Guest bio
- Founder and managing partner of Global Ventures, a UAE-headquartered venture capital firm managing around $400 million.
- The first woman in the region to lead an IPO, listing her family business on NASDAQ Dubai and the London Stock Exchange in 2008.
- Chairs the Middle East Venture Capital Association and has been named by Forbes among the world's top 50 women in tech.
Noor Sweid is the founder and managing partner of Global Ventures, a UAE-headquartered Series A and B venture capital firm that manages around $400 million and has made more than 60 investments across three funds in ten emerging markets. She was the first woman in the region to lead an IPO, scaling her family business from $60 million to $600 million in revenue and listing it on NASDAQ Dubai and the London Stock Exchange at around $1.1 billion in 2008. She also founded Zen Yoga, the largest yoga chain in the Middle East and North Africa, which exited in 2014, and was chief investment officer at the Dubai Future Foundation. She chairs the Middle East Venture Capital Association and wrote Coming of Age. Forbes has named her among the world's top 50 women in tech. She holds degrees from Boston College and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Show notes
In this scintillating episode of Money Majlis, host Suvo Sarkar sits down with Noor Sweid, the trailblazing founder and Managing Partner of Global Ventures. Known as one of the most influential voices in Middle Eastern venture capital, Noor brings a wealth of experience-from leading Asia’s first billion-dollar IPO to guiding startups across ten emerging markets. Under her leadership, Global Ventures manages over $400 million in assets, fostering the next wave of innovation in fintech, healthtech, agritech, and beyond.
The conversation dives deep into the real mechanics of building and scaling impactful businesses in the Middle East and Africa. Noor shares what connects her journey from a family business to global IPO, founding the MENA region’s largest yoga chain, and scaling a top-decile VC fund. She explains how her perspective evolved transitioning from founder to investor, why true “global readiness” for startups is rooted in character as much as metrics, and the persistent challenges of the elusive Series B funding gap.
Noor unpacks Global Ventures’ approach to investing: how to identify mission-driven founders, the nuanced art of supporting companies in countries where innovation often leapfrogs infrastructure and regulation, and why Series B capital is the “missing middle” in emerging markets. The discussion explores the rise of AI in less obvious sectors, the real impact of government-driven capital on local ecosystems, and the misconceptions global investors still hold about the region.
The episode also touches on Noor’s acclaimed new book, “Coming of Age,” which profiles 35 change-makers reshaping some of the world’s most complex economies, spotlighting the emotional and cultural traits essential for entrepreneurial success. Noor reflects on the broader geopolitical context, sharing her front-row seat to shifting cross-border capital flows and the evolving playbook for founders under uncertainty.
A recognized champion for women in tech, Noor candidly discusses the hurdles she has faced as a woman in traditionally male-dominated industries and offers earnest advice for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Tune in for an inspiring journey at the intersection of capital, conviction, and character.
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