BY Venture Partners Research
Investment Thesis
BY Venture Partners (BYVP) is a MENA-rooted, globally investing venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Abdallah Yafi, Ghaith Yafi, and Rami El Jisr. The firm's stated philosophy is "our team of former founders back phenomenal early-stage founders," emphasizing a founder-first, empathetic approach paired with hands-on operational support rather than passive capital. BYVP positions itself as a bridge between MENA and global venture ecosystems, backing category-creating or market-leading startups across marketplaces/platforms and AI-enabled business models, while maintaining a broad sector diversity that mirrors its LP base (hospitality, construction, luxury retail among others).
Sector Focus
BYVP does not restrict itself to a narrow vertical. Its ~91-company portfolio spans fintech and payments, proptech, healthcare/digital health, logistics and last-mile delivery, e-commerce and marketplaces, edtech, travel and hospitality, cybersecurity, media and music tech, consumer social/commerce, and a growing cluster of AI-enabled tooling and applications (visual recognition, generative creative tools, AI workflow automation, AI-assisted procurement).
Stage Focus
BYVP invests primarily at Pre-Seed and Seed, with selective Series A participation and occasional follow-on reserves into later rounds (Series B/C) for standout portfolio companies. Most first checks in the portfolio are tagged Pre-Seed or Seed.
Check Size
No check-size figures are published on the firm's site or in available secondary sources with sufficient confidence to report a range; this field is intentionally left blank pending direct confirmation.
Lead Tendency
Not confidently determinable from public sources. BYVP is frequently listed as a participant across syndicates in MENA and international rounds, and the firm reports that >60% of deal flow comes from referrals, but no consistent pattern of leading vs. following could be established.
Recent Activity
BYVP closed its $50M BY Fund II in October 2021, backed by Mubadala Investment Company, Al Waha Fund of Funds, Tamar Capital, and MMK Capital. As of mid-2025, third-party trackers reported the firm as an active investor with new investments in the trailing twelve months, including Huspy and Vessel. The firm's own site currently lists 91 total investments, 4 unicorns, and 10 "category winners" in its portfolio.
Portfolio Highlights
Notable current and historical portfolio companies span four continents (MENA: 37, Europe: 26, North America: 29, Asia: 3 per the firm's own portfolio page):
- MENA: Huspy, Nymcard, Toters, Mumzworld, Grubtech, Stake, Dharma, CarSwitch, Holidayme, Pemo, Washmen
- Europe: Onfido (acquired by Entrust), Docplanner, Threads (Threadsstyling), Monito, PQ Shields, Isometric
- North America: Ro, Forward (both reported unicorns), Invisible, Affectiva, Thrive Market, Veem
- Asia: Bazaar, Eureka, Bookme
Notable exit: Onfido was acquired by Entrust.
Team
- Abdallah Yafi — Founding Partner
- Ghaith Yafi — Founding Partner / Managing Partner
- Rami El Jisr — General Partner
- Sohrab Jahanbani — Partner
- Tara Al Arnaout — Principal
- Nouha Yasmine — General Counsel
- Mada Arslan — Head of Operations
- Yara Karam — Legal Counsel
- Mayssa Farah — Senior Associate
- Jana El Husseini — Senior Associate
- Guy Labaki — Associate
- Dylan Haddad — Senior Analyst
- Maya Moufarek — Venture Partner
- Carl Nehme — Venture Partner
- Rav Daliwal — Advisor
- Eric Archambeau — Advisor
Decision Process
Multiple General Partners and Partners are named, consistent with a partnership-style decision process rather than a solo-GP structure.
Founder Preferences
BYVP's messaging emphasizes backing "phenomenal early-stage founders" building category-creating or market-leading companies, with the firm's own team composed largely of former founders/operators. The firm reports a founder NPS of 87 and cites founder-first, empathetic support as a differentiator versus purely financial investors.
Geographic Focus
Legally domiciled in Jersey, with operating offices in the UAE (Abu Dhabi), London, and Boston. Investment activity spans 16 countries across four continents, with the heaviest concentration in MENA (37 portfolio companies) followed by North America (29) and Europe (26), and a smaller footprint in Asia (3).