Key Takeaways
- • Failory's 2026 ranking lists 23 venture capital firms active in the United Arab Emirates, with FasterCapital reported at 1,279 investments (1,019 as lead investor) and BECO Capital at nine exits.
- • Shorooq Partners, the top-listed firm, reports $200M in total funding, 138 investments and seven exits, with portfolio companies including Tamara and ZenLedger.
- • The list spans seed-stage specialists such as Nuwa Capital and Anamcara Capital alongside larger multi-stage platforms, reflecting a broad range of stages and sectors.
- • Failory describes UAE venture activity as widespread, though the listing is an editorial ranking rather than a verified performance dataset.
Summary
Failory's "Top 23 Venture Capital Firms in United Arab Emirates (2026)" ranking describes the UAE venture ecosystem as more active than ever, with investors backing companies across a wide range of industries. The publication highlights FasterCapital, which it reports has made 1,279 investments, 1,019 of them as lead investor, and BECO Capital, which has recorded nine exits from its portfolio.
The top-ranked entry, Shorooq Partners, is described as a leading alternative investment manager in the Middle East and North Africa providing venture capital and private credit. Failory lists its total funding at $200M, 138 investments (69 as lead) and seven exits, with portfolio companies including Tamara, ZenLedger and Colabs. Other profiled firms include COTU Ventures, which focuses on pre-seed and seed stages; FasterCapital, which operates a work-for-equity model offering incubation and acceleration; and BECO Capital, which reports $100M in total funding and an average check size of $2M across Series B and earlier rounds.
The list also covers VentureSouq, which manages thematic funds focused primarily on FinTech and ClimateTech, and Iliad Partners, with $23M in total funding and an average check size of $1M. Newer entrants include Anamcara Capital, founded in 2021 and investing at the seed stage across the MENA region and Europe, and Further Ventures, founded in 2022, which works with founders on regulatory strategy for tokenization and decentralized finance. Eiosoft Capital is profiled with a portfolio that Failory says includes Jio and STX Entertainment.
Failory notes an additional 13 UAE firms that it says have collectively backed close to 500 startups with more than 25 successful exits. The figures cited are as reported by Failory and have not been independently verified.
The top-ranked entry, Shorooq Partners, is described as a leading alternative investment manager in the Middle East and North Africa providing venture capital and private credit. Failory lists its total funding at $200M, 138 investments (69 as lead) and seven exits, with portfolio companies including Tamara, ZenLedger and Colabs. Other profiled firms include COTU Ventures, which focuses on pre-seed and seed stages; FasterCapital, which operates a work-for-equity model offering incubation and acceleration; and BECO Capital, which reports $100M in total funding and an average check size of $2M across Series B and earlier rounds.
The list also covers VentureSouq, which manages thematic funds focused primarily on FinTech and ClimateTech, and Iliad Partners, with $23M in total funding and an average check size of $1M. Newer entrants include Anamcara Capital, founded in 2021 and investing at the seed stage across the MENA region and Europe, and Further Ventures, founded in 2022, which works with founders on regulatory strategy for tokenization and decentralized finance. Eiosoft Capital is profiled with a portfolio that Failory says includes Jio and STX Entertainment.
Failory notes an additional 13 UAE firms that it says have collectively backed close to 500 startups with more than 25 successful exits. The figures cited are as reported by Failory and have not been independently verified.
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