Abstract
The Islamic private equity (IPE) market has grown dramatically over the last few years. There are some similarities between venture capital (VC) and some traditional methods in Islamic financing. In medieval Islamic societies it is hard to pinpoint the starting of IPE but there were partnership arrangements similar to those practiced in conventional private equity (PE). But both academicians and professionals argue that the VC activity started in 1946 when General Doriot, a French born and a Harvard educated businessman, established the American Research and Development Corporation (ARDC). It grew in Silicon Valley in the 1970s. Intel and Microsoft are amongst the most famous projects financed through VC. Without the intervention of venture capitalists none of these would have seen light of day or at least achieved such a spectacular rate of development in such a short period (Queyrel, 2006).