06 May 2025
Prosus Ventures Leads $4.3M Investment in Zest Equity to Modernize Private Market Infrastructure Across Emerging Markets
Prosus Ventures has led a $4.3 million pre-Series A investment in Zest Equity, a UAE-based digital infrastructure platform simplifying private market transactions. Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV) also participated in the round.
Zest Equity is building a trusted, end-to-end digital platform to streamline the execution of private market deals, addressing a critical gap in mid-sized transactions often overlooked by larger financial institutions.
Founded in 2021 by Zuhair Shamma and Rawan Baddour, Zest Equity provides modular, technology-driven solutions that enable clients to structure and close private market transactions more efficiently—across asset classes and deal types. To date, Zest Equity has digitized over $155 million in transaction value across more than 115 deals.
Empowering Emerging Private Markets
At Prosus Ventures, we believe next-generation financial infrastructure is essential to unlocking new opportunities across high-growth markets. Our investment in Zest Equity reflects our conviction that emerging market private capital ecosystems will increasingly rely on digital platforms to reduce friction, enhance transparency, and broaden access.
"Zest Equity is building the connective tissue for private markets across emerging economies," said Robin Voogd, Head of Middle East Investments at Prosus Ventures. "We’re excited to support their mission to create more efficient, inclusive, and scalable private capital markets."
Zest Equity will use the new funding to expand geographically into Saudi Arabia, enhance its product suite, and invest in its technology infrastructure to support a broader range of transactions.
About Zest Equity
Founded in 2021 by Zuhair Shamma and Rawan Baddour, Zest Equity provides digital infrastructure for private market transactions. Headquartered in the UAE, the company is building a proprietary transactional stack to power private market transactions end-to-end.
Their first product enables clients to group their stakeholders into a single legal vehicle (SPV), simplifying and digitizing execution processes while enhancing efficiency and trust in private market transactions across the GCC. For more information, visit zestequity.com
About Prosus
Prosus is a global technology company, unlocking an AI-first world for our 2 billion customers. With investments in more than 100 companies across the world, we are building local ecommerce champions in growth markets.
With leading positions in Food Delivery, Classifieds and Fintech, Prosus has created its own unique technology ecosystem, driving innovation, knowledge sharing and growth across our portfolio.
Through the Prosus Ventures team, the group invests in new technology growth opportunities within AI, social and ecommerce platforms, fintech, B2B software, logistics, health, blockchain, agriculture and more.
The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people’s everyday lives.
To find out more, please visit www.prosus.com.