As of mid-year 2025, Licorne Gulf, under the leadership of Irina Duisimbekova, has achieved a remarkable milestone by securing €236 million in investments and funding syndication for its clients and in-house joint ventures.
This accomplishment underscores the firm’s strategic expertise and growing influence in the global investment and development landscape, building on its record-breaking $575 million in direct and syndicated investments in 2024. The firm’s diversified approach spans key sectors, defense, biotech, fintech, institutional development, wellness, think tank and industry, across strategic markets including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Italy, and the USA.
Key Achievements Q1 and Q2 2025
“We strive to stay the course and achieve our goals while navigating through various models of transactions and investments, as well as the personalities of leaders, founders, and partners, which are not always easy to manage. We uphold the spirit of exegesis to harmonize the different components, allowing us to maintain a steady pace; by always reminding our partners and the boards of directors of the companies we have invested in for the past twenty years that we are marathon runners, not sprinters. The main current challenge lies in the fact that we have to operate in an era dominated by immediacy unfortunately, where a new generation seeks to obtain funds quickly, without considering the necessary time for development and the money cycle.”
Irina Duisimbekova
Co-Founder & PresidentLicorne Gulf Holding
1. Defense Sector: Licorne Gulf has capitalized on rising geopolitical tensions and increased defense budgets in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The firm has facilitated significant investments in defense contracts for the last 2 decades, aligning with Qatar’s commitment to enhancing military capabilities and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which emphasizes security and technological advancement. These investments have positioned Licorne Gulf as a key player in supporting regional defense infrastructure and industrial localization.
2. Biotech Investments: Despite a broader slowdown in biotech venture funding in Q2 2025, as noted by HSBC, Licorne Gulf has successfully directed funds into promising biotech startups, particularly in the USA and Italy with an additional Belgium biotech JV in Ryiadh. The firm’s focus on innovative drug development and medical technologies aligns with global demand for advanced healthcare solutions, contributing to a steady pace of M&A deals in the sector.
3. Fintech Ecosystem: Licorne Gulf has strengthened its footprint in fintech, particularly in Qatar and Bahrain, through strategic partnerships and Investments in AI-driven fintech solutions and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) platforms that reflects the firm’s alignment with the Middle East’s growing demand for digital financial services, supported by regional initiatives like Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and Bahrain’s fintech-friendly policies.
4. Institutional Development: The firm has supported institutional growth by investing in educational and research initiatives, particularly in Bahrain and Azerbaijan. These investments aim to foster innovation and human capital development, aligning with regional goals to diversify economies beyond oil dependency; soon to be announced also, an international Think Tank Institution in a GCC venturing,
5. Wellness and Industry: Licorne Gulf’s investments in wellness and industrial sectors have focused on sustainable and scalable projects thorugh an investment in a UK Qatari company with aim to expand In Saudi Arabia and the USA, the firm has backed ventures in wellness technologies and advanced manufacturing, contributing to economic diversification and job creation.
6. Gaming: The firm has structured a JV with a reputed Turkish gaming company. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to effectively integrate into the dynamic sector of this current ecosytem by creating an innovative company based in London. This structure aims not only to establish itself as a major player in the market but also to go public, which would allow it to access more capital and offer greater visibility in the financial market; alternatively, the more realistic approach that deserves careful exploration would be to consider a merger with an entity that is already listed on the London Stock Exchange. Indeed, mergers or reverse mergers are proven strategies that can accelerate a company's growth while reducing certain financial risks. Over the past five years, Licorne Gulf has gained positive and enriching experiences in mergers and reverse mergers, which provides it with know-how and expertise in this area. These past experiences enable it to better identify the opportunities available to it and, importantly, to evaluate potential target entities that could complement its vision and development ambitions.
Regional Impact adopted in the Board for 2024-2030 period
- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain: These GCC countries remain core to Licorne Gulf’s strategy since 27 years, benefiting from their robust economic frameworks and government incentives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Qatar’s venture capital initiatives. The firm’s partnerships with regional royal family investment entities have enhanced its ability to structure high-value syndicated deals.
- Azerbaijan: Investments here focus on bridging Eastern Europe and Central Asia into the GCC, leveraging the country’s strategic position to support industrial and institutional projects.
- Italy and the USA: Licorne Gulf’s presence in these markets reflects its global outlook, with investments in biotech and fintech aligning with GCC deeptech focus and the USA’s innovation-driven economy.
Strategic Approach
Led by Irina Duisimbekova, and co-Founded by Alexandre Amjad Katrangi and 2 Members of the Saudi and Bahraini Royal Family; Licorne Gulf’s success stems from its diversified investment strategy, strong partnerships with regional and global stakeholders, and agility in navigating geopolitical and market dynamics. The firm’s €236 million mid-year achievement in 2025 builds on its 2023 recognition as the “Best Investment Arm” in Abu Dhabi, reinforcing its reputation for empowering startups and established enterprises alike.
“The ultimate goal is to continuously conduct realistic and tangible transactions while maintaining steady growth. Those involved in the industry, particularly in private equity, Family Offices, VC’s etc know perfectly that announcements of billions and billions of -dollar investments or fundraising that you hear or read right and left are often simple non-binding letters of intent or MOUs…… In 95% of cases, these commitments never materialize; but in the world of over-informations; one piece of news chases another one and people tends to forget…
…We do not aim to engage in this dynamic, which does not interest us. The staggering and often unrealistic amounts lead to endless meetings, confcalls and discussions about projects or partnerships JVs that do not come to fruition. We prefer to stay in our own league, progressing steadily with some of our financial partners, with whom we have maintained relationships for over twenty years, while upholding our standard of achievements; …. Disregarding the impact of the post-COVID era and the current geopolitical factors affecting the financial sector, we are entering a new phase in investment cycles. The patterns that have defined the past seventy years are now evolving into something different, causing significant disruption in the investment world; …..However, that topic deserves a separate discussion which we can explore at another time.”
In the last past 2 decades, the Firm had conducted their own direct investments in the mid-cap market ventures and operated several developments contracts or ventures with CAC40 or Fortune500 companies such as EDF,; Norinco, KNDS, Thomson, Vitol, Halliburton, Denel, Mocoh Switzerland, Socar, Bashneft, Sistema, Geodis, Natixis, Blackstone etc etc https://www.licorne-gulf.com/clients-partners
This 2025 milestone positions Licorne Gulf as a leader in shaping international investment trends, with a clear focus on high-growth sectors and emerging markets, ensuring sustainable returns and regional economic impact.
