Former Scale AI exec raises $9M to build AI infrastructure for Middle East

Scale AI veteran Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh has launched 1001, a startup building AI infrastructure to modernize large industries across the Middle East and North Africa, securing $9 million in seed funding from CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital. The company targets inefficiencies in aviation, logistics, construction, and oil and gas sectors that cost the Gulf region over $10 billion annually due to delays and outdated operational systems.

What you should know: 1001 aims to create an “AI-native operating system” that automates daily workflows through real-time data integration and operational modeling.

• The platform enables organizations to make faster, more precise operational decisions by combining live data, operational modeling, and real-time oversight tools.
• Many daily operational calls are still handled manually, such as assigning ground crews or rerouting vehicles in airports, which 1001’s system can automate.
• Abu-Ghazaleh’s experience at Scale AI, where he led teams developing data annotation systems for generative AI, informed his understanding of how data-driven automation can reduce complexity in large-scale operations.

The big picture: The startup represents a strategic return of talent to the Middle East to build locally relevant AI infrastructure in a region investing heavily in advanced technology ecosystems.

• Abu-Ghazaleh, born in Amman, Jordan, studied computer science in the U.S. before working at Hive AI and Scale AI, making 1001 his homecoming project.
• The regional focus aligns with government-backed efforts in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to establish advanced AI ecosystems through investments in data infrastructure, energy optimization, and logistics efficiency.

How it works: The AI orchestrator uses real-time data to automatically manage complex operational decisions without human intervention.

• “With our system, that orchestration happens automatically. The AI orchestrator uses real-time data to reroute vehicles, reassign crews, and adjust operations without human intervention,” Abu-Ghazaleh explained to TechCrunch.
• Initial deployments are being tested in aviation, logistics, and construction with major Gulf partners.

Who else is involved: The funding round attracted notable investors from both venture capital and industry leadership.

• Lead investors include CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital, with participation from Stanford AI Lab Professor Chris Ré, Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad, and DAMAC Managing Director Amira Sajwani.
• Other backers include RAED Venture Partner Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud and Lean Technologies co-founder and CEO Hisham Al-Falih.

What they’re saying: Industry experts emphasize the potential for AI to solve complex physical-world problems at scale.

• “We’re extremely bullish on AI that solves physical-world problems at scale — i.e., optimizing how airports turn around flights, how ports move cargo, how construction sites operate,” Lux Capital Partner Deena Shakir told TechCrunch.
• “Many of us left to work at the cutting edge; 1001 is a place to come back and build it here,” Abu-Ghazaleh said in the company’s statement.
• “The future belongs to decision engines that act in the flow of operations, with outcomes you can count and governance you can trust,” he added.

What’s next: 1001 plans to establish itself as the default decision-making platform for critical Gulf industries before pursuing global expansion.

• The company is actively hiring across Dubai and London, seeking engineers and operations professionals to accelerate development.
• The funding will support early projects with major logistics partners and developers throughout the Gulf region.