Noor Sweid is an established leader in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and regional innovation. She holds a degree in Finance and Economics and later earned an MBA from MIT Sloan. Early in her career she worked in consulting, then moved into the family business, Depa, where she played a central role in scaling operations and preparing the company for public listing. Depa was listed in 2008 with a market valuation above one billion dollars, marking a major milestone in Noor’s career.

After her IPO experience, Noor founded ZenYoga, a wellness brand and studio network, which grew to become the region’s largest yoga and Pilates chain before she exited in 2014. These entrepreneurial ventures allowed her to live the challenges faced by founders: scaling operations, managing growth, navigating capital markets, and building teams under resource constraints.

Over time her focus shifted toward supporting other founders. She held leadership roles in innovation policy and investment strategy, including working with the Dubai Future Foundation. In 2018 she founded Global Ventures, a growth‑stage venture capital fund based in the UAE that invests across the Middle East and Africa. Global Ventures focuses on backing companies in sectors such as fintech, healthtech, agritech and others that are leveraging technology to address regional needs and generate both financial returns and social impact.

In 2025 she published Coming of Age: How Technology and Entrepreneurship Are Changing the Face of MENA. The book draws from interviews with 35 founders and explores how the region’s startup ecosystems have progressed over the past 25 years, how entrepreneurs have managed under conditions of uncertainty, and how leapfrogging technologies are reshaping opportunity in fintech, health, education, agriculture and more. It also documents the evolution of investment, the gap challenges, and how resilience and adaptability have become advantages for startups in the region. The book has received attention for its rigorous perspective and for offering a clearer framework for how regional innovation is evolving. 

Reading is a personal passion for Noor. She frequently shares book recommendations and insights derived from literature on social media. There is a dedicated “Readership” section on this site where she curates books that have influenced her thinking, as well as reflections on themes in business, technology and society. She believes that reading is essential to informed leadership, to understanding diverse perspectives, and to seeing beyond current models of innovation.

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Looking ahead, Noor aims to expand Global Ventures’ reach into next‑gen sectors and emerging technologies while continuing to share metrics, data, and stories that clarify what is possible in MENA and in growth markets globally. She plans to author more research and publish deeper essays, engage in more speaking and policy forums, and further support the intersection of literature, innovation and regional development.