An early-stage fund backing post-MVP, impact-driven founders building deeptech, applied AI and data infrastructure for the energy and industrial operations of MENA.
What we back
We invest at the post-MVP stage in impact-driven deeptech, applied AI and data infrastructure for energy and industrial operations across MENA — led by operators, not generalists.
Energy storage, grid and power systems, and the hardware that turns decarbonisation into deployed infrastructure across MENA.
Applied AI that turns energy and industrial operations into real-time intelligence, and the data-and-trust layer behind industrial and commodity flows.
Aligned with the national strategies of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the wider MENA region.
Every investment must clear two tests — venture-scale returns and measurable, impact-driven operational outcomes: energy saved, emissions avoided, downtime removed.
Scaler Capital is a signatory to the Mensarius Oath of Ethical Investing — we invest with integrity and transparency, and in alignment with the founders and investors we serve.
Why Scaler
Scaler is led by three operating partners with complementary edges across the full deeptech deployment stack — from first cheque to industrial pilot to scale. Katerina Hayes brings 17 years in offshore oil & gas operations — from $1B Sakhalin EPC megaprojects to North Sea FPSO commissioning and her own offshore I&C engineering firm serving Wood Group, TAQA and Shell — plus a founder’s record of building and exiting ventures, having raised from angels and returned their capital through a full exit. Olga Bertosh brings CFO-grade financial governance and compliance from board-level roles across regulated sectors — the operational rigour that makes a first fund safe to back. Egbert Wijnen-Riems adds 35+ years of executive leadership across Energy, EPC, LNG, Petrochemicals and Capital Projects — as former CEO, President and Group Director at Fluor Corporation, SOCAR Türkiye, SNGS and IASCM — unlocking MENA cross-border deal flow, EPC contractor relationships, and pilot-site access for portfolio companies. We lead the first institutional cheque, then open the pilot sites, relationships, and follow-on syndicate that turn a validated technology into a deployed one.
Conviction · Access · Governance · Industrial Reach
Who we back
We back post-MVP founders choosing MENA as a launchpad to scale globally, as well as regional founders expanding worldwide. We bring network, community and GTM.
Team
Founder & Managing Partner
Deeptech · Strategy · Capital Formation
17 years in offshore oil & gas operations (Sakhalin EPC megaprojects; North Sea FPSO commissioning); founder of a North Sea offshore I&C engineering firm serving Wood Group, TAQA and Shell; founder-operator with multiple ventures built and a full exit.
LinkedIn ↗
Partner
Finance · Governance · Risk
ACCA Chartered Accountant. CFO and board-level commercial & finance leader. Partner at Novatum Partners (governance, risk and compliance for regulated businesses); former CFO of fintech platform Novatum Tech; former Financial & Commercial Director, Team Prevent UK.
LinkedIn ↗
Partner
Energy | EPC | LNG | Industrial | Cross-Border Investments
International board and strategic leader with more than 35 years of executive experience across Energy, EPC, LNG, Petrochemicals, Infrastructure and Capital Projects. Former CEO, President, Group Director and Senior Executive with Fluor Corporation, SOCAR Türkiye, SNGS and IASCM, leading multi-billion-dollar projects, business transformations and international operations across Europe, North America, Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Brings cross-border deal flow, EPC contractor relationships, and pilot-site access for portfolio companies across MENA.
LinkedIn ↗Family offices and angels — if our thesis on early-stage, impact-driven deeptech in MENA resonates, there’s room to come in as a founding investor in Fund I. Start a private conversation.
Post-MVP founders — tell us what you’re building, the impact it delivers, and why now.