• Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund QIA is adding Founders Circle Capital to its USD 1B Fund of Funds program.
• The program aims to strengthen Qatar’s VC ecosystem, investing in international and regional funds with a focus on tech and healthcare.
• FCC will open its first international office in Doha, serving as MENA headquarters and supporting high-growth startups globally.

Founders Circle

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is adding Founders Circle Capital (FCC) to its USD 1 billion venture capital Funds of Funds programme. 

This is an investment program aiming to further strengthen the venture capital landscape in Qatar. It also aims to attract venture capital funds and entrepreneurs to foster a fruitful start-up and venture capital ecosystem. The program seeks to invest more than USD 1 billion in international and regional venture capital funds. Additionally, it places a priority focus on the tech and healthcare sectors.

“QIA launched the Fund of Funds program to build bridges between the global VC ecosystem and startups in Qatar and the broader region,” said Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, CEO of QIA.

Startup Ecosystem 

QIA is investing in Founders Circle through its Fund of Funds program to support high-growth global startups. The focus spans FCC’s core sectors: software, cloud infrastructure, fintech, healthcare, and consumer internet.

Founded in 2012, Founders Circle is a San Francisco-based growth-stage venture firm. It aims to focus on the human side of investing in private companies.‎It developed two strategies to support the teams behind the next generation of influential companies. These strategies are employee liquidity solutions combined with access to a private leadership community. This aims to support founders, executives, and employees to navigate the longer life cycles in their private companies. 

This new partnership aims to scale the FCC’s ability to deliver a wider range of capital and community options. Additionally, the FCC will also establish its first international office in Doha, which will serve as its MENA regional headquarters.