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Scale AI alum Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh has launched startup building artificial intelligence infrastructure 1001 to modernize large industries across the Middle East and North Africa.
The company on Sunday announced a $9 million seed round led by venture capital firm CIV, General Catalyst, and Lux Capital. Other investors include Stanford AI Lab Professor Chris Ré, Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad, DAMAC Managing Director and PRYPCO founder Amira Sajwani, RAED Venture Partner Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, and Lean Technologies co-founder and CEO Hisham Al-Falih.
The company’s mission focuses on addressing inefficiencies in high-impact sectors such as aviation, logistics, construction, and oil and gas. Abu-Ghazaleh told TechCrunch that across the Gulf region, these industries lose more than $10 billion annually due to delays and outdated operational systems.
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1001 said it aims to create an “AI-native operating system” that helps organizations make faster and more precise operational decisions. The system integrates live data, operational modeling, and real-time oversight tools to automate daily workflows. According to 1001, the platform enables decisions that save time, improve utilization, and create measurable outcomes.
Abu-Ghazaleh told TechCrunch that many daily operational calls are still handled manually, such as assigning ground crews or rerouting vehicles in airports. “With our system, that orchestration happens automatically. The AI orchestrator uses real-time data to reroute vehicles, reassign crews, and adjust operations without human intervention,” he said.
1001’s approach draws from Abu-Ghazaleh’s years at Scale AI, where he led teams developing data annotation systems for generative AI. That experience deepened his understanding of how data-driven automation can reduce complexity in large-scale operations, according to TechCrunch.
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Born in Amman, Jordan, Abu-Ghazaleh studied computer science in the U.S. before working for Hive AI and Scale AI. His new company represents a return to the region to build locally relevant AI infrastructure. “Many of us left to work at the cutting edge; 1001 is a place to come back and build it here,” he said in the company’s statement.
