NewSpace Capital, a global private equity firm, has appointed seasoned investor Hassan Karimi as an Industry Advisory Board member. Hassan, who co-founded the Dubai-based asset management firm KHK & Partners, brings over 18 years of global investment experience.
NewSpace Capital backs founders and business leaders across the space supply chain. It focuses on areas such as building and manufacturing components, broadcasting and telecommunication, earth observation, and navigation. NewSpace Capital’s portfolio includes several space tech world leaders, including ICEYE, Kayrros, and Cailabs, which are companies forging close industrial ties in the region.
NewSpace Capital, founded in 2018, has been firmly implanted in the UAE space ecosystem. With Hassan Karimi’s appointment, the firm will further strengthen its relationships with sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, and industrial partners.
With the appointment of Hassan Karimi, NewSpace will be able to call on close to two decades of high-level experience working and investing in the Middle East, as well as extensive regional knowledge and relationships with regional investors. Hassan has deep expertise in investing in technology, having made a number of successful investments in the space sector.
Hassan Karimi, a graduate from the Institute of Political Studies, ESCP Europe and ENPC/Paris X, spent five years at the Emirates Investment Authority (EIA), the UAE Federal Government’s sovereign wealth fund, before he co-founded KHK & Partners. Before joining the EIA, he worked for The Carlyle Group, as well as UBS in Dubai, London and Paris.
Bogdan Gogulan, CEO and Managing Partner of NewSpace Capital said he was pleased to welcome Hassan Karimi at a very exciting time for NewSpace and the wider space ecosystem. “Hassan brings exceptional knowledge, skill and experience built up over the many years he has worked in Dubai’s investment community,” he said.
“We have been working closely with him for a number of years. There is a close alignment between Hassan and our team on building lasting relationships and providing long-term value to our investors and partners. We are looking forward to deepening our cooperation and drawing on Hassan’s advice. Space companies are playing an increasingly important part in how we face up to some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, from the climate crisis to falling productivity. The Middle East has been emerging as one of the key commercial space markets, with a number of companies in the region turning into global space leaders. Hassan joins us at an exciting time for NewSpace Capital and for the space sector in the Middle East. His expertise will be invaluable as we grow and strengthen our presence in the region.” he added.
Hassan Karimi said: “Space is now an essential sector, and one that supports much of modern life. It’s fast becoming the backbone of the world economy. It’s also a very valuable sector with enormous room still to grow. NewSpace is using growth capital to support the outstanding companies that are developing the technologies that will shape the future. That’s why I’m very pleased to have the chance to work with Bogdan and the team.”
Morgan Stanley has predicted that the global space ecosystem will reach $1 trillion in value by 2040, in part due to space tech’s capacity to service almost every area of the economy. Modeling from Globant has also shown that the full adoption of current satellite technologies by 2030 would give the world the means to reach net zero 10 years ahead of schedule.
NewSpace Capital’s investees include laser communications company Cailabs; ICEYE, which owns and operates the world’s largest constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites; Simera Sense, a leading provider of end-to-end earth observation camera solutions and Kayrros, the global environmental intelligence company named one of the world’s 100 Most Influential by TIME.
