Elias Bakhazi is an entrepreneur, founder and investor with over 20 years of experience spanning global markets, investment banking and asset management. Elias spent close to 13 years at HSBC as Director of MENA and Frontier Equity Sales and Trading. During his career in global markets, he worked on some of the world’s most high-profile and economically significant transactions, including the landmark Saudi Aramco IPO. In 2020, Elias made the transition from corporate finance to entrepreneurship, joining his co-founder Karen Wazen as Managing Partner of Karen Wazen Eyewear in Dubai. Together, they have built the company from a regional eyewear brand into an internationally recognized fashion business, expanding its presence across markets and establishing partnerships with leading retailers around the world. Alongside his role at Karen Wazen Eyewear, Elias is an active venture capital investor, backing and advising founders and emerging businesses. Drawing on his background in institutional finance and his firsthand experience building and scaling a consumer brand, he brings an operator-investor perspective to identifying businesses with the potential to grow into enduring global companies.