The Heartbeat of Tech in MENA

Senior Investment Associate at Oryx Fund

A Tech Futurist and a New Age Serial Entrepreneur, Puru Modani is a versatile and passionate leader with strategic investments in Emerging Tech/ AI-ML, Space Tech, Climate Tech, Fintech, Cloud Telephony/ CRM, eCommerce & Enterprise SaaS. Co-Founder at BM Capital Family Office, he is also a seasoned angel investor having invested in 55 odd startups across sectors with significant exits. He is the founding member of Mumbai Angels (MA), Anchor Investor at MA – Hyderabad Chapter, Co-Founder – Goa Angels Network & The Marwari Angels. He also serves on the board of Incubators/ Accelarators & select few Investee companies. He is an avid sports enthusiast and serves on board of Telangana Olympic Association and Telangana Fencing Association. An IIM – K alumnus, before embarking on his successful multi-sector entrepreneurship journey, Puru served various Fortune 500 companies in Senior Leadership roles.

Michael Lints has 20+ years of experience as a startup operator and investor. Michael is a partner at Golden Gate Ventures and has launched the firm’s first MENA-focused venture fund. Previously Michael co-founded an IT-managed services startup and was a vice-chairman of the Economic Development Board Rotterdam and chairman of the Young Economic Development Board.

Hussein Attar is the CEO of Tech Invest Com, an investment firm that was established in 2005 with 1Bn SAR to invest in regional growth stage tech startups. Ex-Founder of a startup, and ex- CEO of software development company. He is now also an investment committee member of two angel investor groups, and a board member of several of the leading tech startups in the region.

Tara has over 8 years of experience across venture capital, investments, technology, and entrepreneurship. Tara is currently a Principal at BY, where she manages the investment team leading the investment and due diligence process. She is focused on advising and supporting the portfolio on multiple different streams including strategy, business development, financial planning, and future fundraising. Prior to rejoining the BY team, Tara was working in investment banking at SHUAA Capital, focusing on their SPAC business. Previously Tara was an associate at BY, where she started her career. Tara completed a dual degree holding a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) with a concentration in Finance and a Bachelor in Science (BSc) in Biology from American University of Beirut. Tara is currently a CFA charterholder.

Ghassan Noursi is the Chief of Staff at Nuwa Capital, where he works across investments, fund strategy, and operations. He has been involved in investments spanning foodtech, healthtech, proptech, and SaaS, while also building Nuwa’s internal programs and supporting portfolio companies through value-creation initiatives. His role bridges investment execution with strategic and operational priorities, helping position Nuwa as one of the region’s leading venture platforms.

Founder turned investor. Looking to invest in ambitious, restless, and obsessive Founders in emerging markets from Seed to Series A.

Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou is a founding figure in the Greek startup and tech ecosystem. He launched TEDxAthens (with more than 450 work-renowned speakers and a cumulative viewership of 18 million views). In 2009 and later co-founded Found.ation, the country’s first accelerator and incubator, both of which played a defining role in shaping Greece’s entrepreneurial landscape. Since then, he has remained at the forefront of the ecosystem as one of its earliest and most consistent supporters. Today, as Founding Partner of Apeiron Ventures ♾️, he backs ambitious founders building category-defining companies with strong values at their core, with a particular focus on enterprise software, security, and defense.

Abrar Ahmad is a Partner at Travel Capitalist Ventures, the first multi-stage travel focused venture capital fund with 10 portfolio companies across 7 countries. With 24 years in the travel industry, he brings rare operational depth—from travel agent to running a 50-person OTA, serving as CTO of a 20-person travel tech company, and now completing his 10th year as a travel venture capitalist. He serves on boards including Travel Trade Today (AI Travel News) and Voopter (Latin America’s leading meta search). Ahmad has spoken at The Economist’s Future of Travel Summit, multiple IATA symposiums, and appeared in Bloomberg, CNBC, SKIFT, and Economic Times.

Sion leads the ventures and investment activities at Plug and Play Abu Dhabi. From direct investments in early stage startups, to technology sourcing for corporate and government partners, Sion has interfaced with entities across the fintech, healthtech and industry 4.0 verticals. She hopes to build a thriving local ecosystem for startups of all stages. Outside of Sion’s day-to-day work, she is an advocate and advisor to female founders through the Women in VC network and supports social impact initiatives such as the TiE Women MENA Program.

Konstantin Behr is a venture capital and strategy leader with experience building and scaling investment platforms across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia. As Chief Strategy Officer at Utopia Capital Management, he drives growth and operations across multiple funds and subsidiaries. Previously, he was Chief of Staff at Founders Factory Africa, supporting $120m+ in fundraising and organizational expansion, as well as a founding member of Satgana, the first ClimateTech fund focusing on Africa and Europe. He holds an MSc in Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Distinction) from the London School of Economics.

Rua Growth Fund is a venture capital firm that aims to lead the next wave of tech ventures. It was born out of a unique strategic partnership between Osool & Bakheet Investment Company and iMENA Group, two pioneers in their respective sectors to lead the next wave of innovative tech ventures in Saudi Arabia

Dusan is a serial entrepreneur turned investor. He is a Managing Partner at Zero One Hundred, an early-stage VC fund focusing on investing in companies from CEE and the Middle East. Dusan is also a co-founder of The Doers Company, which is a holding company behind various projects, such as Doers Summit and Doers United. He also co-founded and sits on the board of Zero One Hundred Conferences, pan-European VC/PE conference platform connecting GPs & LPs. Based in Abu Dhabi, Dusan’s main passion is connecting the dots between Europe and the Middle East while looking for exceptional founders and talent and supporting them through their journey.