Home / Founder & team
The record behind the cheque.
Access Bridge Ventures is led by Issa Aghabi — an ex-IFC investor with 18+ years across the Arab world's venture history — alongside a co-founding team tied to CedarBridge Partners.
01 / The founder
From the Arab world's first venture funds to the IFC — and back to the earliest cheque.
Issa's career has focused on finance and investments since 2004, with a focus on venture capital. In 2006 he was a founding member of Accelerator Technologies, one of the first venture funds in the Arab world, and went on to launch the UAE's first accelerator.
He worked as an M&A consultant at Yahoo!, led investment at N2V — MENA's first venture builder — and headed investments and venture capital at twofour54, Abu Dhabi's media and technology hub. He then joined the IFC (World Bank Group), where he headed venture investments across the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Europe — both direct and fund-of-funds.
Across that career he invested in 65+ deals ($100K–$25M), managed over $150M in MENA venture funds, and exited MENA companies including Jawaker, Intaj, Mumzworld, Souq and Vezeeta, alongside two IPOs. Today he is Founder & Managing Director of Access Bridge Ventures.
- 2004Investment banking
Starts in finance and investments.
- 2006Founding member, Accelerator Technologies
One of the first venture funds in the Arab world.
- ThenM&A consultant, Yahoo!
- ThenHead of Investment, N2V
MENA's first venture builder.
- ThenHead of Investments & Venture Capital, twofour54
Abu Dhabi's media and technology hub.
- IFCHead of venture investments — MENA, Pakistan & Europe
Direct and indirect (accelerators, fund-of-funds), for the World Bank Group's IFC.
- TodayFounder & Managing Director, Access Bridge Ventures
An early-stage fund in Abu Dhabi, over 21 investments to date and growing.
MBA — Strategy, Entrepreneurship, M&A & Corporate Finance, Cass Business School (City, University of London) · BComm, Concordia University.
02 / The record
Institutional pedigree. Early-stage conviction.
The numbers Issa carried into Access Bridge Ventures — the substance behind every cheque the fund writes today.
Track record of founder Issa Aghabi ahead of launching Access Bridge Ventures. The fund launched at $25M and stands at $35M today.
03 / The team
An experienced investment team with an impeccable track record.
Issa AghabiFounder & Managing Director
Rakan AlrashedDirector
Imad GhandourCo-Founder, Access Bridge Ventures · Co-Founder & MD, CedarBridge
Magellan MakhloufCo-Founder, Access Bridge Ventures · Co-Founder & MD, CedarBridgeInvestment team
Hamed MahmoudInvestment team
Omar TahaInvestment team
Aly RamadanInvestment team
04 / Get in touch
Building in MENA? Send us your deck.
We aim to be the first institutional cheque, and we like to lead. If you're building within our sectors, we'd like to see it early.