Bahrain – Investcorp, a leading global alternative investments firm, today announced the launch of eLydian Lion, the first dedicated institutional blockchain fund based in the GCC, with a global investment mandate (the “Fund”). The Fund – which will be led from Investcorp’s Abu Dhabi office – will be deployed globally and will focus on investments in companies leading the next digital evolution driven by blockchain technology.

The Fund will enable investors to gain early exposure to the rapid growth of the blockchain ecosystem, which is at the forefront of the digital transformation of the economy. The Fund will mainly invest in early-stage companies operating in areas within the blockchain ecosystem such as blockchain infrastructure, platforms and exchanges, decentralised finance, and data analytics.

Hazem Ben-Gacem, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Investcorp, said: “Offering our clients innovative and bold investment ideas, backed by our disciplined and proven approach, has been a key element of our success over the last four decades. We have a strong track record in technology investment and will bring our institutional expertise and global reach to bear on this fast-growing area of technology.”

Gilbert Kamieniecky, Head of Investcorp’s Technology Private Equity business, said: “We believe that blockchain technology and the ecosystem around it, will transform every facet of our economy much like the internet did in the 2000s. We have already seen the potential of blockchain to disrupt existing markets and create new ones, such as the meteoric rise of the Non-Fungible Tokens market that in just a few years has grown from under a billion to more than $40 billion. This new Fund will support the most innovative entrepreneurs from around the world who are developing the blockchain ecosystem and defining what the future digital economy will be.”

The Fund is independent of and complementary to Investcorp Technology Partners, Investcorp’s leading investment strategy focused on lower mid-market technology opportunities.

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About Investcorp

Investcorp is a global investment manager, specializing in alternative investments across private equity, real estate, credit, absolute return strategies, GP stakes, infrastructure and insurance asset management. Since our inception in 1982, we have focused on generating attractive returns for our clients while creating long-term value in our investee companies and for our shareholders as a prudent and responsible investor.

We invest a meaningful portion of our own capital in products we offer to our clients, ensuring that our interests are aligned with our stakeholders, including the communities that we operate within, towards driving sustainable value creation. We take pride in partnering with our clients to deliver tailored solutions for their needs, utilizing a disciplined investment process, employing world-class talent and combining the resources of a global institution with an innovative, entrepreneurial approach. In January 2022, Investcorp issued its 2021 Responsible Business Report which outlines its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) highlights for 2021 and specific initiatives the Firm implemented to meet its goals: https://www.investcorp.com/esg/.

Investcorp has today 13 offices across the US, Europe, GCC and Asia, including India, China and Singapore. As of December 31, 2021, Investcorp Group had US $40.4 billion in total AUM, including assets managed by third party managers, and employed approximately 460 people from 46 nationalities globally across its offices. For further information, visit www.investcorp.com and follow us @Investcorp on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Media Contacts:
Nada Abdulghani
nabdulghani@investcorp.com