Shorooq

🚀 Why the Middle East Needs Local Middle Market Private Equity Firms 🌍 The GCC is at a critical juncture where economic diversification, venture capital maturity, and entrepreneurial growth are converging. Local middle market private equity firms are not just a necessity—they are the missing piece that can drive synergy, unlock potential, and build a resilient, diversified economy. Here’s what makes this so critical: 🔑 Synergy with VC Ecosystem: Private equity provides a natural path for venture-backed companies to scale and exit, creating a virtuous cycle of growth. 💡 Unlocking Buyout Opportunities: The GCC’s middle market is brimming with potential, from family businesses to scaling enterprises. 🌟 Economic Diversification: By investing in non-oil sectors, PE firms directly contribute to national visions like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. This is the moment for the Middle East to embrace the transformative power of private equity. Together, we can create a thriving ecosystem that empowers businesses and drives long-term economic prosperity. Read the full blog here. Shorooq #PrivateEquity #GCC #MiddleEast #EconomicDiversification #VentureCapital #GrowthOpportunities

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As we bid farewell to 2024, we're excited to share insights from our Founding Partner, Shane Shin (شين شن) 유근, reflecting on a year of remarkable growth and strategic milestones for Shorooq. In his latest blog post, Shane delves into: 👉 Rebranding as a Multi-Dimensional Investment Firm: This year, Shorooq evolved to offer more than just capital, providing a suite of services, resources, and expertise to empower entrepreneurs across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. 👉 Strategic Partnership with HANWHA LIFE CO., LTD.: Announced during Abu Dhabi Finance Week ADFW, this alliance underscores our commitment to connecting the vibrant markets of Asia and the Middle East, unlocking new growth opportunities in fintech, platforms, software, and deep tech. 👉 Dominance in Credit through Nahda Fund: Our Nahda Fund has cemented our leadership in the credit space, providing tailored financial solutions that empower entrepreneurs to scale their businesses while retaining ownership. A significant milestone was our investment in Abhi (YC S21), redefining payroll financing and employee benefits in Pakistan. 👉 Pioneering Innovations in Real-World Assets (RWA) and Blockchain: We made a significant entry into the global RWA market through our investment in MANTRA Chain, a blockchain protocol leading the tokenization revolution, democratizing access to physical assets such as real estate, commodities, and luxury goods. As we look toward 2025, our mission remains clear: to bridge global investment corridors, support visionary entrepreneurs, and drive meaningful, long-term impact across sectors. Read Shane's full reflections here: https://lnkd.in/d_GxUDXJ #Shorooq #Investment #VentureCapital #Credit #PrivatEquity #Entrepreneurship

أقوى مستثمري رأس المال المخاطر في الشرق الأوسط لعام 2024، في عدد فوربس الجديد، تعرف إليهم واكتشف قصصهم الملهمة، وكيف يؤدون دورًا محوريًا يتجاوز الدعم المالي، من خلال التزامهم برعاية الشركات الناشئة وتعزيز التنمية الاقتصادية.. تقرؤون أيضًا مقابلات حصرية مع أمل دخان، الشريكة الإدارية في شركة (500Global) لمنطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا، والشركاء المؤسسين والإداريين لشركة (VentureSouq). #فوربس Hasan Haider Shorooq Mahmoud Adi Suneel Gokhale Sonia Gokhale Sonia Weymuller VentureSouq Tammer Qaddumi Shane Shin (شين شن) 유근 Plus VC (+VC) للمزيد: https://lnkd.in/dHTSQU5W

As we close 2024 on a high note, we’re beyond proud to share that Shorooq has been named one of the Middle East’s Top Venture Capitalists on Forbes Middle East exclusive MENA MIDAS List for 2024! 🏆✨ This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to transforming not only the venture capital but the financial services landscape across the region, investing in extraordinary founders, and supporting innovation at its core. Check out the exclusive interview with our Founding Partners, Shane Shin (شين شن) 유근 and Mahmoud Adi in the December/January edition, where they share their insights on venture capital, our growth story, and the future of innovation in MENA. Here’s to building bigger, better, and bolder in 2025! 🚀 📖 Read the feature: https://lnkd.in/d44UANcZ #shorooq #investments #financialservices #venturecapital #credit #privateequity #realestate

𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦. At Abu Dhabi Business Week, Ahmad Alwan, Vijay Tirathrai (Techstars), and I dove deep into what 2025 has in store for MENA. The energy was palpable as we unpacked the trends driving the next phase of growth in the region - talent, AI, and regulatory support. Elsewhere, from LA to the Middle East and Africa Summit, our engagement this year was deeper than ever with the Milken Institute. It was a privilege to moderate a session for Milken-Hub71's Falcon Peak program on "how" and "what" international investors look for in growth market startups alongside colleagues and friends Franklin Bi (Pantera Capital), Ron Cao (Sky9 Capital), Michael Anders (ICONIQ Capital), and Nick Karageorge (M-Cor Capital). Shoutout also to the amazing team at Mubadala Capital (Stephanie Maneles!) for pulling off an incredible AGM dinner -- Mubadala's story and leadership continues to inspire us at Shorooq every day. And to cap it off, last week ADFW entered it's third and strongest year yet. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with Prof. Ilya Strebulaev (Stanford University Graduate School of Business), Jose Marin (FJ Labs), Paul Desmarais (Sagard), among many others who brought thought-provoking but locally-informed perspectives to the table. They are active participants in the expanding vanguard of risk capital in growth markets, esp. MENA, today. Finally, a personal highlight was co-hosting social events with our portfolio company MANTRA – there is nothing like partnering with your founders to celebrate our ecosystem and the friends who make it thrive. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. 🚀 #MENA #VentureCapital #EmergingMarkets

CNN: Shorooq’s Multi-Dimensional Global Investment Firm From The Heart of Abu Dhabi. #shorooq #investments #equity #credit #venturecapital #privateequity

We’re thrilled to officially announce a game-changing partnership with HANWHA LIFE CO., LTD., one of South Korea’s largest conglomerate and a financial powerhouse with $300B in AUM on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi's marquee event ADFW. 🚀 This partnership is a landmark moment for the firm and our stakeholders as it signifies not just a strategic alliance, but a bold step forward in our mission to scale and innovate our financial offerings. Here’s why this matters: 📈 Global Backing: Hanwha Life has historically backed global giants like Blackstone and BlackRock. Their decision to back Shorooq humbles us and is a testament of the hard work our team, founders and investors put in every day. 🌏 Asia-MENA Corridor: This partnership strengthens our Asia-MENA investment corridor, allowing us to scale our financial services across both regions, building on our successful venture capital and credit funds that invest across both markets. 💪 Investor Confidence: Our growing track record of serving 10 Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs), family offices, corporates and now a major global financial institution demonstrates our serious plans for the world of alternative investments. Together, we’re set to drive innovation, expand our financial services, empower entrepreneurs in deep tech, AI, Fintech and key sectors shaping our tomorrow. 💫 🔗 Read more on the exclusive here: https://lnkd.in/d-RtStjz #Shorooq #HanwhaLife #Innovation #Investment #AbuDhabiFinanceWeek #Fintech #Entrepreneurship #MENA #Asia

Leading to ADFW, we are excited to share key takeaways from our latest whitepaper, exploring the untapped potential of MENA capital markets in collaboration with London Stock Exchange: 📌 $500B Opportunity: MENA capital markets could unlock over $500 billion by 2030 through enhanced regional integration and capital flow initiatives. 📌 IPO Growth: Currently contributing less than 5% to global IPOs, MENA could double this share within five years with strategic reforms and collaborations. 📌 Cross-Border Collaboration: Our partnerships with LSEG and regional stakeholders emphasize the critical role of cross-border capital strategies in attracting liquidity and fueling sustainable growth. 📌 Investor Potential: With over $2 trillion in sovereign wealth assets, there’s a unique opportunity to channel this capital into high-growth sectors through efficient capital markets. Watch our Partner Bilal Baloch exclusive on Dubai Eye 103.8 - "The Business Breakfast" show about leveraging MENA’s capital market opportunities. 📥 Download your copy of the whitepaper today: https://lnkd.in/d9yDkirM #shorooq #investment #capitalmarkets #venturecapital #privatecredit #privateequity #tech #lseg

We are thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world's largest gathering dedicated to content creation and media innovation. This collaboration underscores our commitment to nurturing the next generation of media startups on a global scale. We pledge to invest up to $10 million in select emerging content and media startups, that will pass through the gruesome competition and our due diligence process during the summit in one of its kind competition globally. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 25 exceptional finalists selected in the competition. Your creativity and vision are truly inspiring. We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate and support your growth. Bump (USA), atlaseek (UAE), Trugetherness (SG), Ad-Shield (KOR), SoSquared (UK), Arabic Archive Project (EGY), Hubee ➔ Design por assinatura (BR), Pensell (UAE), HelloCreator (USA), Eugenius (KOR), Halo AI (UAE), EPLWORLD (UAE), Shooty (UAE), Ta Marbouta (UAE), Unreel (UK), Vertix (UAE), Lobster Money (UK), Livelogue (UK), Verix (INDIA) and ReadCoin (UAE). We are also excited to deepen our collaboration with the UAE Government Media Office and express our gratitude to Alia Al Hammadi for her unwavering support and leadership in advancing the media landscape in the UAE and beyond. Together, let's drive innovation and shape the future of content and media on a global stage. 🌍 Read more about this exciting partnership here: https://lnkd.in/eHJfJyi2 #Shorooq #1BillionSummit #Media #Content #Investment