Web Summit signals shift in venture capital focus towards early and growth stages

Doha, Qatar: Venture capital interest in the Middle East is increasingly gravitating towards both the earliest and later stages of company building, a...

Doha, Qatar: Venture capital interest in the Middle East is increasingly gravitating towards both the earliest and later stages of company building, an official has said, sharing insights at this year’s Web Summit Qatar on the evolving investment landscape across the region.

According to Michael Lints, partner at Golden Gate Ventures, the current market shows strong availability of capital at the Series A level, where many regional and international funds are already active.

“There’s a big opportunity emerging for funds to focus on investments from MVP to seed, as well as at Series B and beyond,” Lints told The Peninsula.

“We are seeing an incredible number of founders here with strong traction, but when they reach the next stage, there are still very limited choices for value-add investors in the region.”

He noted that sub-$500,000 investments remain a largely untapped sweet spot, particularly as new startup ideas flow from universities, corporate spinouts, and first-time founders entering the ecosystem.