Honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Ossama Hassanein

A global champion of innovation, opportunity, and hope. For more than four decades, he guided dreamers, builders, and leaders — and reminded the world that technology can serve humanity.

“He did not just fund the future — he believed in it, built it, and inspired others to lead it.”

Dr. Ossama Hassanein was a visionary leader whose career spanned more than 4 decades and 3 continents. He co-managed over $1 billion in international technology funds. He held influential leadership roles, including EVP of Berkeley International in San Francisco, Chairman of Technocom Ventures in Paris, President of Newbridge Networks Holding in Canada, Senior Managing Director of Newbury Ventures, and Chairman of the Rising Tide Fund in Silicon Valley.

In the 1980s, Dr. Hassanein co-led the mezzanine financing of more than 80 Silicon Valley-based technology companies — including Adaptec, Cirrus Logic, Atmel, PMC-Sierra, LSI Logic, Linear Technologies, and Oracle — helping nurture companies whose combined market value would ultimately exceed hundreds of billions of dollars.

Over the following decades, he continued to shape the technology landscape. Dr. Hassanein served as Chairman or co-founder of seven breakthrough startups across the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Switzerland — all of which went public or were acquired by global industry leaders.

Beyond the investment world, Dr. Hassanein gave generously of his time, energy, and heart. He served on the Board of Directors of Bank of the West in San Francisco and contributed his leadership to numerous philanthropic organizations. He was a charter member of the C100, a mentor to countless entrepreneurs, and a committed supporter of Relief International and other initiatives focused on education and empowering women in the Middle East. He also served as Chairman of TechWadi and the Egyptian American Society in Silicon Valley, and as vice-chairman of PSD, supporting educational access for Palestinian children.

In academia, Dr. Hassanein inspired future generations through service on advisory boards at Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the University of California, San Francisco’s Department of Ophthalmology. He was appointed the Willard Brown Distinguished Professor at the American University in Cairo School of Business and lectured at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Santa Clara University, the University of San Diego, and other leading institutions. He was also invited to share his expertise in forums around the world, including the White House, the U.S. State Department, MIT, Harvard, and the Commonwealth Club.

Dr. Hassanein’s life and career were guided by a profound belief in the power of innovation, the importance of mentorship, and the responsibility to lift others as one rises. His investments were not only financial — they were acts of faith in human potential. He partnered with family funds, strategic investors, and visionary founders to build companies that changed industries and improved lives.

Above all, Dr. Hassanein will be remembered for his humanity. He led with humility, curiosity, courage, and optimism. He inspired all who knew him to dream boldly, act with integrity, and use success as a force for good. His legacy lives on in the companies he helped build, the leaders he mentored, and the countless lives made better by his wisdom, generosity, and belief in the possible.

He leaves behind not only a record of extraordinary achievement but a legacy of kindness, purpose, and hope — one that will continue to inspire generations.