Osama Audi

Osama works with clients doing business in the Middle East, Africa and South and Southeast Asia in sectors such as technology and e-commerce, consumer goods and retail, healthcare, education, energy and infrastructure (with a focus on renewable energy), oil & gas, financial services, logistics and transport and real estate, hospitality and leisure.

Osama regularly advises on transactions relating to technology and growth companies at all stages of their development, from seed-funding to late-stage companies focused on in-organic growth. Osama was a founder of Winsun Global which raised USD 5 million from global investors to develop 3D printing technology. Amongst Winsun Global’s successfully delivered projects are the Dubai Future Foundation’s ‘Office of the Future’ project, the world’s first 3D printed office, at Emirates Towers, Dubai.

Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, Osama was a partner in a US law firm's M&A and private equity practice and, before that, Osama worked in a Magic Circle law firm's Dubai and Riyadh offices.

• Advised Egypt's three largest state-owned banks, Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and Banque du Caire on their USD 85 million corner-stone investment in the NCLUDE Fintech Innovation Fund, managed by Global Ventures.


• Advised Ripples Capital Limited (Kitopi) on (i) the USD 415 million Series C venture capital round led by SoftBank, the largest ever venture financing round in the Middle East and the first investment by SoftBank in a Middle-East based startup. Investors in the round included ADQ, and Chimera Capital; (ii) the acquisition of Rock House Sliders; (iii) the acquisition of Right Bite; (iv) the acquisition of Chin Chin; (v) numerous other matters.


• Advised an Abu Dhabi-based family office on: (i) an LP investment in Fintech Insurance, a Delaware based fintech fund; (ii) an LP investment in global venture capital fund, DST Global VIII L.P.; (iii) its investment in 8VC Opportunities Fund II, a fund established in Delaware focused on mid-stage and later-stage privately held technology companies headquartered in North America; (iv) its investment in HOF Capital Growth Opportunity XXXVIII, LLC, a fund established in Delaware focused on venture capital; (v) its investment in EF Moon Pay LLC as part of an equity financing that seeks to raise up to $550 million; (vi) its investment by convertible promissory note in Community.com, Inc. a company established in Delaware focusing on B2C communication; (vii) its investment in and subsequent conversion of convertible equity into Series Seed-2 Preferred Stock in Shipshape Solutions, Inc. a Delaware company focused on integrating and monitoring home systems; (viii) its potential investment in the Seed investment round in Ethernal Labs Inc., a Delaware company and the related purchase of ERN tokens from Ethernity Chain Limited, a Cayman Islands entity; (ix) its investment by convertible promissory note in Wave Neuroscience, Inc., a Delaware company focused on developing personalized, noninvasive technology to optimize brain function; (x) its investment in Electric Feel Ventures Fund I (Parallel) LP, a fund established in Delaware focused on venture capital investments; (xi) its investment through a convertible note in Strive Tech, Inc. a Delaware company focused on the development of a performance monitoring system for athletes.


• Advised the shareholder of Innovative Care Company, the owner of the New You Medical Centre and on-sight pharmacy, on the sale of a 51% equity stake to Arabian International Healthcare Holding Co. (Tibbiyah). The transaction was structured through the ADGM.


• Advised the shareholders of Al Faris Food Group on the sale of a substantial majority of their food & beverage manufacturing and distribution business to Gulf Japan Food Fund.


• Advised Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) on: (i) a joint venture with EDF International for energy efficiency projects across the MENA region, (ii) the sale of Masdar City Cooling Company to the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), (iii) the acquisition of an interest in Al Dhafra PV2, the largest solar PV project in the world. The transaction won MENA Solar Deal of the Year, Project Finance International 2020, and (iv) the sale of an interest in Dumat Al Jandal wind power project, the first utility scale wind project in Saudi Arabia under Vision2030. The transaction won PFI Renewable Deal of the Year 2019.


• Advised Baker Hughes on the USD 550 million acquisition of a 5% interest in ADNOC Drilling, the subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the suite of commercial framework agreements in relation to the sale of products and services by BHGE to ADNOC Drilling. The transaction won the "MENA M&A Deal of the Year" award at the 2019 IJGlobal awards.


• Advised GFH Financial Group BSC on its acquisition of a significant majority interest in three Saudi Arabian companies which own a total of four American curriculum K through 12 schools.


• Advised the founders of Geidea on the sale of a significant portion of their business to Gulf Capital. The transaction was reported by the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association to be the largest ever in the Fintech space in the Middle East and the largest Middle East private equity transaction in 2018.


• Advised NBK Capital Partners on their acquisition of a majority interest in 4Sale.com, the market-leading online classifieds portal in Kuwait and Egypt.