1001 raises $30 million to build sovereign AI for the GCC
Lux Capital leads AI platform round, backed by the PIF’s Sanabil Investments
#UK #Qatar #funding — London and GCC-based AI company 1001 has raised a $30 million Series A led by US venture capital firm Lux Capital, to build sovereign AI operating systems for critical infrastructure across the Gulf. PIF-owned investment firm Sanabil Investments, alongside Hanabi Capital and 9Yards, joined the round, while existing backers General Catalyst, CIV and Stanford AI researcher Chris Ré increased their stakes. Founded in 2025 by Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, 1001 builds decision-making systems for operators in aviation, ports, energy and manufacturing, designed to be built, owned and governed locally so clients retain control of infrastructure they can’t afford to switch off.
SO WHAT? — More and more we’re seeing top-tier US venture capital recognise the GCC as a bright spot where AI gets built, funded and deployed at scale. The Series A round led by prominent venture capital firm Lux Capital, not only provides a reference for 1001, but also for the growing global stature of the region’s AI ecosystem. Meanwhile, 1001 joins a growing list of AI investments made by Saudi Arabia’s Sanabil Investments, highlighting that AI ventures are now becoming a common investment for VCs in the region.
KEY POINTS:
1001 raised a $30 million Series A led by Lux Capital, with PIF-owned Sanabil Investments, Hanabi and 9Yards joining, and General Catalyst, CIV and Stanford researcher Chris Ré increasing existing commitments.
PIF-owned investment firm Sanabil Investments, alongside Hanabi Capital and 9Yards, joined the round, while existing backers General Catalyst, CIV and Stanford AI researcher Chris Ré increased their stakes.
The GCC and London-based company, founded in 2025 by Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, builds sovereign AI operating systems for institutions running critical infrastructure across aviation, ports, logistics, energy and manufacturing.
1001’s systems are built, owned and governed locally, letting operators keep full control over infrastructure they cannot risk having switched off or controlled remotely.
The platform builds a live model of an operator’s full system, including assets, processes, dependencies and constraints, to flag problems before they happen and recommend or execute fixes faster than manual decision-making allows.
The round drew angel investment from tech figures including Ramp co-founder Karim Atiyeh, Clay co-founder Kareem Amin, Cognition president Russell Kaplan, Replit founder Amjad Masad, DAMAC’s Amira Sajwani and RAED Ventures’ Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud.
McKinsey estimates wider AI adoption could add up to $150 billion to GCC economies, roughly 9 percent of combined GDP, with critical infrastructure among the highest-value areas.
The new funding will go toward growing 1001’s engineering team and expanding sales and marketing across key GCC markets.
1001 already recruits technical talent from Yale, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon, and uses an embedded engineering deployment model alongside its platform.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: 1001
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Wellbees raises $3.6 million to grow in GCC (Middle East AI News)
CNTXT AI raises $60 million to deploy sovereign AI globally (Middle East AI News)
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