Source: Jordan News Agency

Endeavor Catalyst, the investment vehicle of global non-profit organization Endeavor, has closed its 3rd Fund "Endeavor Catalyst III", with $134 million, of which $2 million is from Jordan’s Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund (ISSF), and $1.7 million from other Jordanian Limited Partners ("LPs"), according to a statement by its Managing Director, Allen Taylor.

The rest of the amount was secured from a galaxy of international investors.

Having invested earlier in 4 Jordanian companies: Kharabeesh, Altibbi, Mawdoo3 and Jamalon, Endeavor Catalyst is an innovative, rules-based co-investment fund through which Endeavor invests into its portfolio companies led by high-impact entrepreneurs around the world.

Launched in 2012, Endeavor Catalyst has raised $250M across three funds and made 150+ investments to date across 30+ different markets.Laith Al Qasem, CEO of the ISSF commented on the investment saying: "ISSF is very excited about this investment. Strategically, Endeavor Catalyst will showcase Jordanian scaleups at a global level. Practically, Endeavor provides Jordanian companies with access to global markets, capital and remarkable mentors, ultimately setting up Jordanian scaleups for global success."

In turn, Managing Director of Endeavor Jordan, Reem Goussous, said: "We are extremely grateful to the contribution of the ISSF and the LPs in this 3rd fund, which will go towards investing in Jordanian scaleups".

Goussous added that the ISSF and local Jordanian LPs are now among a lineup of iconic global founders like Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Michael Dell (Dell Technologies), and Pierre Omidyar (eBay), as well as world-class investors such as General Atlantic’s Bill Ford and Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman.

With deep experience mentoring and coaching entrepreneurs on the "ins and outs" of navigating the venture capital fundraising process, Endeavor Catalyst was built on top of Endeavor’s globally-distributed, trust-based network to partner with Endeavor Entrepreneurs on their equity fundraising rounds.

This $134M Fund III represents the largest Endeavor Catalyst fund to date, surpassing the $120M target goal originally set. It also brings Endeavor Catalyst’s total assets under management ("AUM") up to $250M. The support of LPs to Endeavor enables the organization to focus on investing in the next generation of founders in emerging and underserved markets around the world.