Through the looking glass: our first investment

Khaled Talhouni

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August 11, 2020

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Insights

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MENA

VC

Since our launch earlier this year, we’ve been spending not an inconsiderable amount of time thinking through our thesis and considering carefully how we may invest more wisely while remaining true to our mission of putting founders at the heart of everything we do. 

What the pandemic has shown us is that a digital future for the region is inevitable and that we are at a transformational moment in our history as millions of people make the leap into digital at an unprecedented rate. As such, we are on the cusp of a fundamental shift in how our economies operate, led by the entrepreneurs building the companies that are driving this very change. 

Towards that, we’re very pleased to announce our first investment in eyewa by co-leading their $2.5M pre-Series B bridge round. Eyewa and its redoubtable founding team are at the core of our thesis and we are honored to be part of their journey as the first step in the culmination of our vision for Nuwa Capital -  to back and support the region’s most remarkable founders as they build our new digital future.

We've built our thesis around backing founders who are driving rapid transformation and Anass and Mehdi have consistently gone above and beyond and are actively reshaping the way we think about eyewear in the Middle East. Eyewa has quickly become the leading player in the eyewear retail space, competing with both digital and traditional retailers whilst transcending both.  

At its core, our investment in eyewa is predicated on our strong belief in a founding team with a unique track record, operating in a dynamic space that is rapidly evolving. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have seen scores of new customers transacting online for the first time, leading to an irreversible generational shift towards online purchasing - and eyewa is primed for a post pandemic world: with its seamless shopping experience and its accessible, diverse line of products, the company has already witnessed a surge in new customers 

This is a very fitting first investment for us, as not only are we uniquely positioned to help accelerate the company's growth across MENA, and particularly in KSA, but having Anass and Mehdi on board as we continue to grow our portfolio of companies will greatly enrich the Nuwa Capital community.