From Idea to Engine: A New Chapter in MENA’s Startup Journey
When FAST Ventures founder Waseem Afzal realised that many early-stage companies in the Middle East and North Africa were stagnating despite promising products, he decided to act. The result: the launch of FAST Foundry — a dedicated venture studio backed by a $3 million fund, designed to transform high-potential ideas into scalable companies.
What’s Being Launched — And Why It Matters
FAST Foundry blends strategic investment with hands-on operational support. Startups selected into the studio will receive:
- Capital injections from the $3M FAST Foundry Fund
- Workspace options in Dubai Internet City or FAST’s Riyadh office
- Access to specialised teams and tools across:
- Product & engineering
- Marketing & growth (via FAST’s brand Platformance)
- Creative and AI development (via Lion)
- Digital commerce (via Calibrate)
- Cloud credits and a network of senior talent across core functional roles
Afzal describes the mission succinctly:
“FAST Foundry is the next chapter. We’re backing founders who want to create tools, platforms and products that redefine how marketing and growth work — built in MENA, for the world.”
The Focus: Where Technology, Culture & Commerce Collide
The venture studio is targeting four key themes where FAST Ventures sees global potential and strong regional relevance:
- AI-native marketing agents
- Retail and commerce media infrastructure
- Creator commerce and influencer-led technology
- Consumer technology verticals including fintech, proptech, traveltech, and edtech
Each is a fast-growing sector in MENA where local insight can translate into global competitive advantage.
The Problem: Why It’s Needed
FAST Ventures points to a long-standing ecosystem challenge:
- Around 90% of early-stage startups struggle to survive until profitability
- 43% fail to build repeatable, sustainable demand
Many founders build solid products but lack the marketing, growth, or product-market fit support needed to convert early traction into scale. FAST Foundry intends to close that gap — offering not just capital but the operational support most founders lack.
What This Means for Founders
For early-stage and pre-seed builders, the studio provides a rare combination of capital + capability. Key takeaways for founders:
- Ideal for startups in adtech, creator economy, retail media, and related digital verticals
- Workspace in two regional hubs strengthens visibility and partnerships
- Operational teams reduce the cost and time founders spend on marketing, engineering, design, and go-to-market setup
- The model helps founders move faster to validation, traction, and revenue
FAST Foundry aims to provide the launchpad many early-stage founders typically build alone — often under intense pressure and with limited resources.
Looking Ahead: A Shift in How MENA Builds Startups
The launch of FAST Foundry signals a wider shift in the region: venture studios are evolving from service providers to creator-investors — building IP, technology, and companies from scratch.
If successful, this model could:
- Reduce early-stage failure rates
- Make product-market fit more achievable
- Encourage founders to build global-ready products from regional insights
- Push investors to offer deeper operational value, not just capital
FAST Foundry’s thesis is clear: the next wave of globally competitive startups from MENA will be built through a combination of local expertise, embedded growth support, and a sharper focus on commercially validated innovation.
Editor’s Note — The Startups MENA Team
At Startups MENA, we focus on the narratives that define how the Middle East builds its next-generation workforce and innovation economy. The UAE’s new initiative to train 10,000 youth and create 30,000 jobs is more than a development programme—it’s a blueprint for how a nation future-proofs its human capital.
By merging education, entrepreneurship, and digital innovation through StartupEmirates.ae, this campaign moves beyond traditional job creation. It lays the groundwork for an ecosystem where young Emiratis are not just employees, but founders, builders, and contributors to a self-sustaining economy.
As the UAE continues to accelerate toward Vision 2030 and Centennial 2071, the focus is shifting from dependence on opportunity to the creation of opportunity. This marks a defining chapter in the region’s transformation—where youth empowerment is not a policy goal, but the foundation of economic resilience.
— The Startups MENA Editorial Team
