GMNSM raises $2 million for GCC and European expansion

GMNSM, a UAE-based martial arts and holistic education company, has raised $2 million from VEYRA Capital and a private investor. The money will fund GMNSM's first jiu-jitsu academy in Riyadh and its first European location in Monaco. Further European expansion is planned in the UK, Switzerland and Spain.

The company was founded in 2022 by Andrej Kuprejev, a professional athlete turned entrepreneur. It operates 11 academies across the UAE, Qatar and Cyprus and serves more than 700 children and adults. GMNSM combines martial arts and physical education with soft-skills development for children, and also offers martial arts classes for adults. Its signature programme pairs one hour of physical training with 30 minutes of work on goal setting, emotional resilience, reflection and problem-solving. Children can join from age two.

Kuprejev said there is a cultural shift toward more balanced childhoods, where physical activity and social interaction complement digital learning. Gulf families are spending more on children's development and extracurricular activities. GMNSM sees Saudi Arabia as its next major growth market. In 2025, Saudi Arabia reported that 59.1% of adults met the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity, exceeding the 2025 target of 55%. Physical activity among children aged 5-17 reached 19%, achieving a target originally set for 2030.

Monaco was chosen because of its concentration of international families and its position as a gateway to Europe. The company plans to increase its workforce from 40 to 60 employees by the end of 2026. The extra staff will support the new academies and the wider operation.

GMNSM developed its own lesson audit platform, Allim AI. It analyses coaching performance, student engagement and retention metrics, with the aim of standardising teaching quality across all academies. That function becomes more important as the network grows beyond the 11 locations it runs today. Each new academy must deliver the same mix of physical and soft-skills teaching as the original sites. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, a relative of a GMNSM student, said the programme helped his child develop confidence, discipline and resilience.

Konstantin Katsev, Venture Partner at VEYRA Capital, said the combination of a strong founder, clear customer value and a scalable model convinced the firm. VEYRA's portfolio includes Dwelly, ZINIT and DVC.

The investment is part of a broader pattern. Investors are paying closer attention to businesses that combine education, technology and recurring membership models, and GMNSM fits that description. But the company is trying to export a taught curriculum rather than just a chain of gyms. Whether a half-hour of soft-skills instruction can hold up across very different markets is the question the Riyadh and Monaco openings will start to answer.