1001 AI Raises $9 Million Seed Round to Scale in the GCC
Backed by CIV, General Catalyst and Lux Capital, 1001 AI targets aviation, logistics, construction and oil & gas inefficiencies across Gulf markets.
Deep-tech firm 1001 AI has closed a seed funding round of $9 million to accelerate deployments of its AI-native operating system across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The round was led by CIV, General Catalyst and Lux Capital, with participation from high-profile backers including Chris Ré, Amjad Masad, Amira Sajwani, Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud and Hisham Al-Falih. Founded by Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, the company is dual-headquartered in London and Dubai and focuses on industrial sectors such as aviation, logistics, construction and oil & gas, where inefficiencies monitored by the firm are estimated to exceed $10 billion annually in the Gulf alone. 1001 AI’s platform integrates real-time operational data from existing systems to model workflows, predict bottlenecks and automate decision-making — allowing tasks like fleet coordination or construction site management to shift from manual oversight to autonomous orchestration. The startup plans its first commercial rollout by the end of 2025, with the seed capital supporting engineering growth and regional go-to-market expansion in both London and Dubai.
