Pasha Bakhtiar
About Pasha Bakhtiar
Pasha Bakhtiar was born in Geneva. According to the REYL Group biography, he graduated from Georgetown University (BA Economics and International Relations, 1996) and from INSEAD (MBA, 2003). He began his career in 1998 at Lombard Odier in Geneva and moved to Dubai in 2004 to help launch the bank's UAE operations.
In 2010 he founded Willow Impact Investors, a private equity fund focused on East Africa. After an exit, he became CEO of ES Bankers (Dubai) Ltd. He joined REYL & Cie in 2015 as co-founder and CEO of REYL Finance (MEA) in Dubai, became a Partner in 2018 and joined the Executive Committee in 2023. REYL's site says he was appointed CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee in 2024.
Crunchbase lists him as a board member of Alpian, the Swiss digital private bank, and as a REYL & Cie partner there since October 2019. His LinkedIn profile currently shows Entropy Advisors and gives his location as Switzerland.
Crunchbase lists one personal investment for Pasha Bakhtiar, in Cigno. No other angel investments are publicly documented in the sources reviewed. He has not published a personal investment thesis.
Cigno is a Geneva-based startup building an AI infrastructure layer for management consulting. It closed a CHF 1.5M seed round on May 18, 2026, and the round was reported in June 2026. Finews reports that the round was closed exclusively with operators from consulting, finance and technology. It describes Bakhtiar as a former Group CEO of Reyl Intesa Sanpaolo and co-founder of Alpian Bank.
Other backers named in the announcement are Lino Finini, Niresh Rajah, Arnaud Denis, Hazem Mulhim and Martin Mende. Cigno's founders are Philippe Reynier (CEO), Nicolas Lagrèze (COO) and Vahan Avetisyan (CTO). The company targets financial services firms in Switzerland and Europe. Pilots are underway in Switzerland, France and the UK.
The only AI deal on record is a seed round for an enterprise AI product aimed at financial services in Switzerland and Europe. His professional background is in private banking, wealth management and impact investing, with earlier work in the Middle East and East Africa. He has not publicly stated a check size, stage preference or sector thesis, and his Cigno amount is not disclosed.
- Cigno: Geneva-based AI infrastructure for management consulting, aimed at financial services firms. Participated in the CHF 1.5M seed round announced in 2026.
- Alpian: Swiss digital private bank. He is a co-founder and board member (a banking role, not an angel investment).
- Willow Impact Investors: private equity fund focused on East Africa. He founded it in 2010 (a fund he founded, not an angel investment).
Investing activity
Pasha Bakhtiar appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $2M. The most recent is Cigno (Seed, CHF1.5M, Jun 2026).
Pasha Bakhtiar most often invests alongside Hazem Mulhim, Niresh Rajah, Arnaud Denis and Lino Finini, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Pasha Bakhtiar
Who is Pasha Bakhtiar?
He is a Geneva-based banker and investor. He co-founded Alpian Bank and founded Willow Impact Investors in 2010. He has held senior roles at REYL & Cie, where REYL's site says he was appointed CEO in 2024.
Has Pasha Bakhtiar invested in AI startups?
Yes, one is publicly documented. He took part in the CHF 1.5M seed round of Cigno, an AI platform for management consulting, announced in 2026.
What check size does Pasha Bakhtiar write?
It is not public. Cigno's announcement does not give individual amounts, and he has not published a check size.
What stage and sectors does Pasha Bakhtiar back?
His only documented AI deal is a seed round in enterprise AI for financial services. He has not published a broader thesis. His career is in private banking and impact investing.
How should founders approach Pasha Bakhtiar?
He has a public LinkedIn profile, and no personal website or X account was found. Founders in financial services or enterprise AI, especially in Switzerland and Europe, have the closest fit with his record.
Who else invested alongside Pasha Bakhtiar in Cigno?
The round included Lino Finini, Niresh Rajah, Arnaud Denis, Hazem Mulhim and Martin Mende. Finews describes them as former banking and finance executives.
Is Pasha Bakhtiar an angel investor?
Yes. Pasha Bakhtiar invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Pasha Bakhtiar invested in?
Pasha Bakhtiar's AI investments include Cigno. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Pasha Bakhtiar invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Pasha Bakhtiar has invested at Seed, with a median round of $2M.
Who does Pasha Bakhtiar co-invest with?
Pasha Bakhtiar's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Hazem Mulhim (1 deal), Niresh Rajah (1 deal), Arnaud Denis (1 deal) and Lino Finini (1 deal).