Abu Dhabi Β· Pre-SeedβSeed
Investment thesis
Beam positions itself as an innovation lab at the intersection of AI, trading, and blockchain, backed by a crypto-native treasury (the Beam Foundation). It builds, incubates, invests in, and partners with frontier-technology projects spanning DeFi, data and compute (DePIN), consumer trading apps, gaming, and stablecoin infrastructure. Its dedicated venture arm, Beam Ventures, backs high-conviction founders at the earliest stages and runs a Booster accelerator, aiming to make Abu Dhabi a hub for next-generation frontier tech. Value across the ecosystem flows to the $BEAM token, which is EVM-compatible across Ethereum, Base and Avalanche and features a buy-and-burn supply mechanism plus governance participation.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 6, 2026.
What they invest in
from 9 of 14 portfolio companiesGaming Γ6AI & Machine Learning Γ4Crypto & Web3 Γ3Creator Economy Γ2Fintech Γ2Consumer Γ1Data & Infrastructure Γ1Robotics Γ1
HQs:United StatesΓ4United Arab EmiratesΓ1
Investments Β· 14 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2024 Β· 22022 Β· 57 dated
Decentralized GPU cloud network with 435,000+ containers across 90+ countries serving AI and gaming workloads; a major treasury position.
Frontier technology fund based in Abu Dhabi Global Market licensed to manage a Qualified Investor Fund focused on web3, AI, gaming, and finance.
Consumer trading app built on Hyperliquid offering perpetual futures, spot tokens, and equity markets with up to 40x leverage; incubated by Beam.
Co-investorsBeam
Forgotten Playland: Party Edition is a multiplayer party game where players customize characters called PlushKyns and compete in a variety of competitive mini-games set in themed areas.
ConsumerGaming
Co-investorsPaper VenturesWWVenturesC2 Ventures
Mavia is a Web3 mobile strategy game where players build and defend a base, train infantry, vehicle and air units, and battle rival players to loot resources.
Crypto & Web3Gaming
Co-investorsBitkraft Esports VenturesExto PartnersGenblock CapitalMagnus CapitalSublime VenturesTriblock+8 more
Metatheory develops games for players seeking depth and quality gameplay, and is expanding into AI-driven software tools for creators.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyGamingGalveston, US
Kevin M. Lin(Executive Officer, Director)inAdam Bao(Executive Officer)inJames Thomas Gleason(Executive Officer)David Barthwell(Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBitkraft Esports VenturesBreyer CapitalDragonflyLifelike CapitalMetastable+4 more
Yield-generating stablecoin protocol building USN using delta-neutral strategies; partnered with Beam.
Co-investorsBeam
Roboto is a data platform for teams working with real and synthetic robotics data, letting them organize log files, search multimodal sensor and video data, and use AI agents to surface anomalies and diagnose failures.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureRoboticsSeattle, US
Benji Barash(Founder)in
Co-investorsAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorFUSEUnusual VenturesAncient8Andreessen HorowitzAnimoca Brands+3 more
Roboto Games develops survival crafting video games designed for both solo and cooperative multiplayer play.
GamingSan Mateo, US
Curt Bererton(CEO)inMathilde Pignol(CCO)in
BoardMichael Dearing(Director)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzMakers FundTRANSCENDAncient8Animoca Brandsgumi Cryptos Capital (gCC)+1 more
Saga is a platform for building persistent character AI agents that let studios, creators, and brands turn characters, brands, and worlds into digital personalities that engage users across social platforms, messaging apps, and online communities.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyGamingLas Vegas, US
Rebecca Liao(Co-Founder & CEO)Jin Kwon(Co-Founder & CSO)inBogdan Alexandrescu(Co-Founder & VP of Engineering)inRyan Robert Dean(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardKevin Dale Klassen(Director)
Co-investorsCrit VenturesD1 VenturesFigmentHypersphere VenturesLongHash VenturesPlaceholder VC+10 more
Sophon is a crypto project transitioning its SOPH token from a chain-based gas and staking model to a buyback-and-burn programme funded by product revenue.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Co-investorsBeamPaper VenturesWWVenturesMaven 11OKX VenturesSevenX Ventures
Tactical Compute (TACOM) is a $40M investment vehicle offering targeted exposure to the crypto and AI vertical through structures such as compute-denominated yield arbitrage, hardware financing, and network bootstrapping.
AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3FintechAbu Dhabi, AE
Co-investorsBeam
Mobile racing game (Trial Xtreme Freedom) by Gameplay Galaxy with 2M+ downloads, partnered with Beam to integrate blockchain features.
Co-investorsBeam
Trial Xtreme Freedom is a motorbike racing video game offering early access sign-ups, in-game rewards, and rider events.
Gaming
Co-investorsBlockchain Capital
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesMetatheory Β· aventure.vc Β· Dec 5, 2025
Saga Β· thesaasnews.com Β· Oct 3, 2025
Trial Xtreme Freedom Β· trysignalbase.com Β· Jun 18, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Merit Circle made?
- Merit Circle has 8 tracked investments.
- What stage does Merit Circle invest at?
- Merit Circle invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Merit Circle focus on?
- Merit Circle focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Crypto & Web3, Data & Infrastructure, Deep Tech, Fintech, Gaming.
- Where is Merit Circle located?
- Merit Circle is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, AE.
- Does Merit Circle lead rounds?
- Yes, Merit Circle leads investment rounds.
- Who does Merit Circle co-invest with?
- Merit Circle most often shares deals with Beam, Paper Ventures, WWVentures, among 3 tracked co-investors.
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