Abu Dhabi-based global accelerator startAD and GCC venture capital firm VentureSouq have announced the 9th edition of the Angel Rising Investor Symposium. The event, held in partnership with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), will take place on November 20 at ADGM and will focus on the theme “Scaling Climate Resilience in the Global South.” The symposium aims to bring together international thought leaders, regional investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to strengthen the region’s leading investor education platform.
Catalyzing Climate Finance In The Region
This year’s Angel Rising symposium underscores the urgent need to direct early-stage investment into technologies addressing critical challenges like water security, food resilience, and sustainable urban development, particularly in the Global South. The event aligns with Abu Dhabi’s Climate Change Strategy 2023–2027 and builds on the momentum from COP28 to position the UAE at the forefront of global climate innovation.
Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the EAD, highlighted the importance of such initiatives. “By equipping investors with the knowledge, tools, and global networks to channel funding into ClimateTech solutions, we are accelerating the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient future for the UAE, the wider region, and the Global South,” she stated.
Nihal Shaikh, Associate Director of startAD, added, “MENA faces urgent stressors in heat, water, food security, and energy. While startups are innovating, they remain underfunded. Angel Rising convenes experts and surfaces novel and tested models to de-risk early R&D… The message is clear: don’t wait for the perfect deal – create the conditions that make imperfect deals investable.”
A Legacy Of Investor Education
Now in its ninth year, Angel Rising has established itself as a premier platform for investor education in the region. Since its inception in 2015, the symposium has convened over 900 investors and 100 ecosystem leaders. Its flagship Conscious Investor Fellowship (CIF), an invite-only program for senior leaders from sovereign wealth funds, VCs, and family offices, has trained 88 alumni to align investment with purpose and de-risk early-stage ClimateTech.
Sonia Weymuller, Co-Founder and General Partner at VentureSouq, remarked, “At a moment of unprecedented momentum for climate innovation in emerging markets, Angel Rising serves as a catalyst for connecting the capital allocators who will define the future of ClimateTech investing in the region.”
High-Profile Speakers And Insights
The symposium will feature a world-class roster of speakers through keynote addresses, fireside chats, and panel discussions. Attendees will gain practical tools and global insights into the rapidly growing ClimateTech sector. Notable speakers include Sheikh Dr. Majid AlQassimi, Founding Partner at Soma Mater; Zoe Reich, Founding Partner at Octopus Energy Climate Ventures; Khalid Tebe, Director at the Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC); and Rahma Al Shamsi, Head of Ventures & Portfolio at BEEAH. Sessions will explore how to unlock global investments from MENA, accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, and leverage AI to advance climate-smart impact.
About Angel Rising
Angel Rising is an annual investor symposium organized by startAD, the Abu Dhabi-based global accelerator powered by Tamkeen and anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi, and VentureSouq, a MENA-based venture capital firm. The platform is dedicated to investor education, demystifying the dynamics of early-stage technology funding and equipping a new generation of mission-driven investors with practical tools and global insights. It focuses on critical sectors like ClimateTech to align financial capital with environmental priorities and scale transformative solutions to global challenges.
Source: Zawya
