1001 AI, a newly founded startup developing AI-powered operational decision systems for critical industries, has announced raising $9 million in seed funding led by CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital, with participation from notable investors including Chris Ré, Amjad Masad (Replit), Amira Sajwani (DAMAC), Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud (RAED Ventures), and Hisham Alfalih (Lean Technologies).
The funding will be used to accelerate early pilot deployments across aviation, infrastructure, and logistics sectors, expand engineering and operations teams, and grow its presence in Dubai and London.
Founded just weeks ago by Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, a Jordanian entrepreneur with nearly a decade of experience in the U.S. tech scene, including roles at Hive AI and Scale AI, 1001 AI is building an AI-native operating system designed to reduce inefficiencies and optimize operations in sectors like aviation, logistics, and oil & gas — all core to the Gulf’s economic backbone.
“We see more than $10 billion in inefficiencies across critical Gulf industries such as airports, ports, and oil and gas,” said Abu-Ghazaleh. “Our goal is to automate complex field operations using real-time data orchestration, reducing human intervention and boosting productivity.”
1001 AI’s platform unifies clients’ operational data, models workflows, and issues real-time recommendations and automated directives—for example, rerouting vehicles or reassigning crews instantly. The company plans to launch its first commercial product by year-end in the construction sector and aims to become the region’s leading AI orchestration platform over the next five years.
Investors see the Middle East as fertile ground for AI adoption. “We’re extremely bullish on AI that solves physical-world problems at scale,” said Deena Shakir, partner at Lux Capital. “The MENA region offers significant potential in this space, with mission-critical infrastructure ready for digital transformation.”