SPEAKERS
SAMAR HASSAN
CEO & FOUNDER
EPIPHANY
Samar is a serial entrepreneur having established Epiphany in 2016, Sohni Dharti Climateers in 2018; Epiphany Angels – a network of likeminded angel investors; Epiphany Games – a dedicated arm to promote tech entertainment entrepreneurship in MENA, Pakistan and ASEAN regions. She co-founded two award winning, international entertainment and emerging tech conferences - Ten18 and GameX.
Samar is a seasoned innovation specialist with more than 18 years of experience in entrepreneurship development, strategic communications, PR, advocacy, partnerships and fundraising. She has developed successful advocacy and behavioral change campaigns on financial inclusion, governance, future of work, climate change, entrepreneurship, conducted nationwide marketing and outreach activities and delivered workshops, seminars, panel discussions, conferences and hackathons.
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BELAL JASSOMA
DIRECTOR, ECOSYSTEMS
DMCC
Belal Jassoma is Director of Ecosystems at DMCC, the world’s leading business district and authority on international commodities trade and enterprise.
Belal joined DMCC in 2011 and has been instrumental in scaling up DMCC’s ecosystems and commercial offering, including new products, services and member engagement programmes. In his current capacity as Director for Ecosystems, Belal is responsible for developing key strategic relationships, partnerships and product functions as well as overseeing ecosystem development across several of DMCC’s industry verticals such as crypto, gaming, AI, energy and financial services.
Belal holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the American University of Sharjah and brings over 18 years of experience in real estate, investment, and government administration.
GRAF ANDRÉ POPOV
MANAGING DIRECTOR & PARTNER
PRINCETON & COMPANY
Count André Popov is a distinguished Strategy & Transformation executive with over 25 years of experience driving strategic initiatives and transformative programs for Global 2000 companies, family offices, and technology ventures across the USA, Europe, and MENA. His expertise spans various industries, including financial services, telecommunications, technology, and the public sector.
Currently, he serves as the Managing Partner at Princeton & Company, where he leads the firm’s Family Office & Investments practice, guiding high-net-worth families and institutions through complex investment landscapes and strategic transformations.
TALAL THABET
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
HALTIA.AI
Talal Thabet is the Co-Founder and CEO of Haltia.AI, the only explainable, actionable and trustworthy AI for the private and public sectors, a pioneering company in artificial intelligence and technology solutions. A prolific global speaker and recognized as one of the leading minds in marketing, and economic strategy, Talal brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the AI landscape. Before founding Haltia.AI, Talal served as the CEO of a multifamily office for over 12 years, during which he successfully launched eight startups and successfully exited five across various sectors, including technology. His strategic foresight, passion for innovation, and deep understanding of market dynamics have made him a key figure in driving transformative growth and success for businesses worldwide.
DAVID GIBSON-MOORE
PRESIDENT & CEO
GULF ANALYTICA
With over 30 years of experience in the financial sector, David is the President and CEO of Gulf Analytica, a boutique firm that provides private equity and start-up advisory services with a focus on fintech and digital disruption. His mission is to help clients navigate the complex and dynamic landscape of the GCC and wider MENA region, leveraging his extensive network and expertise in institutional asset management, investment banking, and wealth management.
MICHAEL GALE
GROUP CEO
THE ENTREPRENEURS GROUP LIMITED
I am a tech entrepreneur turned investment banker and fund manager. After spending much of my adult life in Silicon Valley with stints in Asia, Europe and the Middle East I am now based in Abu Dhabi.
I am leading an amazing team building The Entrepreneurs Group, the world's first capital platform to provide financial services to entrepreneurs across their entire growth journey. I believe the average entrepreneur spends half their time consuming financial services and half of that is switching between types of provider. We want to compress that inefficiency. And we are leveraging the incredible opportunity provided by being based in Abu Dhabi, the newest financial capital where the entire world can connect and do business.
I have been integral to the successful globalization of many leading companies including Macromedia, HAHT, F5, Akamai and Apple. I have been involved in over one hundred start-ups focused on how to accelerate their growth by leveraging international markets and partnerships.
JASPREET RANDHAWA
HEAD OF INVESTMENTS
BURKHAN WORLD INVESTMENTS
Jaspreet has over 20+ years of experience in the global financial services industry. She is the Head of Investments and IR at Burkhan World Investments based out of Abu Dhabi. Jaspreet is a first-generation entrepreneur, driven by the core philosophy of infusing “Profit with Purpose” through her vision of making a massive social impact on causes driven by financial crimes. She has spent the majority of her career in New York and London in executive level transformative roles in global financial services technology. She has played an instrumental role in several Financial services firms: SunGard (FIS), Broadridge, Corvil, ICAP and DTCC. Jaspreet has a BSC, BMC, PLD and MBA from Durham University in the UK and Harvard Business School in the US.
DR ABDULRAHMAAN MURTADHA AL ANSAARI
INVESTOR & PRINCIPAL CEO
APOLLONIA CAPITAL ADVISORS
Dr. Al Ansaari is recognized as a successful investor, financial innovator and entrepreneur consistently capable of creating new ideas and solutions. He has over two decades of affluent experience in diverse areas, including investment banking, private equity, family offices and asset management with a focus in financial institutions, energy, fintech, real estate, healthcare and aviation.
He is currently the Chairman of LedgerFi, an IT company focused on providing blockchain-enabled decentralized application system. He is the Sole Owner of Apollonia Capital Advisors, a boutique advisory/private company. He has been recently appointed as the Honorary President of the GCC Forum.
In his career, he managed a fund of USD 10 billion AUM for member of the GCC royal family and has successfully closed USD 20 billion M&A Transactions globally. Previously, he was the CEO of Fairfax Middle East, a fully-fledged investment bank. He was also a global alliance partner of Morgan Stanley in the MENA region through Bid Capital. He held senior executive positions in Dubai Islamic Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Mashreq Bank.
Dr. Al Ansaari was also Group CEO for the Maktoum family office, the MBM Investment. He still frequently advises distinguished Royal Family members in the GCC.
Dr. Al Ansaari holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from IAU with his thesis pertaining to Islamic Banking and MBA from Stern School of Business in NYU.
MARINA BARTHELEMY
MANAGING PARTNER
PIXCAPITAL
Marina Barthelemy is a former M&A executive at Perella Weinberg Partners in London before joining French gaming company Amplitude Studios as CFO in its early days. From there, she helped the team grow from a small indie team to more than 100 employees and ship million-selling games before being acquired by Sega. After completing the studio's integration in the Sega group, she managed early-stage investments for a London-based family office before co-founding gaming VC fund PixCapital in 2023.
ALEXANDRA KHASIRDZHEVA
WEB3 & BLOCKCHAIN INVESTMENT STRATEGIST
Alexandra Khasirdzheva is an investment professional with significant experience in the Web3 and blockchain sectors. As the former Investment Manager at Cointelegraph Accelerator, she played a crucial role in developing investment strategies and scaling startups in emerging tech industries such as GameFi, DeFi, and blockchain infrastructure.
ENRICO BRADAMANTE
SBARTER BOARD MEMBER & iGEN CHAIRMAN
Enrico Bradamante is an experienced executive with more than twelve years of iGaming industry experience; currently hs is on the Board of Sbarter and is the Chairman & Founder of the industry trade association iGaming Executives Network (iGEN). His previous roles include Chief Commercial Officer at Aristocrat Interactive (formerly Pariplay), Managing Director of NetEnt, as well as key commercial roles at Kodak and Dell.
Enrico is based in Malta and holds an MBA from INSEAD and a MMech Eng from the University of Trieste.
ALEXANDRE KATRANGI
CO-FOUNDER & ASSOCIATE
LICORNE GULF INVESTMENT HOLDING
Alexandre is currently a Partner Associate and Board Member of Prime Saudi, Bahraini, and Qatari Royal Highness, a position he has held for the past 26 years. He also serves as a Strategic Advisor to a Forbes Fortune Family based in the UAE and Africa. He is the Founder of Licorne Holdings, a GCC investment and lobbying firm headquartered in Geneva, Zurich, London, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Licorne Holdings focuses on investing syndicated assets and funds in collaboration with high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and Royal Family members across the GCC region.
Alexandre has established close and exclusive relationships with key actors and players in the Middle East, GCC, and Africa. His deep connections enable him to provide independent advice to a diverse client base that includes blue-chip financial institutions, private investors, large conglomerates, market intelligence companies, as well as politicians and diplomats.
PAUL DAWALIBI
CEO
HOLODECK VENTURES
Paul "The Profit" Dawalibi is a technology entrepreneur, investor, futurist and gamer, with over 20 years of venture capital and startup experience. He is currently the CEO of Holodeck - the leading global media and technology company focused exclusively on gaming, metaverse, esports and web3. His ability to communicate the business opportunity around gaming and metaverse has made him the largest gaming influencer and expert in the MENA region. Paul is the host and creator of Game Changers - a groundbreaking gaming and metaverse business show on CNBC Arabia reaching 50M homes in the Middle East. As “The Profit", Paul previously hosted the largest gaming industry show in the world - the Business of Esports. "The Profit" is a frequently requested speaker at metaverse and gaming conferences all around the world. He consults family offices, governments, venture funds, and global companies on the gaming and metaverse opportunity. Paul is also the creator of the world's 1st esports NFT and founder of the 2020 fastest growing company in Canada.