Griffin Private Equity (Dubai) operates as a club for affluent investors who want their wealth to have a multiplier impact on target communities, having already deployed close to US$500 million in six projects since 2023, Founder and CEO Gary Spence shared with IFN Investor
As an investment firm operating out of the Dubai International Financial Centre, Griffin taps sophisticated investors with a US$250,000 minimum entry to foster a green ecosystem spanning frontier tech, AI, health infrastructure and real estate across Asia and the Middle East.
Using blockchain technology for data transparency as well as smart contracts for commercial and regulatory compliance, with decentralized governance for consensus among investing partners, the hybrid PE umbrella fund structure integrates Shariah finance and Buddhist ethical investing principles.
“What if your next investment changed someone’s entire life while still compounding your wealth? Impact is the new alpha. That is why we focus on agri-tech and emerging technologies that are more eco-friendly.”
Among sectors which Griffin will give priority would be development of more efficient solar panels that don’t end their life cycles such as polluting silica waste and sodium ion batteries – which could just use salt water instead of continuing to mine lithium, said Gary.
For real estate ventures, healthcare and wellness will be incorporated into resort facilities that blend into natural surroundings – providing an escape into untouched surroundings, starting with the jungles in northern Thailand and to later have similar resorts in Japan and Sweden.
Griffin, its name short for green and future financial investment network, recently launched its next offering – the Hospitality Growth Fund I with an even higher US$5 million minimum subscription, where the holding period is at least seven and a half years.
Together with other offerings in the pipeline, Griffin aims to have over US$1 billion AuM by the end of 2026.
While readily admitting this venture isn’t for the typical investor, Gary said the firm’s proposition has already attracted significant support from Australia, the east and south Asian regions plus the Middle East – where many want more impact than simply multiplying their wealth or when making donations.
“If just 2.5% of global PE assets are redirected annually as Zakat, it could generate over US$150 billion per year. That is enough to lift every person out of extreme poverty.”
