Presight appoints global Advisory Board for $100M AI fund
New advisory board includes Thiel Capital and K3 Ventures leaders
#UnitedArabEmirates #funding – Abu Dhabi-based AI and big data analytics company Presight has formed an international advisory board to oversee the $100 million Presight–Shorooq Fund I and the Presight AI Accelerator Programme. The board will be chaired by His Excellency Mansoor Al Mansoori, Vice Chairman of Presight, and includes California-based Thiel Capital Managing Director Jack Selby and Singapore venture capital firm founder Meng Xiong Kuok of K3 Ventures. The Advisory Board aims to strengthen strategic positioning, expand deal flow and forge high-value partnerships, whilst providing portfolio companies with access to commercial pathways across the Middle East, North America and Asia.
SO WHAT? – The formation of the new advisory board featuring prominent Silicon Valley and Asian venture capital figures signals Presight’s ambition to engage with the global AI ecosystem. The ADX-listed company will use both the AI Startup Accelerator and its new venture capital fund to bring promising global AI startups to Abu Dhabi. Its unique proposition for startups, combining sovereign infrastructure with international investment expertise and commercial opportunities, has already attracted world-class AI ventures. The combination of the accelerator and VC fund is expected not only attract a pipeline of investments, but also a pipeline of potential technology candidates for Presight’s own growing global business.
Here are some key points about the announcement:
Abu Dhabi-based Presight, part of the G42 group, has established a three-man advisory board for the Presight–Shorooq Fund I and the Presight AI Accelerator Programme, to counsel its global venture strategy. Members bring networks across major technology markets in North America, Asia and the Middle East.
The new advisory board is chaired by His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Vice Chairman of Presight, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and the Chairman of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi.
The other advisory board members are:
Jack Selby, Managing Director at Thiel Capital
Meng Xiong Kuok, Founder and Managing Partner of Singapore-based K3 Ventures.
Presignt and ADGM-registered venture capital firm Shorooq announced the launch of the Presight–Shorooq Fund I in September as a $100 million fund based in Abu Dhabi that invests globally in AI-first startups across fintech, smart cities, deep tech, augmented and virtual reality, and Industry 4.0 sectors.
The ADX-listed AI company launched the Presight AI Startup Accelerator in a year ago attracting 120 applications from AI startups around the world. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft through its Founders Hub initiative, the programme launched its inaugural cohort in August 2025, selecting 10 startups.
Portfolio companies gain access to Presight’s technical infrastructure including cloud compute and GPU resources, and via the fund can access Shorooq’s international network spanning the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
The accelerator is the first such programme created by a publicly-listed Middle Eastern technology company and leverages Presight’s established government and enterprise client base to provide startups with direct commercial pathways.
Several startups from the first cohort are now in advanced partnership and contract discussions with G42 Group companies, major industry and government clients both in UAE and internationally. Partnership discussions include Vulcan with AstraTech and CPX, AlphaGeo with Space42, Waverity with AIQ, and Nodeshift, Ajari and Derq with Presight among others.
ZOOM OUT – Presight and Abu Dhabi-headquartered investment firm Shorooq launched the $100 million Presight–Shorooq Fund I in September 2025 to invest globally in AI startups across smart cities, energy, fintech, augmented and virtual reality, and deep tech. The fund targets 25 to 30 investments with 40 per cent of capital reserved for later rounds. In August 2025, Presight welcomed the first cohort of its AI Startup Accelerator, selecting 10 startups from over 120 applications across 17 countries. The accelerator is the first created by a publicly-listed Middle Eastern technology company and, unlike most funds in the region, provides startups with direct commercial pathways through Presight’s government and enterprise client base rather than traditional venture capital funding.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read about Presight’s AI Accelerator programme and fund:
Presight & Shorooq launch $100 million AI fund (Middle East AI News)
Presight AI-Startup Accelerator holds first bootcamp (Middle East AI News)
Presight selects 10 AI startups to join accelerator (Middle East AI News)
Deadline approaches for Presight AI startup accelerator (Middle East AI News)
Presight launches accelerator for early stage AI startups (Middle East AI News)