Phaze Ventures strengthens global AI portfolio presence
Source: Oman Observer — Business
The story in brief
MUSCAT, SEPT 3An Oman-based venture capital firm is gaining broader exposure to the international artificial-intelligence investment cycle as companies in its portfolio attract fre... Metal has since disclosed that it has raised $4.5 million to date.The company says more than 1,000 founders use its platform to raise capital each year and that paying customers have raised $542 million in its 2026 financial year. Those figures are company-reported.A second development came on September 1, when Arabic.AI said HUMAIN had made a strategic investment and entered a partnership with Arabic.AI and Tarjama&.HUMAIN is a PIF company developing full-stack artificial-intelligence capabilities.
Detailed summary
MUSCAT, SEPT 3An Oman-based venture capital firm is gaining broader exposure to the international artificial-intelligence investment cycle as companies in its portfolio attract fre... MUSCAT, SEPT 3An Oman-based venture capital firm is gaining broader exposure to the international artificial-intelligence investment cycle as companies in its portfolio attract fresh funding and strategic backing from larger investors.Muscat-based Phaze Ventures is an existing investor in Metal, an AI fundraising platform that has disclosed $4.5 million in total funding from investors including a16z, Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Gaingels, Indus Valley Capital, Phaze Ventures, Pioneer Fund and others.Separately, Arabic.AI, another Phaze portfolio company, announced on September 1 that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund-owned artificial-intelligence company HUMAIN had made an undisclosed strategic investment in the business and entered into a commercial partnership with it.Taken together, the developments provide fresh evidence of an outward-facing strand of Oman's technology investment landscape: a venture firm headquartered in the Sultanate of Oman taking early-stage positions in AI and deep-technology businesses operating across North America, Europe and the wider region.Phaze Ventures describes itself as Oman's oldest private venture capital firm. Founded in Oman in 2018, it says it has backed more than 20 companies and focuses on early-stage business-to-business AI and deep-tech investments across the GCC and North America.The firm says it typically invests from pre-seed to Series A, with ticket sizes ranging from $100,000 to $2 million.Its current portfolio includes AI companies classified as being based in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the UAE and Oman.Individual amounts committed to most of these portfolio companies have not been publicly disclosed, so the value of its exposure to international AI businesses cannot be independently calculated from available announcements.The latest developments are nevertheless notable because they show some of those early-stage positions progressing alongside larger international investors.Metal is developing an AI-native platform for startup fundraising, including investor discovery, relationship intelligence, outreach, pipeline management and other capital-raising workflows.Phaze announced its investment in Metal on June 20, saying it had invested in the company earlier in 2026. Metal has since disclosed that it has raised $4.5 million to date.The company says more than 1,000 founders use its platform to raise capital each year and that paying customers have raised $542 million in its 2026 financial year.
Background & context
This story sits within Oman's broader reform agenda and efforts to grow Technology as a pillar of non-oil GDP. The region benefits from supportive energy prices, expansionary government budgets, and rising interest from sovereign wealth funds and foreign investors.
Key numbers & facts
- Metal has since disclosed that it has raised $4.5 million to date.The company says more than 1,000 founders use its platform to raise capital each year and that paying customers have raised $542 million in its 2026 financial year.
- MUSCAT, SEPT 3An Oman-based venture capital firm is gaining broader exposure to the international artificial-intelligence investment cycle as companies in its portfolio attract fresh funding and strategic backing from larger investors.Muscat-based Phaze Ventures is an existing investor in Metal, an AI fundraising platform that has disclosed $4.5 million in total funding from investors including a16z, Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Gaingels, Indus Valley Capital, Phaze Ventures, Pioneer Fund and others.Separately, Arabic.AI, another Phaze portfolio company, announced on September 1 that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund-owned artificial-intelligence company HUMAIN had made an undisclosed strategic investment in the business and entered into a commercial partnership with it.Taken together, the developments provide fresh evidence of an outward-facing strand of Oman's technology investment landscape: a venture firm headquartered in the Sultanate of Oman taking early-stage positions in AI and deep-technology businesses operating across North America, Europe and the wider region.Phaze Ventures describes itself as Oman's oldest private venture capital firm.
- Founded in Oman in 2018, it says it has backed more than 20 companies and focuses on early-stage business-to-business AI and deep-tech investments across the GCC and North America.The firm says it typically invests from pre-seed to Series A, with ticket sizes ranging from $100,000 to $2 million.Its current portfolio includes AI companies classified as being based in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the UAE and Oman.Individual amounts committed to most of these portfolio companies have not been publicly disclosed, so the value of its exposure to international AI businesses cannot be independently calculated from available announcements.The latest developments are nevertheless notable because they show some of those early-stage positions progressing alongside larger international investors.Metal is developing an AI-native platform for startup fundraising, including investor discovery, relationship intelligence, outreach, pipeline management and other capital-raising workflows.Phaze announced its investment in Metal on June 20, saying it had invested in the company earlier in 2026.
- Metal has since disclosed that it has raised $4.5 million to date.The company says more than 1,000 founders use its platform to raise capital each year and that paying customers have raised $542 million in its 2026 financial year.
Key points
- MUSCAT, SEPT 3An Oman-based venture capital firm is gaining broader exposure to the international artificial-intelligence investment cycle as companies in its portfolio attract fre...
- Metal has since disclosed that it has raised $4.5 million to date.The company says more than 1,000 founders use its platform to raise capital each year and that paying customers have raised $542 million in its 2026 financial year.
- Those figures are company-reported.A second development came on September 1, when Arabic.AI said HUMAIN had made a strategic investment and entered a partnership with Arabic.AI and Tarjama&.HUMAIN is a PIF company developing full-stack artificial-intelligence capabilities.
Why this matters
This matters because activity in Technology, Sovereign Wealth shapes capital flows, hiring and investor sentiment across Oman.
Economic & market impact
Potential impact: - Tech founders, VCs and digital platforms may see knock-on funding or adoption effects. - Sovereign wealth funds may adjust allocations or deploy capital around the theme.
GCC angle
For the rest of the GCC, this is a signal on the pace of activity in Technology, Sovereign Wealth. Capital flows and regulatory decisions in one Gulf state typically travel across borders given the similar economic structures and the coordination inside the GCC framework.
Risks & uncertainty
There is uncertainty around the read-through: projections can be moved by swings in oil prices, by US monetary policy tightening that most GCC central banks track via dollar pegs, and by regional geopolitical events. Headline numbers may also be revised when subsequent official data is published.
What happens next?
Watch for upcoming disclosures from listed names in Technology, Sovereign Wealth, official macro releases for Oman, and any commentary from regulators or sovereign wealth funds. Tharwa will refresh this briefing as new public information becomes available.
Sources used
This is an original Tharwa briefing based on the available source material. Read the full article from the publisher.
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