Last week marked the second anniversary of our First Close at Nama Ventures. In venture capital (VC) terms, this means it has been two years since we officially opened our doors to fund startups. It’s incredible how time flies—especially when you’re doing what you’re passionate about.
Over the past two years, Nama Ventures Fund I has made more than 30 investments and gained the trust of 60+ investors. It’s been a remarkable journey, especially considering that the fund’s first investor was none other than myself. Today, I want to share with our LinkedIn network why I started Nama Ventures and the vision that drives us forward.
Why I Started Nama Ventures
Nama Ventures is the result of two major events I witnessed simultaneously. The first is the rise of the operator investor, more specifically, ex-operators turned investors. These are individuals who were once entrepreneurs themselves, bringing invaluable experience from their tech entrepreneurship journeys. The second is what I’ve coined as the 3rd Entrepreneurial Awakening in MENA.
However, the key insight that led me to launch Nama Ventures was the realization that the region had matured enough to support a venture capital fund dedicated to pre-seed investments. This fund is made up of technical founders investing in technology startups, which sets us apart in the market. With close to 80 investments in startups and funds, the most interesting conversations I’ve had are about my personal entrepreneurial experience, both in Silicon Valley and MENA. Discussing not just the successes but also the challenges has allowed us to truly connect with founders. This is where Nama Ventures differentiates itself: we’ve been in the entrepreneurs’ shoes.
The Core Elements of Nama Ventures’ Success
This incredible journey would not have been possible without three key elements coming together:
- Our Investors (Limited Partners – LPs)
The unsung heroes of Nama Ventures are the 60+ investors who trusted us to invest on their behalf in one of the riskiest asset classes—venture capital. They believed in us when we were just getting started, and some have doubled down on their support over time. Our investors come from across MENA, Europe, Canada, and even Silicon Valley. We owe much of Nama’s strength not just to its team, but to the unwavering trust and support of its investors. Many of them have rolled up their sleeves to add value to our portfolio companies, and for that, we are deeply grateful. - The Nama Ventures Team
Our team at Nama Ventures is small, tight-knit, and hardworking. I always say that ethics and work ethics are hard to teach, and the Nama team excels in both. We are a flat organization of “doers”, driven by the passion for what we do. At Nama Ventures, it doesn’t feel like a job—it feels like a calling. - Our Founders
None of this would be possible without the founders we support. In venture capital, our incentives for success are completely aligned with the startups we back. As a pre-seed fund, Nama Ventures only wins if our portfolio of startups wins. We work tirelessly to help our founders succeed by providing value through our expertise as technology professionals, ex-entrepreneurs, and early investors. We learn as much from our founders as they learn from us, and we are constantly trying to improve. The Nama Ventures of today looks very different from when we first started, thanks to the lessons we’ve learned from our amazing founders, who have become part of the Nama Ventures clan.
Looking to the Future: Building on Two Years of Success
As we celebrate two years, I can confidently say that we are just getting started. The future is incredibly bright for Nama Ventures and the broader MENAP tech scene. We are continuously impressed by the quality deal flow we’re seeing, and there hasn’t been a month without an investment.
We’re already laying the groundwork for Fund II and exploring new, exciting funding products with new partners. We remain committed to supporting startup founders and exceeding the expectations of our investors. With your continued trust and support, we hope to keep backing innovative technology startups for many years to come.
