Billionaire Naguib Sawiris's son backs $50 million platform to buy Egypt's heritage brands

Onsi Naguib Sawiris, son of the Egyptian telecoms billionaire Naguib Sawiris, is a founding investor in a company assembled to buy and scale heritage brands across Egypt and the wider region.

Creative Investments Holding has secured $20 million in aggregate commitments at first close, subject to definitive agreements, and is targeting up to $50 million. Mohamed Talaat Khalifa, a luxury and brands executive, established it through his investment arm Leo Equities.

The other founding investors are Ali Abubakr and Egypt's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency.

Khalifa told EnterpriseAM the split between investors remains confidential until definitive agreements are signed, and that the platform will approach a wider group of investors in later rounds on a timeline not yet set.

An unusual cap table

A state agency for small businesses co-investing alongside private money in a vehicle built to buy luxury and lifestyle brands is an uncommon pairing.

Khalifa said having an institution alongside individual investors and family offices helps with governance and with institutionalising the company.

The Sawiris connection gives the venture a name that carries in both Cairo and the Gulf. Onsi Naguib Sawiris co-founded HOF Capital, a New York venture firm. His father is among the wealthiest businessmen in Africa. His grandfather and namesake, Onsi Sawiris, founded Orascom and died in 2021.

What it intends to buy

The company is registered at Abu Dhabi Global Market and operates from Cairo, Abu Dhabi and Milan. It plans to take controlling and strategic stakes across four segments: food and culinary experiences, hospitality, fashion and retail, and lifestyle and entertainment.

Its first target is potentially a heritage food brand, which Khalifa declined to name. He described the profile as a business with history and an authentic identity that can then be scaled, optimised and institutionalised. The company is also assessing a property for Casa Leo, its first boutique hotel concept.

Khalifa argued that the region has world-class heritage and craftsmanship but has lacked a patient institutional owner willing to turn authentic regional businesses into international champions.

"Money will always be funding," he told EnterpriseAM. "Culture is the real capital."

Heba Makhlouf leads the platform's finance, governance and compliance functions.

Creative Holding is structured as a long-term capital holding company and is targeting a listing on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Saudi Arabia's Tadawul or the London Stock Exchange within five to seven years.