If you’ve been in fundraising long enough, chances are you’ve either considered raising capital in the Middle East, or you've already made a trip or two.
Maybe you’ve heard there’s over $6 trillion in sovereign wealth.
Maybe a peer mentioned a family office in Dubai that wrote a check on the first meeting.
Or maybe you’re just feeling the pressure of a tough capital environment in the U.S. and Europe, and you're ready to explore a new region.
Wherever you are on that journey, we get it. And we’ve been there.
Raising capital in the Gulf isn’t easy. The region is full of potential but often feels opaque. There's excitement, but also noise.
At Dakota, we've spent years walking this road. We created Dakota Middle East to help simplify it all for you.
So, how do you raise capital in the Middle East without wasting time or spinning your wheels? We like to think of it in three stages: Flirt. Date. Commit. It’s a framework that’s helped us, and our customers, build meaningful traction without overspending or overcommitting too early.
Step One: Flirt
Entering the Middle East doesn’t require a massive budget or a fully staffed office on day one. In fact, one of the biggest misconceptions about fundraising in the region is that you need to make a huge investment upfront to see results. That’s simply not true.
The early stage, what we call the “Flirt” phase, is all about showing intent, not permanence. This is your opportunity to explore the region, begin identifying the right allocators, and introduce yourself without pressure.
Using a verified data platform like Dakota Marketplace allows you to target professional investors in the DIFC (Dubai) and ADGM (Abu Dhabi), as well as sovereign wealth funds that are often open to new conversations – even with emerging managers.
At this stage, your job isn’t to win a check; it’s to understand how capital moves in the region and who the real decision-makers are. Consider planning a short trip to meet investors face-to-face, not to pitch aggressively, but to listen, learn, and start building relationships. With the right data and a thoughtful approach, this first step can be both cost-effective and incredibly high impact.
Step Two: Date
As you begin to build rapport and see early interest, you’ll naturally enter the “Date” phase. This is where consistency becomes everything. Allocators in the Gulf don’t respond to one-off visits or cold outreach. What they want to see is that you’re serious: about them, about the region, and about building something long-term.
During this phase, many fundraisers start visiting the region more frequently, whether it’s three to four times a year and staying for several days at a time. Dakota Marketplace’s mapping tools make it easier to plan your meetings efficiently, allowing you to stack high-value conversations across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
This is also the right moment to start regulatory conversations or explore setting up a rep office or shared workspace. The goal here isn’t scale, it’s presence. Because in the Middle East, showing up consistently is what builds trust.
Step Three: Commit
Once you’ve gained meaningful traction and start to see capital commitments from the region, you’ll know it’s time to “Commit.” This might mean obtaining a full UAE regulatory license, hiring in-region talent, or expanding to other Gulf markets like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or Qatar.
Some managers at this stage go on to set up local feeder funds or deepen partnerships that position them for long-term capital relationships. While these steps require investment, they also unlock broader access, including the ability to engage onshore investors and scale your footprint across the GCC. This is also when allocators begin to see you not as a visitor, but as a part of the region.
Dakota Middle East
Too often, fundraisers head into the Gulf without the clarity or context they need. Dakota Middle East was built to change that.
It’s a dedicated data set within Dakota Marketplace, created to give fundraisers like you real, verified access to the region’s sovereign wealth funds, institutional family offices, and professional investors across the Gulf.
We’re not just mapping firms, we’re mapping decision-makers, their strategies, their allocations, and their momentum. So whether you're just beginning to explore the region or you're ready to expand your footprint, we’re here to help you do it with clarity and confidence.
Raising capital in the Middle East doesn’t have to be confusing or overwhelming. Start light, stay consistent, and scale when the time is right. With the right data and the right partners, you’ll know who to meet, where to go, and how to grow. And when you're ready to take that next step, Dakota Middle East is here to help you get there.
For more information on our Middle East data, book a demo of Dakota here!
