Executive Team
Robert J. Marassa: Founder and Managing Director - London
Robert Marassa has made his career in investment banking and corporate finance specializing in the financing of High-tech and CleanTech growth companies Most recently, Mr. Marassa has been an instrumental part of over USD 1 billion of financings in a number of high profile companies including Bloom Energy, Solfocus, Force10 Networks, Turin Networks, Motricity and Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN). His core expertise is in matching and aligning the strategies of innovative companies with investors and corporations in the MENASA region. Most recently, he served as President of the London subsidiary of Advanced Equities. Mr. Marassa previously served in an executive role at Citicorp Investment, advising the bank’s top clients on their private investment strategies. Mr. Marassa served as a member of the groups Presidents Advisory Council (PAC).
Dr. Robert Troy: Founder and Managing Director - San Francisco
Dr. Robert Troy is a venture capitalist who co-founded and co-managed Geneva Venture Partners, a San Francisco based venture capital fund that invested in high-tech start-ups. Geneva Venture Partners was an early stage investor in number of companies including SalesForce.com (NYSE:CRM), Zantaz (Autonomy), Callixa (SAP), Encirq, Tradec (Agile) and NetXen (QLogic). Dr. Troy was founder, President and CEO of Verilog SA, a software engineering company. He oversaw the company’s international expansion and created key product lines including Logiscope (IBM, Rational Logiscope) and SAO Plus (Esterelle Technologies, SCADE). Early in his career, he spent twelve years at National Research labs in France (LAAS, INRIA), specializing in dependable computing. He was born in France and became an American citizen after relocating to the US in 1994. He holds a Doctorate in Computer Science from University Paul Sabatier (France).
Dr. Adnan A. Sultan: Managing Director for the Middle East - Kuwait City
Dr. Adnan A. Sultan is both a pioneer and senior executive in the Middle East with over 21 years of leadership positions in investment management, venture capital and technology transfer. After earning his doctorate in Economics from Claremont University, Dr Adnan started his career as a professor at Kuwait University. Later, Dr, Adnan led and directed many of Kuwait’s most prominent investment companies. He held the role of Chief Investment Manager of Direct Investments for the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) for 9 years where he directed the KIA’s first investments in both real estate and venture capital. Dr. Adnan later founded National Technology Enterprise Corporation (NTEC), the region’s first venture capital fund dedicated to technology transfer in the GCC. Over the last two decades, Dr. Adnan has held a number of prestigious advisory positions for the Kuwait Council of Ministers. Currently he serves on the board of Kuwait’s National Offset Company and Kuwait University’s College of Petroleum and Engineering. Dr. Adnan also serves as an advisory board member to Red Herring, TVM Capital, Wellington Partners and EuroMed Capital association.
Motasim F. Hajaj: Managing Director - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Jeddah
Motasim F. Hajaj founded HAJAJ & ASSOCIATES in 1996, a Saudi Arabian market leader in real estate business development and advisory services, property appraisal and acquisition assignments. He recently completed a major secondment as acting CEO for the corporate reorganization and operation of one of Saudi Arabia’s largest real estate developers handling over $ 2 billion of projects under development and now heads up PKF The Consulting House activities in the Kingdom. Motasim was instrumental in managing the successful 2007 launch of the first public Saudi Real Estate Fund in the market by AREG and the SAMBA Bank. A business graduate from California State University, Long Beach, USA and member of Urban Land Institute, Motasim has over 20 years knowledge of the international and Middle East real estate and business development markets, with in-depth hands on experience of real estate and marketing support for major commercial, residential and leisure tourism projects. Motasim serves on various international hospitality asset owning company boards. He is a business advisor to members of the Saudi Royal family and to prominent Saudi business organisations. Motasim Hajaj is a founding member of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah urban regeneration committee and also serves as a member of the real estate steering committee in Jeddah.