Venture capital firm 500 Startups is announcing that ADFG, a global investment firm, has made a significant investment in 500. Through this investment, ADFG will hold a strategic stake and will be injecting substantial capital to accelerate the growth of 500’s key initiatives, expand into new markets, and anchor future global funds.

“For ADFG, this is a groundbreaking investment because 500’s global footprint and reach is incomparable. More than just a VC firm, 500 gains access to deals in global markets that many traditional VCs do not. This investment will complement ADFG’s existing technology initiatives. We are thrilled to be investing in 500 and look forward to supporting their continued growth and expansion,” said Jassim Alseddiqi, CEO of ADFG.

Since taking over as CEO of 500, Founding Partner Christine Tsai has refocused the team and reaffirmed the firm’s vision and strategy. With ADFG's investment and strategic relationship as a key part of that strategy, Tsai looks forward to aggressively pursuing 500’s mission of discovering and backing the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, helping them create successful companies at scale, and building thriving global ecosystems.

“After accomplishing all that we have in just eight short years via organic growth, we are excited to take 500 to the next level. Over the last few years, we have gotten to know ADFG through their involvement as a limited partner in 500’s previous funds and found that we have a strong alignment on vision and complementary strengths. I am proud to be working even more closely with ADFG to help accelerate 500’s future growth, invest in more promising companies, and further achieve our mission as one of the most active VC firms in the world,” said Tsai.

Since it was founded in 2011 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, ADFG has established itself as a global investment firm with more than $6 billion in assets under management. It operates across the Middle East, Europe and Asia, and has four business lines – Public Markets, Private Equity, Debt, and Real Estate. ADFG has also built Algorythma, its own technology platform focused on in-house development of technologies and Krypto Labs, an incubator and coworking space with a unique ecosystem for funding ground-breaking early stage startups.

With this investment in 500, Dr. Saleh Al Hashemi, Chief Executive Officer of Algorythma, will join 500’s Board of Officers.

500 Startups manages over US $400 million in committed capital and has invested in more than 2,000 companies including Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), SendGrid (NASDAQ: SEND), Credit Karma, Canva, Grab, Carousell, Udemy, Intercom, and Talkdesk. In addition to investments, 500 helps develop global ecosystems via startup and investor education programs, events and conferences, and strategic partnerships with government entities and corporations.