Burak Basel

Burak Basel is a venture capital investor and technology entrepreneur with nearly three decades of experience identifying, backing, and scaling high-growth companies in fintech and digital infrastructure. As founder and Chairman of Basel Holding, he oversees a global investment portfolio spanning the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Eastern Europe, and beyond - with a particular focus on companies building the payment systems and technology platforms that underpin modern smart cities.

Basel's investment philosophy centres on management quality, technological differentiation, and the potential for real-world civic impact. Basel Holding operates on an active ownership model: providing not just capital, but R&D support, project management expertise, and access to an international network of municipal and enterprise clients. Investment commitments typically carry a five-to-seven-year lockdown period, reflecting a long-term conviction approach to value creation.

His track record spans a range of sectors and geographies. Notable portfolio companies include Jova Digital, a UAE-based EMV-certified payment provider whose Smart Teller kiosk network now delivers government services - from vehicle registration renewals to fines payments - to citizens across the Emirates. CorPayss, another Basel Holding venture, was purpose-built by payments industry veterans to address corporate payment infrastructure. Basel Holding also backed Duuple, a US-based technology startup, and Juicebot, an early-stage hardware-software venture.

To identify new opportunities, Basel attends smart city, fintech, and venture events across the US, Middle East, and Europe - maintaining a continuous pipeline of companies building at the intersection of payments, public services, and digital infrastructure. He received the Tech Venture Finance Officer of the Year award at the 2019 Global CFO Excellence Awards, and Basel Holding was named among CIO Review's 20 Most Promising Smart City Solution Providers in 2020. He is based in London.