Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund expands venture capital programme by $2 billion

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is seeking to expand its venture capital (VC) initiative by $2 billion, raising the programme's total capital commitment to $3 billion. 

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, who announced the expansion in his address at the Web Summit Qatar held in Doha, said the year 2026 would mark a shift from momentum to scale. 

QIA’s Fund of Funds program, which currently supports 12 regional and international fund managers in Qatar, will welcome five new VC funds into its fold. 

The new funds represent specialities across AI, fintech, blockchain, infrastructure and special situations, the sovereign wealth fund said in a statement on Sunday.

“With an aggregate AUM of nearly $10 billion the new funds joining the program will support our efforts to develop Qatar as a regional hub for VC expertise,” said Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, CEO of QIA. 

“While Doha represents the first international office for many of our funds, these managers are also encouraging their portfolio companies to establish their regional HQ here – further positioning Doha as a hub for entrepreneurs.”

The five VC funds joining the initiative include the $4-billion multi-stage, multi-strategy VC firm Greycroft; Ion Pacific, a VC structured secondaries and special-situations manager with approximately $700 million under management; and Liberty City Ventures, a VC fund and incubator with $2.4 billion of assets under management. 

Others include tech-focused investment firm Shorooq and European VC firm Speedinvest, with more than €1.2 billion in assets under management and six offices across EMEA. 

The Fund of Funds program, launched during the Web Summit event in 2024, has since commitment north of $1 billion to regional and global VC firms.