Crescent Enterprises

Last updated

Crescent Enterprises
Industry Conglomerate
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Badr Jafar
(chief executive officer)
Products
Website crescententerprises.com

Crescent Enterprises is a multinational company headquartered in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The company operates through four platforms: CE-

Contents

Operates, CE-Invests, CE-Ventures, and CE-Creates, across sectors that include ports and logistics, food and beverages, and business aviation as well as across business verticals, such as private equity, venture capital, and business incubation. [1]

Crescent Enterprises, created in 2007, is a subsidiary of the Crescent Group, a family business group operating in the MENA region since 1971. The Crescent Group's other subsidiary, Crescent Petroleum, is a privately owned upstream oil and gas company in the Middle East. [2]

History

Crescent Enterprises was founded in 2007. The company initially operated under three platforms, focusing on strategic investments and venture capital. In 2014, the group launched business incubation platform CE-Creates to develop early-stage concepts into viable ventures. [3]

In 2017, the company reorganized its operations across the four platforms: CE-Operates, CE Invests, CE-Ventures, and CE-Creates. [4] [5]

Gulftainer Group

Gulftainer was formed in 1976 in the UAE to operate the container terminal in the Middle East, the Sharjah Container Terminal at Port Khalid. As of 2025, it operates in ports in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United States. [6] The company expanded its operations to Iraq in 2008, becoming the first international company to establish a container terminal at Umm Qasr port. [7] In 2013, Gulftainer acquired a 51% stake in Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company, gaining management of three terminals in Jeddah and Jubail. [8]

In 2014, Gulftainer became the first Middle Eastern port operator with operations in the US, with a 35-year concession at Florida's Port Canaveral. [9] In March 2018, the company won a 50- year concession to operate a second US port in Wilmington, Delaware through its US subsidiary GT USA Wilmington. [10] GT USA Wilmington later withdrew from developing the Port of Wilmington in 2023. [11] In September 2021, Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company invested $50 million to expand Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Commercial Port, boosting its capacity to 1.8 million TEUs. [12]

Momentum Logistics

Momentum Logistics, based in Sharjah, is a logistics company founded in 2008. It operates across the Middle East, offering transportation, freight forwarding, and warehousing services. [13] The company later sold its shares in Avalon General Land Transport in August 2024. [14]

CE-Invests

CE-Invests is a strategic investment platform with a diversified portfolio that includes a minority stake in Gama Aviation Plc, partnerships with Growthgate Capital and TVM Capital Healthcare, and participation in the Siraj Palestine Fund I. [15] [16]

CE-Ventures

The CE-Ventures platform was established in 2017 and invests in early- to late-stage startups  with focus on tech-enabled solutions in the US, MENA, India, and Southeast Asia. [17] In 2017, CE-Ventures led a $16 million Series A funding of ENDOQUEST Robotics (formerly known as  ColubrisMX, Inc.) and XCath, Inc., two micro-robotic medical device companies developed at the University of Texas Medical School’s Microsurgical Robotics Laboratory, and incorporated in Texas, USA. Additionally, XCath performed the world’s first live telerobotic mechanical  thrombectomy trial for stroke treatment between Abu Dhabi and Korea. [18] [19]  CE-Ventures also invested in NerdWallet. [20] [21] CE-Ventures led the seed round in Kitopi, a cloud kitchen platform, and also participated in subsequent funding rounds. [22] Kitopi went on to become the fastest unicorn in the MENA region, [23] reaching a valuation of over $1 billion just three years after its founding. [24] [25]

CE-Creates

CE-Creates, founded in 2014, is an incubator platform that develops new businesses internally. [26] Its first venture was Kava & Chai, a specialty coffeehouse that opened in 2017. [27]

In 2018, CE-Creates collaborated with Bee'ah, a UAE-based environmental management company, to establish ION, a transport business aimed at providing sustainable mobility services. [28] [29] [30]

References

  1. Sharma, Alkesh (9 May 2021). "Sharjah's Crescent Enterprises plans to invest Dh1bn in start-ups by 2022". The National. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. "Crescent launches $150m venture capital division". Saudi Gazette. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. Nagraj, Aarti (26 November 2012). "Exclusive: Majid Jafar, CEO, Crescent Petroleum" . Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  4. "Crescent Enterprises". World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  5. McAllister, Fiona (11 May 2021). "Crescent Enterprises $272M startup investment fund" . Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  6. "Port operator Gulftainer appoints new chief operating officer - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  7. admin (1 August 2017). "Gulftainer's Iraq terminal handles biggest vessel yet". Latest Maritime & Shipping News Online - The Maritime Standard. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  8. "Gulftainer acquires 51% stake in Gulf Stevedoring to manage Jeddah, Jubail ports". Arab News. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  9. Brinkmann, Paul (23 June 2014). "UAE-based company signs 35-year cargo deal at Port Canaveral". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  10. Wilson, Xerxes Wilson and Xerxes. "Gulftainer chief promises jobs as board gives blessing to port privatization effort". The News Journal. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  11. SpeedAdmin (31 July 2023). "Enstructure, GT USA Wilmington Complete Transfer of Port of Wilmington Operations | Port Wilmington". portwilmington.com. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  12. Rahman, Fareed. "Gulftainer's subsidiary invests $50m to expand Jubail port". The National. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  13. "Gulftainer wins control of Avalon". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  14. Report, Staff (15 September 2018). "Gulftainer wins control of Avalon". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  15. "Crescent launches $150m venture capital division". Saudigazette. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  16. Hope, Bradley. "Crescent's Badr Jafar has world at his feet". The National. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  17. Editor, Manoj Nair, Business (6 January 2023). "'A recession is a good time to make startup investments', says CE-Ventures Tushar Singhvi". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 26 August 2025.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. "ColubrisMX and XCatch rise to series A -". globalventuring.com. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  19. Townsend, Sarah. "Crescent Enterprises plans at least three VC investments next year". The National. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  20. Report, Gulf News (9 May 2021). "Crescent Enterprises to double its investments in start-ups to Dh1 billion by 2022". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  21. McAllister, Fiona (15 May 2021). "Ce-ventures doubles VC investments" . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  22. "CE Ventures Leads Seed Round For UAE Food Tech Startup Kitopi | MAGNiTT". magnitt.com. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  23. MENAbytes (2 July 2021). "Dubai's Kitopi hits unicorn status with USD 415 million Series C round led by SoftBank". KrASIA. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  24. "AB Talks: How Kitopi grew from a start-up to a $1 billion in three years - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  25. MENAbytes (2 July 2021). "Dubai's Kitopi hits unicorn status with USD 415 million Series C round led by SoftBank". KrASIA. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  26. "Crescent Enterprises creates sensor-equipped clothing line for labourers - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". www.arabianbusiness.com. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  27. B, Rupkatha (25 June 2019). "Kava & Chai opens in prime locations". Future of retail business in Middle East. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  28. "Crescent Enterprises and Bee'ah inaugurate Sustainable Transport Company ION - Construction Business News Middle East". 18 November 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  29. "Badr Jafar | Gulf Business". 2 April 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  30. Writer, Staff (5 June 2018). "Crescent and Bee'ah launch sustainable commercial transporter ION". Middle East Construction News. Retrieved 16 September 2025.