Decades of experience. One shared conviction.
The SIRIO team brings deep expertise in emerging-market investing, fund building and institutional development — with a shared focus on durability, alignment and scale.
Leadership
Jeroen Harteveld
Jeroen Harteveld, Managing Partner at SIRIO, is an impact investor and fund manager with over 25 years of experience in development finance, private equity, and emerging markets. He successfully led one of the largest financial inclusion funds globally—MASSIF—managing €600 million in assets across 125 investments in financial institutions, local funds, and innovative enterprises throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Under his leadership, the fund pioneered early-stage investments in fintech, venture capital, fragile states, and market-building initiatives. He mobilized additional capital through innovative public–private partnerships and helped shape the agenda of inclusive finance through catalytic investments.
Before managing MASSIF at the Dutch development bank FMO, Jeroen held various investment roles across FMO’s Financial Institutions and Diverse Sectors departments. His early career began at Deloitte, where he built a strong foundation in audit, corporate finance, and advisory.
He holds both a Master’s and Executive Master’s degree from Nyenrode Business University and completed the Board Program at Erasmus University. Jeroen is the author of the book ‘Mastering Emerging Market Funds’ and a recognized speaker on development finance, fund strategy, and emerging market innovation.
Managing Partner
Partner | Head of MENAKarim Samra
Karim Samra is an experienced investment banker, ecosystem builder and entrepreneur. His investing background (US, KSA, UAE, North Africa) includes Swicorp Capital, GE Capital, Barclays Capital, Avanz Capital, and Booz & Co., where he helped structure more than $400M in funding to project finance, private equity, VC fund, and public-private deals.
He also served as COO of the Hult Prize Foundation — the world's largest social venture platform, recognised by TIME Magazine as "one of the top five ideas changing the world." He subsequently founded ChangeLabs, a leading accelerator and ecosystem development organisation active across the Middle East and North Africa, working with investors, governments, development organisations and the private sector to ignite local startup and VC ecosystems and support entrepreneurship.
He brings direct GCC investment expertise and deep networks across sovereign wealth funds, family offices and institutional investors in the GCC.
Rakan Dajani
Rakan Dajani brings experience across venture capital, impact investing, and urban development in emerging markets.
Before joining Sirio Capital Partners, he was Senior Investor Relations Associate at Goodwell Investments, a leading growth equity provider active in Africa’s technology ecosystem. He previously worked with Kompas VC, focusing on urban tech ventures, and as a development consultant for VE-R and the World Bank in Dar es Salaam.
Rakan holds an MEng in Metropolitan Analysis, Design, and Engineering from TU Delft, and a BA in Geography and Environmental Science from Oxford University. He is driven by a commitment to mobilizing capital for meaningful social and environmental progress.
Strategy and Development
Board Members
Cornelis Smaal, Advisory Board Member, brings over three decades of experience in corporate finance and private equity. He serves at the CEO of CCAP, an independent family office and investment company, specializing in Private Equity. Cornelis represents CCAP as an investor into SIRIO Capital.
Prior to CCAP, he spent 33 years at PwC, where he led the firm’s Private Equity division across M&A and Corporate Finance.
Cornelis has advised leading investors and corporations on complex transactions across sectors and geographies, combining strategic insight with deep financial expertise.
Advisory Board