Niya Partners

The three named Partners — Ahmed Jawa, Ahmed Alireza, and Grahme Taylor — collectively manage the investment process. Taylor runs the day-to-day process, while Jawa and Alireza leverage their respective MENA family-office networks and direct venture track records. The firm does not publicly disclose a formal investment committee, but all three partners are listed as responsible for sourcing and execution.

Niya's sourcing blends outbound thesis-driven work with high-trust referrals. Venture Partner Adam Dawkins provides access to the 1,350-member Emerging Venture Capitalists Association. The partners’ prior roles at Wildcat Venture Partners and a London growth-equity firm supply US and European pipeline. Meanwhile, Ahmed Alireza's LP presence in emerging VC funds like Valia Ventures generates early looks at manager-backed companies.

Both. Niya runs a dedicated fund-of-funds program alongside its direct equity practice. The firm cites Grahme Taylor's prior experience with a US fund-of-funds manager as instrumental in building that program. Ahmed Alireza is an LP and IC/LPAC member in multiple emerging VC funds, further deepening the pool of fund managers Niya evaluates for commitments.

Niya targets early-stage Series A-B rounds and later growth expansions above Series B. The approach is flexible: the firm does not impose ownership targets or require board seats. This dual-stage coverage means the same partnership can seed a B2B software startup and follow a growth-stage enterprise software company like LeaseLock, where their future partners co-invested together.

Niya does not publish a formal exclusion list. The firm states it backs venture-enabled proprietary technology across any sector and business model, though its known positions concentrate in enterprise software, digital health, fintech, mobility, and consumer tech. Unusual verticals are evaluated on a deal-by-deal basis.

Ahmed Jawa's family office was a founding investor in Emaar Properties and an early GCC LP in Vista Equity Partners and Bain Capital. Ahmed Alireza's family runs one of Saudi Arabia's oldest businesses and led the acquisition of 500+ McDonald's stores in Singapore and Malaysia. While Niya is institutionally separate, these family capital networks create anchoring relationships for the firm's fund and deal access.

Niya invests directly and alongside GPs through fund commitments, but the firm does not structure itself as a co-investment club. It explicitly avoids rigid ownership targets and does not require board seats. The partners' interlocking roles as LPs and venture partners in other funds suggest they are comfortable co-investing ad hoc, though they do not market a formal club-deal program.