A good home for what you built.

You spent years building your business. Whether you have a plan for what comes next or are only starting to think about it, here is what you can expect from us.

Your business stays independent

It keeps its own name, its own management runs the day-to-day, and it remains its own company. We are here to strengthen what is already there, not to replace it.

Support that fits

There is no fixed program. Support depends on the business: talent, financial management, commercial expertise, introductions or advice on a decision. It may come from Noor directly, or from experienced operators and specialists he brings in.

We are here for the long term

We intend to own for the long term, with no clock ticking toward an exit. We say what we think and what happens next, and then we do it.

Questions founders ask.

Ask us anything else directly. You will get a plain answer.

Established, profitable businesses with a capable team and a meaningful role in their customers' lives. As a rough guide, many have $1 to 5 million in annual revenue, but that is not a rule. The sector matters less than the quality. We do not fund new ideas or early-stage startups.

The business keeps its name and continues to be run by its own team, day to day. We do not merge the businesses we buy into one company or put them under a new brand, and we are not a buyer that cuts staff and keeps only the brand.

It depends on what the business needs. It could be help finding a key hire, stronger financial management, commercial expertise, an introduction to the right person, or advice on a strategic decision. It may come from Noor directly, or from experienced operators and specialists he brings in. It is support where it is useful, not a program we impose.

Not necessarily. We are open to you staying involved or to a planned handover, depending on you and the business. There is no single prescribed path.

Yes. We intend to own for the long term and have no clock ticking toward an exit. We buy businesses to keep them and help them grow stronger over many years.

Noor Shawwa, founder of Awna

Noor Shawwa
Founder, Awna

I know what a good business looks like, and where the right help matters.

I have worked in and around entrepreneurship my whole career. Here is the short version, and why it led me to start Awna.

Teaching, then two startups

I started by teaching entrepreneurship and business strategy at university. I then joined Zawya, a fast-growing startup that Thomson Reuters later bought, where I worked directly with the founders and management team, building teams and managing products. After that I spent a year at Bayt.com, the leading job site in the Middle East.

Endeavor, 12 years

I launched Endeavor in the UAE and spent 12 years there. My team and I worked with hundreds of founders and selected more than 60 companies to join the network. Some were venture-backed, such as Propertyfinder, Careem, Tabby, Kitopi, Mumzworld and Checkout.com. Others were self-funded, such as Hunter Foods, Raw Coffee Company, Wavetec, Bearaby and RSA Global.

We connected these founders with around a hundred mentors, all of them successful entrepreneurs, senior executives or investors, who helped them make better decisions, meet investors and enter new markets.

Global Ventures

More recently I have worked with Global Ventures as a Venture Partner. I sit on the boards of several portfolio companies and have worked on value creation across the portfolio.

What I noticed

I also met many founders running good, profitable businesses that conventional investment was not designed for. They had built something solid, cared deeply about it and were great at their craft. What suited them was an owner for the long term, with experienced support for the business itself.

Why Awna

Awna is for those founders. My experience helps me recognize a good business, see where support would matter, and connect it with the right people.

Outside work, I love good coffee and I take my fitness seriously. I am currently training for my first Hyrox race.

The companies named here are ones I worked with in earlier roles. They are not Awna businesses and have not endorsed Awna.

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