Nuwa Capital
Nuwa Capital is a venture capital firm with offices in Dubai, Riyadh and Cairo, regulated by the DFSA. Its first vehicle is Nuwa Ventures Fund I, anchored by Al Faisaliah Group.
Industry: Venture capital | Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Founded: 2020
About Nuwa Capital
Nuwa Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in technology startups in the Middle East and North Africa. It has offices in Dubai, Riyadh and Cairo. The firm is incorporated in the Dubai International Financial Centre and is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority to manage a collective investment fund and advise on financial products, limited to qualified investor funds structured as venture capital funds.
The National reported in February 2021 that the firm was founded in February 2020 by Khaled Talhouni, Sarah Abu Risheh and Stephanie Prince. Talhouni is managing partner and previously managed Wamda Capital. Abu Risheh is partner for investments and Prince is partner for network and operations. Nitin Reen and Victor Sunyer are also partners. Ziad Al-Tunisi, group chief executive of Al Faisaliah Group, chairs the board.
Its first vehicle is Nuwa Ventures Fund I. When Arab News reported on the fund in February 2021, it had a target of $100 million and was about 75 percent closed. Al Faisaliah Group, a Riyadh-based holding company, is the anchor investor, and The National counted ten backers in total. The firm said it would invest across the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey and Pakistan.
The firm also runs the Nuwa Network, a group of entrepreneurs who mentor portfolio companies, and operating partners with expertise in areas such as product, growth, recruitment, fundraising and legal. In summer 2021 it launched VC-IN-Training, a quarterly programme with a six-week course on vetting investments in the regional venture market.
Its website lists twelve portfolio companies. In Dubai they are Tapper, BOI, Mantas, Silkhaus and Eyewa. In Riyadh they are Nafes, Mala, ClearGrid and Muwazana. The others are Gowit in Istanbul, Calo in Manama and Homzmart in Cairo. Talhouni's biography names earlier investments including Careem and Mumzworld.
In September 2026, TechScoop reported that Nuwa Capital was among the existing investors that returned for the 22 million dollar Series A of the Riyadh-based lender erad, which was led by Middle East Venture Partners. The sources reviewed do not report a final close of Nuwa Ventures Fund I.
Leadership
- Khaled Talhouni, Founder and Managing Partner
- Sarah Abu Risheh, Co-founder and Partner, Investments
- Stephanie Nour Prince, Co-founder and Partner, Network and Operations
- Nitin Reen, Partner, Value Creation
- Victor Sunyer, Partner
- Arnav Danthi, Principal
- Ziad Al-Tunisi, Chairman of the Board
- Alejandro Carbon, Board member