BOOSTING AMAZING ENTREPRENEURS FROM GROUND ZERO INTO OUTER SPACE
BURNING FACTOR
As an early stage venture capital firm in the UAE, our vision is to reinvent the Middle East through innovation and technology entrepreneurship.
Whether at the Seed, or through to Series B, we love investing and supporting early stage technology ventures in the Middle East. As ex-entrepreneurs ourselves, we know it’s not always easy to get a startup off the ground. We were in your shoes once upon a time, and we’ve gone through the journey too, from the kernel of an idea, and all the way through to raising funds to build something special.
LAUNCHING ANGLE
The launching angle is crucial to the successful launch of a rocket ship into outer space and is extremely rare. It is the optimal point at which the fundamental attributes for successful propulsion join together. Just like in the case of a startup, we believe that there is an optimal balance of various attributes and elements that drastically increases the likelihood of success and is crucial to making the right investment decision.
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T = Team
We look for extraordinary management teams with clarity of vision, solid execution and a lot of tenacity.
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Tr = Transformational
We love game changing ideas with compelling value propositions that drastically change the status quo.
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S = Scale
We like companies that target large addressable markets and can become the technology titans of our region.
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D = Defensibility
We look for moats and business elements that can create sustainable competitive advantage.
-
T = Team
We look for extraordinary management teams with clarity of vision, solid execution and a lot of tenacity.
-
Tr = Transformational
We love game changing ideas with compelling value propositions that drastically change the status qou.
-
S = Scale
We like companies that target large addressable markets and can become the technology titans of our region.
-
D = Defensibility
We look for moats and business elements that can create sustainable competitive advantage.
INVESTMENT REMIT
We like Bold and Daring Founders looking to tackle whitespaces with Deep Regional markets or founders emanating from the region with Global Aspirations that have demonstrated Product Market Fit.
SECTOR
We are sector agnostic, we follow the best visionary founders building lasting and robust technology and technology enabled businesses. We do however have an affinity for businesses which demonstrate high defensibility through moats, switching costs and capital efficient models.
STAGE
We like to lead Late Seed, pre Series A, and Series A rounds where we aim for an initial ownership of at least 15% with greater flexibility towards more capital efficient business models.
Our ideal initial investment is up to $2m. However, we can go as high as $5m depending on ownership and how much Product Market Fit is demonstrated.
GEOGRAPHY
We only invest in founders and/or engineering teams that are based in the GCC, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Venture capital requires proximity, especially at the stages where we help create value from Late Seed through to Series B and so being physically close to the founding team is important for us to compound value creation for you.
WHEN TO APPROACH US
We encourage you to approach us as early as possible. We like to build chemistry and relationships and track your progress from the early stages. We can also give you guidance as to what we would like to see in order for us to invest and this will speed up the process at the time of investment.
What we can do for you
We view ourselves as lieutenants in an army led by our founders. We are there when they need us, and on the sidelines when they don't - during both the good and tough times. We champion our founders to make sure they are able to focus on the health of their company and team. We look to create transformational value for our portfolio companies through:
Fundraising: this includes helping with fundraising through our dedicated team to assist in raising growth capital from our network of global top tier investors.
Network + Talent: accessing key decision makers, including regulators where necessary, helping with business development and helping recruit for crucial roles.
Data: through leveraging our in-house data analytics engines, we provide our portfolio companies with ongoing analytics insights focused on the quality of product market fit.
How to approach us
We invest in resourceful founders so we encourage you to be resourceful and find a warm intro to a partner or member of the investment team at BECO. Find people who know us well and will make the intro.
We like to lead Late Seed, pre Series A, and Series A rounds where we aim for an initial ownership of at least 15% with greater flexibility towards more capital efficient business models.
Our ideal initial investment is up to $2m. However, we can go as high as $5m depending on ownership and how much Product Market Fit is demonstrated.
What to expect from our process
We pride ourselves on making decisions in a fast, transparent and efficient manner. We respect founders’ time and aim to give a “yes” or “no” within two weeks from initial engagement, assuming all informational requests are provided in a timely manner.
PORTFOLIO
Ajar Online is a cloud service built for the real estate market in the GCC that offers a quick and efficient online rent collection via SMS and Email.
Bayzat is a technology company that provides insurance and HR solutions. They help individuals and companies compare, buy and use their health insurance with an intuitive app and HR professionals automate administrative work by ensuring that all HR processes are centralized, accessible and secure.
The leading taxi aggregator in the Middle East
DUPLAYS is a sports league and event management company that helps organise activities in 8 cities with over 60,000 members. They deliver great sport, fitness and team building activities where you live.
Fetchr helps local merchants and global brands build, launch and grow profitable eCommerce businesses with an easy to use proprietary shipping and logistics solution.
JadoPado is a marketplace where people around the world come together to buy and sell great stuff!
JadoPado lets you sell new, used and refurbished products directly to buyers. Sellers handle their own stores including products, offers, orders and fulfilment, while making sure everything looks great!
JadoPado gives buyers incredible choice across a wide range of categories and an easy to use, secure experience. JadoPado handles payments on behalf of sellers and pays them out after you’ve received your purchase.
Laimoon is a discovery platform that helps individuals find courses, jobs, and professional development advice. The company currently focusses on the UAE and the wider GCC region.
Myki is an identity management solution that eliminates the need for usernames and passwords. They are the only secure password manager, password generator and authenticator designed with privacy in mind.
PropertyFinder operates real estate portals across the Middle East. Available in both English and Arabic, its websites provide visitors with search facilities covering residential and commercial properties for rent or for sale, real estate news, home advice, and buying and selling guides.
RoundMenu is an online and mobile social guide for dining out. Currently operating in 3 countries (UAE, KSA and Singapore), RoundMenu uses social media data from Instagram, Foursquare , Facebook and TripAdvisor to rank restaurants and guide its members based on social recommendations.
The Middle East's first online car buying service. Sell any car to us. Guaranteed purchase & payment within 30 minutes.
Fresha is a SaaS booking platform for Salons and Spas that manages all aspects of running a small business. They are trusted by businesses in more than 120+ countries.
Syarah is marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of for new and used cars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Vezeeta.com is the Healthcare industry-leading startup from Cairo, Egypt. They are pioneering the shift to automated physician, clinic and hospital bookings and have become the go-to marketplace with comprehensive access to healthcare providers of every discipline.
Wrappup is a meeting based productivity app that directs results oriented meetings. It is the first app to leverage the richness of verbal communication through an intelligent voice recorder. At the push of a button, users can tag and organize the most important points of discussion as contextualized notes.
Bulkwhiz is a bulk value ecommerce solution for consumers and small businesses, offered through a mobile app and website with the goal of making the grocery buying experience cheaper, faster and more convenient for households across the Middle East.
Swvl is mass transportation startup connecting commuters with private busses through a mobile app. The company aims to fix public transportation in emerging markets across the world by providing transparency, reliability and convenience associated to a person's daily commute.
Wahed Invest is an SEC registered investment advisory. It is the first automated Shari’ah complaint investment platform in the world. Wahed's mission is to provide a safe, reliable, and truly automated Shari’ah compliant investment vehicle to Islamic investors across the globe.
Proximie is a software platform combining augmented reality and telehealth to virtually transport a surgical expert into the operating room regardless of location, to mentor, train and collaborate with the operating surgeon.
Kitopi is a smart managed kitchen network leveraging technology to optimise restaurant delivery operations and power the on-demand food economy. Kitopi has the vision to create the most advanced and efficient cloud kitchen network across the world – working with an array of international and local brands to power their on-demand operations from cooking to delivery.
Tenderd helps contractors procure and manage quality construction machinery as and when they need it.
Tribal is building the financial rails for startups in emerging markets, starting with a corporate card.
MaxAB is re-engineering the food and grocery market, using data-driven technologies and state of the art supply chains.
MENA's leading micro-mobility company
PORTFOLIO IMPACT
TEAM
Dany is a successful serial entrepreneur and investor, with many exits from ventures in a variety of industries. Dany co-founded and exited Bayt.com, the Middle East’s largest job site, Butlers, the UAE’s largest commercial laundry company and Intercat, one of the largest catering companies in the UAE. Prior to that, Dany worked at Lehman Brothers in London for 3 years after gaining a BSc from UCL (University College London) in Statistics, Operations Research and Economics.
Prior to joining BECO, Yousef held various roles with General Electric, most recently as a Commercial Operation Director for GE’s Aviation business, responsible for managing sales campaigns for Saudia Arabia and Turkey. Before that, Yousef worked in the GE & Mubadala $5 billion joint venture. He also co-founded multiple businesses in Saudi Arabia: Cafe Arab, an artistic social space and coffee shop; Eventana, a corporate event management firm and Chemya, an industrial chemicals and lubes distributor. Yousef has also been an active angel investor over the past few years where he invested in multiple startups, regionally and internationally.
A member of the BECO team since 2012, Dona oversees all day-to-day office management. Dona is also responsible for all accounting, bookkeeping and payroll activities, in addition to HR tasks at BECO. With more than 11 years of experience, Dona’s prior roles have been in both Dubai and the Philippines, having started her career there at Nestlé.
Noor’s role as a data analyst entails integrating analytical models into BECO’s operations. Prior to joining the team, Noor interned for an AI-powered market research startup in London, delivering data insights to high-profile clients, including McKinsey & Co., Uber and Unilever. She completed her masters from UCL (University College London) in Urban Analytics, and her BSc from Cornell University in Landscape Architecture. Noor is passionate about being part of the region’s fast-pace and dynamic startup culture, while working towards unlocking valuable insights on the ecosystem’s growth trajectory.
Firas started his career with Samba Financial Group, one of the region’s largest banks based in Saudi Arabia where he was an Investment Associate within the Private Equity team. He then moved to an investor relations role with Greenstone Equity Partners where he worked along side global managers assisting with fundraising efforts across multiple asset classes. Firas is a Saudi national who has a passion for Venture Capital and is keen to witness the advancement of regional venture and startup ecosystem. He holds a BSc in Finance and Business Administration from Portland State University, USA.
Judy’s passion and a maybe-healthy obsession with events stems from a very young age. Designing and delivering experiences, creating emotion, and increasing brands’ public visibility is her driving force and passion. With experience at Saudi Aramco and Quintessentially Events Dubai, Judy has worked with clients including real estate companies, luxury goods & jewelry companies, and transportation technology companies. Judy joined BECO in late 2018 to add value to portfolio companies through community events and support growth in MENA’s tech ecosystem.
BECO Capital
GROUND CONTROL
BECO CAPITAL
Office No. 105 One Central, The Offices 4,
Dubai World Trade Center, PO Box 333357,
Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 299 9844
Note: We look for resourceful founders. The best way to apply for an investment is by finding a warm intro to one of the partners or members of the BECO investment team.