James R. Stull

Fund Formation - Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds

• Advise Global Ventures to establish two venture capital funds focused on early-stage investments in the Middle East and Africa as well as sector- and geography-specific funds focused on FinTech, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Advise Falcon Edge Capital on the formation of Alpha Wave Innovation Fund, an AED 1.1 billion venture capital fund domiciled in the ADGM focused on Indian technology companies, which was anchored by ADQ.
• Represent the Public Investment Fund to establish Jada Fund of Funds Company, a SAR 4 billion fund focused on investments into venture capital and private equity funds.
• Advise Riyad Capital to establish Riyad Taqnia Fund and Riyad FinTech Fund, venture funds focused on early stage tech and tech-enabled investments in the MENA region.
• Advise Alkhabeer Capital in the formation of multiple private equity funds, including sector specific funds focused on F&B, healthcare and industrial investments.
• Advise Ashmore Investments on the formation of a MENA-focused healthcare fund and in relation to a GCC-focused education fund.
• Advise Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) to establish a fund to invest in financial institutions in Islamic countries and on the structuring of its investments in Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Kazakhstan and the Maldives.
• Advise ADS Investment Solutions to form a private equity fund domiciled in the ADGM focusing on Central Asian and CIS countries in a joint venture with the government of Uzbekistan.
• Advise ADS Investment Solutions to form a private equity fund domiciled in the ADGM focusing on investments in EMEA.
• Advise Jadwa Investment on the formation of multiple private equity funds, including sector specific funds, including F&B, healthcare and logistics.
• Advise NBK Capital to form a private equity fund focusing on middle-market companies in the MENA region.

Fund Formation - Real Estate Funds and REITs

• Represent Riyad Capital on the establishment of Riyad REIT, the first REIT to be approved by the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority and listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, and subsequent capital increase to become the largest REIT by market capitalization in Saudi Arabia.
• Advise Al Rajhi Capital to establish Al Rajhi REIT, a REIT listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, as well as a capital increase for the REIT.
• Advise Mindful Wealth and The Entrepreneur’s Investment Office to establish the first open-ended real estate fund in the DIFC.
• Represent Riyad Capital on structuring and establishing multiple funds to invest in US income-generating real estate assets domiciled both in Saudi Arabia and offshore.
• Advise Riyad Capital on the establishment of the first open-ended real estate income fund in Saudi Arabia.
• Advise Emirates NBD Capital and Arcapita Bank to establish a Saudi Arabian income generating real estate fund focused on the logistics sector.
• Represent Al Rajhi Capital on a joint venture with Arcapita Bank to form and offer a Middle East income-producing real estate fund; the establishment of a Saudi Arabian income-producing real estate fund; and the establishment of a Western European real estate fund.
• Represent Jadwa Investment on the formation of a REIT listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, which was the first REIT approved to invest in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
• Advise SEDCO Capital to establish SEDCO Capital REIT, a REIT listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange.
• Advise Alkhabeer Capital to establish Alkhabeer REIT, a Saudi REIT listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, and multiple subsequent capital increases.
• Advise Gulf Islamic Investments to establish GII Islamic REIT, the first private REIT in the Dubai International Financial Centre.
• Represent Hines and The First Investor on the formation and offering of a Luxembourg-domiciled income-producing Brazilian real estate fund.
• Represent SEDCO Capital in the formation of multiple U.S. income-producing real estate funds; two Saudi Arabian income-producing real estate funds; and a built-to-suit real estate development fund.

Fund Formation - Credit Funds

• Advise Social Development Bank to establish a programmatic SME financing platform with Beehive and Gulf International Bank (GIB).
• Advise KAMCO Invest to establish a trade finance fund domiciled in the DIFC.
• Advise International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and Federated Investors in the formation of a sovereign energy trade finance fund.
• Advise Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (ILFS) on the proposed formation of a US$1B Shari’ah compliant African infrastructure financing fund.
• Advise the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) in a US$1.5 billion joint venture with APICORP to establish a series of ship leasing funds.
• Advise KFH Capital in a joint venture with Tufton Oceanic to establish a Shari’ah-compliant ship leasing fund.
• Advise Derayah Financial on the establishment of multiple alternative credit and financing funds domiciled in Saudi Arabia, Cayman Islands and Mauritius.
• Advise Mindful Wealth and The Entrepreneur’s Investment Office to establish an open-ended receivables fund domiciled in the DIFC.

Equities, Fixed Income and Hedge Funds

• Advise Waha Capital to establish the Waha Islamic Income Fund, an open-ended Shari’ah compliant fund investing in both sukuk and equities.
• Advise McKinley Capital on the formation of a US$8B MEASA focused hedge fund in the ADGM.
• Advise GFH Capital to establish an open-ended sukuk fund.
• Advise Alkhabeer Capital to establish a diversified income fund, which was the first closed ended fund listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange.
• Advise ADS Investment Solutions in the formation of multiple equities funds domiciled in the ADGM, including the first ADGM approved to trade equities listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange.
• Advise Barwa Bank to establish a Cayman Islands regulated sukuk fund.
• Represent EFG Hermes on the formation of: a jointly-managed public equities fund with Muscat Capital; and two Saudi Arabian-listed equities funds.
• Represent Swicorp on the formation and offering of the following Shari’ah-compliant funds: a hedge fund with a long/short equity strategy; three Middle East public equities funds; and a MENA-focused IPO fund.
• Represent National Bank of Kuwait on the formation of global equities funds, frontier market equities funds and money market funds denominated in U.S. dollars , euros and Kuwaiti Dinar.

Institutional Investor and Limited Partner Representations

• Represent various limited partners, including sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals in their investments in and exits from U.S., European, Middle Eastern, Asian and offshore domiciled private equity, real estate and hedge funds.
• Represent Oman Investment Authority on investments into US and Asian private equity and venture capital funds
• Represent Social Development Bank on investments into US, European and Asian infrastructure, private equity and credit funds.
• Represent Saudi Venture Capital Company on investments into multiple GCC and MENA focused venture capital funds.
• Represent Warba Bank on investments into US real estate funds, US and Asian private equity funds and MENA venture capital funds.

Venture Capital and Corporate Transactions

• Represent Global Ventures on its investments in Mumzworld, Helium Health, Yodawy, SpiderSilk, Red Sea Farms, Kitopi, Elmenus, Paymob, Zension, Arrow Labs, HolidayME, Buseet, Floranow, MUNCH:ON, Mamo Pay, Tarabut Gateway, Pyypl, Minly and Altibbi.
• Represent Riyad Taqnia Fund on its investments in Beehive, Unifonic, Trukker, SURE Technology, Foodics, Arabot, B8ak, Last Mile, Dokkan Afkar, Souqalmal, Haseel and Eureka.
• Represent Riyad FinTech Fund on its investments in Forus, Unifonic and Tarabut Gateway.
• Represent STV LP on its investments in Trukker, Salla, Sary, Gathern, Nexopay and Club.
• Represent Shorooq Partners on its investments in Sarwa, Retailo, Dharma and Khazna.
• Represent Impact46 on its investments in Floward, Trukkin, Raqamyah, Merit Incentives, Sanar Trading, Tamara, Telqani, Syarah, Shuttle, Halalah and PlayHera.
• Represent Derayah Ventures on its investments in Capiter, Maabat, Lendo, Bazaar, Speero, MUNCH:ON, Resal and Sary.
• Represent Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund on its investment into OpenSooq.com.
• Represent ADQ on its series F investment in BYJUs, the leading Indian edtech company.
• Represent Elm Information Technology Company on its VC investments into Foodics, Zid, Cura, Syarah and Carefer.
• Represent Arrow Labs on its series A financing round led by Draper Ventures.
• Represent Selfologi on its seed financing round led by Xenel Industries.
• Represent Salasa on its series A financing round led by Flow and including 500 Startups and Saudi Venture Capital Company.
• Represent Intelmatix in its seed financing round led by STV.
• Represent eWTP Arabia on its acquisition of a minority interest in Advanced Communications & Electronic Systems Co (ACES); a joint venture with J&T Express to launch a courier business in Saudi Arabia; and various matters related to its portfolio companies, Beeto, Beem and Rong Cloud.
• Represent Aramis Partners on the structuring and acquisition of Al Tarbiyah Al Islamiyah School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Represent Jadwa Investment on acquisition of significant minority stake in the Saudi Aramco Lubricating Oil Refinery Company (Luberef) in Saudi Arabia; and acquisition of a substantial minority interest in Gulf Union Foods Company, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest juice and beverage producers.
• Represent Arcapita Bank in the structuring, acquisition and disposition of various portfolio companies, including Caribou Coffee, Church’s Chicken, Cirrus Aircraft Corporation, Tensar Corporation and Varel International.

James Stull is a partner based in the Dubai office in our Private Funds, Technology and Capital Markets practices.  James primarily focuses on advising sponsors of private investments funds and REITs and on various other private and public capital raising transactions. 

James regularly represents Middle East and international sponsors to establish conventional and Shari'ah compliant funds to invest in various asset classes, including private equity, venture capital, real estate, energy and infrastructure, listed equities, mezzanine and senior credit, and other alternative assets.

James advises clients on securities laws and the corporate and regulatory aspects of structuring, establishing and liquidating various fund structures, with substantial experience in emerging markets. He regularly assists clients seeking to raise money or deploy capital in the U.S., the various Gulf Cooperation Council jurisdictions and the wider Middle East-North Africa region.  He also has extensive experience counselling sovereign wealth funds, family offices and institutional investors on their investments in private funds.

In addition, James advises clients on the structuring and establishment of asset management and advisory businesses, as well as the formation of carried interest plans and management arrangements among fund principals.

He regularly leads on various capital raising transactions and early stage fundraising rounds across a range of sectors including fintech, healthtech, travel, logistics and e-commerce. He represents issuers, entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions in capital-raising transactions, including venture capital and seed financings, strategic investments, follow-on and secondary offerings and recapitalizations.  He also has experience in cross-border acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings and general corporate and securities matters.

James has been recognized as a leading funds lawyer by Chambers Global, which notes that “clients have nothing but praise” for him and that he explains “complex matters with ease”.  He was also ranked as a leading fintech lawyer by Chambers which highlighted his "expertise in digital asset funds and venture capital".  He has also been recognized by The Legal 500 as a "Leading Individual" for UAE Investment Funds and as "Highly Regarded" by IFLR 1000 for his Middle East funds, corporate and capital market practices. He was named a “Rising Star” by Law 360 in asset management and named in Euromoney’s 2021 Rising Stars Expert Guide for Investment Funds in the UAE.  He was named to MENA Fund Manager's "Power 30" list, which recognizes influential Middle East-based professionals in the fund services sector.

James is a frequent author and speaker on asset management, investment funds and related topics.  James is also a member of the Global Private Capital Association's Legal & Regulatory Council.