UAE-based digital transactional infrastructure provider Zest Equity has announced a strategic partnership with Carta, the global leader in equity management solutions. This collaboration aims to deliver a bundled offering that streamlines the entire capital table workflow for founders in the Middle East and North Africa, covering everything from initial cleanup to long-term management. By combining Zest’s regional infrastructure with Carta’s global platform, the alliance seeks to reduce friction and improve governance for startups navigating private markets.
Unifying Regional Expertise With Global Scale
The partnership introduces a streamlined solution designed to eliminate the fragmentation often faced by high-growth companies when managing their equity and transactions. Through this collaboration, founders can access a bundled service that includes Zest Equity’s Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formation capabilities alongside Carta’s cap table management software. The initiative offers significant cost efficiencies, including a 15% discount on services from both providers, ensuring that startups can access institutional-grade infrastructure at a competitive price point.
For Carta, this move aligns with a broader vision of building an ecosystem through strong local partnerships rather than operating as a disconnected entity. Rawan A., Startups Lead for Carta in the Middle East and Africa, noted that while Carta leads globally in equity management, partnering with regionally fluent players ensures founders receive the best experience at every stage. This approach mirrors Carta’s strategy in other verticals, such as working with Morgan Stanley for IPO advisory and Stripe for US incorporation, positioning Zest Equity as the go-to partner for SPVs in the region.
Strengthening The Rails For Capital Flow
The timing of the partnership reflects the accelerating pace of the MENA startup ecosystem. With regional startups raising over $3 billion in the first nine months of 2025, the demand for robust financial infrastructure has never been higher. Zuhair Shamma’, Co-Founder and CEO of Zest Equity, emphasized that the company’s role is to ensure private capital moves more efficiently through cleaner structures and clearer governance.
Zest Equity has already supported over 180 transactions and executed more than $230 million in deal flow, validating the market’s need for digital transactional rails. By integrating with Carta, Zest aims to close the loop on deal execution, ensuring that the backend infrastructure supporting these transactions is as sophisticated as the capital flowing through them. This end-to-end integration allows companies to move away from disjointed point solutions toward a unified system that simplifies compliance and safeguards investor interests.
About Zest Equity
Zest Equity is a UAE-based digital transactional infrastructure company powering private market transactions. Anchored within the ADGM’s regulatory framework and developing its technology in the DIFC, Zest offers regulated escrow and distribution services alongside digital execution capabilities for SPV formation and deal workflow management. The platform unifies compliance, governance, and fund flows to enable seamless capital movement across jurisdictions.
About Carta
Carta is a San Francisco-based software platform that specializes in capitalization table management and valuation software. Trusted by over 50,000 companies in more than 160 countries, Carta unites data, people, and workflows to help founders, investors, and limited partners build and scale with confidence. The company’s fund administration platform supports over 8,500 funds and SPVs, representing nearly $185 billion in assets under management.
Source: LinkedIn
