Hashgraph Ventures, an Abu Dhabi–based venture capital fund regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), today announced the successful first close of its Web3 and AI early-stage venture capital fund. This marks Hashgraph Ventures’ capacity to start capital deployment towards founders and entrepreneurs who are redefining the Web3 economy.

The announcement was made during Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), where Hashgraph Ventures also hosted its official launch event with over 150 guests. The gathering brought together senior government officials, tier-one venture capitalists, global law firms, digital asset leaders, and many of the region’s most influential investors and founders. The strong turnout underscores Abu Dhabi’s accelerating emergence as a world-class destination for digital asset innovation and institutional-grade venture formation.

In 2024, Hashgraph Ventures received its fund management license by the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and launched its USD100 million global venture capital fund (Hashgraph Venture Fund-I) out of ADGM. As part of its investment framework, Hashgraph Ventures aims to fund blockchain and deep technologies, focusing on Seed, Series A, and Series B stages and backing founders and entrepreneurs who are driving the next era of digital transformation.

As part of its active deployment strategy, Hashgraph Ventures also confirmed its participation in the seed round of Bloxtel, a next-generation telecom infrastructure company leveraging tokenized eSIM (“dSIM”) and blockchain-enabled 5G access points to radically simplify and decentralize private network deployment. Bloxtel is led by the founders of Simless — creators of the original eSIM technology now used in modern smartphones.

Kamal Youssefi, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Hashgraph Ventures, said: “This marks a defining moment for Hashgraph Ventures and for the region’s investment and innovation landscape. The first close of our regulated fund and strategic investment in Bloxtel reflects our commitment to backing frontier technologies that will shape the next era of digital infrastructure. Abu Dhabi has become a global hub for visionary founders, investors, and policymakers — and we are proud to contribute to its rise as the world’s leading hub for Web3, AI, and decentralized networks.”

Dara Campbell, Senior Executive Officer of Hashgraph Ventures, added: “This has been a monumental week for our firm. To complete our first close and announce a sector-defining investment during Abu Dhabi Finance Week — one of the most influential global finance gatherings — sends a clear message about our intent and ambition. Hashgraph Ventures is building a world-class investment platform from Abu Dhabi, for the world. Our momentum reflects both the strength of this ecosystem and our long-term commitment to shaping the future of digital infrastructure from here in the UAE.”

As the Gulf’s summer calendar fills with concerts, sporting events, and festivals, the region faces new and more complex security challenges. Managing crowd safety at large-scale public gatherings no longer depends on passive surveillance or security teams monitoring screens reactively. Instead, event organizers, law enforcement agencies, and technology providers are embracing AI-powered, integrated video management software (VMS) that helps security teams spot and address potential risks early, instead of only reacting after something goes wrong.

This evolution in surveillance comes at an important time for the region. From Dubai’s Disney on Ice, Lil Baby’s Wham World Tour, and the UNTOLD Dubai Festival at Coca-Cola Arena to Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season concerts, international sporting tournaments, and mega entertainment festivals, large-scale spectacles have emerged as cornerstones of the Gulf’s rapidly expanding tourism and leisure economy. In 2024 alone, Dubai welcomed 18.72 million overnight visitors, up 9% from the previous year, while Riyadh and Jeddah continue to post record event attendance.

But as visitor numbers climb, so too does the complexity of keeping these spaces secure.

For years, video surveillance largely served as a passive, forensic tool by capturing footage for later review. Today, advanced VMS platforms are changing that model. AI-powered analytics embedded directly into VMS systems can automatically monitor crowd density, spot unusual movement or congestion, and raise alerts when early signs of trouble appear. This proactive approach transforms how security teams operate, allowing real-time interventions that help reduce risks while improving crowd flow and overall visitor experience.

Multiple Technologies brought together

At major venues across the Gulf, this shift is well underway.

Consider a sold-out concert at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena. Thousands of attendees filter through multiple entrances, while drone surveillance monitors crowd flow around parking areas and public transport hubs. Inside, thermal cameras quietly scan for signs of overheating electrical equipment or early-stage fires. All these data streams feed into a mobile command center, often set up in temporary trailers near the venue, where security teams and public safety agencies collaborate in real-time.

The advantage is not just faster incident response, but smarter prevention. AI-powered analytics embedded in Milestone’s platform can automatically count attendees in critical areas, flag unusual movement patterns, or detect crowd density risks long before they escalate into safety issues.

This type of command structure has become increasingly important as summer temperatures and high humidity, and seasonal surges, add an additional layer of risk for both attendees and emergency response teams.

A Region That Moves Fast and Safely

The wider regional momentum behind these events is just as significant.

The Gulf’s appetite for mega-events shows no sign of slowing. Dubai International Airport processed 92.3 million passengers in 2024, its highest annual traffic ever recorded, while major Saudi airports continue to scale operations under Vision 2030. These same smart infrastructure principles are now being extended to public events.

Open-platform VMS technology fits naturally into these ambitions, offering a flexible backbone that can scale from one event to another, integrate with emerging analytics tools, and support the kind of cross-agency cooperation that large public gatherings increasingly require.

The New Normal for Event Safety

Event organizers, venue operators, and government agencies across the Gulf are now approaching security not as a series of separate systems, but as a fully connected environment. At the heart of this lies open VMS platforms. These provide stakeholders with the ability to overlay venue maps, integrate drone surveillance, plug in temporary thermal sensors, and coordinate multiple responders, all through a shared video management interface, which reflects how the region is redefining public safety as part of its global event leadership.

Ultimately, securing the Gulf’s signature events that boost its tourism will increasingly rely on proactive, AI-enhanced surveillance models. Today, video management is about using real-time intelligence to help protect visitors, keep events running smoothly, and give the Gulf’s major showcases the safe, seamless experiences global audiences expect.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is entering a decisive, services-led growth phase in its IT sector, as enterprises and governments accelerate large-scale digital transformation initiatives. Investments in cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), data centres, and cybersecurity are reshaping technology priorities, with implementation, integration, and managed services gaining prominence over traditional software-led models.

Industry analysis by Grand View Research (GVR) reveals that IT services currently account for around 21–22% of total IT spending across MENA, a share expected to rise to between 26 and 28% by the end of the decade. The region’s professional IT services market, valued at USD 33.9 billion (Dh124.5 billion) in 2024, is forecast to grow to nearly USD 58.3 billion (Dh214 billion) by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.5%.

Sourav Bhanja, Middle East Head of GVR, said: “Many B2B IT services firms in the region continue to underinvest in digital engagement. Professional platforms such as LinkedIn remain underutilised, while company websites often lack strong case studies, sector-specific storytelling, and clear positioning.”

Government-led digitalisation programmes, sovereign cloud deployments, smart city initiatives, and national data strategies, coupled with rising enterprise adoption across sectors such as banking and financial services, healthcare, energy, logistics, and public infrastructure, are driving this shift. As hyperscalers and global technology firms expand their regional footprint, demand for localised integration, migration, and managed services continues to accelerate.

Bhanja also emphasised the importance of leadership visibility in the region’s competitive IT market: “Technical capability alone is no longer enough. Firms that combine deep technical expertise with consistent marketing, strong leadership visibility, and clear communication of value are the ones most likely to succeed in the MENA market.”

The analysis highlights that with growing competition among IT services providers, market visibility and differentiation have emerged as critical growth drivers. Integrated, always-on digital marketing strategies are increasingly vital, as many B2B IT services firms underutilise channels such as LinkedIn, websites, thought leadership content, newsletters, blogs, infographics, and short-form video to engage decision-makers.

Market data also indicates a broader shift towards digital-first engagement. Digital advertising spend in the Middle East, estimated at USD 32 billion (Dh117 billion) in 2024, is projected to rise sharply to USD 81.4 billion (Dh298.9 billion) by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 16.7%. In contrast, the regional events and conferences market is expected to expand at a more modest 7.1% CAGR, reflecting changing enterprise marketing priorities.

Grand View Research concluded that IT services firms combining technical depth with strong market communication, data-driven marketing, and visible leadership will be best positioned to capture the next phase of growth across MENA.