About VentureSouq
VentureSouq is a venture capital firm founded in 2013. It is primarily based out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As of May 2026, VentureSouq is an active investor, having invested in 233 companies, with 4 new investments in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in United Arab Emirates based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Enterprise Applications to FinTech and Consumer. Most recently it participated in the $***** Seed round of Siin Overall, VentureSouq portfolio has seen 10 unicorns, 1 IPO and 27 acquisitions including key companies like Tabby, Substack and Symphony. A lot of funds co-invest with VentureSouq, with names like Y Combinator sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. VentureSouq has team of 11 people including 6 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 5 more
Portfolio IPOs
Deals in last 12 months
VentureSouq's List of Top Investments
VentureSouq has a portfolio of 233 companies, including 10 unicorns. Their most notable investments are in Resal and Jamalon.Their portfolio spans across United States, United Arab Emirates, India and 25 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, FinTech, Consumer and 28 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 5 more. Here is the list of top investments by VentureSouq:1. Tabby
Provider of purchase financing solutions for businesses. The platform enables users to purchase from multiple online stores and allows to repay the amount in equal installments. It offers a credit card offering buy now pay later loans with installment-based repayment options. It allows users to split purchases into four interest-free payments, both online and in-store. The platform also offers shopping assistant that lets users discover and track products, brands and deals in the application.
Key facts about Tabby
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series E
- Total Funding till date: $604M
- Employee Count: 4,504 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Mubadala, Global Founders Capital and 28 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Feb 12, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
2. Substack
Substack is a publishing platform that enables independent writers to create and distribute their own newsletters to a global audience, offering a self-serve model for content creation and monetization.
Key facts about Substack
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: San Francisco (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $1M - $10M as on Dec 31, 2021
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $190M
- Employee Count: 3,754 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: TriplePoint Capital, Bond Capital and 34 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jul 17, 2025, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
3. Telegram
Developer of a cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging application. The application focuses on providing users with secure and fast communication. It offers features such as encrypted messaging, self-destructing messages, and cross-device synchronization. The application supports large group chats and allows users to customize their messaging experience. It also provides an open API and source code.
Key facts about Telegram
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $150M
- Employee Count: 3,390 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: SIB Investment Group, Mubadala and 28 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Mar 18, 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
4. Aspire
Digital bank for businesses. Its services include current accounts, NFC-enabled prepaid cards, money transfers, cash withdrawals, and more. It provides a business line of credit. It also provides financial tools to SMEs in order to solve cash flow management and working capital needs. The application is available on the Android and iOS platforms.
Key facts about Aspire
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Singapore (Singapore)
- Annual Revenue: SGD 1M - 10M as on Dec 31, 2022
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $200M
- Employee Count: 1,143 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: CE Innovation Capital, B Capital and 35 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Feb 14, 2023, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
5. Symphony
Compliance management solutions for financial institutions. It offers encrypted chat-based collaboration, voice solutions, and instant messaging with features such as encryption, and group messaging to share content. It provides solutions to standardize, automate, innovate, and simplify financial services workflows.
Key facts about Symphony
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: New York City (United States)
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series E
- Total Funding till date: $461M
- Employee Count: 797 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners and 38 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series E, Jun 12, 2019, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
VentureSouq's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
VentureSouq has invested in 233 companies over the last 13 years, with an average of 8 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 6 investments, while as of May 2026, it has made 2 investments in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in Siin and most recent follow-on round was in Erad.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2025 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
2024 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
2023 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
2022 | 18 | 3 | 21 |
2021 | 19 | 9 | 28 |
2020 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
2019 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
2018 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
2017 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
VentureSouq's Investments by Stage
VentureSouq has made 64 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $3.27M, 25 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $15.6M and 9 investments in Angel stage.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 64 |
Series A | 25 |
Angel | 9 |
Series B | 7 |
Unattributed | 2 |
Others | 2 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
VentureSouq's Investments by Sector
VentureSouq has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Enterprise Applications, FinTech, Consumer, Retail and Transportation and Logistics Tech. Notably, it has invested in 205 Tech companies, 140 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 118 Software companies and at least 99 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Enterprise Applications | 38 |
FinTech | 38 |
Consumer | 35 |
Retail | 22 |
Transportation and Logistics Tech | 11 |
Others | 113 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
VentureSouq's Investments by Geography
VentureSouq has made most investments in United Arab Emirates (27), followed by United States where it has made 25 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
United Arab Emirates | 27 |
United States | 25 |
Saudi Arabia | 15 |
India | 7 |
United Kingdom | 6 |
Others | 29 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
VentureSouq's recent investments
VentureSouq has made 2 investments in 2026 so far - Siin and MilkStraw AI.Here are the most recent investments by VentureSouq:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 05, 2026 | Saudi Arabia | Seed | 5817 | [+2] | |
Jan 06, 2026 | United States | Seed | 5562 | ||
Sep 19, 2025 | Saudi Arabia | Seed | 3521 | [+3] | |
Sep 08, 2025 | United Arab Emirates | Seed | 3253 | [+3] | |
May 15, 2025 | Singapore | Series A | 7415 | [+7] |
Unicorns in VentureSouq's Portfolio
VentureSouq has 10 unicorns in its portfolio - TRM Labs, Substack, Tabby and others. The most recent unicorn in their portfolio is TRM Labs. It became a unicorn in 2026.Here is a list of unicorns in VentureSouq's portfolio:
Tracxn Score | Company | Short Description | Founded year | Sector | Location | Company Stage | First Investment/ Acquisition Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
66 | Provider of blockchain intelligence for detecting crypto-facilitated crime and compliance | 2018 | San Francisco | Series C | ncgxofk | ||
83 | Platform allowing writers to publish and monetize their content directly with readers. | 2017 | San Francisco | Series C | apmlske | ||
83 | Provider of purchase financing solutions for businesses | 2019 | Riyadh | Series E | nxrhqrn | ||
73 | App-based platform offering ride-hailing and on-demand services | 2017 | Algiers | Series B | jgszefh | ||
68 | Digital company offering payment and corporate financial cards | 2019 | New York City | Series C | {v{abis |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in VentureSouq's Portfolio
1 of VentureSouq's portfolio company became public - Zoomcar. It got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), in Dec 2023.Here are VentureSouq's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 29, 2023 | Dec 20, 2016 | Series B | 3701 |
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Acquired companies in VentureSouq's Portfolio
27 companies from VentureSouq's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Regology in Jun 2026 by Bloomberg Industry Group for $*****.Here are VentureSouq's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 03, 2026 | - | - | 3702 | |
Jun 02, 2026 | - | - | 5996 | |
Mar 31, 2026 | - | - | 4166 | |
Feb 12, 2026 | Jul 10, 2019 | Seed | 4039 | |
Nov 10, 2025 | - | - | 5313 |
Team profile of VentureSouq
VentureSouq has a team of 11 members including 6 Partners and 1 Venture Partner located in United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. VentureSouq's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of top team members in VentureSouq:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | United Arab Emirates | - | - | |
Partner | United Arab Emirates | - | ||
Partner | United Arab Emirates | - | ||
Partner | Saudi Arabia | - | ||
Partner | Saudi Arabia | - | - | |
Partner | United Arab Emirates | - | - | |
Venture Partner | Riyadh | - |
Co-investors of VentureSouq
Over the past 13 years, 738 investors have co-invested in VentureSouq's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before VentureSouq: Y Combinator, 500 Global and 163 others have invested in rounds before VentureSouq. There are 22 companies where Y Combinator has invested before VentureSouq and 6 companies where 500 Global has invested before VentureSouq.
- Top Co-investors of VentureSouq: 312 investors entered a company along with VentureSouq. These include investors like Y Combinator (9 companies).
- Invested after VentureSouq: A total of 261 investors have invested in VentureSouq's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Endeavor (6 companies), Dubai Future District Fund (4 companies) and FJ Labs (3 companies).
Recent News related to VentureSouq
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Siin Raises $3M Seed Funding Led by VentureSouq to Expand Live Shopping in the Gulfentarabi.com•May 05, 2026•Siin, VentureSouq, Shift Group, Shift
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Quill Launches Sovereign AI Agent, Raises $6.5MAiThority•Feb 26, 2026•Quill Notes, Basis Set Ventures, 500 Global, Quill and 9 others
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VentureSouq Closes $50 Million FinTech Fund II to Accelerate MENA Startup GrowthTechgist Africa•Sep 25, 2025•VentureSouq
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Prosus Ventures Invests $3.6M in Orbii for AI-Powered SME Lending Expansion in MENAEuropaWire•Sep 08, 2025•Orbii, Prosus, DASH Ventures, VentureSouq and 2 others
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Tradoor Secures $3.2 Million in FundingPANews•May 20, 2025•Tradoor, Ton Ventures, Kenetic, Protagonist and 1 other
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Tradoor Secures $3.2M to Develop Fastest DEX on TON BlockchainGlobeNewswire•May 15, 2025•Tradoor, Ton Ventures, Kenetic, Sigilfund and 6 others
