# Manar Mahmassani

> Manar Mahmassani is the Dubai-based Lebanese co-founder and co-CEO of Stake. An LSE mathematics and economics graduate, he worked at Deutsche Bank and Falcon Group before helping build a platform for fractional property investment. His public interviews connect the business to his own disappointing long-term property investment, while his writing covers real estate markets, ownership structures, and lessons from running a growing company.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Stake
- **Organizations:** Stake, Deutsche Bank, Falcon Group, SHUAA Capital, Emirates Bank
- **Nationality:** Lebanese
- **Education:** BSc in Mathematics and Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science
- **Known for:** His professional biography credits him with executing over $6 billion in transactions for corporates, family offices, quasi-sovereigns, and financial institutions., Co-founded Stake with Rami Tabbara and Ricardo Brizido., Passed CFA Level I in December 2007 and Level II in June 2008, according to his LinkedIn profile.

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Graduated from LSE; subsequently searched for an investment-banking job in London.
- **2006** — Moved to Dubai in January; joined SHUAA Capital in February, followed by a brief period at Emirates Bank.
- **2007-2016** — Worked at Deutsche Bank; became Head of MENA Structured Credit and Global Head of Islamic Structuring.
- **2016-2020** — Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance at Falcon Group.
- **2020** — Started building Stake with Rami Tabbara; met future co-founder Ricardo Brizido that summer.
- **2021** — Stake entered its early operating period and announced a $4 million seed round in June.
- **2022** — Stake announced an $8 million pre-Series A in August.
- **2024** — Stake raised a $14 million Series A in June and officially launched Saudi operations on December 9.
- **2025** — Stake expanded into US industrial real estate and launched StakeOne for full property ownership in October.
- **2026** — Launched a Substack in January; Stake announced a $31 million Series B in February.

## Achievements

- His professional biography credits him with executing over $6 billion in transactions for corporates, family offices, quasi-sovereigns, and financial institutions.
- Co-founded Stake with Rami Tabbara and Ricardo Brizido.
- Passed CFA Level I in December 2007 and Level II in June 2008, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- Stake announced $58 million in total funding following its February 2026 Series B; this is company funding, not personal wealth.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Published the introductory post for his Substack on January 26.
- **2026-02** — Stake announced an Emirates NBD-led $31 million Series B on February 17, bringing reported total funding to $58 million.
- **2026-04** — Published an essay reflecting on twenty years in Dubai, his early career, and property-market cycles.
- **2026-09** — Appeared on DIFC Unplugged in an episode published September 10, discussing Stake, regulation, AI, and tokenisation.
- **2026-09** — Appeared with Karl Naim on FINTECH.TV on September 24; the episode described 600 properties under management and AED 1.5 billion in total transactions.

## Links

- Website: https://manarmahmassani.substack.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manarm/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/manarmahmassani

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/manar-mahmassani
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-13