Deep Tech · Corporate VC · Active
Wa'ed Ventures
Wa'ed Ventures is a $500M corporate venture fund wholly owned by Saudi Aramco, founded 2011 (rebranded 2023 with expanded global mandate), Riyadh-based. Invested $270M+ across 75+ startups.
Investment thesis
Wa'ed Ventures is a $500M corporate venture fund wholly owned by Saudi Aramco, founded 2011 (rebranded 2023 with expanded global mandate), Riyadh-based. Invested $270M+ across 75+ startups. Cheques $1-30M; dual mandate of Saudi ecosystem development plus strategic localization of global frontier technologies into the Kingdom. Focus: energy, industrial tech, fintech, AI and quantum.
Quantum bet: Pasqal (French neutral atoms, PROQCIMA selectee, Alain Aspect Nobel-laureate co-founder). Wa'ed participated in Pasqal's €100M ($108M) Series B January 2023 alongside Temasek (lead), EIC Fund, Bpifrance Large Venture Fund and Quantonation. Strategic follow-through culminated Nov 2025 in the deployment of a Pasqal 200-qubit neutral-atom quantum computer at Aramco's Dhahran data center — the Middle East's first quantum computer and the first globally dedicated to industrial applications.
Value-add is unmatched among CVCs: a live, operating quantum computer inside the parent company's data center, plus Aramco's industrial pull on oil & gas optimization, catalysis and materials simulation — the energy sector is widely regarded as the highest near-term commercial quantum use case.
Differentiated as the sovereign-aligned Gulf CVC that has delivered concrete industrial deployment from a financial investment — a proof of near-term quantum commercialization that no other CVC can match.
Anti-thesis
The patterns that trigger a fast no with this fund.
- Will not lead frontier hardware bets without a clear Aramco or sovereign use case anchor.
Notable quantum portfolio
Full portfolio →Reach out to Wa'ed Ventures
A cold email and a 1-page brief, ready in two clicks.