RIYADH/DUBAI — Saudi deeptech startup Uvera has closed a seed funding round backed by Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures, Aramco’s venture-building arm LAB7, and Core Vision, alongside a group of strategic angel investors, in a deal that underscores growing regional appetite for food-tech solutions with direct relevance to UAE supply chains. The company, founded in 2019 by Asrar Damdam, did not disclose the size of the round.
What Uvera Does
Uvera combines proprietary shelf-life extension technology with blockchain-backed traceability, IoT-powered analytics and AI to help food producers, distributors and retailers cut waste and sharpen operational efficiency. The platform targets a persistent weak point in Gulf food systems: high import dependency combined with long logistics chains that erode shelf life before products reach consumers. For a region importing more than 80 percent of its food, technology that extends freshness windows and improves traceability has implications well beyond Saudi Arabia’s borders.
Why It Matters For The UAE
The UAE has positioned food security as a strategic priority since the pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi both expanding cold-chain infrastructure and agri-tech investment. Uvera’s model — reducing spoilage through science rather than added preservatives — fits directly into that agenda and offers a template UAE retailers, free-zone logistics operators and F&B distributors may look to adopt or replicate. The involvement of Morgan Stanley’s sustainable investing arm also signals that international capital sees Gulf food-tech as investable at scale, a signal UAE-based venture funds and family offices are likely to note as they build out food security and climate-adjacent portfolios.
For UAE founders, the round is a reference point on structuring strategic rounds around corporate venture arms tied to national industrial priorities, mirroring Aramco’s approach through LAB7. Abu Dhabi’s ADQ and Mubadala have pursued similar food-security bets domestically, and Uvera’s traction may accelerate cross-border partnerships, particularly given the UAE’s role as a re-export and distribution hub for food moving across the GCC. Investors tracking deeptech and sustainability mandates will likely watch whether Uvera expands operations into the UAE market as a next step following this raise.
