The 100: Noor Sweid, Founder and Managing Partner, Global Ventures Sweid's leadership in venture capital stems from deep operational and entrepreneurial experience

Noor Sweid is one of the Middle East's most influential venture capitalists, known for shaping the region's innovation economy and fostering global-scale technology businesses. As Founder and Managing Partner of Global Ventures, she leads one of the region's top growth-stage investment firms, backing highimpact companies across the Middle East and Africa. Her work has helped accelerate sectors such as fintech, health-tech, logistics, agritech and digital infrastructure — supporting entrepreneurs who are redefining the future of emerging markets.

Sweid's leadership in venture capital stems from deep operational and entrepreneurial experience. She began her career with Depa, her family's international interiors group, where she helped lead an ambitious expansion programme that transformed the firm into a global operator. Her strategic oversight contributed to Depa's successful dual listing on NASDAQ Dubai and the London Stock Exchange — a landmark achievement that made her the first woman in the region to help take a company public.

She later founded ZenYoga, the first yoga and Pilates studio chain in the Middle East, turning a passion for wellbeing into a thriving consumer brand before successfully exiting the business. This blend of scaling corporate enterprises and growing her own startup gave her unique insight into the realities of entrepreneurship — a perspective she takes into every investment decision.

Before establishing Global Ventures, Sweid also served as Chief Investment Officer at Dubai Future Foundation, where she played a formative role in building the UAE's innovation ecosystem and enabling government–industry collaboration in emerging technology.

A vocal advocate for diversity in business and venture capital, Sweid is recognized as a role model for women in leadership. She sits on multiple boards, guides regional policy on entrepreneurship and actively supports founders navigating high-growth environments.

Strategic, globally minded and purpose-driven, Noor Sweid stands at the forefront of the region's tech transformation. Her influence on capital deployment, innovation culture and economic diversification firmly establishes her as a leading figure on any regional or global power list.