FAST Ventures has announced the launch of FAST Foundry, a new venture studio and investment arm supported by a $3 million fund dedicated to empowering early-stage startups across the MENA region. The new initiative will focus on startups developing the next generation of AdTech, Retail, Creator Economy, and AI-driven marketing products with the potential for global scale.
A Venture Studio for Global Ambition
FAST Foundry adopts a unique “born in the region, built for the world” philosophy. It moves beyond simple capital injection by integrating startups into the comprehensive FAST Ventures ecosystem. This provides founders with direct access to specialist teams in product development, marketing, creator collaborations, and AI, creating a structured pathway from concept to market traction.
Waseem Afzal, CEO of FAST Ventures, commented on the vision, “For years, the region has relied on imported, white-labeled technology. It solved short-term gaps, but it never built a real ecosystem. We created FAST Ventures to address that – to build original, homegrown IP that understands this region deeply and can scale globally.”
He added, “FAST Foundry is the next chapter. We’re backing founders who want to create the tools, platforms and products that redefine how marketing and growth work – built in MENA, for the world.”
Strategic Investment Themes
FAST Foundry will concentrate its investments across four key themes where technology, culture, and commerce intersect:
- AI native marketing agents
- Retail and commerce media infrastructure
- Creator commerce and influencer infrastructure
- Emerging Consumer Verticals including FinTech, PropTech, TravelTech, and EdTech
Tackling the Early-Stage Growth Challenge
The venture studio is designed to address a critical challenge in the MENA ecosystem. Research indicates that approximately 90% of regional startups fail within their first few years, often before achieving profitability. A significant 43% of these startups report struggling to build and maintain repeatable demand, even with a strong product.
To combat this, selected startups will receive not only investment but also workspace at FAST Ventures’ headquarters in Dubai Internet City or its offices in Riyadh. Founders will gain hands-on engineering and go-to-market support from entities under the FAST Ventures umbrella, including growth marketing platform ‘Platformance’, AI-creative shop ‘Lion’, and digital commerce studio ‘Calibrate’. The package also includes preferred access to cloud credits and on-call senior talent across product, creative, and commercial functions.
About FAST Ventures
Since its inception in 2022, FAST Ventures has focused on delivering business growth outcomes across marketing, product, creators, and data. The team is composed of seasoned veterans with over two decades of experience in building brands and scaling platforms. The firm’s Intellectual Property includes a suite of platforms, AI models, and services designed to simplify marketing operations, build commercial infrastructure, and accelerate measurable growth for businesses in MENA and beyond.
Source: mystartupworld
