Middle East Venture Partners Research
Investment Thesis
Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP) is one of the pioneer venture capital firms in the MENA region. Its homepage says it "changes the way technology founders build their future" by providing both early and growth-stage funding to founders looking for smart, patient capital. The firm says it has been through the scaling journey itself and commits time, energy and resources beyond the check: governance support, regional networks and follow-on capital. It writes "Why we invested in" notes on Medium (Invygo, MoneyFellows, The Cloud, Verto, OTO, MNT-Halan, Sarwa).
Stage Focus
Each fund has a different stage profile. Fund I (2010, $10M) did seed. Fund II (2015, $32M) did early-stage, $300K to $3M. Fund III (2018, $90M) was a growth fund for Series B. Fund IV (launched 2023, $150M target, $105M stated on the funds page) covers early and growth-stage companies, mainly Series A and B. The current portfolio page tags companies from Seed through Series C.
Check Size
The funds page lists $3M to $5M tickets for Fund IV and $3M+ for Fund III. Earlier funds wrote $200K to $1M (Fund I) and $300K to $3M (Fund II). MEVP states $1.6B in co-investments alongside its own capital.
Lead Tendency
It leads and co-leads. Examples: led The Luxury Closet's $8.7M round (2018), co-led Nana's Series A and B, led Yodawy's Series B alongside Global Ventures and Algebra, led Rise's seven-figure round, and led Abwab.ai's $4M seed with Speedinvest (per its LinkedIn page). It also takes follow-on positions in rounds led by others (Rain, Trukker, Altibbi, Stake).
Recent Activity
- Fund IV launched February 2023 with a first close of $67M and a $27M anchor from the European Investment Bank. Other LPs named include Edmond de Rothschild Equity Partners, Inveready, Dubai Future District Fund, R Holding and Jordan's ISSF.
- Saudi Venture Capital committed to Fund IV in December 2024 (per SPA); Riyadh Valley Company announced its Fund IV investment in May 2025; VCCircle reported Fund IV wrapped up in July 2025.
- Stake raised a $14M Series A (June 2024). Clinicy raised a Series A (January 2024). MEVP received proceeds from the YOUGotaGift exit to Giftee (November 2024).
- Rabih Khoury relocated to Saudi Arabia (January 2025), reflecting the Saudi push. Recent portfolio additions on the website include Abwab.ai, Dixio, Fundbot, Mamo, OCTA, Ruya.ai, SiFi, Safqah, Spare and Xfolio, mostly Saudi and UAE fintech seeds.
Portfolio Highlights
The firm says it has invested in more than 60 companies across MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pakistan and Turkey. Exits include Fresha (partial exits at a stated 39x and 52x cash-on-cash), Anghami (NASDAQ via SPAC, 2021), TreasuryXpress (acquired by Bottomline, 2021), Cognitev, Eventtus (acquired by Bevy), HyperPay, Cookpad (Shahiya) and YOUGotaGift. Other notable holdings: Rain, Trukker, MNT-Halan, Altibbi, Toters, Eat App, Bykea, Sarwa, Instabug and Nana.
Team
- Rabih I. Khoury, General Partner (now in Saudi Arabia)
- Walid Hanna, Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO
- Walid Mansour, Co-founder and Co-CEO
- Ali Almajthoob, Partner
- Fahed Qteishat, Executive Director
- Germine Bouchnack, Executive Director and Egypt Operations Manager
- Soufiane Marhraoui and Riyad Abou Jaoudeh, Venture Partners
- Syed Farhan Zaidi and Andreas Ehn, Investment Committee members
- Associate directors include Jad Ghanem, Mohammed Alareefi and Rafik Amrani. Board members include Marc Tohme and Rashid Mohamed Alabbar.
Decision Process
Partnership with an investment committee that includes non-executive and independent members. The firm holds a DFSA asset management license (2018) and positions ESG principles in its investing. No timeline is published.
Founder Preferences
It says it wants founders who are "tenacious, innovative, and brave enough to challenge the status quo," with a powerful story and a strong business plan. Founder testimonials (Nana, Anghami, The Luxury Closet) stress speed and hands-on help. It applies via an on-site form; a warm intro is not stated as required.
Geographic Focus
MENA: GCC (UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular), Levant (Lebanon, Jordan), Egypt and North Africa, plus Pakistan, Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa (Verto in Nigeria, its first investment there, 2021). Fund IV geography is listed as MENATP. Offices are in Dubai and Beirut, with a presence in Riyadh and Cairo.
Sectors
AI, fintech, SaaS, health-tech, edtech, logistics, ecommerce, on-demand services, marketplaces, Web3 and proptech. Historical emphasis is on fintech, marketplaces, mobility and logistics, and health-tech.