Venture Capital in the MENA Region

Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta

Associate Director, Market Development at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)

Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta is the Associate Director of Business Development at ADGM focusing on financial services across Emerging Markets and Europe. Dr. Dasgupta is responsible for overseeing the development of the banking, asset management, private banking sectors including key areas such as Crypto Assets, FinTech, Re‐Insurance, Sustainable Finance, Digital Banking and Digital Investment Management in ADGM.

Prior to joining ADGM in 2019, Dr. Dasgupta was the Chief Operating Officer of UK Export Finance at the Department of International Trade, UK Government. His 25 year career included senior level business development and transformation roles in investment banking, transaction banking, technology and consulting in firms such as HSBC, ABN AMRO, Citigroup and PwC.

Dr. Dasgupta holds a BSC in Mathematics from the University of Bhopal, an MBA in Finance from Indore University, a PhD in Financial Modelling & AI from the University of Manchester, and a PhD in Politics from Kings College London. He is currently completing a PhD in Food History from Brunel University.

Robert Cohen

Managing Director at Benson Oak Ventures

Robert Cohen is Managing Director of Benson Oak Ventures, an early-stage VC fund with offices in Israel, Prague and Abu Dhabi and is focused on the Web3 creator economy (what we dub “passionware”).

Robert has over 20 years’ experience in venture capital investing. He enjoys a deep understanding of the technology market for consumers and small businesses, including operational experience in building global brands and developing and scaling business models. He was the driving force behind one of the most successful venture capital investments in consumer security - AVG (NYSE).

A dual citizen of US and Israel, he lived in Prague, Czech Republic for 18 years, and now based in Israel. Robert is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and received a M.A. in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins (SAIS) in Washington, DC.

Andrew Dalton

Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Digital Spring Ventures

Andrew is managing partner and co-founder of Digital Spring Ventures, an emerging markets tech investment platform. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with investors from Europe and the Gulf, and investments across MENA, the CIS and CEE regions, South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, DSV specializes in helping mature market capital access risk-mitigated high-return investments in rapidly growing internet economies. DSV supports emerging market entrepreneurs to build regional champions and global leaders.

Yasmin Al Mostehy

Executive Director at Middle East Venture Capital Association