Projects that connect.
Europe and the Gulf, companies and capital, plan and execution: selected projects we have had the privilege to support.
Every project is individual, guided by the goals of the company or investor, its structure and its time horizon. No two cases are alike. What connects them all: we stay until it is signed.
“We listen before we propose anything. In the Gulf, that is not politeness but method.”VELA Growth Partners
Longevity and healthcare: the quiet deal flow.
How a growth company raised EUR 12m and investors from the Gulf, Europe and Asia gained access to an opportunity that was never publicly offered.
“Quiet deal flow does not begin with showing, but with leaving out.”
- Sector
- Longevity and preventive medicine
- Company
- Growth company from the DACH region, Series A
- Investors
- Gulf, Europe, Singapore
- Duration
- 5 months from kick-off to closing
Starting point
A growth company from the DACH region develops diagnostic and prevention programmes for a longer, healthier life: biomarker analyses, personalised programmes and partnerships with private clinics. Revenue EUR 4.2m, growth of 85% year on year, operationally close to break-even. To expand into the Gulf and Asia, the company is looking for EUR 12m.
On the other side are investors from the Gulf, Europe and Singapore who want to invest specifically in longevity but see hardly any vetted opportunities. What comes through the usual channels has usually been shown to dozens of addresses already.
Approach
- Weeks 1–4Selection and review
From 23 companies screened in the longevity space, we selected one. Business model, figures, regulation and team were reviewed, and weaknesses were fixed before the first investor contact.
- Weeks 4–8Making it investor-ready
An equity story with a clear Gulf angle, a financial model with three scenarios, a complete data room with 140 documents and an anonymised two-page teaser.
- Weeks 8–14Quiet outreach
Instead of 200 addresses, 14 selected investors approached in person: 9 confidentiality agreements, 6 data room accesses and 11 management meetings, 4 of them in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
- Weeks 14–21Negotiation and closing
3 term sheets, negotiation of valuation, governance and Gulf expansion. Closing with an Abu Dhabi family office as lead, a government-related fund and an investor from Singapore.
The company raised EUR 12m at a pre-money valuation of EUR 38m, around 15% above the original expectation. 55% of the capital comes from the Gulf. The lead investor also opens access to two private clinics in the UAE; the first location is in preparation. The investors received a vetted opportunity that was never publicly offered.
| Metric | Before the process | After closing |
|---|---|---|
| Investor contacts in the Gulf | none | 14 approached, 3 term sheets |
| Funding | target: EUR 12m | EUR 12m placed |
| Valuation (pre-money) | expected: EUR 33m | EUR 38m |
| Presence in the Gulf | none | 2 clinic partners in the UAE |
What others can take from it
14 well-matched investors beat 200 addresses. Every rejection in a broad process gets around.
In the Gulf, the person is assessed first, then the model. A personal introduction shortens the review.
The right investor brings more than money: partners, customers and open doors in the region.
Names, figures and details in this success story are illustrative and anonymised. They show a typical course from our work. We name clients and investors only with their explicit consent.
Arriving in Dubai: a strong unit finds its place.
How a family business carved out its software unit, set it up anew in Dubai and won AED 24m from a Gulf investor.
“The carve-out is a question of structure. Arriving is a question of sequence.”
- Parent company
- Family business, mechanical engineering, 420 employees
- Unit
- Industrial software with AI, 38 employees
- Goal
- Standalone unit in Dubai
- Duration
- 7 months to operational start
Starting point
A family business from southern Germany, mechanical engineering, 420 employees, EUR 180m in revenue. Over eight years, a software unit has grown in-house: AI-supported process optimisation for industrial plants, EUR 9m in revenue, 38 employees. Within the parent company, it lacks room, capital and speed.
In the Gulf, there is a concrete pipeline: six projects with industrial and energy companies, plus investors looking for exactly this kind of technology. The tax structure has been settled with the advisers in Germany. Everything that has to happen on the ground is still open.
Approach
- Months 1–2Preparing the separation
Perimeter defined: which customers, contracts, intellectual property rights and employees move to the new unit. Transitional services from the parent company for IT, accounting and HR agreed for 12 months.
- Months 2–4Structure on the ground
Company in Dubai with a licence in six weeks, office, visas for three executives, bank account after nine weeks. Coordinated with lawyers and tax advisers from our local network.
- Months 3–6Capital and partners
Introductions to five strategic investors and two potential customers. An industrial investor from the Gulf acquires 30% for AED 24m (around EUR 6m); the parent company holds 70%.
- Months 4–12Leadership until the team is in place
A VELA fractional COO leads the unit 2.5 days a week, builds the team and hands over to a locally recruited managing director after nine months.
After seven months, the new unit is operational in Dubai, with its own company, its own capital and six newly hired employees on the ground. In the first four months after launch, it won two orders worth a combined AED 1.8m. The parent company retains 70% and has made the value of the unit visible: the investor’s stake values it at around EUR 20m.
| Metric | Within the parent | After the carve-out |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | department without its own legal form | own company in Dubai |
| Capital | budget from the parent company | AED 24m from a Gulf investor |
| Team on the ground | none | 6 employees and 3 seconded executives |
| Orders in the Gulf | pipeline of 6 projects | 2 orders worth AED 1.8m |
What others can take from it
First perimeter and rights, then the company, then capital. Starting the other way round means negotiating with open questions.
Banks, authorities and investors check whether the unit really operates in Dubai. Letterbox solutions fail at the bank account at the latest.
A fractional COO bridges the months until the team is in place, without the parent company having to pull executives away.
Names, figures and details in this success story are illustrative and anonymised. They show a typical course from our work. We name clients and investors only with their explicit consent.
Headwind at home: a new course in the Gulf.
How a mid-sized company under pressure secured its strong core, built a second pillar in the Gulf and was growing profitably again after 18 months.
“Headwind is no reason to stay in port. You just need to know how to tack.”
- Company
- Family business, water and filtration technology, 140 employees
- Starting point
- Falling revenue, losses, reduced credit line
- Goal
- Stabilisation and a second pillar in the Gulf
- Duration
- 18 months
Starting point
A family business from North Rhine-Westphalia, water and filtration technology for industry and municipalities, 140 employees. Within two years, revenue falls from EUR 32m to EUR 24m and EBITDA slips to minus EUR 1.4m. The house bank cuts the credit line by EUR 3m.
Yet the core is strong: patented filtration technology that is in particular demand in hot, water-scarce regions, and an experienced team. The question is not whether something has to change, but in which direction.
Approach
- Weeks 1–6Honest assessment
13-week liquidity plan, analysis of all product lines and customers. Result: two product lines generate 80% of the contribution margin, three lose money. Standstill agreement with the house bank.
- Months 2–6Stabilising
Restructuring in the home market: three loss-making lines discontinued, purchasing renegotiated, two sites merged. Savings of EUR 2.8m a year, implemented in a socially responsible way.
- Months 3–9New course in the Gulf
Market entry with a sales partner in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, a reference project with a utility and a company in Dubai. A fractional COO builds the business on the ground.
- Months 6–10New capital
EUR 5m in growth capital as mezzanine from a Gulf family office. Financing no longer depends on the house bank alone.
After 18 months, the company is stable and growing again: revenue of EUR 29m, EUR 4.6m of it in the Gulf. EBITDA stands at plus EUR 2.1m, the Gulf order backlog at AED 11m. 120 of the 140 jobs in the home market are secured, and the house bank has increased the credit line again.
| Metric | Before | After 18 months |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EUR 24m | EUR 29m |
| EBITDA | −EUR 1.4m | +EUR 2.1m |
| Revenue in the Gulf | none | EUR 4.6m |
| Financing | house bank only, line reduced | house bank and EUR 5m growth capital |
What others can take from it
Without a liquidity plan and clarity on costs, every market entry is one more risk.
Not everything belongs in the Gulf. Only what has a real advantage there carries the new course.
An investor from the Gulf reduces dependence on the house bank and opens doors to customers in the region.
Names, figures and details in this success story are illustrative and anonymised. They show a typical course from our work. We name clients and investors only with their explicit consent.
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