Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, a Jordanian entrepreneur, has launched 1001 AI, a company focused on using artificial intelligence to solve inefficiencies in key industries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The startup, now based between London and Dubai, recently raised $9 million in seed funding led by CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital, with participation from investors including Chris Ré, Amjad Masad of Replit, Amira Sajwani of DAMAC, Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud of RAED Ventures, and Hisham Alfalih of Lean Technologies.
Abu-Ghazaleh, who previously worked at Scale AI in the U.S., said the company’s mission is to eliminate costly inefficiencies in sectors like aviation, logistics, and oil and gas through an AI-native operating system designed for real-time decision-making.
“Just looking at airports, ports, construction, and oil and gas, we see over $10 billion in inefficiencies across the Gulf alone,” he said. “Even small improvements can save these industries huge sums.”
The startup’s first product, expected to launch by the end of the year, will use AI to automate complex operational decisions, such as rerouting vehicles or assigning crews, without human intervention.
Investors are optimistic about the company’s vision. “We’re extremely bullish on AI that solves physical-world problems at scale,” said Deena Shakir, partner at Lux Capital. “The MENA region offers major potential in this space.”
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The Gulf region has become one of the fastest adopters of AI globally, with countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia investing heavily in local AI infrastructure and startups.
With new funding, 1001 AI plans to expand its team in Dubai and London and begin customer deployments in the construction sector before branching out to other industries. Abu-Ghazaleh aims to make 1001 AI the Gulf’s go-to decision engine for critical operations within the next five years.
