UAE-based private market infrastructure platform Zest Equity has raised $4.3 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by Prosus Ventures, with participation from Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV), it announced today.
Founded in 2021 by Zuhair Shamma and Rawan Baddour, Zest Equity originally started as a marketplace to enable secondary share trading in startups, helping shareholders and investors buy and sell stakes more easily.
It has since evolved into an infrastructure play that simplifies how private companies and investors complete financial transactions. The platform digitizes processes that traditionally involve mountains of paperwork, multiple intermediaries, and high fees.
The Dubai-headquartered startup focuses primarily on deals under $100 million; transactions often too small for major investment banks but still complex enough to create headaches for the parties involved. To date, Zest Equity has facilitated over $155 million in transaction value across more than 115 deals.
One of Zest’s key offerings allows multiple investors to pool their capital into a single legal vehicle (SPV), making it easier for them to collectively invest in private companies. This process, which traditionally requires extensive legal coordination, can now be completed more efficiently through their digital platform.
“This funding milestone allows us to continue in our mission to remove friction from private investment deals,” said Zuhair Shamma, Co-founder and CEO of Zest Equity. “We’re transforming processes that typically require weeks of paperwork and numerous middlemen into streamlined digital workflows.”
The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, hire specialized talent, develop new products, and scale its technology infrastructure.
“Zest Equity is building the fabric that brings together private markets in emerging economies,” said Robin Voogd, Head of Middle East Investments at Prosus Ventures. “Their vision aligns perfectly with our focus on supporting innovative financial infrastructure in high-growth regions.”
Rawan Baddour, Co-founder of Zest Equity, added that “MSISV’s expertise will be key to scaling sustainably and compliantly” as the company expands its operations across the GCC.
It has previously raised $5.7 million, including a $3.8 million seed round led by Middle East Venture Partners, in 2023.
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