Wishing everyone a blessed and peaceful Ramadan! May this holy month bring you closer to your loved ones, fill your days with gratitude, and strengthen your spirit. Ramadan Kareem! 🌙✨

How does the financing structure of a leveraged buyout (LBO) break down? An LBO uses significant debt - but not all debt is treated the same. Beyond debt, buyers typically inject a portion of their own equity capital or investor capital. Here's what you should know:

A common acquisition strategy in private markets is called a leveraged buyout (LBO). This occurs when a buyer finances the purchase of a company with a majority of debt—with the goal of maximizing their return on equity once there is a profitable sale. Here are the steps 👇

We're grateful for the opportunity for our co-founder, Rawan Baddour, to join the stage for STEP Dubai 2025 alongside many other insightful participants in the tech ecosystem. Come stop by next Wednesday to listen to Rawan and the other speakers who will be joining the stage 👋

A little-known truth about the private market funds industry is how investors fund their investments. This is done via capital calls, where investors first commit capital to a deal, and then fund their commitment over time as GPs require them to send funds for deals.

We're fortunate to have been included in the Founders Forum Group's recent list of '33 Dubai Tech Startups to Watch.' If you're interested in reading about the tech ecosystem in Dubai, you can download a copy of the report here 👉

Are you coming to Step Dubai 2025? Step Dubai is the premier technology conference in the MENA region set to begin on February 19th in Dubai Internet City. Join an expected 8,000+ attendees, 400+ startups, 350+ speakers, and over $8.5B in capital representation this year as we

We're teaming up with our friends at Step for the STEP Dubai 2025 Conference from February 19th-20th in Dubai Internet City. During the conference, STEP will be hosting private outdoor meetings between investors and startups, powered by Zest Equity. Come join us for an

In an M&A transaction, why do buyers and sellers consider including an earnout? Here are some of the advantages of this unique deferred compensation structure:

An earnout agreement bridges the gap between what a buyer is willing to pay for a business and what the seller is willing to sell for in a transaction. However, if an earnout agreement is not structured properly with clear guidelines, it can lead to disputes between the two

What is an earnout in M&A deals? In its simplest form, an earnout is a provision in an acquisition agreement that ties a portion of the sale proceeds to the future performance of the acquired business. This mechanism is primarily used to address the gap between the buyer’s and

What happens when a company needs to raise more capital but hasn't grown as expected following its last fundraising round? Sometimes—whether it's based on company performance or market conditions—a company will need to raise additional capital at a lower valuation than its

Last year was an exciting one for our team, and we're so thankful for our customers and supporters who have followed along with our journey. Our team can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for the region and the private market ecosystem 🗓

Happy New Year from our team at Zest 🎉 Wishing you a year filled with success, happiness, and endless opportunities.

Bridge rounds can be a necessary capital injection for a company short on cash. For investors, however, it's important that the company has a high likelihood of using the capital to get to the next fundraising milestone; otherwise, you could be investing in a "bridge to

Thank you to everyone who's followed along with our journey and the private market landscape in 2024. This industry can be opaque and our mission is to bring education and transparency to transacting in the private markets. Follow along with our journey in the new year and tell

Global sovereign wealth funds are increasingly becoming more active in the private markets. By 2030, their collective AUM is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% to $18T in AUM. Excited to see this impact on transactions across the region. https://t.co/0JCVR6c8dE

Investors pay special attention to DPI among all the ways that investment performance can be measured in private market funds. Why? DPI reflects the actual distributions paid out to investors—i.e., the money investors get to put back in their pockets or recycle into other

Some of our team members at Abu Dhabi Finance Week this past week! We had a great time attending the third-annual gathering to talk about the future of business and capital across the region 🌍