Tala Al-Jabri launches MENA’s first AI-native VC fund, Wyld VC, with $50M to back early-stage AI talent across the region

Saudi-based Wyld VC, founded by investor Tala Hasan Al-Jabri, has launched a $50M AI-focused fund, marking the first AI-native venture vehicle to emerge from the MENA region.

Backed by the family office of Lawrence E. Golub, the fund will invest in AI middleware and application-layer tools rather than foundation models, with a focus on early-stage startups.

Al-Jabri, previously the first-ever female partner at a Saudi VC firm and an early investor in Tabby and US-based StarCloud, is aiming to address what she sees as the region’s key gap: a lack of support for emerging AI talent.