Vienna-Based Speedinvest Launches MEA-Focused Fund Backed by Mubadala, Qatar Investment Authority, And European Investment Bank

Speedinvest, a Vienna-based venture capital (VC) firm, has launched its first flagship fund for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), backed by the Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala Investment Company, as well as the Qatari sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), and the European Investment Bank (EIB Global), among other institutional investors. 

The new fund, which will target early and growth-stage startups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), will deploy capital in fintech and embedded finance startups, alongside those operating in healthtech, climate, artificial intelligence (AI), consumer technology, and core digital infrastructure. 

While Speedinvest began in Vienna as a EUR10 million (US$11.0 million) micro-fund, it has since grown into an EMEA-focused platform operating out of six offices with EUR1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) assets under management (AUM), and more than 400 portfolio companies, investing from pre-seed through growth stages. Speedinvest's portfolio includes European companies such as Bitpanda, GoStudent, Tide, ARX Robotics, Seqera Labs, cylib, and Gigs, alongside MEA investments in companies like Moove, FairMoney, Khazna, Abhi, Mophones, and Flow48, reflecting its expanding footprint across emerging markets in the region. 

Speaking to Inc. Arabia, Rana Abdel Latif, Partner at Speedinvest, shared that the firm’s investment model is built around a highly focused, founder-first approach. “At its core, Speedinvest backs ambitious founders building global companies from Europe and beyond,” she said. “The firm is sector-focused, with specialist teams across areas such as fintech, deep tech, AI and infrastructure, climate and industrial tech, health and bio, and growth. Just as important, the model is built around conviction and support: each specialist team backs only a small number of new companies each year and leads most initial rounds, which means founders get a hands-on partner, not just capital.” 

The launch of Speedinvest’s new fund reflects this same philosophy being applied to address a structural gap in the MEA by combining early-growth capital with cross-border support. “The gap is not ambition or founder quality," Abdel Latif noted. "Across the MEA, exceptional founders are building in large, fast-moving markets, but too many still face a shortage of specialist capital at the point where companies need to move from local traction to regional and global scale. This fund is designed to address exactly that: early growth-stage backing, with sector expertise, local partnerships, and a broader network that can help companies scale across markets." 

Abdel Latif also noted that while Speedinvest has long been active in the region, the new fund marks a shift from siloed deployments to a more structured, dedicated strategy. Indeed, the firm's latest expansion will be backed by dedicated capital, on-the-ground teams, and long-term partnerships structured to support both European and MEA-based startups as they scale internationally. “What changes now is focus and execution," Abdel Latif said. "Speedinvest has already been investing in the region for years, with portfolio companies including Moove, FairMoney, Khazna, Abhi, Mophones, Flow48, Pemo, and Abwab. But those investments were previously made from Speedinvest’s broader European vehicles. The new fund formalizes that activity with dedicated capital, a dedicated regional strategy, and a stronger on-the-ground presence." 

Rana Abdel Latif, Partner at Speedinvest.

As the firm thus sharpens its regional focus, Abdel Latif shared how Speedinvest is defining its priorities and where it is directing capital. “Fintech and embedded finance are central, because in the MEA, they are not just verticals; they are enabling layers for the broader digital economy," she explained. "Speedinvest’s fintech strategy explicitly focuses on embedded finance and on products that increase access and mobility. The next wave is likely to come from that intersection: sector-specific software plus financial rails. In health, that could mean better access, underwriting, and payments infrastructure. In climate and industrial systems, it could mean financing layers for energy, supply chains, or resilience. In AI, the opportunity is less about generic models and more about solving high-friction regional problems with data, workflow, and automation.”  

Abdel Latif also noted that while many of these sectors are already at a relatively mature stage in terms of adoption and investment readiness across the region, others are progressing at different speeds. “The difference is maturity," she added. "Fintech is already highly investable because demand is clear and monetization is proven. Health and climate can be very large, but they often require longer adoption cycles, stronger partnerships, and more operational depth. AI can scale quickly in software-like models, but the strongest companies will be the ones solving tangible business problems rather than simply adding AI to the pitch." 

Speedinvest’s growing presence in the region follows its selection as one of the venture capital firms participating in Qatar Investment Authority’s expanded Fund of Funds program, announced during Web Summit Qatar 2026. The backing from Mubadala underscores institutional confidence in the firm’s regional approach and investment track record, while EIB Global's participation is expected to help expand funding flows into early- stage African startups working on digital inclusion, financial access, and cross-border innovation between Africa and Europe. 

Abdel Latif emphasized that this level of institutional participation also serves as a broader vote of confidence in the evolution of MEA venture capital. “The backing from Mubadala, QIA, and EIB Global is very meaningful," she said. "It shows that the MEA venture ecosystem is maturing from a promising opportunity set into an institutionally backed asset class. QIA’s Fund of Funds program is explicitly designed to attract leading global VC managers into Qatar and the wider GCC. Mubadala’s support reinforces confidence in regionally anchored managers and ecosystems. EIB Global’s participation adds another signal: international development and institutional capital see venture-backed innovation in Africa and MEA as strategic, scalable, and increasingly investable." 

Given that the launch of the fund is coming at a time of market uncertainty, Abdel Latif said it is a deliberate signal of confidence in the region’s underlying growth drivers. “Launching now signals long-term conviction," she explained. "The short-term environment may be volatile, but the structural drivers are very strong: a young and growing population, rapid digital adoption, and in many markets the ability to leapfrog legacy infrastructure. That is especially visible in categories like fintech and embedded finance, where founders are not just digitizing existing systems, but building entirely new rails for payments, lending, commerce, health, and logistics."

For founders operating in such a business climate, Abdel Latif outlined a clear set of priorities. “First, optimize for durability, not just speed," she advised. "In this market, founders are rewarded for clean fundamentals: clear unit economics, disciplined burn, and a believable path from product to repeatable revenue. Second, treat governance as a growth lever, not an admin task. Clean cap tables, disciplined valuations, audited financials, and strong reporting from day one are essential because they are not only valuable when fundraising but also later in possible mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and exit discussions. Third, be ambitious about geography but precise about execution. The strongest companies are often the ones solving a local pain point while designing for cross-border, global relevance from the start. And finally, choose investors who can genuinely help beyond the round, whether that is hiring, follow-on fundraising, customer access, or expansion into new markets. That is where a platform with deep sector expertise and networks across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa can make a real difference.” 

Pictured in the lead image is the Speedinvest team. All images courtesy Speedinvest.