Streams of Progress

Majed Al Suwaidi, Board Member at Young Arab Leaders, is the Managing Director of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City as well as Head of in5 – members of TECOM Group.He provides strategic direction and ensures steady growth of the Media business communities, home to thousands of media companies, and tens of thousands of creative professionals. As the Managing Director of this integrated creative ecosystem which is home to many Fortune 500 companies from around the world, entrepreneurs and startups alike, Majed plays a key role in positioning Dubai as an international media hub.Prior to this role, Majed was Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource City. Under his leadership, the integrated ICT hub became a strategic partner of the Smart Dubai initiative that is driving Dubai’s transformation into one of the smartest cities in the world.In a previous role as Director of Business Development for Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource City, he was part of the team that launched in5, a dedicated platform for emerging talent that supports innovation and entrepreneurship across TECOM’s business parks.Majed has also served as Director Commercial Operations and Director of Sales at Dubai Internet City and prior to that gained invaluable experience with Dubai International Financial Centre and Emirates Airlines.Amongst his other responsibilities, Majed is a member of the Dubai Future Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystems and a Board Director of SmartCity Malta. He also leads in5, TECOM Group’s incubator and enabling platform for technology, media, and design startups.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:00:30 – Growing up in Dubai02:00 – Pursuing MBA while being out-stationed with Emirates (in Africa).03:00 – “Emirates is a school itself”05:45 – Dubai’s many cities and what they are? Majed shares the history of His Highness’ grand vision to shift away from oil dependency.13:30 – On building government services on the basis of a customer experience program.15:00 – How they are supporting businesses within the leading creative zones of Dubai.19:30 – The role of In5 in Dubai’s startup ecosystem.24:30 – In5 flying talent from across the globe come to offer expert workshops to the community.29:00 – Majed’s role on the Dubai Future Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.32:00 – YAL as a platform has shown there are a variety of people to learn from and interact with and the benefits he sees.34:00 – On attending YAL events and the network “has provided me with an angle I didn’t see before”36:15 – The importance of keeping things interesting.38:15 – “There are a lot of opportunities lying ahead, keep your head up and work hard”41:30 – Majed’s dream initiative to create a creator’s ecosystem to enable and empower creators of all types.44:00 – “Opportunities might be hidden but they are there” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Helen Al Uzaizi is an established businesswoman and an active community member. With over 17 years of experience spanning marketing, non-profit management, and entrepreneurship, Helen has been supporting major brands, non-profit organizations, and startups across the region as a mentor and Board member and advisor. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of PACES Charity working with Palestinian refugee children through sports, and an Advisor and Brand Ambassador for SEP, The Social Enterprise Project working on empowering Palestinian & Syrian refugee women.Helen is the CEO of BizWorld UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, social enterprises that teach kids entrepreneurship skills. She is also the Founder of Future Entrepreneurs, a platform that aims to empower youth entrepreneurs in MENA. Most recently, she also took on the role of Director of Entrepreneurs hip & Youth Start up, Innovation & Social Impact with GEMS Education. She was recently named one of the UAE’s 100 Smartest People and one of the 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab World. She was also a TedX Speaker on the topic of entrepreneurship education. She is also one of the founding Co-Leads of the Founder Institute, Dubai Chapter launching in summer 2020.Helen studied Law & Government at the University of Manchester, UK and completed her executive education at Columbia University. As a believer in life long learning, she is currently enrolled at the London School of Economics reading International Development. On a personal level, Helen is a mother of 2, runner, triathlete and adventurer who believes in making dreams come to life and that anything is possible.Enjoy the show!Posted on September 3rd, 2020Show Notes:01:15 – Helen’s background and upbringing.02:15 – Pushing the boundary since a very early age.03:00 – Her childhood and education background.04:00 – Helen’s continuing education through out her life.07:30 – How everything in her life occurred by random chance and luck.13:45 – Her first venture into entrepreneurship as CEO.14:45 – What is the Future Entrepreneurs Platform?19:00 – Entrepreneurship is a learning tool for children of all backgrounds.23:00 – “Education is primarily delivered by educators”, the work they are doing to train teachers.25:00 – Giving back is in grained in everything she does.32:15 – The power of social enterprise vs. charity34:00 – One of her best decisions was joining Young Arab Leaders and getting access to its network.37:30 – On the opportunities to meet power players from corporates to government officials as part of YAL40:00 – Opportunities that exist within experimentation.42:00 – Adapting her own business to the pandemic.44:45 – On having multiple role models and not a specific role model to look to.46:15 – How she sets her goals at the end of the year for the following year.51:00 – The importance of dreaming big54:15 – Her triathlon and baking dual hobby55:45 – Helen’s dream initiative for Emirates Airlines to pursue. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Farah Al Qaissieh is a mother of three boys and social entrepreneur and motivational speaker; she holds a Bachelors of Finance from Zayed University.Farah launched Stutter UAE in 2013 to raise awareness and support people who stutter through various workshops and events.In 2016, Farah was featured in a book chapter titled “Game Changers: How Women in the Arab World Are Changing the Rules and Shaping the Future”.In 2017, a short film documentary ‘Just Another Accent’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner and Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden; shedding light on Farah’s journey with Stutter UAE.In 2018, Farah was awarded the Abu Dhabi Award; the highest civilian medal and recognition granted by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi for her positive impact in the community.In 2020, Farah launched iStutter Center in partnership with SpeechCare Center in Portugal, an online speech therapy center focusing on treatments for stuttering.Also in 2020, Farah co-founded Guiding Stars, an online platform guiding mothers to a more mindful way of raising twins.Show Notes:01:45 – Farah’s Emirati background05:45 – What is Stutter UAE?07:15 – How she overcame her own stutter.10:15 – Stuttering more in our mother tongue and her struggles with Arabic.12:15 – iStutter Center launched in collaboration with Speech Care Center in Portugal.15:15 – Farah being awarded the Abu Dhabi Award.19:15 – Launching her next venture, Guiding Stars22:30 – Going through the Ma’an Social Incubator program.23:30 – Why Farah decided to join Young Arab Leaders.24:45 – Access to mentorship and providing guidance to the next generation.26:15 – The role of Young Arab Leaders in empowering women entrepreneurs29:45 – Farah’s role models; she’s even met and interacted with them33:00 – Farah’s routine of reading to her children before bed every night.34:45 – “What would you want to be remembered for?”36:15 – How testing out the theories in a book actually started to manifest for her37:45 – Her joy of writing and painting.39:45 – Focusing on the fact that happiness starts from within.41:45 – “Do not be afraid to take risks” and how the calculated risks she took, brought her to where she is today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Muna Easa Al Gurg is the Director of Retail of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, a multidivisional conglomerate with 27 companies. The Group is active in several industry sectors that include retail, building and construction, industrial, real estate and joint ventures.Since 2008, Al Gurg has been Chairwoman of Young Arab Leaders UAE, where she promotes education, entrepreneurship and youth development.Al Gurg has been advocating a greater role for women in business. In 2015 she launched the Muna Al Gurg Scholarship at London Business School, supporting female students studying in the school’s MBA and Executive MBA programme.Al Gurg is on the board of several non-profit organisations, such as the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development where she works closely with its Chairman, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. At the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation, she is responsible for strategy and initiatives both in the UAE and internationally. She is a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sustainability Board, which is mandated to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to refugees in the MENA region. Finally, she is a founding board member of Endeavor UAE, a non-profit organisation promoting high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging and growth markets.Muna Al Gurg is an active investor; one of her most publicized successes was the $3.1 billion exit from the Middle East's largest technology startup Careem which was acquired by Uber in March 2019. Al Gurg was one of the only female investors and the sole Emirati.She started her career with Saatchi & Saatchi in Dubai, and consequently joined the family business in 2001. She holds an MBA from London Business School in the UK and is also a Fellow of the Middle East Leadership Initiative of The Aspen Institute.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:45 - Muna’s background and growing up in Deira.3:45 - The Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group’s wide-ranging portfolio of companies.5:00 - Becoming the head of retail during the last recession.6:45 - Having a presence online and dealing with the current Pandemic8:45 - Being part of the UN Refugees Sustainability Board10:45 - Her learnings from Saatchi & Saatchi12:15 - Expressing herself on her blog and writing for Gulf News16:15 - Her ‘baby project’ in Zanzibar.18:45 - About the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Foundation and various initiatives it supports.20:15 - The Young Arab Leaders network.21:45 - The launching of Young Arab Leaders at the Dead Sea.22:15 - Young Arab Leaders’ Power Lunches and meeting prominent figures.24:15 - Giving back to the community as a YAL member and impacting the youth of the region.25:45 - The role of mentorship in a youth’s learning.26:30 - The learnings and ‘mentorship’ she received from her own father.27:15 - Her tea party at Buckingham Palace.28:45 - Being a Founding Member of Endeavor UAE.30:00 - “It’s a small world”31:15 - The need for entrepreneurs to solve problems that aren’t as capitally intensive in the current climate.33:30 - Her mentor at the time when she got started.36:15 - “Change begins with you”.39:15 - The Acumen Academy and it’s global network of fellows creating a domino effect of impact.40:45 - Her travels exploring the continent of Africa.41:30 - Her weekend passion at Al Serkal Avenue and Jameel Arts Centre.43:00 - Muna’s wish for the UAE to become a leader in Intellectual Property and Research.44:30 - How to make it happen by supporting the growing talent within local institutions and by having the private sector contribute.47:00 - Muna’s advice on envisioning your end goals. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Najla Ahmed Al-Midfa, Vice-Chairwoman of Young Arab Leaders, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), a government-supported entity launched in January 2016, with a mandate to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sharjah, and support entrepreneurs as they build and grow innovative startups that will contribute positively to the region’s economy. To date, Sheraa has built a portfolio of over 100 startups, which have raised over $50m in investment, created over 600 jobs, and generated over $35m in cumulative revenue. Sheraa also hosts the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SharjahEF), a gathering of over 3000 entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and ecosystem supporters.In her previous role as Senior Manager at Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Najla led a team of business counselors through the due diligence process of selecting ventures for financing. She also set up and operated the Northern Emirate branch of Khalifa Fund, covering Ajman, Dubai, and Sharjah.Najla holds an MBA from Stanford University. Prior to joining Khalifa Fund, Najla was a senior associate at McKinsey and Company’s New York office, primarily serving clients across the financial institutions sector. Her experience also includes roles within PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shell.Najla is also founder of Khayarat, a platform that empowers young, high-potential Emiratis to make informed career choices, and enables them to succeed in the private sector. With a community of over one thousand young Emiratis, and over 100 placements in leading international private sector companies, the platform is influencing the next generation of Emiratis to raise their ambitions and fulfill their potential.Najla is a board member of United Arab Bank, where she chairs the Board Audit Committee, and a board member of Endeavor UAE. She is also a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Middle East Leadership Initiative. In 2019, she was selected to be an Eisenhower Global Fellow.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:30 - Najla’s beginnings and travels.02:45 - Describing her first job at PWC.05:45 - The genesis of Sheraa, born from an idea.07:45 - Continuous cohort improvement at Sheraa.08:45 - Her entrepreneurial venture with Khayarat.12:30 - The bridge for Emirati graduates and the private sector.14:15 - Her McKinsey story and what happened at her first interview.17:00 - Endeavor’s UAE Chapter and supporting scale-ups of the region.19:00 - Sheraa’s iterations, from seed to grants20:30 - Access Sharjah program and thematic competitions21:30 - On disbursing over$700k, Equity-free, non-dilutive grant funding22:45 - Different tracks with multiple corporate partnerships for startups.24:00 - Three ways you can support entrepreneurs as an entity25:00 - On being the only female board member of a bank26:30 - Being a part of the Aspen Institute, beyond reflection it inspires leaders to act.27:30 - The regional focus of Middle East Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Institute29:00 - The network effect of the Aspen Institute, the Resnick Action Forum31:15 - How she manages her time with so many initiatives and organizations on her team // the importance of building a team you can trust33:15 - “The first step on your entrepreneurial journey”37:00 - Entrepreneurship is inter-disciplinary and Sheraa is democratizing access to entrepreneurship.38:15 - On the false narratives around entrepreneurship.40:45 - The COVID-19 solidarity fund.41:45 - Revealing Sheraa’s yet to-be-announced initiative!43:30 - The move of Sheraa’s HQ to SRTIP (Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park)44:00 - What is Young Arab Leaders, in the Vice-Chairwoman’s words45:15 - Supporting young Arabs to become the next generation of leaders45:45 - Disheartened entrepreneurs, remember as all previous crises, it will eventually pass.47:30 - “With every crisis comes new opportunities” and how 3Dinova, a Sheraa supported startup, pivoted during pandemic.49:45 - “Don’t die with your music still in you”51:15 - Rarely gifting business books, but instead of novels and stories that will resonate with the recipient.55:45 - The UAE itself is an incubator for dreams, whether those are dreams and hopes of individuals, or organizations or even nations.57:30 - The COVID19 situation and remembering that life is short and we are all interdependent. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, while at the 2020 Step Conference we sat down with various speakers who were in Dubai for this occasion.This episode’s guest is Robert Scoble from Infinite Retina, where he shared some highlights from his keynote talk about Spatial Computing.These mini episodes offer insights into the trends they are seeing from their respective roles as well as their thoughts on the MENA startup ecosystem and their takeaways from the 2020 Step Conference.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guest speakers and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2020 Step Conference. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, while at the 2020 Step Conference we sat down with various speakers who were in Dubai for this occasion.This episode’s guest is Hasan Haider from 500 Startups, where as a regional venture capitalist, provides us some insights into the 500 Falcons Fund.These mini episodes offer insights into the trends they are seeing from their respective roles as well as their thoughts on the MENA startup ecosystem and their takeaways from the 2020 Step Conference.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guest speakers and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2020 Step Conference. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, while at the 2020 Step Conference we sat down with various speakers who were in Dubai for this occasion.This episode’s guest is Alicia Sornson from Village Capital, where she gives us some highlights into their recent Finance Forward initiative in the MENA region.These mini episodes offer insights into the trends they are seeing from their respective roles as well as their thoughts on the MENA startup ecosystem and their takeaways from the 2020 Step Conference.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guest speakers and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2020 Step Conference. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, while at the 2020 Step Conference we sat down with various speakers who were in Dubai for this occasion.This episode’s guest is Jeremiah Owyang from Kaleido Insights, where he provides some highlights from his keynote talk about the six digital eras.These mini episodes offer insights into the trends they are seeing from their respective roles as well as their thoughts on the MENA startup ecosystem and their takeaways from the 2020 Step Conference.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guest speakers and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2020 Step Conference. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stuart Oda is an investment banker turned urban farmer with a passion for innovation and sustainability. In 2013, Stuart founded Alesca Life, an agricultural technology company that builds indoor, vertical farms and farm management software to make food production more localized and data driven.Stuart is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and Alesca has been part of multiple prestigious accelerator programs including Stanford StartX, Thrive Agtech, Unreasonable Impact, Pearse Lyons, BitsxBites, and Dubai Future Accelerator as an innovator in the field of controlled environment agriculture, hyper-local urban farming, and Farming-as-a-Service.Alesca’s focus on emerging markets and re-framing our conversation around food and agriculture is making positive changes on a global scale for all of humanity.Stuart is an UCLA alumni and previously worked in the investment banking division of Merrill Lynch Japan Securities in Tokyo and the emerging market business strategy team at Dell China in Beijing.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:15 – On being a second generation Japanese American, born in Colorado.02:30 – Exposure to finance and technology through Merrill Lynch.4:00 – Impacting the lives of many through finance mechanisms.9:00 – Maintaining a healthy level of disrespect for things that are legacy.9:30 – Growing up in Singapore and what life was back then.13:00 – The challenge and thrill of starting over and rebuilding.16:30 – On moving to China to work for DELL China.20:30 – On Lenovo’s strategy of exporting China’s roadmap.22:45 – Some of the major trends across every geography the research looked at, from income to technology trends.25:30 – Alesca Life, an agriculture technology company, building indoor farms and farm management solutions.25:35 – Bundling and unbundling of the software and hardware.29:00 – If only one form of transportation, we would be severely limited to inefficient modes depending on the situation.30:45 – Difference between indoor vertical farms and greenhouses.35:15 – Alesca Life’s two business models – Producer & Enabler.38:00 – Simulating four natural disasters to adapt taste.40:00 – Defining fleets in 4s and 5s for efficiency (per Urban Grower).45:00 – Everything they do is hydroponic.48:15 – Fiber optics, lasers and the future of AgriTech is ambitious.50:00 – Looking to cloud server management for best practices in the future of AgriTech.56:00 – “We have a lot of opinions, as consumers of food, of what agriculture should look like…”60:00 – On using the term agriculture and foods.61:45 – The emerging market focus of Alesca Life.65:45 – Showcasing the Alesca Life ‘farm’ and the Mercedes Benz cafe case.66:45 – The fun things they are planning to do in R&D.69:15 – Personalized customizations for growing.71:45 – Exposure to new innovative business models due to his exposure to the Chinese market.73:30 – Alesca’s moonshot of ‘Free Food’.77:30 – Thoughts on giving food (or even money) away to people and finding life fulfillment.80:30 – On never using the word ‘farmer’.82:00 – Alesca’s experience with various startup accelerators and Stuart’s takeaways.87:30 – On his lack of time to watch movies or TV shows since founding Alesca Life.92:00 – His current role as a ‘Bible salesman’95:45 – On having a VR/AR enabled pitch deck.97:30 – His thoughts on colonizing the moon and growing food on Mars.101:30 – The coincidence in his family name and finding his life purpose.102:30 – Hard work is superior to talent.110:45 – “Constellating” in R&D projects. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Asunción Molinos Gordo is a research-based artist strongly influenced by disciplines such as anthropology, sociology and cultural studies. In her practice she questions the categories that define ‘innovation’ in mainstream discourses today, working to generate a less urban-centric way of understanding progress.Her latest work, In Transit: Botany of a Journey, is on display at the Jameel Arts Centre's Artist's Garden until May 2020. It consists of a garden grown from seeds that have travelled in the intestines of people that either live in or visit the city of Dubai. Most of the seeds we eat in our daily meals pass unnoticed and survive the process of human digestion, leaving our bodies undamaged and remaining germinable. Dubai as a global city and the business hub of the Middle East receives an average of 90 million travellers a year, coming from 270 destinations, across six continents. The culinary habits of such a heterogeneous population is incomparable; all of the seeds ingested by Dubai’s fluid and transient population make their way to the same location — the city’s main sewage treatment plant in Al-Aweer. If given the appropriate conditions, the seeds contained in the plant’s final, clean ‘sludge’ will germinate and grow into adult plants.Asunción's Artist’s Garden is grown from the seeds that survive. The project reflects on ideas around globality, interconnectivity, mobility and cohabitation, and challenges the nature-culture divide that places human activity as a separate category from other natural phenomena; through the artist’s long-term research and the germination of the seeds, Asuncion redraws a way back to human/nature interconnectedness.The main focus of her work is contemporary peasantry. Her understating of the figure of the small or medium farmer is not merely as food producer but as cultural agent, responsible for both perpetuating traditional knowledge and for generating new expertise. She employs installation, photography, video, sound and other media to examine the rural realm driven by a strong desire to understand the value and complexity of its cultural production, as well as the burdens that keep it invisible and marginalised.She has produced work reflecting on land usage, nomad architecture, farmers’ strikes, bureaucracy on territory, transformation of rural labour, biotechnology and global food trade.Molinos Gordo won the Sharjah Biennial Prize 2015 with her project WAM (World Agriculture Museum) and represented Spain official section at the 13th Havana Biennial 2019. Her work has been exhibited at venues including V&A Museum (London), Delfina Foundation (London), ARNOLFINI (Bristol), The Townhouse Gallery (Cairo), Darat Al Funun (Amman), Tranzit (Prague), ART BASEL Miami Beach (US), Cappadox Festival (Uchisar-Turkey), The Finnish Museum of Photography (Helsinki), Museo Carrillo Gil (Mexico), MAZ Museo de Arte de Zapopan (Mexico), MUSAC (León, Spain), CA2M (Madrid, Spain), CAB de Burgos (Spain), Matadero (Madrid, Spain) and La Casa Encendida (Madrid, Spain), among others.She obtained her B.F.A. from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where she also pursued her Master in Contemporary Art Theory and Practice. She is currently studying Anthropology and Ethnography at UNED (Spain).Molinos Gordo is represented by Travesia Cuatro gallery and lives between Spain and Egypt.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:15 - Growing up in a small rural village in Spain.01:45 - What is International Peasantry?3:45 - Communication without language, but through commonalities.4:15 - Her background in fine arts5:00 - The diversity of professions in small rural villages5:45 - Moving to Egypt for a research residency.6:30 - The rural theme she explores in her works.7:15 - The ongoing research and artworks.8:30 - Being part of the Sharjah Bienniale with her work, the World Agriculture Museum10:45 - On representing Spain at the Havana Biennale, campesino campesino (from Peasant to Peasant)13:30 - The knowledge sharing aspect of the project.14:30 - Taking part in the V&A exhibition, “food bigger than the plate”.16:15 - Crafting the CVs of farmers through hyperboles.18:00 - In Transit: Botany of a Journey22:30 - On working with collaborators to bring her idea to life: Dawn Ross and Nadine23:45 - What they did with 2 cubic meters of fecal matter to grow a garden.28:15 - Bacteria & the Star Wars Cantina.29:30 - The reason why the first batch is not recommended / suitable for human consumption.31:00 - Why the UAE is an ideal location for such an art installation project.32:15 - Being inspired by the works of Timothy Morton.35:30 - The way she learns about things is through hands-on experiences.36:20 - “Each individual renders information differently”37:30 - The things she has the tendency to do.40:00 - The idea of nature-culture divide; interdependence and mutual recognition44:30 - Documenting Darwin’s Nightmare.48:15 - Companion planting in the terrace garden. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jasper Hope has had a prestigious career in the music and entertainment industry over the last 2 decades and continues to impact our region's arts and entertainment scene. Since departing from his role at the Dubai Opera, he has continued to engage with various figures and entities in the promotion of the arts and music industries in the MENA region, through his work at Proscenium Arts. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Dubai, as voted amongst the 100 most inspirational leaders in the business world for the year 2018. Driven by a passion for enticing creative performances, he travelled worldwide to renowned performance halls, going from being the Head of Operations in Royal Albert Hall in London to be the CEO of Dubai Opera. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Marc Cirera is the founder and CEO of Companies for Good, a social enterprise designed to help businesses change for good. Marc is a business ethics, CSR and sustainability specialist with a clear vision: a world where companies operate in a more sustainable and responsible way. He strongly believes that good business practices help companies outperform, while benefiting employees, the environment, and society at large.He believes doing business in a more ethical and sustainable way not only benefits society and the environment, but it helps companies outperform too.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:02:15 - His love for traveling and meeting new people03:00 - Studying economics, realizing how lucky he was and his decision to pursue business ethics and giving back.04:30 - Setting up his first business in Barcelona while being bored in university classes.05:30 - On moving to London for love05:45 - Moving to London and working there.07:15 - At the age of 25 in London and not knowing how the corporate world works after graduating06:45 - Coming from Tona in Catalonia and setting up the Itaca Cultural Space.08:00 - On selling his first business08:45 - His first sustainability role at Radley Yeldar.10:45 - Hungry for more experiences11:15 - Small world connections that lead him to Dubai.11:45 - The story on how he met his wife.14:00 - Joining Chalhoub Group in Dubai as part of the sustainability team.15:00 - Pillars, KPIs and Objectives for sustainability.16:00 - The drive and need to create something of his own.17:45 - What is Companies for Good? Good on-demand.19:45 - The types of engagements Companies for Good offers.21:15 - Engagements all across UAE and Spain.22:00 - What motivates Marc22:45 - On how his role models inspired him - his grandfather and Mohammed Yunus24:30 - On his thoughts on routine and being self-disciplined without routines.26:00 - His hobby revolving around making someone special laugh.27:45 - “Do Good” and what it means to everyone.28:45 - His favorite books, from Game of Thrones29:00 - Political documentaries focused on the Catalonia - Spain debate32:30 - His dream initiative would be for all companies to join forces to come together for a common goal for Expo 202036:00 - The importance of taking action and doing things rather than just complaining about it. Just take action. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a dynamic entrepreneur in the automotive industry, Oweis Zahran is the force behind launching innovative solutions in this sector in the Middle East. Born and educated in the USA, Oweis has a strong affinity to this region since his father set up businesses in the UAE under MZ Holdings in the early 90s. The Holding company’s 16 subsidiaries, in three continents, are primarily in the field of equipment supply, industrial manufacturing, automotive R&D, oil and gas as well as construction.Before he joined University of Maryland as a business undergrad, Oweis was being mentored by his father and unlike other teenagers he was involved in major international business deals. This hands-on experience prepared him for a leadership role, which helped in the evolution and expansion of MZ Holdings’ B2C business. From setting up the largest auto remanufacturing unit in the UAE and expanding it to seven countries, to developing exclusive auto solutions with international celebrities, to launching a joint venture with the Government of Sharjah, Oweis, at the age of 28, manages three of its companies that include OWS Auto, Tatra Middle East and Transaxle ME.As a serial entrepreneur, Oweis established Rafid Automotive Solutions in 2017 as a joint venture between Sharjah Asset Management and OWS Auto. Today Rafid operates diverse services that includes an accident reporting app, fleet of electric cars and provides vehicle emission testing to quick service and parts supply and more. In 2017, Oweis Zahran also launched Voltron Motors in the UAE and the US with Hollywood actor Tyrese Gibson, mostly known for his roles in The Fast and The Furious franchise. Customizing cars for corporates or individuals, Voltron Motors’ clientele range from Hollywood celebrities to corporate fleets to high profile people in the Middle East.Oweis’s philanthropic endeavors match his business ambitions. The company runs a small yet significant operation of providing clean drinking water to families in Nigeria and Ghana. Established in 2015, with the collaboration of Nigerian ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Mohammed Gello, Oweis along with his brothers, have since established six drilling rigs in Africa.Enjoy the show!01:15 - What it was like being born and raised in Brooklyn as an African American.06:30 - His father’s decision to move the family to the Middle East to pursue his entrepreneurial career.07:30 - The FMS, Foreign Military Sales business of his father’s big initial success08:15 - Moving from Dubai back to the US for university10:30 - On getting his GED.12:30 - Learning from real life projects and case studies at work.13:00 - Taking Harvard Online Business school programs to further his own learning.13:45 - The mentorship of his father and how it played a role in shaping his own entrepreneurial journey.15:30 - Setting up OWS Automotive with his brothers.18:00 - Shadowing his father, including be his personal driver.21:45 - Joint venture with Sharjah Government27:45 - The story behind Tyrese Gibson and Voltron Motors32:00 - His views on the luxury car market in the UAE34:30 - Philanthropic work, clean drinking projects in West Africa38:45 - Turning off his phone for the weekend and realizing you won’t really mis out on anything.42:00 - The importance of being healthy and working out44:15 - His message on a billboard, “train hard, fight easy”46:30 - Tyrese’s Book, Getting out of my own head47:30 - His hobby of browsing the internet and researching what’s out there48:45 - UAE’s role and opportunity to extend its arm to support and help other emerging markets.52:30 - His message to all entrepreneurs out there. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Briar Prestidge is the CEO and founder of Briar Prestidge International, a high-profile marketing, branding and reputation building agency operating in Dubai, London and New York. Working with world leaders, top CEOs, government, entertainers and strategists, they boost client’s prestige and elevate them to become impactful international business influencers.A qualified digital marketer with an international career spanning across Dubai, New York, London and Australia, Briar specialises in building engaging and ‘human’ content strategises in what she refers to as ‘new-age PR.’ In 2018, Briar and her team launched a leading regional podcasting series with experts and were part of a global Amazon Prime TV series, overseeing teams of well-known entrepreneurs in the Middle East and APAC regions. Speaking on international stages, Briar delivers engaging keynotes on personal branding, “no-fluff” Instagram and LinkedIn strategies, new-age PR and digital media, and building an online-offline reputation.Briar practices what she preaches and has built an engaged business community in Dubai of over 35,000 people - online and offline - who attend her monthly Deals in High Heels talk shows to discuss personal and professional development. She had over 2000 business women attend her talk show events in one short year.As a young entrepreneur originally from a small farm in New Zealand, Briar is driven to inspire people to be brave, strategic and work hard to follow your dreams. Her first book, ‘Building A Reputation for Business Success’ is being launched this year, along with her new fashion fitness and sunglasses label.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:7:30 - Starting her side hustle8:45 - On being fired from her last job and the lack of passion for that.10:45 - Her MO for moving to cities she had never visited before.13:15 - Starting her “Deal in High Heels” talk show14:30 - Her strategy for Hashtags to grow her following16:45 - Filming of an Amazon Prime series18:45 - Looking to Oprah Winfrey & Ellen DeGeneres as role models for the talk show19:45 - The power of repeat network events and building trust with others20:30 - One of various series they produce21:30 - Starting a sunglass and fashion label23:30 - Writing a book, “Building a reputation for business success”25:15 - The importance of controlling your online presence26:15 - Identifying what kind of brand you want to build with your vision28:15 - Documenting your life vs. ‘creating it’32:15 - Challenging the status quo34:45 - Her hobbies and routines35:45 - Briar’s view on the great initiatives coming out of Dubai to be a leader in sustainability and technology innovation See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Karl W. Feilder is a serial entrepreneur, Founder and Chairman of The Neutral Group and CEO of Neutral Fuels. “I’m not an environmentalist, I’m just trying to save the planet,” Karl says, and his direct actions to mitigate climate change have already resulted in over 10.5 million tonnes of CO2e savings from global corporations, such as DHL, Del Monte, Anglo American, and McDonald’s. In the last decade, Karl has built up The Neutral Group from a two-person start-up to an international business, and is now preparing its Neutral Fuels LLC subsidiary, a company that produces biofuel from used cooking oil, for an IPO on the London AIM stock market in 2023. Simultaneously, Karl is building another subsidiary Neutral Assets LLC into an “Internet of Things” asset management company. Since starting his first company in 1990, and selling it to Microsoft, Karl has built and sold five companies, and led two companies to their Initial Public Offering. He has conducted business in 46 countries and has created a world first this year – a highly innovative strategy to turn human faeces into reusable energy. Karl mentors start-ups across industry, and was the first Adjunct Lecturer at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi. He has worked as a Catalyst at Hult International Business School in both Dubai and San Francisco. Karl holds an B.Eng. (Hons.) in Industrial Engineering, an executive MBA, and is writing his thesis on “Psychological profiling of start-up teams.” As the regional expert on biofuels and their adoption in the Middle East, Karl and his company have won regional and international awards and Karl delivers keynotes on entrepreneurship, business and sustainability, all over the world. Enjoy the discussion.Show Notes:01:30 - On being an entrepreneur for all his life, he was just born to be an entrepreneur04:45 - First startup in the UK and selling to Microsoft05:45 - How Microsoft courted them to sell07:15 - Joining a biker gang post exit11:00 - His multiple ventures and IPOs following the biker gang years14:15 - The founding of the Neutral Group15:15 - What is the Neutral Group?23:30 - Getting a fuel production license in the UAE25:45 - Opening more facilities in other countries in the region27:15 - The different types of fuels they produce at Neutral Fuels30:30 - The challenge of building a great diverse team32:45 - “Never meet your heroes”35:00 - On being a lead singer of a rockband38:45 - How Dubai is perfectly suited for an entrepreneur like Karl41:00 - How redtape is seen as an opportunity in Dubai42:30 - On the merits of making time everyday to think45:15 - The benefits of discovering what makes you happy55:15 - His ‘non-words of wisdom’ wisdom to share See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Corrie Block, CEO of Paragon Consulting, where he shared some great stories about his experiences in Estonia & Yemen prior to making Dubai his home.Dr Corrie Block is a leading business strategist and CEO of Paragon Consulting, Professor of Strategic Management at Monarch Business School, and certified NLP Executive Coach, with over 20 years’ experience working on more than 100 companies.Dr Corrie has provided strategic consulting for the Council of Europe and World Bank, tech start-ups, multinationals and governments, across more than 30 continents. He’s founded 5 successful businesses in Europe and MENA and received awards for his product innovations.As both an academic and practitioner, he completed all of his post-grad studies (including master’s in business administration & Global Leadership, a Doctorate in Business Administration and a PhD in Arab and Islamic Studies), all while working full time. He has been published in Gulf Business, Forbes, CEO Magazine, Entrepreneur, Business Islamica, Oxford Journal of Islamic Studies and Routledge Academic Books.As an international speaker, Dr Corrie is often asked to speak on stages around the world. He delivers workshops and deep insights on employee engagement, meaningful management, A.I, culture, tech, innovation and the organization of the future. Dr Corrie believes that “business is personal” and runs a leading, regional podcast featuring panels of experts.As a strategic consultant to multinationals, governments and startups alike, he shared his insights into many thought provoking concepts such as the ‘work life blend’ and how business is personal.Show Notes:* 1:30 - From Canada to Estonia* 2:45 - 2 Masters and 2 Doctorates* 3:00 - Arab Islamic Studies & moving to Yemen* 6:30 - War seems like a good reason to leave a country* 10:00 - Explaining “line of fire” to a 7 year old* 12:00 - Coming to Dubai as the war in Yemen intensified* 15:00 - The chemical formula for happiness* 17:30 - “People want to be the best they can be”* 18:45 - Business is personal* 21:15 - Engagements with the Al Masood Family* 26:00 - The Chicki Chunk story* 28:15 - Emirates Macaroni Factory* 31:45 - Resentment for the other half of a father’s life* 35:45 - Work life blend* 39:45 - His daily routines and the discipline to write 2 books concurrently* 41:00 - Who Dr. Corrie looks to for inspiration or as role models* 42:30 - His top 3 books to recommend to people* 45:30 - His addiction to Spartan Races* 52:15 - Dr. Corrie’s outlook on the potential of Dubai as a R&D hub for future health technologies* 55:30 - “Do something meaningful or find meaning in something you are doing” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with the startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Toghrul Samadov, CEO of Buglance.Buglance is a crowd testing company that connects software testers with software development companies all over the world. We test mobile apps, games and websites for bugs, security and UX/UI issues.Toghrul is a serial entrepreneur and growth hacker. All his businesses combine 3 ingredients: Technology, Art and Science. He has been building teams, developing products such as e-commerce websites, entertainment and productivity apps and mobile games for the past 14 years. Please enjoy this discussion from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with the startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Patrick Rogers, CEO of Clara. Clara is a SaaS platform that digitises and automates startup legal expertise. Clara empowers founders to efficiently set up and manage their legal structure to ensure their startup's venture-readiness while providing unmatched portfolio management and market intelligence to investors.Patrick has been a previous guest on Streams of Progress, as a partner at the law firm, Support Legal. The founding team of Support Legal are the same founders behind Clara Technologies, joined alongside their CTO, Arthur Guest.Arthur is an MIT-trained systems architect with a speciality in complex decision modelling. While at MIT, he helped conceive and design the 20-year program human spaceflight strategy known as Flexible Path for the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee in 2009. Arthur was also co-founder and CTO of a San Francisco-based e-commerce company, BeautyArmy, that provided personalized beauty sample subscriptions to its over 300,000 members.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Lance Lin, CEO of LuggAgent.LuggAgent is a Global Concierge that offers the luxury of Time and Freedom. It started with the goal of eliminating the burden of luggage hassles. Lance is an Economics major with a deep interest in numbers and analytics. He dabbled in the insurance industry leading a team of 20 before founding LuggAgent where he excelled at networking across multiple regions and building meaningful relationships and opportunities.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Yousef Wadi, CEO of Nestrom. Yousef is a Computer Engineer with a significant track record in building online products and technologies to empower businesses. His experience encompasses global organizations (Microsoft and Yahoo!) and startups, mainly focused on building scalable products, niche technologies and setting up winning teams that deliver high-end results. He began building his expertise with online products as a contractor for Microsoft, selling online rich media products to global players such as Yahoo through his first venture. Yousef was approached by Yahoo to join as Senior Product Manager, where he spearheaded the MENA focused video-on-demand system, geo-location and geo-service products. Later joining 7awi as Product Executive, part of the founding team and key contributor to moving the offline AWI properties to online properties through managing the planning, technology, marketing, and implementation of the successful transition gaining 1 million unique users in the first 3 months.After venturing through a successful project in 7awi, he joined as Co-founder to ArabiaWeather establishing a full-fledged B2C Product line ranging from online to mobile platforms. ArabiaWeather has then managed to achieve its first million unique users from the GCC region 3 months after the launch of the new product portfolio. Yousef built a team that created, delivered and operated the B2C products achieving 3 million unique users before moving on to his next challenge. Post to B2C he moved on to leading the core weather technology and development team as a Chief Weather Technologist focused on delivering an accurate, scalable and advanced weather core system to empower ArabiaWeather and other clients through building a professional team of system engineers, developers and data scientists. Currently Yousef is invested in multiple startups and has a new startup, Nestrom, for which he is currently the CEO.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with the startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Kareem Kaddoura, Regional Manager for Ottogee.Ottogee provides IoT wearables for Industrial applications in Construction, Oil & Gas, Security and Manufacturing. Ottogee advanced data analytics enable workers and stakeholders to have real-time insights that optimize Safety and Productivity and reduce Cost to unprecedented levels.Kareem previously worked at Lunch:On another upcoming startup in the UAE ecosystem. At Ottogee, Kareem works closely with Omar Ghazzaoui, co-founder and CEO, who is an industry expert in construction and Oil & Gas project management and a thought leader on digitizing labor intensive industries. Omar, originally from Lebanon, started his career with the Consolidated Contractors Company CCC building the iconic Dubai Mall in Downtown Dubai back in 2005. From there on, he embarked on an international experience with the Boston Consulting Group as a trusted advisor to major construction and oil & gas companies before he joined Caterpillar, the world's largest heavy equipment manufacturer as a corporate strategy leader in their famous headquarters in Chicago. Please enjoy this discussion from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Cedrick Tandong, CEO of Three Wheels United. Before starting Three Wheels United, Cedrick worked with a French company which transformed ideas from university research labs into successful businesses or patents. Cedrick also founded a previous company in Cameroon in the e-commerce space. He exited but the company is still active and profitable. Born and raised in Sub-Saharan Africa, he is particularly interested in ideas that will improve livelihoods for people trapped in informal economies. That’s why after his graduate studies in systems and information management from a French business school, he moved to India. Cedrick is TWU’s mastermind when it comes to operationalize the impossible as he loves organizing, coordinating and executing under unpredictable circumstances. He also holds a second graduate degree in business management and has lived and worked in 4 countries in 3 continents. Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with the startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Parker Wells, CEO of Element 16. Element 16 improves energy efficiency at industrial processing facilities with heat storage technology; they cut fossil fuels in the largest emitting industries by capturing waste heat and storing energy for on demand use. Parker founded Element 16 during his graduate research at UCLA in Mechanical Engineering. He previously co-founded and led Overhead.fm as CEO from 2012-2015. He also holds an Sc.B from Brown University in Mechanical Engineering. Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest for this episode is Sebastian Vaduva, CEO of Veeplay. He was never keen on running the hamster wheel. A software engineer by degree and a hustler by design Sebastian started his first technology company at the age of 18. Since then he has been building and selling software products to Fortune 500 companies across Europe and the United States. Sebastian’s latest venture, Veeplay, aims to help the broadcasting industry embrace the business models of the future by helping them deliver and monetize video content for over 100M users monthly.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest of this episode is Miray Tayfun, CEO of Vivoo. She is a serial entrepreneur, who co-founded successful companies in the IOT industry for consumer electronics. Her background is in bioengineering, mobile apps, IOT, and strategy. She also completed the Stanford University's Go To Market strategy course that was lectured by Apple's first marketing manager. Her passion for a good life was the seed for Vivoo. She wants to proceed on their journey by helping people make better decisions on their wellbeing journey.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Streams of Progress, we met up with startups taking part in this year's Techstars Dubai program.These mini episodes offer insights into what the startups are working on and the founders behind the startups. The guest of this episode is Faisal Al Hammadi, the CEO of YACOB, a nutrition recommendation engine for organizations that enables its users to select F&B products that suits their health profile.Faisal is also a Member of the Board of Directors of Slices, a company that he co-founded that offers catering services to education institutes in 50 locations.In his previous role, Al Hammadi was a Member of the Board of Abu Dhabi Telemedicine Centre as well as Vice President at Mubadala Healthcare. He has also served as a member of a number of Abu Dhabi Government initiatives and committees including the Executive Committee for the Abu Dhabi Economic Plan at the Department of Economic Development, and the Health Education Committee at Health Authority Abu Dhabi.Al Hammadi holds a Master in Business Administration degree from Columbia Business School, USA, and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the American University Dubai, UAE.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2019 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tarek Kabrit is the CEO and co-founder of Seez, an intuitive car selling, buying and lending app in Dubai and Kuwait, which has been cited by leading publications as a ‘tech game-changer.’By using artificial intelligence to gather and cleanse the jungle of car data online, Seez reduces the process of finding a car from 17 hours to 6 seconds. Tarek and his team also invented the world’s first A.I. car negotiation chat bot called Cesar, who finds you the best deals, estimates the fair value of the car, and even negotiates the price on your behalf.As a testament to Seez’ success, they celebrated 250k downloads. They are also number 3 on Apple Store with over 3,000 ratings and number 5 on the Android Store.With over 17 years of regional and international experience in strategy consulting, investment banking, private equity and VC, with industry leaders such as Deutsche Bank, Abraaj Group, Mubadala, Wamda, and Booz & Co, Tarek understands both sides of the start-up journey.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:30 - Tarek’s background in Private Equity & Venture Capital in the region prior to becoming an entrepreneur3:45 - From Pre-Med to Economics4:30 - Consulting to Banking5:45 - The reason he became an entrepreneur after being a VC8:15 - Dealership partnership for leasing plans9:00 - How Cesar works?10:45 - Why Tarek chose to pursue this startup?13:30 - How Seez started as a side hustle14:45 - Reaching out to his nephew to be his co-founder15:30 - Sourcing the AI/ML tech talent from Denmark for Seez16:45 - Coders, penthouse and cardboard boxes17:15 - Bootstrapping note: Tinder for second-hand office equipment18:15 - The uncle / nephew co-founder dynamics at play19:00 - Regional expansion20:00 - One of the key criteria when deciding a country to expand into20:15 - The challenges Seez faced when expanding into Saudi Arabia23:15 - Difficulties Tarek overcame when learning to manage a technology team24:45 - Transitioning from VC to a founder role and the learnings25:45 - The ability to step back and look at the bigger picture of your startup26:15 - Seez’s funding journey and the pivots26:45 - Scrapping all they had and starting fresh28:00 - Knowing how to pitch VCs from his past experience as a VC30:00 - Looking to Steve Jobs’s drive, Airbnb’s attention to design detail and Netflix’s culture for inspiration32:45 - Tarek’s closeness with all his employees33:30 - The importance of Dreaming Big35:00 - Love for movies at the cinema36:30 - Tarek’s dream of a humanity scale dream initiative36:15 - “Start a startup in your 20’s”, his advice to his 20 year old self See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We had a chance to sit with Michael De Angelo from Holacracy One.Michael is an experienced business leader with C-level executive experience in different industries including healthcare, entertainment, technology, and natural resources. Starting as a Computer Scientist for the US Department of the Interior he moved on to lead technology teams at the Walt Disney company and eventually become the Deputy CIO for the State of Washington where he led the first large scale implementation of Holacracy in Government in the world. He also partnered with Harvard Business School researchers and others to lead the first controlled experiment of Holacracy.Now at HolacracyOne, he is helping businesses around the world think through the executive challenges of driving this level of change in their organizations. When he’s not helping organizations with self-management concepts he’s working with self-organizing honeybees as an avid beekeeper. We explored what Holacracy is, how it is being implemented in the private and public sector across the globe and we explored how organizations here, in the UAE, that are using it to transform their organizations.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:02:30 - Michael’s background03:30 - Introduction to complex technologies at Disney and it’s internet divisions in the early years04:45 - Working in small teams at Disney11:45 - On hierarchal systems14:30 - His introduction to Holacracy16:00 - Competing for talent in an already crowded tech space21:15 - Googling “What is Holacracy?” and a 2 minute video animation23:30 - What is Holacracy?25:00 - The Morning Star example27:00 - What does Holacracy One do?33:30 - Companies and industries that practice Holacracy35:15 - Self management hitting a tipping point around the time Zappos came out about it37:00 - Dubai Knowledge a practitioner of Holacracy as a government agency44:30 - What does Michael’s typical work day look like?48:30 - The ‘no title’ business card53:30 - ‘Follow my energy’ work scheduling & prioritization54:00 - The right to ask anyone else when55:30 - His ‘non-habit’ routine that he’s adapting to58:30 - From fictional and non-fictional role models63:00 - His morbidly motivational message on a billboard66:15 - His concerns about the time-travel paradox and giving advice to his 20 year old self68:00 - Michael’s personal purpose in life68:30 - Nurturing insatiable curiosity69:45 - “Don’t lose your momentum as you age, ramp it up as you have more experience and wisdom to solve more complex problems when you are older” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We had a chance to sit with Ludmila Yamalova, Founder & Managing Partner of LYLaw, HPL Yamalova & Plewka DMCC.Ludmila is the founder and Managing Partner of the Firm, actively managing and practicing since 2009. She is a U.S. qualified attorney, licensed by the State Bar of California. Ludmila has fifteen years of legal experience, six of which was in the Silicon Valley, plus three years of business experience in the same area.Prior to moving to Dubai and setting up her practice, Ludmila was Associate General Counsel of a NASDAQ listed company in Silicon Valley, California – Finisar Corporation, a fiber optics company, managing high profile patent litigation and global corporate matters.Before Finisar, Ludmila practiced with DLA Piper in the San Franisco Bay area, specializing in intellectual property litigation and bankruptcy.Ludmila also interned at Howrey Simon & White and Legal Strategies Group, both in the San Francisco Bay area.Ludmila grew up in the former Soviet Union and moved to the United States in the early 90s. Ludmila’s native languages are Russian and Ukrainian. She is also fluent in English and conversational in French.Most recently, Ludmila is the host of the MENA region’s first legal podcast, Lawgical with LYLAW. On the podcast, Ludmila provides insight, commentary, and updates covering a wide variety of legal topics relating to the U.A.E. and the MENA region.During this episode, she shared her insights into the evolving legal system of the UAE and regulations are adapting to an ever-changing global market.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:1:30 - Ludmila’s background from the Soviet Union to the United States2:30 - Practicing litigation during the Dot Com bust at DLA Piper4:15 - Being Associate General Counsel at Finisar, a Nasdaq listed7:45 - Starting to help people with legal advice in Dubai and eventually setup a law firm9:30 - On remote working culture11:00 - Copyright and IP licensing agreement and royalties (Porsche example)16:45 - LYLaw evolution of area of practice24:15 - The Lawgical Podcast by LYLaw29:00 - Legal Questions: The differences between Mainland (Department of Economic Development) and Free Zone licenses in the UAE33:30 - Business activities requiring a business entity / license36:45 - Selling digital software online within the UAE from abroad38:30 - Blurring the legal lines when local contractors are involved39:45 - The UAE’s commitment to AI and new regulations & laws around it42:45 - The Dubai Now app : one app for all government services46:30 - The UAE residence visa and the new longer term visas that are coming49:15 - Outsourcing their development and copywriting their software51:45 - Ludmila’s mentors and role models54:30 - The importance of building a strong team to support you56:30 - Days being dictated by young children58:00 - Traveling with kids; from danger zones to kid friendly locales60:30 - “Being in the thick of history in the making”63:30 - Being cautious about hearing overnight success stories and expecting the same See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We had a chance to sit with Issa Aghabi, VC Investment officer for IFC, heading the MENAP region. He shared his insights into the Venture Capital space of the region as well as how he got started in this space over a decade ago.Enjoy the show!Posted on February 27, 2019Show Notes:01:15 - Issa’s backstory01:45 - From Jordan to Canada back to the Middle East2:45 - From dinner party to Venture Capital4:30 - Understanding how do they create startups when entrepreneurs themselves didn’t know what startups were5:00 - The catalyst for the growth of VC in the region5:45 - Looking up what Venture Capital means6:00 - The first investment portfolio Issa was involved with7:15 - TwoFour54 reaching out to Issa to grow their investment arm8:30 - What is media?9:00 - His short term consulting role at Yahoo! and developing their M&A strategy for the region10:15 - The Rocket Internet of the Middle East13:00 - Issa’s return to TwoFour5413:30 - Launching one of the first accelerators in the UAE14:00 - N2V’s model and entrepreneurs14:30 - His ad-hoc role of head of sourcing for a portfolio company15:00 - The Middle East’s own diversity of cultures and15:30 - Not knowing what IFC was16:00 - IFC - the private sector investment arm of the World Bank17:45 - Indirect founder funding through funds18:45 - Direct funding at later growth stages (Series B onwards)19:45 - Investment question to ask, “are we going to make money?”20:30 - The importance of additionally - what are they bringing to the table with their investment22:00 - Venture capital by its nature being impactful23:45 - The role of Public Private Partnerships26:30 - Case by case initiatives per country29:00 - Co-investing with funds in the ecosystem29:45 - How do you invest in funds?30:15 - Investing in people and what funds30:45 - A look at BECO and co-investing in one of their startups, Vezeeta31:30 - The evolving atmosphere of the investment ecosystem35:15 - Issa’s admiration towards hard working and successful individuals who contribute back to the ecosystem36:15 - His two work schedules (local and global)37:15 - Taking pride in Inbox Zero40:00 - Appreciation for various media from tv, podcasts and articles as well as the beach40:30 - One of the great things about Dubai is the ability to travel anywhere with a direct flight41:30 - On reading Startup Nation and the lessons learned43:00 - The importance of giving back while taking care of yourself44:15 - Putting entrepreneurship and venture related all in one place45:30 - On trusting your gut and working on self development See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mohammed Bin Kuwair is the Senior Manager for Energy Projects at Bee’ah. He has a reputation for ground-breaking work in the process and operation of the energy industry.He is responsible for leading Project Management processes from their inception to completion, evaluating technical and commercial proposals while providing recommendations for the same.As a Senior Manager, he works in collaboration with all of Bee’ah’s operations, supporting Integrated Waste Management, process improvement, and cost reduction initiatives to drive rapid results delivering the highest levels of performance, while following and supporting the organizations’ quality management system. Formerly, he served at the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation as a Project Management Specialist.While working at their Project Management Office, he supervised all strategic projects, identified program risks, managed internal and the external stakeholders and controlled the corporate project management methodology framework. Mohammed held several instrumental roles in Strategy and Business Development and has managed businesses, programs and projects consisting of cross-functional teams focused on sustainable business models and cultural transformation towards entrepreneurship and innovation.Mohammed is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration from Strathclyde University, Glasgow (Scotland). He is a graduate of the Abdulaziz Bin Humaid Leadership Program and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah.He shared insights into Bee’ah’s various sustainability initiatives and how Bee’ah’s vision propels the UAE and the region to a sustainable future. Enjoy the show!Show Notes:3:30 – The waste to energy6:00 – The beginning of Bee’ah10:45 – The various divisions in Bee’ah12:45 – a holistic overview of Ion, sustainable transport and Careem Electric13:30 – From Washmen to Nespresso, empowering recycling in other startups14:45 – How the partnerships come about15:30 – Bee’ah’s guiding purpose16:00 – Bee’ah’s environmental consultancy to support other corporate’s sustainability efforts17:15 – Range of environmental consultancy services17:45 – Waste to Energy project21:15 – Educating the community and consumer mindset22:15 – Reversed vending machine to incentivize the community to recycle23:45 – Global gate fee practices25:45 – Looking to Sheikh Zayed and the collaborative spirit of the Emirates27:30 – Personal routine of walking30:00 – on the curiosity of people when they see traffic accidents on the road30:15 – People need to be mindful about others and Dubai as an example of a true multinational globalized city.32:15 – Opportunity in sustainability startups See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nada Taryam joined Bee’ah as Director of Civil and Architectural Projects in 2013. The responsibilities of this position require planning, execution and closing of large-scale environmental projects with the company’s biggest clients. Nada is accountable for creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements and managing the constraints of the project management and ultimately accomplishing the stated project objectives to the highest quality.Nada utilises her leadership capabilities to liaise with clients of Bee’ah, in order to determine and implement the exact needs of the project, drawing on her knowledge of the company and the experience she has accomplishing detailed and specific environmental targets. Leading some of the biggest projects at Bee’ah, Nada has consistently used her expertise to meet targets and satisfy the needs of the clients, acting as a driving force for transforming Sharjah into the environmental capital of the Middle East.Prior to joining Bee’ah, Nada Taryam gained extensive experience both through her employment history and through a variety of internships and study visits.Nada graduated from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, United Kingdom, in 2012, with a Master’s in Architecture and Urbanism, and from the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 2008, with a Bachelor of Architecture (with a Minor in Urban Design).Nada sat down with us to discuss the upcoming Bee’ah HQ and the sustainability minded approach taken into consideration from concept to construction.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:15 – Studying Architecture in the UAE and London02:00 – Her research-based studies around materials, innovation and technology in architecture02:45 – The school of thought of around material research and inheriting from nature for architectural design03:45 – Architecture & Other Things architectural practice04:30 – Bee’ah’s HQ concept and meaning06:15 – Locally sourced materials for the HQ07:00 – Having a portion of the Bee’ah HQ open for the public to visit, from research lab to an auditorium08:00 – Working with Zaha Hadid Architects10:00 – Aiming to achieve LEED Platinum certification for the Bee’ah HQ11:30 – Bee’ah’s waste management, recycling facilities and upcoming Solar PV project12:45 – Looking to Zaha Hadid as a role model15:00 – The environment as inspiration16:45 – Coffee as the only daily standard ritual17:15 – Recommending biographies to friends18:45 – The importance of letting people know about the Bee’ah HQ19:45 – Inspiration from Singapore’s landscape; building around the environment21:00 – Thoughts on commercially driven projects22:15 – Demand more from your built environments See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A seasoned entrepreneur and business leader, Muhammad Chbib has been integral in the inception, strategic development and operation of several organizations in Europe and the MENA region since the late 1990s.After graduating in 1998 Muhammad started up his first Internet startup in Munich/Germany. From 2004 to early 2011, Muhammad led McKinsey & Company’s client service teams, where he served various Fortune 500 companies in the online, financial and telecommunications sectors, both in the Middle East and Europe.In 2011, Muhammad moved to Dubai to take the entrepreneurial plunge with Sukar.com, an online fashion platform, which was acquired by MENA’s biggest online marketplace Souq.com in 2012.From April 2015 until August 2018, Muhammad led the Online Unit of Saudi travel giant Al Tayyar Group, developing the company’s technology arm in the online travel space. This business unit generated close to USD 1 billion total sales within three years only, catapulting its two online travel agency brands, tajawal and Almosafer, to become regional leaders.After exiting Al Tayyar’s Online Unit Muhammad is working on launching a platform targeting Muslim Consumers worldwide, to offer an exciting user experience in booking Hajj & Umrah travels.Fluent in Arabic, German, English and French, Muhammad is German of Syrian descent. His upbringing and professional experience in multinational organizations has seen him successfully develop brands to large cross-nation audiences.On this episode, he shares his entrepreneurial journey with us and shares his insights into difficulties he faced along the way.Enjoy the show!Recording Note: Since the original recording Manal.com has pivoted to offer bespoke travel opportunities targeting Muslim travelers globally.Show Notes:01:30 – On being born and raised in Germany02:30 – Accepting his first job offer straight after University03:00 – Joining his true job after university 8 weeks later…04:00 – His first startup – an exploration into the copycat startup model of Rocket Internet05:00 – Attending an industry conference as a speaker with just 2 slides prepared06:00 – On defining success for his first startup and the journey07:45 – His souvenir from his first startup (which he maintains to this day)09:00 – How his consulting for startups and corporates lead him to Dubai in 200310:30 – The six years with McKinsey11:15 – His takeaways from working at McKinsey12:45 – How health issues lead him back to the startup life14:30 – On maintaining relationships when talents join and exit15:45 – LinkedIn’s role in matchmaking the investor to the entrepreneur16:30 – His time at Sukar.com18:30 – Exiting to Souq.com then launching Desado19:30 – The difficulty of marketing local designer brand vs. well-known brands in the region and the pivot21:30 – Difficulty finding investors in the region at the time23:00 – Having foreign investors leading the investment round25:15 – Difficulties faced when originally setting up a startup legal structure at that time28:30 – The corporate-backed venture approach to startups at Tajawal33:30 – Bringing his tech co-founder with him for the next startup35:00 – The startup experience and environment even with corporate backing37:15 – AlMosafer, Tajawal and the strategic business unit40:00 – On funding factors and access to funding43:30 – Muhammad outlines his next upcoming venture45:30 – “When you have four children, there is no switching off”48:00 – Power naps and brain waves48:30 – On role models and setting entrepreneurial examples51:30 – The importance of routines with children and coffee53:45 – His daily work routines55:15 – The only book he’s ever gifted56:00 – Being self-reflective56:30 – Understanding we have limited time57:00 – Arabs are not victims and it’s important not to think in those terms57:30 – Importance of teaching children to code See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde is a creative thinker and maker of social designs which explore the relation between people, technology and space and best known for creating landscapes of the future. He founded Studio Roosegaarde in 2007, where he works with his team of designers and engineers towards a better future.Daan is a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and featured by Forbes and Good 100 as a creative change maker. Roosegaarde was also 2018’s keynote speaker at Dubai Design Week.In this episode, he discusses his innovative practice which merges people, technology and space to create a better world. He is the creator of smart highways, virtual floods and smog sucking towers. He examines and activates solutions to improve daily life in urban environments.Listen to learn more about his innovative works and his grand ambitions for a project for the Dubai Expo 2020.Enjoy the show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Karim Helal is the Founder & CEO of ProTenders, an award-winning platform for the construction industry that enables over 30,000 developers, consultants, contractors and suppliers to connect with new partners, source accurate project intelligence and streamline their bidding process. Karim has an MBA from HEC Montreal and is an angel investor and extreme sports enthusiast.Listen to learn more about his journey and his insights into starting up in the UAE.Enjoy the show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fares Ghandour, Partner at Wamda Capital & Khaled Talhouni, Managing Partner at Wamda Capital sat down with us to discuss their investment ethos and the various initiatives Wamda is undertaking.Khaled comes from a career in private equity and venture capital professional with significant experience in value creation and realization. He has built unique experience in the MENA region originating, appraising, structuring, negotiating and executing private equity investments and venture capital transactions in the TMT space. He has a particular focus on digital, gaming, e-commerce, publishing, animation, TV production and social media. He has developed a strong skill base in strategy, business plan development, financial modeling, deal structuring, KPI development, governance and reporting mechanisms.Fares also serves as Portfolio Manager at MENA Venture Investments (MVI), the region’s largest seed-stage fund. Previously he ran the region’s flagship mentorship event, Mix N’ Mentor. He has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Southern California.They shared their views on the MENA startup ecosystem, their group’s active initiatives and investment philosophy and a whole lot more, so we hope you enjoy this episode of Streams of Progress.Enjoy the show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rania & Zaina Kana'an are the dynamic founders of Charicycles. They are colouring the streets of the UAE through up-cycling and customizing forgotten bicycle frames to save the environment while encouraging a healthier lifestyle. Each sale also contributes to funding a bicycle for a child in a refugee camp to ensure that each purchase spreads the bicycle love worldwide.Our bicycles descend from a historic lineage of the Japanese bicycle. At Chari Cycles, we up-cycle bicycle frames to promote sustainability and a clean environment while encouraging a healthier lifestyle.WE UP-CYCLEAt Charicycles we find bicycle frames that have been forgotten and restore them into the beautiful bikes they once were, giving them a re-newed heartbeat and home, while promoting a cleaner environment.WE CUSTOMIZEOur bikes are fully customizable so that you can get the dream ride you always wanted. Feel free to browse our ready collection or design your own.WE GIVE BACKEvery child feels freedom when riding a bicycle. At Chari Cycles, we want to make sure every underprivileged child has the right to their childhood and the freedom that comes along with it. We provide bicycles to children in refugee camps around the Middle East bringing some light to their days.Hippie tales & happy trails, contact us on hello@charicycles.com or visit us on www.charicycles.com!Enjoy the show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ibrahim Colak, CEO & Founder of MrUsta, had a promising long career at Nokia prior to founding MrUsta. The inspiration for his startup came to him in the form of a pain point he was experiencing that was all too common for residents of Dubai. He validated his idea further and eventually launched MrUsta with the support of his, then girlfriend, now wife, Dunia Othman. Listen to learn more about his experiences and how MrUsta has pivoted and become evermore customer driven over the years.Enjoy the show!Show Notes:01:30 - Turkish beginnings from Istanbul.02:15 - Microsoft years and Nokia cultures.02:30 - Nokia Networks in Dubai.03:10 - Where the name MrUsta comes from.04:00 - MrUsta brand company.04:15 - MrUsta’s service offering.04:45 - Husband-Wife Founding Duo.07:00 - The idea coming from real world problems they experienced.08:45 - Doing a study to validate your own hypothesis.09:45 - MrUsta’s evolving service offerings and their initial pivots.11:00 - Feedback and customer service oriented in the offering.12:30 - MrUsta’s incubation at In5 Dubai.13:30 - The perks of being an in5 Alumni that MrUsta has experienced.14:00 - Usta Academy and it’s offering to service providers.16:15 - MrUsta from bootstrapping to Seed Funding round.17:45 - Their $2.75 Million Pre-Series A raise.19:45 - MrUsta’s average deal flow time per round.21:00 - Convincing angel investors early on by being very clear and concise in your messaging.22:15 - His three pieces of advice for raising funds in this region.24:30 - His passion for scuba diving and how it acts as an escape from the ‘startup noise’.27:00 - Looking to Elon Musk as an inspirational example on how to disrupt existing industries.28:30 - The typical day of MrUsta’s CEO.31:15 - How they conduct meetings.31:45 - Ibrahim’s daily email habits.32:45 - Adjusting and making priorities to have a work/life balance.33:30 - His interests in history and mythology.34:30 - Looking upto Ataturk.35:15 - “Don’t give up and dream on”36:00 - The unhealthy lifestyle of a dedicated entrepreneur and working to improve that.37:00 - Dubai as a prime example of a city that exposes citizens and tourists to multiple cultures and diverse backgrounds.38:45 - Accepting more feedback at an earlier age. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Talal Bayaa and Tarek Bayaa, the CEO and CCO of Bayzat. Bayzat is a technology company that empowers businesses with smart and effective insurance & HR solutions.As CEO, Talal is responsible for providing the vision, overall leadership and strategic management for the company as well as ensuring the highest quality of the services provided. Prior to setting up his own company, Talal worked for a private equity & corporate finance firm, followed by two years at an investment bank. Talal started Bayzat with his school friend and now co-founder Brian Habibi.As CCO, Tarek Bayaa (Talal's brother), is responsible for establishing a world-class sales team and in delivering exceptional customer service. He has been involved in the company on an advisory basis since 2013 and joined the company full-time as the Chief Commercial Officer in April 2015.Listen to learn more about their experiences and how Bayzat has scaled over the years.Enjoy the show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During the Techstars Dubai Demo Day, Streams of Progress was on hand to meet the startups and the stakeholders who were responsible for bringing the Techstars program to Dubai.Each guest was able to share with us their perspective on inaugural program. A huge thanks to all our guests for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.Please enjoy this discussion with one of our Guests from the Techstars Dubai program and be sure to check out more episodes from the 2018 Techstars Dubai Program. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mona Tavassoli is a mother of two, a successful entrepreneur and has lived a life full of adventure. Mona prides herself in setting more and more challenging goals in every chapter of her life and in being able to achieve them. Throughout her life, Mona has learned the secrets of how to set ambitious goals and how to make them a reality. This adventurous lady challenges herself on a regular basis, skydiving, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, under the banner of “World Peace Through Women’s Empowerment”, and even fire walking.Mona is the CEO and Founder of Mompreneurs Middle East, a B2B platform that caters to female entrepreneurs in the Middle East and enables them to promote and grow their business. The organization believes in women’s empowerment in the region through entrepreneurial education and mompreneurship.Mompreneurs Middle East strives to educate women to raise thriving families and build successful businesses through self-mastery and self-discipline. Mona has been featured across a number of different publications and media outlets including Sky News Arabia, Dubai Eye Radio, SME Advisor, TEDx UOWD, Arabian Business, The National and many others.Mona’s research has taken her right across the globe, and she has studied under numerous experts and mentors. She has taken part in programs led by all the greats, including Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy, and has been presented with the Young Alumni Award by the University of Wollongong in Dubai. She is an NLP practitioner and has combined her learning from all of these numerous sources into a refined program that has one single purpose: How to Have it All, through Time and Energy Management.You can learn more about Mona at www.MonaTavassoli.com.Enjoy the show! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.