Investor · Technology Executive · Co‑Founder, AI Astrolabe

Babar
Khan

Global executive and operator at the edge of technology and AI, moving capital and companies between the US and the Gulf.

Babar Khan, who publishes academically as Babar Khalid Khan, PhD, is an investor, technology executive and entrepreneur. He operates at the intersection of science, capital, and technology, moving companies and capital between the US and the Gulf. As Head of Technology Investments at NEOM Investment Fund, he leads a deep-tech portfolio through origination, diligence, and deal structuring, and has structured cross-border joint ventures to localize frontier technology. Babar is also a Co-Founder of AI Astrolabe, which builds post-training data, reinforcement learning environments and evaluations for frontier and enterprise AI.

Babar Khan

Current Roles

Operating across sovereign capital and frontier AI

Head of Technology Investments

NEOM Investment Fund · Riyadh

Leads investments and joint ventures across technology and life science platforms, building the industries of the future in Saudi Arabia.

Co-Founder

AI Astrolabe · USA

Post-training data, reinforcement learning environments and evaluations for frontier and enterprise AI. Strongest where quality depends on expert judgment, safety, and multilingual and multimodal capability.

What I Do

Invest. Build. Bridge.

1

Invest

Sovereign capital across deep tech, biotech, and applied AI. $150M+ in transactions led through the full cycle, from origination to portfolio management, with board and governance roles across the portfolio.

2

Build

Co-founder of AI Astrolabe, building post-training data, RL environments and evaluations for frontier and enterprise AI. I've run the company AI-first across legal, finance, and operations.

3

Bridge

A direct bridge between Gulf and global markets, spanning transactions that bring frontier technologies in-country, with established networks across the USA, Europe, and China.

Lenses

Technologist

Built my first computer at age 9 (a 286, 4MB RAM), then spent a decade as a technician in our family's IT business. I competed in esports before it was a career path, and have always been tinkering with technology reshaping how people live and work.

Scientist

PhD in bioscience, and completed my Masters in microbiology while working full-time at Genzyme Genetics as a scientist. Hold multiple US patents. At ContraFect, I led preclinical development for the first bacteriophage lysin the FDA allowed into human clinical trials (CF-301, exebacase). The company later went on to IPO. I also co-founded QualSens to commercialize the sensor technology coming out of my doctoral work.

Operator

Founded AI Astrolabe to deliver post-training data, RL environments and evaluations for frontier AI. I run all business operations (legal, finance, contracting, fundraising) with an AI-first approach. I know what it takes to build from zero to profitability.

Capital Deployer

Led the technology and life science portfolio at NEOM Investment Fund and structured joint ventures to build "Industries of the Future" in Saudi Arabia. Presented to sovereign investment committees at the highest level and moved capital through complex institutional frameworks.

Connector

Pakistani-American, Saudi Premium Resident, and UAE Golden Visa holder. Networks spanning US/China venture, GCC sovereign wealth, and global policy circles.

Recognition

Innovator Under 35

Named by MIT Technology Review in 2019, on its list for the Middle East and North Africa, for a low-cost sensor that catches bacterial fouling in desalination systems before it takes hold. Read the profile.

Research published as Babar Khalid Khan
Perspective

Deep Tech × Applied AI

Where I focus, the track record behind it, and how I work with founders and co-investors.

Read the Perspective here →

Building something
at the frontier?

The door is open.

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