SABAH.HUB proudly celebrates the launch of SABAH.fund, a $25 million venture capital fund dedicated to accelerating the growth of early-stage startups created by founders from or with operations in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and MENA regions. SABAH.fund is the first ever VC fund between the Central Asian and MENA regions and is the largest Azerbaijan headquartered VC fund already, having successfully achieved their first close of $11 million. Led by co-founding General Partners Rahim Bayramli and Abbas Kazmi, prominent LP investors in SABAH.fund include SOCAR, AIC, Moonwake Investment, Integrity Group, and others.
This strategic first of its kind cross-border VC fund feeds into SABAH’s “Techplomacy” initiative and aims to support innovative entrepreneurs and drive technological advancements across key sectors and rapidly growing geographies. This also includes launching the Turkic and Central Asian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, the first in the region, covering ecosystems which make up the strategic ‘Silk Road’ between East and West.
Empowering Early-Stage Innovation – Strategic Focus Areas
SABAH.fund identifies and invests in the most promising and disruptive early-stage technology businesses at pre-seed to seed across a rapidly developing regional landscape. The primary focus areas are FinTech, CleanTech and EdTech with secondary interests in Digital Health, AgriTech, PropTech, and LogisticsTech.
Leadership and Expertise
The fund is managed by co-founding General Partners Rahim Bayramli and Abbas Kazmi, who bring extensive experience in venture capital investments, company building, government advisory and growing startup ecosystems
- Rahim Bayramli is the co-founder and CEO of SABAH.HUB, Through SABAH.HUB and its various different arms and initiatives including BakuID, Rahim has played a pivotal role in the region’s innovation landscape. A graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE), Rahim previously worked in Strategy Consulting at McKinsey and has co-founded several successful ventures including Push30 and LANDAU School.
- Abbas Kazmi is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur and VC investor, recognized by the likes of Forbes 30 Under 30, Maserati 100 and many other prestigious accolades. In addition to co-founding the Oxford Accelerator, Collegiate Capital, BlackWood Ventures, and several successful startups since the age of 16, Abbas is a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellow, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and advisor to several governments across EMEA. A graduate of Oxford University, Abbas previously worked at BlackRock and is an Entrepreneurship Expert at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Venture Fellow and Investor-in-Residence at London Business School.
SABAH.fund team’s wealth of experience in venture capital and startup development across the region and globally, which includes investing in several unicorns at early-stage, is crucial in providing comprehensive support for portfolio companies. Seasoned industry experts, including prominent Azerbaijanis in Silicon Valley, with successful exits from investments in FinTech, EduTech, and Sustainability complement the team as Investment Committee and Advisory Board members. The collaboration between SABAH.fund’s Investment Committee members and Advisory Board, amplifies the fund’s capacity not only to invest in startups but also to nurture and guide them towards sustainable growth and international expansion.
A Vision for the Future and Regional Integration
“SABAH.fund is dedicated to empowering visionary companies with global ambitions,” said Rahim Bayramli, General Partner. “We aim to help them overcome regional challenges and seize opportunities for international success. Our goal is to build innovation bridges and a brighter future for technology and education in our regions.“
Abbas Kazmi, General Partner said, “SABAH.fund is uniquely positioned in the industry to provide investors with a combination of strong financial returns and the chance to make impact and history, whilst also shaping the future. Through our commitment to finding and funding those building solutions for the greatest challenges that our world faces, we offer the opportunity to gain exposure to and capitalize on the massive growth opportunities across the Central Asian and MENA regions, which we believe will be catalyzed by previously untapped cross-border collaboration between adjacent markets, and by providing strategic support and capital. It is our conviction that the regions we target are home to the largest pool of untapped talent and potential in the world and one of the best possible sources of wealth creation opportunities. ‘SABAH’ means ‘morning’ in Arabic and Turkish and ‘tomorrow’ in Azerbaijani and we see this as a new dawn for a region that was once the global capital of innovation and learning.”
Join Us on the Path to Global Success
With the invite-only first close completed, SABAH.fund is now open for further investment, and the team is actively seeking innovative disruptive startups that can benefit from the fund’s investment and support. SABAH.fund has already made its first three investment commitments into rapidly growing startups. For more information and to pitch us, visit our official website: https://sabahhub.com/fund