Karim Solh

Dr. Karim El Solh is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Capital, one of the largest and most active alternative investment firms in the Middle East. He launched the firm in 2006 and has grown it to roughly $2.4–2.5 billion in assets under management across multiple funds spanning private equity buyouts, growth capital, private credit/mezzanine, and (through Gulf Related, a joint venture with New York's Related Companies) real estate development. He also serves as co-Managing Partner of Gulf Related.

Before founding Gulf Capital, El Solh was CEO of The National Investor, a leading UAE investment bank, where the firm ranked as the number one IPO underwriter in the Gulf and executed several groundbreaking private equity transactions under his leadership. Earlier in his career he was a co-founder of the European High Yield Capital Markets / Leveraged Buy-Outs division at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ, later part of Credit Suisse), and a senior banker at Citigroup — giving him a rare combination of leveraged finance, capital markets, and regional principal-investing experience.

Academically, El Solh holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from Georgetown University, and a doctorate in economics from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He is a Chartered Management Accountant and a Professional Civil Engineer. He sits on the Board of Advisors of Georgetown's McDonough School of Business and its Center for Financial Markets and Policy, and is a board member of the Global Private Capital Association (GPCA), where he chairs the Middle East Council.

His recognitions include being named one of the Top 100 CEOs in the Gulf by CEO Magazine, one of the 500 Most Influential Arabs by Arabian Business, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Under his leadership Gulf Capital has repeatedly been named Best Private Equity Firm and Best Private Debt Firm in the Middle East by publications including Private Equity International and Banker Middle East.

• Invests institutional capital across four pillars: private equity buyouts, growth capital, private credit/mezzanine, and real estate — not personal angel checks.
• Concentrates on four core themes going forward: technology, healthcare, business services, and sustainability.
• Typical ticket size of ~$50–100 million, with capacity for larger deals through co-investment (including with Asian sovereign-backed partners).
• Targets established, high-growth regional companies; portfolio companies posted an average 32% year-on-year profit increase in H1 2024, which El Solh cites as the engine behind the firm's exit momentum.
• Building toward a next investment cycle: raising a fourth buyout fund of ~$800 million and exploring smaller, sector-specialized funds — including vehicles targeting earlier-stage companies.
• Stated ambition to double AUM to roughly ~$5 billion by 2028.