{"id":115436,"date":"2026-04-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/?p=115436"},"modified":"2026-04-15T02:46:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T02:46:07","slug":"homegrown-ventures-raises-usd-22-8-mn-to-back-mena-consumer-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2026\/04\/15\/homegrown-ventures-raises-usd-22-8-mn-to-back-mena-consumer-brands\/","title":{"rendered":"Homegrown Ventures raises USD 22.8 mn to back MENA consumer brands"},"content":{"rendered":"

UAE-based consumer venture capital firm H<\/strong>omegrown Ventures <\/strong>has closed its <\/strong>debut Fund I at USD 22.8 mn<\/strong>, which it will deploy into \u201cbetter-for-you\u201d CPG and FMCG brands across food, wellness, and lifestyle, according to a press release<\/a>. Capital will go to early-stage brands in MENA, South Asia, and select global markets.<\/p>\n

A head start:<\/strong> The fund has already deployed capital into five startups ahead of final close, including Lebanon\u2019s PawPots, a fresh pet food brand, and Dubai-based Plaay, a clean-ingredient chocolate brand, signalling early momentum in the region\u2019s consumer space. No further details were disclosed on the remaining portfolio companies.<\/p>\n

\n

The wager: Multinationals out, locals in<\/p>\n

The backdrop: <\/strong>For decades, the region\u2019s consumer space has been dominated by multinationals, leaving limited room and support for locally built brands.<\/p>\n

The wager? That\u2019s starting to shift.<\/strong> MENA\u2019s consumer market is turning inward faster than capital. \u201cWith over 55% of the MENA population under 35 [...] consumers don\u2019t just want local alternatives, they are actively choosing them,\u201d general partner Nader Amiri said, pointing to rising demand for local, transparent, and health-focused products.<\/p>\n

Fun fact: <\/strong>The founders themselves \u2014 Nader Amiri (LinkedIn<\/a>) and Ahmad Shamieh (LinkedIn<\/a>) \u2014 are former multinational business owners with a long history at major FMCG brands like Danone, Kraft, and Coca Cola.<\/p>\n

\n

Why timing matters<\/p>\n

The push comes as regional disruption exposes the fragility of import-heavy supply chains. <\/strong>As we previously covered, policymakers are already pushing for greater localization, with targets of 25% local sourcing in hospitality<\/a>, while new projects like UNS Vertical Farms<\/a> are stepping in to reduce reliance on imports in a market that still sources up to 80-90% of its food externally<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The raise exceeded its target, as demand for local alternatives gains momentum, according to its founders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1557],"tags":[7,678,1342,25],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-115436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investment-watch","tag-enterpriseam-uae","tag-food-and-beverage","tag-investment","tag-investment-watch","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"adc460e9-04de-4848-802c-6b835d7ad7d1","order":"4","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2024\/9\/2057.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"New capital for local brands","related_issue":[115429],"teaser":"The raise exceeded its target, as demand for local alternatives gains momentum, according to its founders"},"yoast_head":"\nHomegrown Ventures raises USD 22.8 mn to back MENA consumer brands - 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