• UAE-based venture builder Disrupt.com has pledged a $100 million commitment to build and back AI-first technology ventures globally.
• Founded by Aaqib Gadit, Uzair Gadit, and Umair Gadit, the firm's $100 million commitment targets five strategic sectors: AI, cybersecurity, Web 3.0, automotive technology, and retail innovation in early-stage startups.
• Disrupt.com has already deployed over $40 million across its portfolio, including in four growth-stage companies, seven investments in early-stage companies, and an exit valued at $350 million 

Press release:

While venture capital funding contracted globally in 2024, three founders who turned their bootstrapped startup into a $350 million exit are taking a contrarian approach. Today, UAE-based venture builder Disrupt.com announces a $100 million commitment to build and back AI-first technology ventures globally.

Founded by Aaqib Gadit, Uzair Gadit, and Umair Gadit—three university friends who grew up in the same household—Disrupt.com represents the founders' reinvestment of capital following their successful 2022 exit from cloud hosting platform Cloudways to US-listed Digital Ocean Holdings. The $350 million acquisition marked the largest exit in Pakistan's technology sector to date, with the founders now channelling their entrepreneurial expertise and capital back into the ecosystem through a unique venture-building approach from their UAE headquarters.

Having already deployed over $40 million across their portfolio—including in four growth-stage companies built from the idea stage, seven investments in early-stage companies, and an exit valued at $350 million—this new $100 million commitment represents a significant expansion of their venture-building activities. With a dedicated team of 650+ professionals, Disrupt.com provides not just capital but also the technical and operational expertise startups need to scale.

“Now is the time to be doubling down on our experience,  financial investment and commitment required to help build the next wave of startups that will shape the future of the world as we know it. With Web 3.0 in its infancy and AI storming into our lives, the opportunity to problem-solve and create businesses that will fit the needs of how people live and work is up for the taking. Our region can not only keep up but also lead the way. We are excited to see where this journey will take us,” said founding partner Aaqib Gadit. 

Unlike traditional venture capital firms, Disrupt.com employs a three-pronged approach to creating value: building their own startups from scratch, co-building ventures alongside external founders, and making strategic investments in early-stage startups and VC funds. Through their unique 'CoBuild' model, they function as fractional co-founders, providing dedicated engineering, go-to-market, and operations teams to drive early adoption in a capital-efficient way.

The firm's $100 million commitment targets five strategic sectors: artificial intelligence as a cross-cutting theme, plus cybersecurity, Web 3.0, automotive technology, and retail innovation. Disrupt.com primarily targets pre-seed to Series A stage startups that demonstrate strong organic growth potential and clear paths to profitability, rather than pursuing growth at all costs.

The announcement comes as regional funding has declined sharply, with MENA venture capital investment down 29% to just under $2 billion in 2024, according to Magnitt. Saudi startups saw a 44% funding drop to $750 million, while UAE funding decreased 8% to $613 million, creating a challenging environment for early-stage ventures.

Disrupt.com's current portfolio showcases their model's effectiveness, including ZigChain, a Web3.0 platform that has scaled to 500,000+ users and hundreds of millions in managed assets; PureSquare, a cybersecurity venture; and UAE-homegrown fitness apparel brand Squatwolf. The firm has already deployed capital as a strategic investor in several AI-focused startups, including the organisational transformation platform Agentnoon and the climate action scaling tool Ahya.

Bartolome R. Bordallo, Co-Founder & CEO of ZigChain, highlighted the venture builder's distinctive approach: "Some investors write checks. Disrupt.com builds with you. They've helped us scale from a few early adopters to managing hundreds of millions in assets and launching our own blockchain."

Anam Khalid and Wajdan Gul, co-founders of UAE-based fitness apparel brand Squatwolf, emphasise the founder-first approach: "With Disrupt, you get founder-friendly partners because they're founders themselves. They understand our challenges and opportunities in a way traditional investors simply cannot."

Looking ahead, Disrupt.com will direct its $100 million commitment toward ventures with strong product-market fit, well-researched idea-market alignment, and robust unit economics pointing toward profitability.