INVE raises $300,000 from Outliers VC for GCC eventtech push

Saudi Arabia-based eventtech startup INVE has raised $300,000 in a pre-seed round from Outliers VC, an operator-led firm that was previously the company's first paid business design partner.

Founded in 2024 by Abdulrahman Alabdulkarim, now 23, INVE offers a digital event management platform for individuals and companies. It covers personalised invitations, RSVP management, guest profiles, branded registration pages and digital entry passes. Alabdulkarim built the first version to handle invitations for his sister's wedding.

Traction and the business platform

The consumer product has since supported 250 events in more than 60 cities and towns across Saudi Arabia and the GCC. It has sent over 35,000 invitations and recorded an 88% RSVP response rate. The business platform launched in August 2026.

It targets companies that treat events as part of their brand, including technology firms, venture firms, financial services businesses and the agencies that host for them. Instead of guest data being scattered across spreadsheets, inboxes and WhatsApp chats, INVE keeps a living profile for each guest. The profile updates as people engage and can hold dietary preferences, interests and attendance history. Hosts can send invitations from their own email addresses and company WhatsApp numbers, and RSVP pages, registration pages and entry passes carry the host's branding.

Outliers has used the platform for invitations and guest communications, including for its upcoming Builder Summit. Sarah AlSaleh, General Partner at Outliers VC, said working with INVE as a design partner gave the firm conviction in both the product and the founder's ability to execute.

What comes next

The money will go toward team expansion, brand development and customer acquisition. INVE's self-service product is available internationally, but its immediate priorities are Saudi Arabia and the GCC. Longer term, the company plans to build a business customer base in North Africa, other African markets and Europe.

Alabdulkarim says the aim is for INVE to become the infrastructure behind how people and businesses host across the Gulf. He previously worked on backend and infrastructure systems at Lean Technologies and graduated from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, where he received the President's Medal for Entrepreneurship for INVE.