Sovereign AI startup Avelin AI raises pre-seed funding, while DP World expands its trucking fleet

Avelin AI raises pre-seed round

Dubai-based Avelin AI has secured USD 3.7 mn in pre-seed funding from angel investors to build out its sovereign AI platform for governments and regulated industries, according to a press release (pdf). The startup was founded by Yury Akinin (LinkedIn), who co-founded life sciences AI company Quantori — which he exited at a valuation worth of USD 100 mn — and led engineering teams at large enterprises before starting Avelin. It counts Nvidia Inception, AWS Activate, and the Dubai Future Foundation among its technology partners.

The funding will go toward commercial expansion across the Middle East, Europe, and America, as well as scaling GPU infrastructure and developing its Cross Model fusion technology. Avelin says it's now focused on converting existing commercial agreements into signed contracts, targeting regulated sectors including financial services, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure.

Avelin’s raise lands in the middle of a busy few weeks for sovereign and regional AI funding, as governments in the Gulf work to keep data, infrastructure, and compliance in-house rather than renting capability from outside advisors. Arabic-language AI startup CNTXT AI raised USD 60 mn in a Series A, and the GCC- and London-based 1001 closed a USD 30 mn Series A just last week.

DP World expands GCC road freight network

DP World is scaling its GCC land freight network as demand for overland logistics grows across the region, adding 700 more trucks to strengthen inland logistics links between ports, economic zones, and customers, according to Dubai Media Office.

The additional fleet is expected to contribute up to 35k truck trips per month to both domestic and cross-border cargo movements along first-, middle-, and last-mile delivery operations.

IN CONTEXT- The investment comes as GCC logistics operators continue to expand road freight capacity following the disruptions to shipping routes linked to the Strait of Hormuz. DP World has also been expanding corridors that connect ports with inland hubs, including fast customs routes linking UAE’s east coast directly to Jebel Ali and a customs corridor from Sohar in Oman.