THE VISIONARIES BEHIND APEX
Meet Our Founders
Two distinguished leaders united by a shared vision: to architect partnerships that reshape industries and forge lasting legacies across global markets.
Lauren LaPointe
Strategic Advisor in Private Capital & Global Growth
Lauren LaPointe is a global business executive, serial entrepreneur, and global connector operating at the intersection of brand, capital, and influence. She brings a unique blend of strategic vision and operational excellence to every venture she touches.
She serves as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner of Brandbeat Global, where she leads personal and corporate brand strategy, go-to-market positioning, pitch decks, capital storytelling, social marketing, public relations, and executive presence for founders, enterprises, and investment-backed ventures across international markets.
Proscenium Events is an established event company that now operates Ovation, its branding and marketing division, built to ensure events are professionally branded, monetized, and amplified. Ovation delivers the full ecosystem of event branding including digital media, signage, sponsor materials, and audience-facing content, powered by Brandbeat Global's strategic and creative infrastructure.
As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Stalliongates Capital, Lauren leads a dual-service financial firm specializing in commercial loan brokerage and private investment opportunities. She directs strategic operations across North America and the Middle East, connecting business owners with flexible funding solutions while providing accredited investors access to curated opportunities in real estate, private equity, and venture capital. The firm facilitates up to $50M in financing across commercial real estate, term loans, business lines of credit, and startup capital through a network of 50+ lending partners.
Lauren brings over 25 years of philanthropic leadership, holding board and advisory roles across the performing arts, education, and social-impact sectors. She serves on the board of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation, and her family legacy includes the creation of a major performing arts center.
Founder & CEO
Stalliongates Capital
COO & Managing Partner
Brandbeat Global
$50M+ Facilitated
Commercial financing
25+ Years
Business experience
"We do not merely connect, we architect partnerships that reshape industries and forge lasting legacies."
Shafaat R. Hashmi
Venture Capital Investor & Strategic Advisor
Shafaat R. Hashmi is a distinguished venture capital investor and startup mentor operating across Dubai, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi. With over two decades in the business of structuring investments and building high-performing brands, he brings unparalleled expertise in achieving superior ROI through creative marketing interventions.
As Chairman of Stalliongates Investments, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Shafaat oversees operations across multiple asset classes including real estate, hospitality, healthcare, technology, and renewable energy. The firm specializes in private equity placement, venture capital, REITs, fund management, and IPO facilitation.
He is also the Founder of Brandbeat Marketing Agency, a Dubai-born full-service marketing agency that has served clients across 25+ business sectors since 2008. With a global footprint spanning 7 countries, Brandbeat has transformed businesses into billion-dollar brands under his leadership.
A descendant of the Hashemite bloodline, Shafaat carries forward a legacy of spiritual and social impact. His philosophy centers on wealth creation through value creation, believing that "the best philanthropy is to create jobs."
20+ Years
Investment experience
35+ Companies
Co-founded
7 Countries
Global presence
25+ Sectors
Clients served
