Believing in people before anyone else does has shaped Sonia Weymuller’s career from the very beginning. Growing up across countries and cultures showed her that talent exists everywhere, while access often does not. That understanding stayed with her as her career led through commercial development, strategy, and investment roles in London and Dubai before eventually bringing her to co-found VentureSouq, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in founders building category-defining companies across the Middle East and beyond.
Today, she supports entrepreneurs developing solutions in financial infrastructure, enterprise technology, food, water, energy, and other industries shaping the region’s future.
“What has always excited me most is being close to builders,” she says. “People with vision, conviction, and the willingness to create something from nothing.”
Meeting entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of building something new confirmed where Sonia wanted to be. Their willingness to pursue ambitious ideas before anyone knew whether they would succeed was exactly what fascinated her.
“Talent is universal, but access is not.”
For many founders, success begins with someone willing to make an introduction, open a door, or believe in an idea before anyone else does. “Venture capital is not only about financing companies,” she explains. “It is about supporting ambitious founders as they turn ideas into impactful institutions.”
Long before deciding to invest, Sonia spends time getting to know the people behind the business. Conviction matters as much as commercial potential. Backing an early-stage company means making decisions when certainty rarely exists, then continuing to support founders as they navigate growth, attract talent, and respond to challenges that no business plan could fully anticipate.
Helping founders gain access to networks, expertise, talent, and opportunities matters just as much as capital. Businesses capable of creating lasting value rarely grow through funding alone.
“I have always felt driven by the idea of empowering inspiring individuals to build,” she says.
When founders succeed, the impact rarely stops with the business itself. New jobs emerge, industries grow stronger, and entire ecosystems gain momentum. Across the Middle East, she has watched entrepreneurship become one of the region’s most powerful drivers of long-term economic resilience.
“The immediate beneficiaries are the founders we support,” she says. “But the impact extends much further. Communities, industries, and entire ecosystems benefit when strong businesses are built well and endure.”
Living between cultures gave Sonia a perspective that would later shape both her leadership and the way she invests. “I have often found myself between cultures rather than entirely within one,” she reflects. “Over time, I came to see that as a strength.”
That perspective shaped the way she builds relationships, evaluates founders, and approaches partnerships across different markets. Curiosity, adaptability, and an appreciation for context have become some of the qualities she values most.
“Don’t wait until you feel fully ready,” she says. “Confidence is often built afterwards through doing the work.”
If she could speak to her younger self today, she would encourage her to trust her own perspective sooner. “I would have told myself to trust my perspective earlier and not underestimate the value of bringing a different viewpoint into the room.”
Expanding access for more women in venture capital now sits at the heart of her work beyond investing. “One of the most critical issues is still access,” she says. “Not only to capital, but to the informal networks through which trust, opportunity, and influence often flow.”
Mentorship alone will never be enough, she believes. Sponsorship, visibility, and genuine opportunities to make investment decisions create lasting change. More women need seats at investment committees, leadership tables, and decision-making forums where capital is allocated and the future of innovation is shaped.
“We are still early,” she says. “There is so much talent in this region and so many important problems waiting to be solved.”
Watching founders tackle meaningful problems still gives her the same sense of possibility that drew her to venture investing in the first place. Every new business has the potential to strengthen communities, create opportunities, and inspire the next generation of builders.
“The legacy I would like to create is one of opening doors,” she says. “Helping build an ecosystem where more founders are able to succeed, where more women are represented not only as entrepreneurs but also as investors and decision-makers, and where the region’s talent is recognized on a global stage.”
Long after today’s startups have matured, the companies themselves may not be what people remember most. The founders who were trusted early enough to pursue ambitious ideas, supported when success was still uncertain, and encouraged to keep building could become the legacy that matters most.
