
Former Scale AI executive Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh has raised $9 million in seed funding for 1001 AI, a new company developing AI infrastructure for high-stakes industries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The round was led by CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital, with participation from a global and regional group of investors including Chris Ré, Amjad Masad (Replit), Amira Sajwani (DAMAC), Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud (RAED Ventures), and Hisham Alfalih (Lean Technologies).
Building AI for Real-World, High-Impact Operations
Founded just two months ago, 1001 AI is developing an AI-native operating system designed to streamline decision-making across mission-critical industries such as aviation, logistics, oil and gas, construction, and ports.
“Just looking at airports, ports, and large construction projects, we see over $10 billion in inefficiencies across the Gulf region alone,” said Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, Founder and CEO of 1001 AI. “Even modest improvements in efficiency can create massive economic value — especially when nine out of ten mega-projects run behind schedule or over budget.”
The company’s platform ingests operational data from existing systems, models workflows, and issues real-time, automated directives to optimize movement, resource allocation, and crew management.
For example, where an operations manager might manually dispatch a refueling truck or reassign cleaning staff, 1001 AI’s orchestration layer can automate those actions based on live data, reducing delays and human error.
“Our system acts like an AI control tower for ground operations,” said Abu-Ghazaleh. “It continuously reroutes resources, reassigns crews, and adjusts workflows — all without human intervention.”
Experience From Scale AI Meets MENA’s AI Ambition
Born in Jordan, Abu-Ghazaleh spent nearly a decade in the United States, including key roles at Hive AI and later Scale AI, where he rose to Director of GenAI Operations. There, he helped expand Scale’s global contributor network for AI data labeling and led efforts to scale its generative AI systems.
He left Scale after the company’s strategic pivot following Meta’s investment, choosing to return to the Middle East to found 1001 AI.
“The Gulf has the perfect combination of appetite, capital, and urgency,” he said. “Governments are investing billions to digitize and localize critical infrastructure, and AI is the next logical step in that transformation.”
Indeed, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are among the world’s fastest adopters of AI, with sovereign-backed organizations like G42 and the Saudi National Center for AI spearheading national strategies to modernize industries and attract global talent.
Backing from Top-Tier Global Investors
Investors see 1001 AI as a rare opportunity to digitize the physical economy in a region poised for rapid transformation.
“We’re incredibly bullish on AI that tackles physical-world problems — optimizing how airports turn flights, how ports move cargo, or how construction sites operate,” said Deena Shakir, Partner at Lux Capital. “The MENA region’s mission-critical infrastructure is under-digitized and ripe for disruption.”
Neeraj Arora, Managing Director at General Catalyst, added:
“Bilal is building the decision engine to automate complexity — combining Scale AI-level execution with regional momentum. 1001 AI has the potential to become the foundational orchestration platform for this market.”
Roadmap: From Construction to the Gulf’s Operating System
The newly raised funds will support early deployments across aviation, logistics, and infrastructure, as well as engineering, operations, and go-to-market hiring in Dubai and London.
1001 AI’s first product launch is scheduled by the end of 2025, starting with a construction industry deployment. The company is already in discussions with some of the Gulf’s largest airport and construction operators.
Over the next five years, Abu-Ghazaleh aims to make 1001 AI the go-to orchestration layer for industrial operations across the Gulf, before expanding globally.
About 1001 AI
1001 AI builds an AI-native operating system for mission-critical industries, enabling real-time orchestration across airports, ports, construction, and logistics. Its platform reduces inefficiencies, boosts productivity, and powers the next generation of intelligent infrastructure across MENA and beyond.