Wahed Ventures

The venture unit operates under Wahed Inc.'s leadership, anchored by founder and CEO Junaid Wahedna. Wahedna set the firm's direction as a Shariah-compliant fintech after a career in commodities trading. The venture team's specific investment committee composition is not publicly detailed, though it draws on the parent company's in-house compliance and technology expertise for deal screening and execution.

Deal flow is sourced through Wahed Inc.'s network across New York, London, and Dubai, combined with its growing base of retail and accredited investors. The parent firm's expansion into physical financial centers in the UK adds a high-touch wealth channel that can surface private-market opportunities. The firm also co-invests alongside conventional venture capital firms that are willing to structure deals within its Shariah-compliant framework.

The firm explicitly screens out any company generating material revenue from gambling, alcohol, tobacco, pork, conventional financial services involving interest (riba), or adult entertainment. Additionally, companies with high leverage — where interest-bearing debt exceeds Shariah thresholds relative to market capitalization or assets — are excluded. This makes pure-play debt-financed or interest-income-dependent businesses categorically ineligible.

Wahed Ventures makes direct equity investments in early-stage operating companies, typically at seed and Series A stages. There is no public record of the firm committing as a limited partner to third-party venture funds. It uses proprietary capital from the Wahed Inc. balance sheet and has expressed willingness to co-invest alongside conventional venture firms through compliant structured vehicles.

It is a venture capital investment arm of Wahed Inc., a global fintech platform — not a family office. The parent company is venture-backed itself. The venture unit is a corporate strategic investor, not a third-party fund manager raising external limited partner commitments in the traditional sense, though co-investor participation may be structured deal by deal.

There is no operational relationship beyond a naming coincidence. Wa'ed Ventures is the Saudi Aramco-backed venture capital entity based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, which led Wahed Inc.'s $50 million Series B round in 2023. Wahed Ventures is the venture arm of that investee company — a completely separate corporate entity based in Cyprus.

Wahed Inc.'s venture capital is sourced from the parent company's balance sheet, which has been capitalized by venture funding rounds — including a $50 million Series B from Wa'ed Ventures — and revenue from its retail robo-advisory platform. As an SEC-registered investment adviser and Shariah-compliant operator, all capital is deployed only after screening for compliance with the firm's ethical guidelines, meaning restricted business activity filters apply to both the source and use of funds.