Nabta Health, a UAE-based company that builds AI-powered preventive healthcare services with a focus on women’s health, has secured new backing from Phoenix Venture Partners, which led the second close of the startup’s ongoing $3 million pre-Series A round. The investment was announced on October 19, 2026, in a statement published by Wamda.
The amount raised in the second close was not disclosed. Phoenix Venture Partners (PVP), a venture capital fund manager based in Abu Dhabi Global Market and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, said its investment combines primary and secondary capital, meaning part of the money buys existing shares rather than going to the company. The split was not given.
What the company does
Nabta started in 2017 as a direct-to-consumer women’s health platform. It now describes itself as building preventive healthcare infrastructure for employers, insurers and healthcare providers. Its services combine early disease detection, care navigation through an AI assistant called Aya, and a mix of digital and in-person clinical care, according to the statement. The company says its clinics and women’s health expertise remain central to the wider platform.
The employer offering includes annual health checks covered by insurance, preventive care subscriptions and help navigating treatment, FWDStart reported. Nabta has also partnered with employee well-being platform LVL to offer corporate clients clinical services alongside digital well-being support, the outlet said.
The founder
The company was founded by Sophie Smith, who is its chief executive. Dr. Mussaad Al-Razouki, co-founder and non-executive director of PVP, backed Nabta as a founding investor and later served as its executive chairman. As part of the deal, he will step down from Nabta’s board, and Steve Khayat, PVP’s founder and chief executive, will join as the firm’s representative.
“We are delighted to welcome PVP as a shareholder and Steve to our Board at an important stage in NABTA’s journey,” Smith said in the statement published by Wamda. “PVP brings not only capital, but also the regional relationships and hands-on support that can help us accelerate our next phase of commercial growth and deepen our partnerships with employers, insurers and healthcare providers.”
Funding and investors
The pre-Series A round has drawn institutional investors, venture capital firms, family offices and high-net-worth investors, according to the statement, which did not name them. Nabta announced $2 million of pre-Series A funding in November 2025 and said at the time that its total funding to date had reached $4.5 million, according to the company’s announcement. It has not said how much of the current $3 million round has now been committed.
“NABTA has done the hard work of building its technology, clinical infrastructure and model, and is already demonstrating strong commercial traction,” Khayat said in the statement. “We believe the company is now at an inflection point where the focus can shift decisively toward go-to-market and sales acceleration.”
Traction and market
Nabta has not published revenue, patient or client numbers. The company was named to TIME magazine’s list of top health-tech companies for 2025, and it launched a Women’s Health Centre of Excellence with Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital Dubai in June 2025, according to FWDStart. The center brings together specialists in reproductive health, hormonal conditions, mental health and preventive medicine.
Its target customers are employers and insurers that want to manage long-term healthcare costs through prevention and earlier intervention. In its November 2025 announcement, the company said it planned to expand its hybrid care model across the Middle East and Africa. “For employers and insurers in the region, addressing the women’s health gap is not just a moral imperative; it is a business and productivity one,” Smith said at the time.
What’s next
Nabta said the new funding will support its go-to-market strategy, expand its enterprise offering and help it build new commercial relationships across the employer, insurance and healthcare sectors. The company said it is moving from an extended period of product development and research into a phase focused on commercialization and scale.
This series earlier profiled Popcorn AI Studio, the Dubai-based AI video platform that raised $1 million in pre-seed funding, and JustAd, the UAE-based advertising technology startup that secured $5 million from angel investor Imad Jomaa.
