Qatar Investment Authority plans to invest in five venture capital funds

DOHA - Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) plans to invest in five new venture capital funds, Greycroft, Ion Pacific, Liberty City Ventures, Shorooq, and Speedinvest, as part of its expanded $3 billion 'fund of funds' venture capital program, according to a statement on Monday. 

The new funds are set to open offices in Doha in an effort to develop Qatar as a venture capital hub, the statement added.

The move builds directly on a major announcement made just a day earlier by Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

During the opening of Web Summit Qatar 2026 on Sunday, the Prime Minister revealed that QIA would increase its venture capital program by $2 billion, boosting the existing $1 billion Fund of Funds initiative to a total of $3 billion. 

The program, originally launched in February 2024, aims to attract leading international and regional venture capital firms to establish a presence in Doha, foster entrepreneurship, and support economic diversification away from hydrocarbon revenues toward innovation, technology, and healthcare sectors.

The five new venture capital funds selected for investment are:

• Greycroft — A prominent US-based firm known for early-stage investments in consumer and enterprise technology.
• Ion Pacific — Focused on innovative tech and growth opportunities, often with a global outlook.
• Liberty City Ventures — A New York-based VC specializing in fintech, blockchain, and digital economy startups.
• Shorooq — A UAE-headquartered firm active in the MENA region, investing in tech-driven companies.
• Speedinvest — An Austria-based European VC powerhouse with a strong track record in fintech, deep tech, and SaaS.

These commitments are tied to a key condition: the funds are expected to open offices in Doha. This requirement aligns with the program's broader goal of building a robust local venture capital hub, encouraging knowledge transfer, job creation in high-growth sectors, and increased startup activity in Qatar.

The expansion comes at a time of growing momentum in Qatar's VC ecosystem. In 2025, venture capital investments in the country surged 81% year-on-year to a record QAR 214 million (approximately $58 million), according to a report by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) in collaboration with MAGNiTT. 

The Fund of Funds has already anchored multiple firms in Doha since its inception, with over $500 million deployed to earlier participants such as B Capital, Builders VC, Deerfield Management, Human Capital, Utopia Capital Management, Rasmal Ventures (Qatar's homegrown VC), and Founders Circle Capital (the seventh to join as of late 2025).

By drawing global VC players to Qatar, QIA seeks to close funding gaps for local and regional entrepreneurs, particularly in priority areas like technology and healthcare. The initiative complements other diversification efforts, including a newly introduced 10-year residency program for entrepreneurs and senior executives, designed to attract talent and investment.

This latest step underscores Qatar's strategic push to position itself as a competitive innovation center in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, leveraging its substantial financial resources—QIA manages hundreds of billions in assets—to catalyze long-term economic resilience and growth beyond traditional energy dependence.