Scale AI Veteran Raises $9M to Build AI Infrastructure for Critical Industries Across MENA
Just days after relocating to London, Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh — who previously spent years in the U.S. and worked at Scale AI — is channeling that experience into his new venture, 1001 AI, a startup developing AI infrastructure for mission-critical industries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The company has secured a $9 million seed round led by CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital, with participation from high-profile investors such as Chris Ré, Amjad Masad (Replit), Amira Sajwani (DAMAC), Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud (RAED Ventures), and Hisham Alfalih (Lean Technologies).
Founded just two months ago, 1001 AI aims to eliminate inefficiencies in high-stakes sectors like aviation, logistics, and oil and gas through an AI-native operating system for decision-making.
“In core industries like airports, ports, construction, and oil and gas, inefficiencies exceed $10 billion across the Gulf alone,” Abu-Ghazaleh told TechCrunch. “Even modest gains in efficiency can lead to enormous cost savings in markets like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.”
For instance, streamlining airport operations can multiply savings across airlines and terminals. Similarly, with nine out of ten mega-projects in the region running late or over budget, even incremental efficiency improvements could yield substantial economic value.
1001 AI expects to debut its first product by the end of the year and is already in talks with major Gulf construction companies and airports about early deployments.
From Scale AI to the Gulf’s Next Tech Frontier
Born and raised in Jordan, Abu-Ghazaleh moved to the U.S. for college and later joined Silicon Valley’s startup ecosystem. His career includes roles at Hive AI and later Scale AI, where he advanced from operations associate to director of GenAI operations, managing large-scale data annotation and model training.
When Meta invested in Scale AI, prompting a strategic shift, Abu-Ghazaleh decided to found 1001 AI, focusing on real-world operational automation rather than purely software tools.
The Gulf region, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has become a global hub for AI investment, with sovereign-backed initiatives such as G42 and the National Center for AI driving rapid adoption. Abu-Ghazaleh sees this as an ideal testbed for AI systems that optimize physical-world infrastructure.
“We’re extremely bullish on AI that solves real-world problems — optimizing how airports manage flights, how ports move cargo, how construction sites operate,” said Deena Shakir, partner at Lux Capital. “The MENA region is ripe for transformation.”
Building the AI Operating System for Industry
While the product is still in development, 1001 AI’s system integrates data from existing enterprise software, models workflows, and generates real-time operational directives to improve efficiency.
“Today, an operations manager might manually call to reroute vehicles or reassign teams,” Abu-Ghazaleh explained. “Our AI orchestrator does that automatically — adjusting operations on the fly using live data.”
Unlike traditional enterprise AI startups focused on single verticals, 1001 AI is designed to scale horizontally across multiple sectors where operational flows share common patterns.
The company’s approach involves embedding with clients for weeks to co-develop tailored AI systems, borrowing from consulting methodologies to ensure on-the-ground accuracy.
“Bilal is building the decision engine to automate operational complexity with Scale-proven execution,” said Neeraj Arora, managing director at General Catalyst.
The $9 million seed round will accelerate early deployments in aviation, logistics, and infrastructure, while supporting engineering, operations, and go-to-market hires in Dubai and London.
1001 AI expects to launch its first customer deployment by year-end, starting with construction. Within five years, Abu-Ghazaleh envisions 1001 AI becoming the Gulf’s leading orchestration platform before expanding globally.
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