14 Dubai and UAE AI investors write $500K-$2B for startups in 2026. MGX, G42, and Mubadala Capital lead the biggest cheques. The UAE directed AED 543B into AI across 2024-2025.
Dubai sits at the center of a regional AI spending wave, and the cheques are huge. MGX and G42 move money that most VCs simply can't match.
Below the sovereign funds, BECO Capital and Global Ventures back early AI founders. Hub71 and Dubai Future District Fund feed the seed pipeline.
Most AI cheques need a working model, real data rights, and live users. Ellty tracks every data room open from MGX, G42, and Mubadala reviewers.
This guide covers 14 active Dubai and UAE AI investors writing cheques in 2026.
| Type | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MGX | Sovereign AI fund | $100M-$2B+ | AI infrastructure, frontier models | mgx.ae |
| G42 | Corporate VC / AI group | $50M-$1B+ | AI, sovereign cloud, Arabic LLMs | g42.ai |
| Core42 | AI infrastructure investor | $100M+ | AI cloud, compute, data infra | core42.ai |
| Mubadala Capital | Sovereign-backed PE / VC | $10M-$500M+ | AI, advanced tech, enterprise | mubadalacapital.ae |
| e& capital | Corporate VC | $5M-$30M | AI, machine learning, fintech | eand.com |
| Presight | Corporate VC / AI analytics | $1M-$10M | AI, big data, smart cities | presight.ai |
| Shorooq Partners | Seed / Series A VC | $1M-$10M | AI, deeptech, fintech | shorooq.com |
| BECO Capital | Seed / Series A / Growth VC | $150K-$10M | AI, software, fintech, proptech | becocapital.com |
| Global Ventures | Seed / Series A VC | $1M-$3M | AI, deeptech, fintech, healthtech | global.vc |
| Nuwa Capital | Seed / Series A VC | $1M-$7M | AI, adtech, retail media | nuwacapital.io |
| COTU Ventures | Pre-seed / Seed VC | $500K-$2M | AI, B2B software, agritech | cotuventures.com |
| Hub71 | Accelerator | AED 250K+ SAFE | AI, deeptech, climate, fintech | hub71.com |
| Dubai Future District Fund | Fund-of-funds / direct VC | $500K-$10M | AI, fintech, deeptech | dfdf.vc |
| DisruptAD | Sovereign-backed VC platform | $1M-$50M+ | AI, healthtech, mobility, energy | adq.ae |
Control your Dubai AI raise
UAE funds open your model docs and data room before your deck. Ellty logs every view.
Start free 14-day trialWhat an AI investor backs
An AI investor funds startups building models, tooling, or applied AI products. In the UAE that often means data and compute access too.
Sovereign funds like MGX back frontier labs, while VCs back applied AI startups. Venture capital money in the UAE skews large in 2026.
They want a real model, clean data rights, and proof users come back. Founders pitching AI VCs in Dublin face the same test.
Ellty gives each fund one trackable link and logs every open. You see who studied your model card before the call.
AI is no longer a tool. It analyses, decides, executes and improves in real time.
14 Dubai and UAE AI investors
1. MGX
MGX is Abu Dhabi's sovereign AI fund and one of the largest AI backers in the world.
Recent Deals: Joined OpenAI's $6.6B secondary in Oct 2025, backed Anthropic and xAI, part of a $40B data center buy
LinkedIn: MGX LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, AI infrastructure, frontier models, compute
Stage Focus: Growth, late-stage
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: mgx.ae
2. G42
G42 is the UAE's flagship AI group, investing in models, cloud, and Arabic LLMs.
Recent Deals: Launched Stargate UAE in May 2025 with OpenAI and Nvidia, took $1.5B from Microsoft
LinkedIn: G42 LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, sovereign cloud, Arabic LLMs, infrastructure
Stage Focus: Growth, strategic
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: g42.ai
3. Core42
Core42 is G42's compute arm, funding the AI infrastructure UAE startups run on.
Recent Deals: Secured $550M from HSBC in 2026 for AI compute, runs sovereign cloud for Abu Dhabi
LinkedIn: Core42 LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI cloud, compute, data infrastructure
Stage Focus: Infrastructure, growth
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: core42.ai
4. Mubadala Capital
Mubadala Capital backs AI and advanced tech from Series B through growth across the UAE.
Recent Deals: Co-led AppliedAI's Pre-Series B in Jan 2026, founding partner of MGX, $385B asset base
LinkedIn: Mubadala Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, advanced tech, enterprise software, data
Stage Focus: Series B, growth
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: mubadalacapital.ae
5. e& capital
e& capital is the telecom group's VC arm, backing AI and machine-learning startups.
Recent Deals: AI-core portfolio includes Traydstream, Ikigai, and Derq, active across MENA in 2026
LinkedIn: e& capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, machine learning, fintech, healthtech
Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
Location: Abu Dhabi / Dubai, UAE
Website: eand.com
6. Presight
Presight is a G42-backed AI analytics firm running a $100M AI fund with Shorooq.
Recent Deals: Co-launched a $100M AI fund Sept 2025, backed Hebbia and four more frontier-AI startups
LinkedIn: Presight LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, big data analytics, smart cities, deeptech
Stage Focus: Early-stage AI-first
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: presight.ai
Share AI pitch docs and track every fund open
Ellty shows when MGX or G42 opens your model card and data room. Follow up fast.
Start free 14-day trial7. Shorooq Partners
Shorooq Partners backs AI and deeptech founders with equity and private credit.
Recent Deals: Runs a $100M AI fund with Presight, launched the $200M Qatalyst growth fund in 2025
LinkedIn: Shorooq Partners LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, deeptech, fintech, Industry 4.0
Stage Focus: Seed, growth
Location: Abu Dhabi / Dubai, UAE
Website: shorooq.com
8. BECO Capital
BECO Capital is Dubai's anchor VC and a lead backer of AI and software startups.
Recent Deals: Closed a $370M dual fund in Sept 2025 targeting AI and software, partner to Hub71+ AI
LinkedIn: BECO Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, software, fintech, proptech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed to IPO
Location: Dubai, UAE
Website: becocapital.com
9. Global Ventures
Global Ventures backs applied AI from Dubai, including Arabic-language model startups.
Recent Deals: Backed Tarjama's $15M Series A in May 2025 for an Arabic AI model, Fund III tilts to deeptech
LinkedIn: Global Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, deeptech, fintech, healthtech, logistics
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Location: Dubai, UAE
Website: global.vc
10. Nuwa Capital
Nuwa Capital writes pre-seed to Series A cheques into UAE AI and retail-media startups.
Recent Deals: Led GoWit's AI retail-media round Nov 2025, co-invested in Aydi's $7.5M AI seed
LinkedIn: Nuwa Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, adtech, retail media, B2B software
Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series A
Location: Dubai, UAE
Website: nuwacapital.io
11. COTU Ventures
COTU Ventures backs first-cheque AI founders across the UAE from its $54M fund.
Recent Deals: Co-led Aydi's $7.5M seed Sept 2025 for an AI agronomy assistant called Orth
LinkedIn: COTU Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, B2B software, fintech, agritech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
Location: Dubai, UAE
Website: cotuventures.com
12. Hub71
Hub71 is Abu Dhabi's tech hub with a dedicated AI track and SAFE cheques for founders.
Recent Deals: Hub71+ AI track onboarded 13+ AI startups in 2025, community funding passed $2.7B
LinkedIn: Hub71 LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, deeptech, climate, fintech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series A
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: hub71.com
13. Dubai Future District Fund
Dubai Future District Fund is the city's fund-of-funds, raising its AI allocation in 2026.
Recent Deals: AED 1B anchored by DIFC, underlying funds raised $1.65B, flagged AI as a growing bet
LinkedIn: Dubai Future District Fund LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, fintech, deeptech, future economy
Stage Focus: Seed to Series B
Location: Dubai, UAE
Website: dfdf.vc
14. DisruptAD
DisruptAD is ADQ's venture platform, backing AI across health, mobility, and energy.
Recent Deals: ADQ's VC arm targets 1,000+ startups, central to Abu Dhabi's 2025 AI and data-center pivot
LinkedIn: DisruptAD / ADQ LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, healthtech, agritech, mobility, energy
Stage Focus: Seed, growth
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Website: adq.ae
Sovereign money and the AI race
The UAE's biggest AI cheques come from sovereign funds, not classic VCs. MGX, G42, and Mubadala Capital set the regional pace.
These funds back frontier labs, compute, and data centers at global scale. Founders gain from the compute these funds control.
To reach them, you need a clean data room and clear model rights. Solid due diligence prep starts before the first meeting.
A thorough AI due diligence review now defines these deals. UAE funds probe data sourcing and model risk hard.
How AI founders win term sheets
Dubai AI VCs fund working models and real usage, not slide-deck demos. BECO and Global Ventures want to see live retention.
They check your data rights, model accuracy, and cost per query. Weak data provenance ends most AI pitches very early.
Keep your model card, benchmarks, and data licences in one Ellty data room. Pitch deck tracking shows you who actually read it.
Run the technical due diligence checklist before you raise. It mirrors closely what Shorooq and Presight ask in 2026.
Arabic LLMs and applied AI bets
Arabic language models are a signature UAE bet, backed by G42 and Global Ventures. Tarjama's 2025 round showed the real investor appetite.
Applied AI in retail, health, and agriculture pulls steady seed cheques. Nuwa Capital and COTU Ventures fund those founders early.
Compute access often matters more than the cheque for model startups. G42 and Core42 can offer founders both at the same time.
Send monthly model and traction updates to keep funds engaged. Password protection on each Ellty link keeps data safe.
How to pitch a Dubai AI investor
Lead with a working model, data rights, and live users.
- 1.Show a working model, not a slide-deck demo.UAE AI funds back real proof, not promises.
- 2.Prove clean data rights and model provenance.Weak data sourcing ends most AI pitches early.
- 3.Get a warm intro via Hub71 or DFDF.Ecosystem intros beat cold emails to MGX.
- 4.Share one Ellty link per fund and track opens.Follow up when a fund reads your model card.
How Ellty helps you land an AI investor in Dubai
You've found your Dubai AI investors already. Set up a data room before your first pitch.
- 1.Upload your model card, benchmarks, and data docs.Set NDA-gated access per AI investor.
- 2.Share a unique trackable link with each UAE fund.Each fund gets one link. Ellty logs every open.
- 3.Track opens and follow up the moment they read.Use Ellty analytics to time your follow-up.
Dubai AI investor questions
- Cheques run $500K-$2B in 2026. Sovereign funds like MGX write the largest ones.
- A working model, data rights, and live users. Slide-deck demos rarely get funded.
- Sovereign funds, VCs, and accelerators all do. MGX, BECO, and Hub71 are active.
- Yes, from G42 and Core42 in many cases. Compute can matter more than the cash.
- Yes, founders raise here from abroad. A UAE entity opens most fund networks.
- Before outreach starts. Track who opens your model and data docs.
