CedarBridge Launches $150M Private Equity Fund Targeting GCC Growth

Middle-market private equity firm CedarBridge Capital Partners has begun deploying capital from its third investment vehicle, CedarBridge High Growth III, L.P. (CBHG III), expanding a regional strategy the firm has built over more than a decade. The fund is managed by Access Bridge Ventures Limited, a wholly owned fund manager regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, and is registered in Abu Dhabi Global Market.

CBHG III focuses on acquiring and scaling businesses in education, healthcare, beauty, wellness, pet care and other consumer-facing services. While the primary deployment is across Gulf markets, the fund has allocated up to 35% of its capital for opportunities in the UK and Europe. The vehicle completed its first close in November 2025 with commitments from existing investors and is targeting a total fund size of $150 million by the end of 2026.

CedarBridge positioned the launch against ongoing economic diversification efforts across the region, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, We the UAE 2031 and Kuwait Vision 2035. The firm cited population growth, rising disposable incomes and policy reforms as factors supporting long-term demand for essential services across the Gulf.

The firm’s approach centres on operational improvement and platform-building rather than financial engineering. Previous investments include Kids First Group, described as the UAE’s largest early childhood education provider, and The Grooming Company Holding in the beauty services sector, alongside an expanding focus on pet care.

“We do not rely on multiple expansion to generate returns,” said Imad Ghandour, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CedarBridge Partners. “Our focus is on building platforms with strong operations, governance, and scalability. CBHG III is a continuation of a model we have already executed and refined across the region.”

CBHG III is targeting a gross internal rate of return of 40% over the life of the fund and is structured to deliver regular cash distributions once sufficiently invested. CedarBridge said its earlier vehicles have established a track record of distributions, reflecting a repeatable strategy based on active ownership, professionalised operations and multi-market expansion across education, healthcare and consumer services in the Gulf.