across: 🔹 AI Infrastructure 🔹 Fintech 🔹 Energy 🔹 Real Estate 🔹 Healthcare 🔹 Tourism 🔹 Advanced Manufacturing & Industry 💡 While raising a debut or sophomore fund is challenging in most global markets, the GCC—especially Saudi Arabia—offers a uniquely dynamic capital environment. Family offices and institutional investors here are actively backing managers who can demonstrate: ✅ Distinctive, sector-driven strategies ✅ Value creation beyond financial capital ✅ Alignment with long-term strategic priorities, including Vision 2030 At Equivator®, we partner with GPs to: ✔ Navigate regulatory frameworks (CMA in Saudi Arabia, ADGM in Abu Dhabi) ✔ Build compelling LP-facing narratives tailored for GCC investors ✔ Forge deep, lasting partnerships with family offices & institutional allocators The GCC is not just a funding source—it is a hub for strategic alignment, enduring partnerships, and long-term value creation. 👉 If you’re an emerging manager raising your first or second fund, let’s explore how our Co-GP Program can help you access and partner with sophisticated investors across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. #Fundraising #FamilyOffice #SaudiArabia #GCC #EmergingManagers #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #Vision2030 #SovereignFunds #Riyadh #AbuDhabi #ADGM #CMA

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SPOTLIGHT 🇦🇪: Before BECO Capital became the GCC's largest early-stage VC, founder Dany Farha had already built and exited three companies ... Dany's Track Record: 👉🏼 Co-founded and exited Bayt.com (MENA's largest job site) 👉🏼 Built and exited Butlers (UAE's largest commercial laundry) 👉🏼 Built and exited Intercat (one of the UAE's largest caterers) 👉🏼 Seed investor in Gonabit (acquired by Living Social in 2011) In 2012, Dany co-founded Beco Capital with his cousin Amir Farha. The name "Beco" = "Booster Engine Cut Off": the moment a rocket achieves sufficient altitude to exit Earth's atmosphere. The Track Record: Fund I (2015): $50M 👉🏼 Backed Careem early → $3.1B exit to Uber 👉🏼 Backed Property Finder → $1B+ exit in 2024 👉🏼 Four total exits, including Cisco's acquisition of Voicea Fund II (2019): $100M 👉🏼 Backed Swvl → went public via $1.5B SPAC merger 👉🏼 Backed Kitopi → became a unicorn in 2021 👉🏼 Backed MaxAB → MENA's largest seed round at the time Latest (2025): $370M Dual-Fund Raise 👉🏼 $820M+ total AUM (largest non-government early-stage VC in the Gulf) 👉🏼 65+ portfolio companies 👉🏼Two $1B+ exits 👉🏼 One unicorn 👉🏼 9,000+ jobs created across the portfolio Beco identified a funding gap: tons of capital at $50K-$200K (angels, accelerators), nothing at the $1M-$3M Series A stage. They filled it. They're founder-obsessed. They back the strongest teams building scalable, defensible businesses, even in sectors they aren't initially bullish on, until they meet the right founder. Beco's portfolio companies have raised $1B+ in follow-on capital and shaped entire industries. Dany and the Beco team, serious respect 👏🏼 👀 Interested in MENA tech & startups? Sign up to my weekly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/dJMzb8Tt #MENA #startup #VC

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MENA VC is Thriving Amid Global Macroeconomic Volatility 💪 At MAGNiTT, we've just launched our H1 2025 MENA Venture Capital Report, offering in-depth insights into how macroeconomic shifts are reshaping VC inflow in the region. To provide additional context on the findings, I joined Joumanna Bercetche on Bloomberg News today for an exclusive to share the latest insights. Here's what we covered: 🌍 MENA's VC Landscape Defies Trends, VC funding in the region nearly doubled YoY, signaling robust confidence amid global uncertainty. 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Leads the Charge: With $860M raised across 114 deals, Saudi Arabia continues to lead the MENA region, cementing its position as a Venture powerhouse. 📲 FinTech Growth Explodes: Funding in the sector nearly tripled YoY to $596M, fueled by rapid sectoral innovation and surging demand. 💲 Sovereign Wealth Funds Driving Global Collaborations: MENA's sovereign wealth funds are not just deploying capital, but drawing in international co-investors and accelerating regional momentum. 💡 Late-Stage Investments Rise: With an uptick in pre-IPO rounds and growing M&A activity, we’re seeing strategic shifts in investor appetite across the region. 🎥 Watch the full interview: https://lnkd.in/dA7C-PuP 🔗 You can also access the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dppUWRcv Do you believe that recent geopolitics and tariff uncertainty is likely to impact the Venture Investment in MENA heading into Q3 & Q4? Share your thoughts 👇 #VentureCapital #Startups #MENA #FinTech #Investment #SovereignWealthFunds #Growth #EmergingMarkets #TechInnovation #Q3Update

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NymCard Raises $33M to Scale MENA Fintech Infrastructure UAE-based NymCard just closed a $33M funding round led by QED Investors. Founded in 2018 by Omar Onsi, NymCard is making waves by powering modern card issuing and payments infrastructure across the region.

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Golden Gate Ventures is excited to join Tarjama& ‘s latest investment round alongside lead investor Global Ventures and regional and international investors such as Wamda Capital Phaze Ventures TA Ventures and Endeavor Catalyst. The investment from the Golden Gate Ventures MENA fund marks their 4th investment in the region and emphasises the fund's commitment to continue to invest in world-class founders from the MENA region. Michael Lints, partner in Golden Gate Venture's MENA fund, commented: "With the investment in Tarjama and Nour Al Hassan ‘s team, we look forward to supporting their growth in Qatar and other markets to help them expand their reach with strategic partners". Golden Gate Ventures Hussain Abdulla Said Murad Qatar Economic Forum Full press release here https://lnkd.in/gvUDHrP5

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Emerging VCs Promise Big Returns—But Can Family Offices Afford the Risk❓ • Family offices in MENA are increasingly turning to emerging VC managers (first/second funds) for specialized strategies and potential outperformance. • Yet the risks are substantial: many first-time funds underperform, with survivorship bias creating a misleading picture of success. • The key isn’t just diversification—it’s evaluating manager quality, alignment, and operational discipline before committing capital. More in our new article with Christopher Aw ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dsBiwikB And also you are welcome to join our webinar where we share the LP perspective ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dkifX5hq

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SVC just published their 2025 Magnitt Report on the state of VC in Saudi. Here are the headlines: 1 - Saudi is the capital well: $1.7B deployed, 45% of all MENA VC, most deals in the region. 2 - We’re moving from startup formation to scale capital: Series B and mega rounds are back, exits are starting. This is where growth equity, PE, private credit, and structured capital can step up. Opportunities for secondaries could be attractive. 3 - Real economy wins: Fintech still leads, but logistics, commerce, travel, gaming, cyber are absorbing real money. Saudi-first, unit-economics-driven, regionally scalable businesses. Net: deeper capital stacks, more liquidity paths, and better entry points for expansion capital into KSA and beyond. Note: this is not financial advice. Curious how others here are seeing the Saudi VC cycle right now?

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Riyadh-based alternative financing platform erad (YC S22) has raised $16 million in a Pre-Series A round to accelerate its expansion in Saudi Arabia and beyond. The round attracted participation from top global and regional investors, including Y Combinator, Nuwa Capital, Khwarizmi Ventures, Aljazira Capital, VentureSouq, Oraseya Capital, and Joa Capital. With this funding, erad will continue supporting underserved, revenue-generating SMEs with rapid, Shariah-compliant financing, often within 48 hours, through its proprietary data-driven platform. Since launch, erad has disbursed over SAR 100 million ($26.6M) in financing across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and has processed SAR 2 billion ($532M) in funding requests. The company serves a broad range of sectors including retail, e-commerce, F&B, and healthcare, and has worked with startups like Citron, Wixsana, and House of Pops. This raise will also support local hiring and product expansion. (Image by Zawya) #SMEs #Fintech #AlternativeFinance #SaudiArabia #StartupFunding #Vision2030

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Riyadh-headquartered fintech Stitch has raised $10 million in a seed funding round led by Arbor Ventures, COTU Ventures, Raed Ventures, and SVC, with participation from family offices and notable industry veterans. The round included investments from Marqeta founder Jason Gardner and Abdulmalik AlSheikh, who previously established critical payment networks Mada and Sadad in Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2022 by Mohamed Oueida, Stitch operates as a unified SaaS and API platform designed to help financial and non-financial institutions launch banking and payment products up to 80% faster than traditional methods. The company claims its clients can launch products in under 90 days, compared to industry norms that typically take much longer. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d4hGip_S Mohamed Oueida, Khaled Lababidi, Nora M. Alsarhan

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MENA recorded 58% funding growth in Q1'25, surpassing all 2024 quarters. In a quarter where global VC sentiment remained cautious and Southeast Asia saw funding slide, MENA pulled off its strongest three-month run in over a year, fueled by rising investor appetite and more targeted capital deployment. But what’s really driving this momentum? 🔹 Saudi Arabia and the UAE took the lead KSA alone accounted for over half of MENA’s funding—fueled by a rising number of Series A and B rounds. Meanwhile, the UAE nearly tripled its early-growth deal flow YoY. This surge wasn’t coincidental—it reflects a maturing ecosystem backed by sovereign support, new funds, and returning global investors as macro conditions improved towards the end of 2024. 🔹 Fintech led the way—but the story goes deeper Even when you strip out MEGA deals like Tabby’s $160M round, fintech funding soared—pointing to a healthy pipeline of scalable, mid-sized deals. Investors aren’t just chasing hype; they’re backing revenue-driven models with long-term potential. 🔹 The region’s confidence is visible—but uncertainty looms With global LP liquidity under pressure and new U.S. tariffs shaking exit expectations, the sustainability of this growth will depend on how sovereigns, fund managers, and regulators adapt in Q2 and beyond. 🔍 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗢𝗨? 📥 Download MAGNiTT’s Q1 2025 MENA Venture Investment Report here: https://lnkd.in/ebuvzK68 💡𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗶𝗧𝗧 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁? 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼 to explore how our data can help you stay informed: https://lnkd.in/d-MFtimv #MAGNiTT #VentureCapital #MENA #Startups #PrivateCapital #VC #SaudiArabia #UAE #Fintech

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Saudi & MENA VC Momentum Regional VC Deal Evolution (Q3’23 – Q2’25) tells a story of emerging market divergence: Middle East (MENA) surged to 141 deals in Q1’25, overtaking Southeast Asia for the first time in two years. Southeast Asia has cooled from its 169‑deal peak (Q1’24) to just 90 deals in Q2’25. Why this matters: 1️⃣ Saudi Arabia is anchoring MENA’s VC rise in fintech and enterprise software lead, with #Tabby and #Ninja as H1 2025 highlights. 2️⃣ Capital is shifting to scale-up and mid-stage deals, a clear sign of ecosystem maturation. 3️⃣ Emerging markets are decoupling: while SEA cools, MENA’s sovereign-backed funds and regulatory clarity are accelerating deployment. 🔹 At #Equivator, our focus is on AI, fintech, and digital infrastructure right where this MENA surge is creating cross-border opportunities. If you’re a founder or LP exploring the next frontier in emerging markets, now is the time to watch MENA. #VentureCapital #MAGNiTT #EmergingMarkets #Saudi2030 #Equivator #Fintech #AI #MENA

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MENA startup funding round-up 2-8 feb The region continues to see strong investor confidence across AI, fintech, logistics, and digital infrastructure, with startups raising capital to scale both regionally and globally. • Kitopi (UAE) raised $50M to expand its cloud kitchen F&B brands and accelerate international franchising • Qureos (UAE) secured $5M Seed funding to strengthen its AI hiring ecosystem and scale geographically • SkipCash (Qatar) raised $4M Series A to advance mobile-first and Tap-to-Phone payments • Daleel (UAE) raised $3M pre-Seed to build its AI-driven real estate intelligence platform and enter KSA • HAQQ (Lebanon) secured $3M to expand its legal AI operating system across enterprises • MMC, Viero, and MUHIDE (KSA) raised funding to scale media assets, logistics infrastructure, and B2B fintech innovation From AI-led platforms to payments and operational tech, capital is flowing into startups solving real regional challenges, signaling a maturing ecosystem and stronger cross-border growth ambitions across MENA. Orpheus Financial #MENAStartups #StartupFunding #UAEStartups #KSA #Qatar #Fintech #AIStartups #LogisticsTech #DigitalEconomy #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #Innovation #MiddleEastBusiness #TechInMENA

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Sukna Capital and Partners for Growth have announced a $50 million partnership to support the growth of technology companies across the Middle East. This is a great example of how smart capital combined with sector expertise can unlock opportunities for founders and accelerate scale. Access to flexible and non dilutive financing is often the missing piece for ambitious tech businesses. Partnerships like this can make a real difference in strengthening the ecosystem. https://lnkd.in/eHKYiESF

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🚀 Hub71 startup Zest Equity partners with Carta to strengthen the infrastructure powering private capital across the MENA region. With Zest Equity having supported 180+ transactions and executed $230M+ to date, this partnership with Carta will deliver seamless, integrated solutions that make navigating private markets easier for founders and investors alike. 💡 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dW-akkWY #Hub71 #TechEcosystem #InAbuDhabi #PrivateCapital #StartupInfrastructure

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