The Qatar Investment Authority is set to invest in five new venture capital funds as part of its expanded $3 billion venture capital program, reinforcing Qatar’s ambition to position Doha as a regional venture capital hub.
The selected funds—Greycroft, Ion Pacific, Liberty City Ventures, Shorooq, and Speedinvest—are expected to establish offices in Doha as part of the initiative, according to a statement from QIA.
The investments fall under Qatar’s Fund of Funds initiative, launched in 2024 to attract international VC managers, strengthen the local startup ecosystem, and support economic diversification beyond hydrocarbons—mirroring similar strategies adopted across the Gulf.
The program’s expansion to a total size of up to $3 billion was announced by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during the opening of Web Summit Qatar.
“This year, we move from momentum to scale,” the Prime Minister said, signaling a shift from ecosystem seeding toward deeper capital deployment.
As part of the expansion, QIA is widening its investment scope beyond Series A and B rounds to include later-stage opportunities. “We are now expanding the scope to do later rounds, which opens conversations with a different set of managers,” said Mohsin Pirzada, Head of Funds at QIA, in comments to Reuters. He added that QIA will continue to support early-stage investments, noting that domestic capital pools—such as credit and lending facilities—remain available for younger companies.
QIA currently manages approximately $580 billion in assets, according to Global SWF. As part of its broader innovation strategy, the fund launched Qai last year, reflecting Qatar’s growing focus on artificial intelligence as a driver of long-term economic growth.
Complementing the Fund of Funds initiative, Qatar has also introduced a pilot computing credit program, offering free computing resources to startups based in Doha. The program could be extended to VC managers participating in the scheme and is positioned as a competitive advantage for Qatar relative to other regional ecosystems.
Pirzada described the initiative as “a major differentiator” in how Qatar is structuring its venture capital platform compared to regional peers.
