Perplexity’s meteoric rise is a clear demonstration of the new pace and scale of AI funding. The AI search company’s valuation has catapulted from $520 million in January 2024 to $20 billion in August 2025. Backed by top-tier investors )among them sovereign-linked funds, SoftBank, Nvidia, and Jeff Bezos), Perplexity isn’t just building another search engine. With its recently launched “Comet” AI browser and ambitious $34.5 billion bid for Google Chrome, the company has positioned itself as an AI infrastructure and platform player rivaling the likes of Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Sovereign and global funds are at the heart of these record-breaking rounds, signaling a conviction that search, browsers, and underlying agentic platforms are as critical to national competitiveness as the hardware they run on.
This sovereign investment wave extends far beyond AI software. In Riyadh, the Rise Tower project exemplifies the scale of transformative infrastructure investment. Planned to reach nearly 2 kilometers in height, almost three times taller than the Burj Khalifa, this architectural marvel is backed by the Public Investment Fund as part of Saudi Vision 2030. The project represents more than symbolic ambition; it demonstrates how sovereign wealth funds are deploying capital at unprecedented scale to build the physical and digital infrastructure that will define competitive advantage for decades.
We are witnessing a historic inflection point where artificial intelligence has evolved from an emerging technology to a national imperative. The numbers tell a compelling story: the global AI market is forecasted to grow from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion by 2033, representing unprecedented growth in the infrastructure that will define the next generation of economic and strategic advantage. At the center of this transformation, Hawk Capital has positioned itself as a $500 million UAE-based investment fund specifically designed to capitalize on this convergence of artificial intelligence, sovereign technology requirements, and dual-use infrastructure development.
Market Dynamics: The Sovereign AI Investment Wave
The current investment landscape reflects a fundamental shift in how nations and institutions approach technology infrastructure. According to recent market analysis, over $100 billion in sovereign capital has been earmarked globally for AI and digital infrastructure initiatives.
This sovereign investment surge is exemplified by transformative commitments such as Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion investment push into AI chips and defense platforms. (Financial Times, 2025) Simultaneously, According to Federal Budget IQ, the US federal government has increased its AI and IT R&D spending from $8.2 billion in 2021 to $10.4 billion in 2024. The 2025 fiscal year budget earmarked $11.2 billion for AI and IT R&D spending (Recorded Future, 2025)
These investments reflect a critical recognition: AI infrastructure has become synonymous with national competitiveness and economic resilience. The Middle East, particularly the UAE and broader GCC region, is rapidly emerging as a global AI hub, forging sovereign partnerships with leading international firms and establishing itself as a bridge between East and West in technology development.
Hawk Capital’s Strategic Positioning
Hawk Capital’s approach to this market opportunity is distinguished by four key strategic differentiators that create sustainable competitive advantages:
Sovereign Alignment
The fund has secured exclusive and strategic partnerships which unlock early access to co-investments and geopolitical deal flow that remains inaccessible to traditional investment firms. This sovereign alignment enables Hawk Capital to participate in infrastructure buildouts that serve both national strategic interests and commercial market opportunities.
Operational Discipline
Led by General Partner Scott Hauck, whose successful exits from Galileo, Kele, and Unishippers demonstrate applied operational rigor and institutional fluency, Hawk Capital operates with the discipline of experienced operators rather than traditional financial investors. This operational background enables direct collaboration with founders, rapid execution capabilities, and continuity preservation post-investment.
Platform Thinking
Rather than pursuing isolated opportunities, Hawk Capital deploys capital with a systems mindset, backing modular technologies that can compound across sectors and strategic applications. This platform approach creates opportunities for portfolio synergies and cross-sector value creation that traditional sector-focused funds cannot achieve.
Dual-Use Strategy
Every Hawk Capital investment is structured to serve both sovereign and commercial outcomes, positioning the fund to drive exits through both strategic acquirers and institutional buyers. This dual-use focus creates multiple value realization pathways while addressing the growing convergence between national security requirements and commercial technology advancement.
Investment Focus Areas
Hawk Capital’s investment mandate centers on four interconnected technology sectors that form the backbone of next-generation infrastructure:
Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure
The fund prioritizes AI-native chipsets, inference optimization, and core AI infrastructure that serve as the foundational layer for enterprise and sovereign AI deployment. This includes platforms that solve real operational problems for critical industries and enable AI deployment at scale across both private and public sectors.
The AI infrastructure investment landscape demonstrates unprecedented scale, led by OpenAI’s record-breaking $6.6 billion funding round in 2024 that valued the company at $157 billion, making it the largest venture capital round of all time. (TechCrunch, 2024). A private equity example is Blackstone, who led $7.5B debt financing for CoreWeave at a $19B valuation in 2024; one of the largest startup debt rounds ever. Blackstone, joined by Carlyle and others, deployed capital specifically to accelerate next-gen compute infrastructure for leading AI firms. This reflects broader market momentum, with organizations increasing AI infrastructure spending by 97% year-over-year in H1 2024, reaching $47.4 billion and setting the stage for what analysts project will exceed $200 billion by 2028. (174 Power Global, 2025)
Fintech & Next-Generation Financial Infrastructure
Hawk Capital targets enterprise-grade financial platforms including regtech solutions, embedded finance capabilities, decentralized risk underwriting systems, and cross-border financial enablement technologies. These investments focus on secure data mobility and financial interoperability that serves both commercial markets and sovereign financial infrastructure requirements.
The scale of opportunity in this sector is exemplified by recent mega-rounds such as Stripe’s $6.5 billion Series I funding round in 2023 at a $50 billion valuation, which subsequently increased to $65 billion in 2024. (TechCrunch, 2024) Similarly, Acrisure’s record-breaking $2.1 billion funding round in Q2 2025, led by Private Equity firm Bain Capital, achieved a $32 billion valuation, demonstrating continued institutional appetite for technology-enabled financial services platforms. (S&P Global Market Intelligence, 2025)
Aerospace & LEO Satellite Systems
The fund invests in Low Earth Orbit communications and space-based data platforms, with particular emphasis on earth observation technologies that deliver value to both military and commercial applications. These investments align with the growing recognition of space-based infrastructure as critical national and economic assets.
The aerospace sector’s investment momentum is underscored by SpaceX reaching a $350 billion valuation in December 2024, with its Starlink division alone generating projected $7.7 billion in revenue for 2024. (CNBC, 2024) European competitors are also securing significant funding, with Eutelsat raising €1.35 billion in 2025—including €717 million from the French government, to upgrade its OneWeb constellation and compete more effectively in the LEO satellite market. (SiliconAngle, 2025).
A private Equity example is the Carlyle Group. These longstanding investors in aerospace, defense, and next-gen space tech, with a dedicated team focused on AI-driven and dual-use platforms. Investments span electronic warfare, autonomous systems, and space-based communication assets. Deal sizes range from $50M to $1B+.
Emerging Infrastructure & Compute
This sector encompasses edge computing, federated data architectures, and quantum-adjacent frameworks that enable mission-aligned systems for data sovereignty and distributed AI deployment. These technologies address the growing need for computing infrastructure that can operate across diverse geographic and regulatory environments.
The quantum computing and emerging infrastructure sectors are experiencing remarkable investment growth, with quantum computing investment surging from $550 million in Q1 2024 to over $1.25 billion in Q1 2025, representing a 128% increase that reflects growing institutional confidence in quantum technologies. (The Quantum Insider, 2025) This momentum is exemplified by companies like Multiverse Computing, which raised $215 million in June 2025 to scale breakthrough quantum-AI technology that compresses large language models, demonstrating how quantum-adjacent frameworks are attracting significant capital for AI infrastructure optimization. (Multiverse Computing, 2025)
A Private Equity example in this space is KKR: In advanced talks to acquire ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) for >$5B in July 2025, expanding its footprint in digital infrastructure across APAC, Europe, and beyond to support edge and emerging compute for AI and cloud.
Fund Structure & Economics
Fund Size: $500 million
Investment Stage: Early Growth / Pre-Scale
Check Size: $5 million – $50 million per investment
Ownership Target: 25% – 75% equity positions
LP Contribution Range: $1 million – $5 million
Target IRR: 25% – 30% over fund life
Fund Horizon: 5 – 7 years
Carry Structure: 70/30 carry with 5% management fee
Geographic Focus: Global, with priority on U.S., UAE, and allied innovation ecosystems
Reserve Strategy: Capital allocated for follow-on investments and co-investments
Leadership & Team Credentials
Scott Hauck, General Partner, brings over 20 years of operational experience as a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and M&A leader. His track record includes successfully scaling and exiting multiple technology-forward platforms, including Galileo and Unishippers, demonstrating the operational fluency and execution capability that distinguishes Hawk Capital from traditional investment firms.
The fund’s strategic partnerships extend beyond traditional advisory relationships to include UAE-based co-founders with active sovereign relationships and an advisory network spanning AI, defense, fintech, and national innovation policy. This combination of operational experience and geopolitical access creates a unique platform for value creation and exit execution.
Hawk Capital’s approach reflects a fundamental understanding that successful infrastructure investment requires more than capital deployment, it demands operational governance embedded from day one, advisory networks that span technical and policy domains, and exit pathways aligned with both sovereign funding cycles and strategic acquisition windows.
The Investment Opportunity
For investors seeking exposure to the transformative intersection of AI infrastructure, sovereign technology requirements, and dual-use innovation, Hawk Capital represents a differentiated approach to one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation. The fund’s structure enables participation in the $4.8 trillion AI market expansion while leveraging unique access to sovereign-backed opportunities that traditional venture capital cannot reach.
The fund’s discipline regarding capital preservation, integrated into both diligence and structuring processes, combined with performance expectations informed by past exits generating 3-5x outcomes, creates an investment profile designed for institutional and family office investors who think in decades rather than quarters.
As AI infrastructure evolves from an emerging opportunity to a national and economic necessity, Hawk Capital’s positioning at the intersection of sovereign requirements and commercial innovation provides investors with access to the infrastructure buildout that will define competitive advantage for the next generation.
Partner With Hawk Capital
Hawk Capital is actively raising its $500 million inaugural fund from institutional investors, family offices, and accredited investors who recognize the historic opportunity in AI infrastructure and sovereign technology convergence.
For qualified investors interested in participating in this transformative investment opportunity:
Scott Hauck, General Partner
Email: scott@hawkcap.pro
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Investment opportunities are available only to qualified investors.