About Dhow — Private markets built for the Ummah

Dhow is building the institutional infrastructure that gives the global Muslim diaspora access to venture capital — screened for ethical alignment, structured for accessibility, and built to last.

Our Story

Muslims have talent, capital, ambition, and numbers. What we lack is coordination.

Our power is real, but it is scattered across bank accounts, careers, businesses, masjids, WhatsApp groups, and disconnected investment circles. Scattered power does not compound. Organized power does. That is why we are building Dhow.

Every serious community understands circulation. Capital backs founders. Founders build companies. Companies create jobs. Jobs create wealth. Wealth gets reinvested into the next generation. That is how communities build power.

Muslims are nearly 2 billion strong globally. In the West, we have doctors, engineers, lawyers, founders, operators, business owners, and investors with real capital. But we still do not have a serious platform connecting that capital to ownership in the companies shaping the future. Dhow is being built to become that platform.

We do not want Muslims to only be consumers, donors, employees, or spectators. We want our community on the cap table.

Dhow is a halal-conscious private markets platform helping Muslims invest ethically, back exceptional founders, and build long-term wealth through ownership. We are starting with Dhow Horizon Fund I — our seed-stage venture fund backing exceptional founders building exceptional products in exceptional markets across North America.

But the vision is bigger than one fund. We are building toward a digital family office for the global Muslim community: venture funds, curated deals, investor education, community diligence, halal-conscious screening, and broader private market access where regulations allow.

For us, this is both a business and an amanah. If we can build infrastructure that helps Muslims own more, invest better, support our founders, and recycle wealth back into future generations, then we believe we have a duty to build it.

Every dollar our community invests into extraordinary Muslim founders should have the chance to come back as $50 or $100, then flow into the next founder, the next fund, the next institution, and the next generation. That is the circular Muslim economy. That is what Dhow is building.

Our Values

Values-first underwriting

Every opportunity on Dhow is screened against a rigorous ethical framework before investors see it. Halal compliance, social impact, and governance standards are not optional checkboxes — they are the starting point.

Built for the global diaspora

The Muslim diaspora spans over 50 countries and commands trillions in purchasing power, yet has been systematically excluded from private market wealth creation. Dhow exists to change that.

Institutional discipline, community scale

We bring the diligence standards of top-tier venture firms to a community of investors who have long been shut out of the asset class — lowering minimums without lowering standards.

Team

Zain Abidi — CEO

Zain founded Dhow to solve a problem he experienced firsthand — the global Muslim community generates enormous wealth but has been systematically locked out of the private markets where that wealth compounds. He leads strategy, investor relations, and fundraising, bringing together institutional rigour with a deep personal commitment to values-aligned capital.

Raza Abidi — Operations

Raza oversees the operational backbone of Dhow — from compliance and onboarding to fund administration and investor reporting. His focus is ensuring that every touchpoint in the investor experience meets the standard of the top-tier firms we benchmark against, while remaining accessible to a global, diaspora audience.

Ali Abidi — Product & Growth

Ali leads product development and community growth, translating Dhow's mission into software experiences that feel intuitive and trustworthy. He works at the intersection of design, engineering, and marketing to grow a community of investors who see values-alignment not as a constraint but as a competitive edge.

Invest with conviction

Join thousands of values-aligned investors already on the Dhow waitlist. Get started on the homepage.