Beyond the Silk Roads: Middle Eastern Venture Investing, With Noor Sweid (Global Ventures)

Описание: Today we welcome one of the Middle East’s most successful angel investors and venture capitalists, listed in 'FORBES 100 Most Powerful Business Women 2025'.

Noor Sweid explains her journey, from early career in management consultancy and relocating to Dubai, followed by growing and listing a business on the London Stock Exchange and NASDAQ in 2008 (Depa), through to establishing her VC business, Global Ventures, in 2018.

She sets the scene for the investing dynamics of MENA (Middle East North Africa), where the domestic market comprises 450 million people, half of whom are below 30 years old.

Noor explains both the geographic and industry opportunities, why she established Global Ventures, and the priorities in their investment process.

From fintech, agritech, consumer goods and solving the most pressing medical challenges, she details their approach, selection criteria, and the characteristics they look for.

She explains how they prioritise, how much they become involved in their investee companies, what they look for in “winning entrepreneurs” and why they believe their success rate can be higher than typical industry norms.

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TOPICS:
00:00:00 The Surge of Venture Funding in MENA
00:03:30 A Multi-Cultural Upbringing: A Journey from Boston to Dubai
00:06:01 Investing Potential in the MENA Region
00:08:56 UAE: A Hub for Global Tech Talent
00:11:54 Strategies for Scaling a Business Globally
00:14:52 Transitioning Dubai from Tourism to Innovation Hub
00:18:07 Investment Opportunities in the GCC and Sector Agnosticism
00:21:01 Transforming Health and Banking Accessibility in MENA
00:23:58 Innovative Water Treatment and Indoor Farming Solutions
00:26:57 The Power of Founder-Led Pivoting
00:29:46 Effective Venture Capital Strategies and Risk Management
00:32:52 Importance of Patience in Venture Investments
00:35:52 Innovations in Mobile Payment Solutions in Egypt
00:39:01 Gender Disparities in Venture Capital Funding
00:42:10 Key Strategies for Successful Venture Capital Exits
00:45:18 Embracing Growth: From Media Shy to Shark Tank Star
00:48:25 Important Disclaimer on Investment Advice

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DISCLAIMER
All content on the Money Maze Podcast is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions. Guests and presenters may have positions in any of the investments discussed. The Money Maze Podcast is funded by third party advertising, with all episodes editorial - and not commercial - in relation to all interview content discussed. Please note, Money Maze Curated Podcasts do not contain third party advertising, and are instead funded by the featured interviewee and/or their business (these episodes are commercial, as opposed to editorial features).