Dubai, UAE — UAE-based martial arts and holistic education company GMNSM has raised $2 million in funding from investment firm VEYRA Capital and a private investor.
Founded in 2022 by professional athlete-turned-entrepreneur Andrej Kuprejev, GMNSM combines martial arts and physical education with soft-skills development programmes for children, while also offering martial arts classes for adults.
The company currently operates 11 academies across the UAE, Qatar and Cyprus, serving more than 700 children and adults through programmes including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, gymnastics and holistic development.
The new funding will support GMNSM’s international expansion, including the opening of its first jiu-jitsu academy in Riyadh and its first European location in Monaco. The company also plans to expand into the UK, Switzerland and Spain following the Monaco launch.
GMNSM plans to grow its workforce from 40 to 60 employees by the end of 2026 as it scales its operations across new markets.
“We are seeing a massive cultural and educational shift towards more balanced childhoods, where physical activity, confidence and real-world social interaction complement digital learning,” said Andrej Kuprejev, Founder and CEO of GMNSM. “At GMNSM, our goal has always been to create an environment where children develop discipline, resilience and the life skills they need to thrive, alongside athletic ability.”
Unlike traditional martial arts academies, GMNSM operates at the intersection of sports, supplementary education and child development. Its flagship programme combines one hour of physical training with 30 minutes focused on soft skills, including goal setting, emotional resilience, reflection and problem-solving.
The company accepts children from the age of two through structured development programmes and also provides adult martial arts classes. Its family-oriented model encourages parents to participate in martial arts after enrolling their children, creating a shared sporting and development community.
Using AI to Scale Coaching Quality
GMNSM is also using technology to maintain consistent coaching standards as it expands. The company has developed Allim AI, an in-house lesson audit platform designed to analyse coaching performance, student engagement and retention metrics.
The platform provides coaches with actionable feedback and is intended to help GMNSM standardise teaching quality across its academies as the company enters new markets.
Saudi Arabia and Europe Expansion
Saudi Arabia represents GMNSM’s next major growth market, with the upcoming Riyadh academy expected to serve as a foundation for further expansion across the Kingdom.
The company is also preparing to enter Europe through Monaco, which it selected because of its concentration of international families and its potential to serve as a gateway to broader European markets.
“What convinced us about GMNSM was the combination of a strong founder, clear customer value and a model that can travel across markets without losing the quality of the underlying experience,” said Konstantin Katsev, Venture Partner at VEYRA Capital.
“At VEYRA Capital, we also pay close attention to how businesses are built – the quality of execution, the discipline behind growth and the ability to create lasting value. Andrej and his team have demonstrated that, and we believe this round can help them turn a proven concept into a much larger international platform,” he added.
The investment comes as demand grows for businesses combining education, technology, sports and recurring membership models, particularly as families across the Gulf increasingly invest in children’s development and extracurricular activities.
With the new capital, GMNSM aims to take its Dubai-developed holistic education model into additional GCC and European markets while using technology to maintain consistency across its growing academy network.
