1001 AI, a deep-tech startup dual-headquartered in London and Dubai and founded by Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, has raised $9 million in a seed funding round led by CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital, with participation from Chris Ré, Amjad Masad (Replit), Amira Sajwani (DAMAC), Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud (RAED Ventures), and Hisham Al-Falih (Lean Technologies).
The company’s strategic presence across London and Dubai reflects its mission to bridge global AI expertise with regional industrial transformation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The funding will accelerate early deployments across aviation, logistics, and infrastructure, while supporting team expansion in both hubs—London, the global AI capital, and Dubai, the gateway to MENA’s fast-growing markets.
1001 AI is developing an AI-native operating system that streamlines real-world decision-making for industries where efficiency, speed, and accuracy are critical. By automating complex operational workflows, the company aims to cut inefficiencies estimated at over $10 billion annually in Gulf sectors such as airports, ports, construction, and oil & gas.
The platform integrates real-time operational data from clients’ existing systems to model workflows, predict bottlenecks, and automate decision-making, enabling companies to optimise everything from fleet movements to resource allocations with minimal human intervention.
Deena Shakir, Partner at Lux Capital, commented:
We’re extremely bullish on AI that solves physical-world problems at scale—optimising how airports turn around flights, how ports move cargo, and how construction sites operate. The MENA region offers immense potential for this kind of transformation.”
Neeraj Arora, Managing Director at General Catalyst, added:
“1001 AI is building the decision engine that automates complexity in large-scale operations, combining world-class AI execution with deep regional understanding.”
The new funding will enable 1001 AI to expand its engineering and operations and go-to-market teams across Dubai and London, laying the foundation for the Gulf’s first AI-native orchestration platform for critical industries. The company plans to launch its first customer deployment by the end of 2025, starting with construction, before expanding regionally and globally.
