From Ireland to the Gulf: Scaling Ideas, Capital and AI, and Venturewave, bridging the connections
Our Managing Partners Alan Foy, Kieran McLoughlin and Brian Martin have just completed a high-energy week across Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai with the Venturewave Capital team — and one thing is clear: the intersection of capital, innovation, and AI between Ireland and the Gulf is becoming a serious force for global scale, through Venturewave’s Ireland and Gulf collaboration.
We kicked off at the Qatar Economic Forum, where the world’s attention turned to growth, geopolitics, and generational change. On the sidelines, we hosted a private dinner celebrating the deepening ties between Ireland and Qatar, joined by H.E. Ambassador Alison Milton and Lord Iveagh Edward Guinness. It was a memorable evening of shared values, long-term vision, and new relationships. We were joined by some key members of the Irish diaspora active in Qatar, including Terry Kehoe, Sean McEllin and Michael Ryan. We also enjoyed meeting H.E. Ahmad Mohammed Al Sayed, who is proactively promoting links between Ireland and Qatar from a foreign trade and investment perspective, and Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida, who is leading efforts to ensure that the Qatar Financial Centre attracts foreign investors to the region.
In Abu Dhabi, with support from the Venturewave team, we were welcomed at the Irish Ambassador’s Residence to discuss the growing alignment between Ireland and the UAE, especially in tech, venture, and AI-driven innovation. With shared ambition around purpose-led investment, the potential is enormous. Shout out to Andrew Jackson, Louise Bermingham for their continued work in UAE, to H.E. Saeed Muhammad Ali Al Shamsi who did so much for Ireland-UAE relations, Sheikh Fahim who is building links between Sharjah and Ireland’s enterprise ecosystems and also to Jean Fares who is now also doing great work to bring Ireland and UAE investors together at Investopia in Dublin. We also had an excellent trip to Hub71 with Ahmad Ali Alwan. More to come on this! The Venturewave Ireland connection with the Gulf is evident in these meetings.
We wrapped the week in Dubai with a lunch gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, and members of the Irish business diaspora — including an engaging fireside chat with Lord Iveagh. The energy in the room was electric, fuelled by insights on legacy, wealth stewardship, and building ventures that matter. The Photo Gallery of the Dubai Lunch can be found here
What stood out across the week was the calibre of people we met — founders, family offices, sovereign partners, and prominent members of the Irish diaspora all leaning into a future shaped by impact, entrepreneurship, and AI, with Venturewave at the forefront in Ireland and Gulf endeavours.
At Venturewave, we believe the most exciting opportunities lie at the crossroads of impact, technology and global connectivity. This mission reinforced that belief and strengthened the bridges we’re building across borders, especially those connecting Ireland and the Gulf in a Venturewave capacity.
