# KAUST Innovation Fund

> KAUST Innovation Fund is a VC fund backing Biotechnology and Nanotechnology. See 103 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Total investments: 103
- Last investment: Apr 2026
- Lead investor: 14%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/kaust-innovation-&-economic-development/
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/KAUSTinnovation
- Website: https://innovation.kaust.edu.sa/kif/

KAUST Innovation Fund is a venture capital firm that aims to grow an innovation and technology investment community and to attract investors and venture capital firms to the emerging Saudi technology ecosystem. The firm makes venture capital investments in high-tech startups from seed to early-stage and becomes a long-term strategic partner ofthese ventures. It specializes in the solar and alternative energy, water, information and communications, material and chemical sciences, electrical and electronics, biological and life sciences sectors, ICT. Additionally, the ecosystem provides mentorship and acceleration to the startups through the Entrepreneurship Center. and chemical sciences, electrical and electronics, biological and life sciences sectors, ICT.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for KAUST Innovation Fund. Shizune tracks 12 team members at KAUST Innovation Fund. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/kaust-innovation-fund?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Biotechnology | 8 | 8% |
| Nanotechnology | 8 | 8% |
| Health Care | 7 | 7% |
| Intelligent Systems | 7 | 7% |
| Manufacturing | 6 | 6% |

70 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 43 | 42% |
| Pre-Seed | 23 | 22% |
| Series A | 10 | 10% |
| Funding Round | 4 | 4% |
| Grant | 1 | 1% |

6 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Saudi Arabia | 38 | 37% |
| United States | 5 | 5% |
| Canada | 2 | 2% |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 2% |
| Egypt | 1 | 1% |

8 countries tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Francois Pichot | Investment Manager | 0 | — |
| Kevin Cullen | Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development | 7 | — |
| Nadine Mojadidi | Financial Analyst | 0 | — |
| Tamer Osman | Innovation Fund Head | 0 | — |
| Ahmad Alsaadi | Postdoctoral Fellow | 0 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sinai.ai | Sinai.ai provides a software platform focused on enterprise decarbonization and ESG reporting. The platform supports emissions tracking, financial modeling, and climate transition planning. It aligns with frameworks such as CDP, CSRD, and SBTi, and enables users to perform carbon accounting, scenario analysis, and compliance-based reporting. SINAIoffers workflow automation, data uploads, and collaboration tools to streamline sustainability operations across teams. | $1.5M | Pre-Seed | Apr 20, 2026 |  |
| Oumla | Oumla is a blockchain services company. | $2.4M | Seed | Sep 16, 2025 |  |
| SARsatX | Providing EO data and analytics using SAR and serving multiple sectors. In addition, we design and develop the next SAR small satellites at X band. | $2.6M | Seed | May 20, 2025 |  |
| Stuck | STUCK is a live, on-demand technology platform that provides language support services to individuals and businesses. In one click, we connect you to work, one-on-one, with a global team of language experts through a live chat. Stuck combines technology and human intelligence to provide a customized, hassle-free language support experience forservices ranging from proofreading and editing all the way to translation and content development, for your English and Arabic needs. |  | Pre-Seed | Apr 09, 2025 |  |
| AmplifAI Health | AmplifAI Health has a strong dedication to transforming healthcare through the digitalization of clinicians' human senses. |  | Pre-Seed | Nov 01, 2024 |  |
| NuRain | NuRain offer sustainable water management, innovating AGS & GDM wastewater tech to save energy and reduce sludge. | $600.4K | Seed | Oct 28, 2024 |  |
| InCurA | InCurA is a manufacturer of medical equipment for bleeding control in various types of dentistry and surgical procedures. |  | Pre-Seed | Mar 23, 2024 |  |
| Uvera | Uvera introduces a smart ultraviolet (UV) light-based technology that can double the shelf-life of fresh food. Our product prolongs the food shelf-life up to %60 on average, within only 30 seconds of use and without any use of chemicals. Our technology works perfectly for fresh produce, meat, and baked goods, and our products are tailored forconsumers and F&B industry. |  | Seed | Jan 01, 2024 |  |
| Lisan | Lisan AI is an AI technology company focused on enhancing enterprise productivity through intelligent automation and multilingual AI solutions. The company develops advanced tools that streamline communication, optimize workflows, and improve operational efficiency for organizations across diverse industries.Its flagship product, WriteX, is anAI-powered multilingual writing assistant that supports both Arabic and English. The platform provides grammar correction, style enhancement, intelligent autocompletion, and compliance checks, helping professionals create accurate, polished, and contextually appropriate content more efficiently.MeetriX serves as an intelligent meeting assistant designed to improve collaboration and productivity through automated note-taking, real-time meeting analytics, and actionable insights. The solution enables organizations to capture discussions effectively, streamline follow-ups, and enhance decision-making processes.In addition, NitroX offers AI-powered accelerators that automate complex document creation, chart generation, and workflow processes. By reducing manual effort and accelerating operational tasks, NitroX helps organizations improve efficiency, scalability, and overall productivity.Together, Lisan AI’s suite of AI-driven enterprise tools empowers businesses to modernize communication, automate repetitive tasks, and build more intelligent, efficient digital workplaces. | $2M | Seed | Dec 15, 2023 |  |
| ClimateCrete | ClimateCrete is a firm established in the United States that turns formerly worthless local sand into a sustainable new aggregate for concrete construction, making concrete production more sustainable by enabling local production with a considerably lower carbon footprint. ClimateCreteTM is the patent-pending ClimateCreteTM process's official,registered trademark. | $3.3M | Series A | Dec 05, 2023 |  |

10 of 103 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Wa’ed Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/waed-ventures) — VC Fund, 9 deals together
- [Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/wa-ed-ventures) — VC Fund, 7 deals together
- [Access Bridge Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/access-bridge-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Core Vision Investments](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/core-vision-investments) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [DSM Venturing](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/dsm-venturing) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Plus Venture Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/plus-venture-capital) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

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- [Right Side Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/right-side-capital-management) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does KAUST Innovation Fund invest in?

KAUST Innovation Fund invests primarily in Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Health Care startups, most often at Seed and Pre-Seed stage. Most of the 103 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Saudi Arabia. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact KAUST Innovation Fund?

Public channels for KAUST Innovation Fund include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at KAUST Innovation Fund?

The team at KAUST Innovation Fund includes Francois Pichot (Investment Manager), Kevin Cullen (Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development) and Nadine Mojadidi (Financial Analyst), among 12 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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