Episode 88 of the Investing in Impact podcast features an in-depth conversation with Medea Nocentini, Senior Partner at Global Ventures and Founder of C3 – Companies Creating Change, on how technology, capital, and strategic support can accelerate sustainable development across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). With a unique background that spans private equity, social enterprise, and multinational corporate strategy, Medea offers rare insights into what it takes to nurture and scale impact-driven startups in frontier markets.

Global Ventures is a growth-stage venture capital firm based in the United Arab Emirates, focused on supporting mission-driven founders building transformational technologies in emerging markets and scaling impact-driven startups.

The firm invests in sectors critical to the region’s future—including digital health, fintech, climate, logistics, and enterprise software—and works closely with founders to navigate the complex challenges of scale, market access, and infrastructure constraints.

Since its founding, Global Ventures has backed over 60 companies across 10 countries, with a commitment to investing in resilient business models capable of delivering both financial performance and social value.

Global Ventures’ portfolio reflects its mission to back companies solving real-world challenges in emerging economies, scaling impact-driven startups. Some standout investments include:

  • Tabby – A leading Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform in the MENA region, helping consumers access flexible payments while enabling merchants to boost sales.
  • Altibbi – The region’s largest digital health platform, offering telemedicine, e-prescriptions, and AI-powered medical content in Arabic to millions of users.
  • NowPay – A financial platform focused on employee financial health through salary advances, budgeting tools, and educational content.
  • Helium Health - A leading digital health platform transforming hospital infrastructure across West Africa. Helium Health provides integrated electronic medical records (EMR), hospital management, and telemedicine solutions to improve healthcare delivery for both providers and patients.
  • Klasha - Klasha is reshaping cross-border commerce by enabling global merchants to sell into Africa while receiving payments in local African currencies. In addition to simplifying payments, Klasha offers fast, end-to-end last-mile logistics, making it a critical enabler of Africa’s growing digital economy.

Read the full article about scaling impact across the Middle East and Africa by Grant Trahant at Causeartist.