Qatar has added $2 billion to its flagship venture capital “fund of funds” initiative, taking the programme’s total commitment to $3 billion as the Gulf state intensifies efforts to attract global investors and founders to Doha and diversify its economy beyond hydrocarbons.
Announcing the expansion at Web Summit Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said the country was moving “from momentum to scale,” framing the larger pool of capital as a signal of Qatar’s long-term ambition to build a deeper pipeline of venture-backed companies and investment expertise locally.
Qatar Investment Authority said five new managers have joined the programme — Greycroft, Ion Pacific, Liberty City Ventures, Shorooq and Speedinvest — covering specialisms across AI, fintech, blockchain technology, infrastructure and special situations.
The programme now supports 12 regional and international fund managers with a presence in Doha, the QIA statement said, positioning the city as a base not just for capital deployment but for operating talent and networks that can help scale portfolio companies.
QIA chief executive Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi said the incoming managers collectively oversee almost $10 billion in assets under management and are expected to encourage portfolio companies to establish regional headquarters in Qatar, adding to the country’s pitch as an entrepreneurship hub.
Alongside the fund expansion, QIA said it is partnering with Qatar Development Bank to provide AI compute credits via Qai to startups and portfolio companies of participating funds that are based in Qatar — a benefit designed to appeal to AI-native businesses facing high training and inference costs.
Separately, Qatar’s prime minister also announced plans for a 10-year residency programme for entrepreneurs and senior executives, in a move that mirrors longer-term visa schemes rolled out by regional neighbours competing for the same pool of founders and skilled workers.
Business News Asia