UAE-based venture builder Disrupt.com has announced a $100m commitment to build and back AI-first technology ventures globally.
Founded by Aaqib Gadit, Uzair Gadit, and Umair Gadit – three university friends who grew up in the same household – Disrupt.com is founders’ reinvestment of capital following their successful 2022 exit of cloud hosting platform Cloudways to US-listed Digital Ocean Holdings. The $350m acquisition marked the largest exit in Pakistan’s technology sector to date, with the founders now putting the capital back into the ecosystem through a venture building approach from their UAE headquarters.
Having already deployed more than $40m across their portfolio – including in four growth-stage companies built from idea stage, seven investments in early-stage companies, and an exit valued at $350m – the new $100m commitment is an expansion of their venture building activities.
“Now is the time to be doubling down on our experience, financial investment and commitment required to help build the next wave of startups that will shape the future of the world as we know it. With Web 3.0 in its infancy and AI storming into our lives, the opportunity to problem solve and create businesses that will fit the needs of how people live and work is up for the taking. Our region can not only keep up, but lead the way. We are excited to see where this journey will take us,” said founding partner Aaqib Gadit.
Disrupt.com employs a three-pronged approach to creating value: building their own startups from scratch, co-building ventures alongside external founders, and making strategic investments in early-stage startups and VC funds. Through their ‘CoBuild’ model, they function as fractional co-founders, providing engineering, go-to-market, and operations teams to drive early adoption in a capital-efficient way.
The firm’s investments target five strategic sectors: AI, cybersecurity, Web3.0, automotive technology, and retail innovation. Disrupt.com primarily targets pre-seed to Series A stage startups that demonstrate strong organic growth potential and clear paths to profitability, rather than pursuing growth at all costs.
The announcement comes as regional funding has declined sharply, with MENA venture capital investment down 29% to just under $2bn in 2024, according to Magnitt. Saudi startups saw a 44% funding drop to $750m, while UAE funding decreased 8% to $613m, creating a challenging environment for early-stage ventures.
Disrupt.com’s current portfolio includes ZigChain, a Web3.0 platform that has scaled to more than 500,000 users and hundreds of millions in managed assets; PureSquare, a cybersecurity venture; and UAE-homegrown fitness apparel brand Squatwolf. The firm has already deployed capital as a strategic investor in several AI-focused startups including organizational transformation platform Agentnoon and climate action scaling tool Ahya.
Jim Cornall is editor of Deeptech Digest and publisher at Ayr Coastal Media. He is an award-winning writer, editor, photographer, broadcaster, designer and author. Contact Jim here.
