Doha: Human Capital announced Thursday it is joining QIA's "Fund of Funds" program. As part of the partnership, HCF LLC ("HCF"), an affiliate, will open an office in Doha, Qatar.

According to Qatar News Agency, a statement issued by the Qatar Investment Authority said that Human Capital's expansion to the Middle East through HCF is part of the firm's broader strategic partnership with QIA, and reinforces its commitment to support founders and businesses with comprehensive talent strategies as they scale operations across the region.

The Doha office will be the first of the Human Capital-affiliated international offices. Heading the new office is Pradeep Desu, a seasoned talent professional with extensive experience in hiring for product companies, seeding new teams, and scaling businesses. Desu has held leadership positions on the recruiting teams of Uber, Gojek, and most recently, Zamp. His expertise in managing recruiting and talent functions across diverse organizations and international markets is expected to play a pivotal role in driving growth in the region.

Human Capital is a multi-stage venture capital firm with a strong focus on providing hands-on support to entrepreneurs by partnering with founders to help assemble their teams and facilitate growth. The Fund of Funds program aims to develop a strong start-up and venture capital ecosystem in Qatar, attract leading venture capital funds and entrepreneurs to the region, and help close the current funding gap for local and regional entrepreneurs.

The program, first announced in February 2024, will invest more than USD 1 billion in international and regional venture capital funds and will place a priority focus on the tech and healthcare sectors. The Fund of Funds program has a dual investment mandate to achieve good financial performance and deliver a positive development impact on the Qatari venture capital ecosystem.