Podcasts about wamda

Asalamu alaykum, my loves! In today's episode we'll be doing a q&a with my sister in laws Wamda and Soba, and discussing topics such as navigating conflict with in laws and how to build bonds when marrying into a Sudanese family.

Saeed Al-Ansari, Founder and CEO of Tawaref, a Saudi Arabia-based tech investment community that also provides startup advisory, legal consultancy and due diligence support joins Richard Wilson on The 966 to discuss what is needed to establish a business in Saudi Arabia.  Saeed and Tawaref bring an extraordinary amount of experience to this challenge. In addition, Tawaref has published a series of invaluable articles in Wamda, a well-known platform, media site and venture capital firm, on how to establish a business in KSA. The series currently includes 8 articles that, “provide a one-stop resource to answer all the repetitive queries that we see throughout our work. Through insightful articles, Tawaref provides valuable insights and guidance on various topics, such as legal and regulatory requirements, key challenges, tips and tricks, how-to manuals, sector-specific information, and opportunities for growth. Showcasing the key hubs, dos and don'ts, common missteps, incorporation detail, facts that save money. “The articles include:  Tawaref Series: navigating Saudi expansion Tawaref Series: an entrepreneur's journey in Saudi Arabia, from bootstrapping to big bucks Tawaref Series: A blueprint for foreign investment success in Saudi Arabia Tawaref Series: The truth behind Saudi landing hard costs Tawaref series: Categorising Saudi setup partners by soft costs  Tawaref Series: Saudi corporate annual operating costs explained Tawaref Series: Understanding annual operating cost in Saudi Arabia “The Saudi Arabian investment landscape has been thriving in recent years, attracting investors from around the globe. With the introduction of business-friendly reforms and attractive incentives by the Saudi Government, the country has become an increasingly potent and vibrant market for entrepreneurs and investors alike. However, navigating the market can be challenging without access to authentic and authoritative content that provides useful and concise information.”The Saudi-US Trade Group and The 966 strongly recommend the series for anyone looking to establish a presence in Saudi Arabia. 

17 Oct 2023. Jeanne Walters of Emirates NBD gives us an insight into Chinese GDP, why everyone is watching it so closely but also what it means for the rest of the world. We also find out the latest on inflation, which New Zealand saw falling to a two year low. Natalia Sycheva of Integra Seven talks tech talent in Dubai in relation to a first-of-its-kind report they've put out with Wamda. Frederick Marris from Zoom explains how the need for the platform hasn't dyed down and Virtuzone's John Casey shed light on their new initiative that's helping smaller businesses in the UAE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saudi entrepreneurs Sara Bin Laden and Renad Aljefri, recent WIN fellows, join The 966 from Jeddah to discuss their experiences and journeys to-date. Renad and Sara recently took part in the second cohort of the Atlantic Council's Women Innovators Fellowship, known as the WIN fellowship - a program launched by the empowerME initiative of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, by venture capitalist Amjad Ahmad. Before the conversation with Sara and Renad, the hosts discuss Richard's One Big Thing, the PIF's investments in Saudi football and the Saudi Pro League, as well as a discussion of the new names that will be playing in the Kingdom, like Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté, and Messi's decision to go to Miami. Then the hosts discuss Lucien's one big thing, the mixed picture presented by recent VC numbers in the MENA region. The hosts conclude as always with the program's "Yallah!" segment, featuring 6 top storylines on Saudi Arabia to get you up to speed heading into the weekend. 4:35 - Richard's One Big Thing, the PIF's investments in Saudi football and the Saudi Pro League, as well as a discussion of the new names that will be playing in the Kingdom, like Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté, and Messi's decision to go to Miami.26:38 - Lucien's One Big Thing is the mixed picture presented by recent VC numbers in the MENA region. May represented a bounce-back of sorts for the MENA VC and startup ecosystem, with venture funding into the region's startups touched $445 million spread across 39 transactions, compared to $7 million raised across 11 deals reported in the preceding month, according to a monthly report in Wamda. The UAE accounted for 90 per cent of the total raised during the period, but Saudi Arabia saw the most total investments into deals with 15. Saudi Arabia topped the charts thanks primarily to the graduation of seven homegrown startups from the Flat6labs Riyadh accelerator prorgram, headed by Riyadh-based venture capitalist Eyad Albayouk.38:34 - Saudi entrepreneurs Sara Bin Laden and Renad Aljefri, recent WIN fellows, join The 966 from Jeddah to discuss their experiences and journeys to-date. Renad and Sara recently took part in the second cohort of the Atlantic Council's Women Innovators Fellowship, known as the WIN fellowship - a program launched by the empowerME initiative of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, by venture capitalist Amjad Ahmad. The WIN Fellowship program is a collaboration between the Atlantic Council and Georgetown University, offering a structured fully sponsored yearlong executive training program, mentoring and networking opportunities with leading U.S. and MENA business executives, government officials, and policy experts. The top participants, and Renad and Sara were both selected for this - attend a fully sponsored trip to the United States for leadership training at Georgetown and meetings with US business and government leaders.1:08:45 - Yallah! 6 top storylines to get you up to speed heading into the weekend. Saudi Arabia will make a deep cut to its output in July on top of a broader OPEC+ deal to limit supply into 2024 as the group seeks to boost flagging oil prices. Saudi's energy ministry said the country's output would drop to 9 million barrels per day (bpd) in July from around 10 million bpd in May, the biggest reduction in years. OPEC+ has in place cuts of 3.66 million bpd, amounting to 3.6% of global demand, including 2 million bpd agreed last year and voluntary cuts of 1.66 million bpd agreed in April.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had an "open, candid" conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about a wide range of bilateral issues, a U.S. official said. Blinken's visit came days after top crude exporter Saudi Arabia pledged to deepen oil output cuts on top of a broader OPEC+ deal to limit supply, as it seeks to boost flagging oil prices despite opposition from the U.S. administration. Blinken and the crown prince met for an hour and forty minutes, a U.S. official said, covering topics including Israel, the conflict in Yemen, unrest in Sudan as well as human rights. The Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia has been reopened at a ceremony attended by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Expatriate Affairs Alireza Bigdeli. The previous day, on June 5, the Iranian foreign ministry had announced that the Riyadh embassy, consulate-general in Jeddah and the Iranian mission to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) would be officially reopened on June 6 and 7. IATA — an association that represents around 300 airlines in 120 countries — forecasted that the global aviation industry's profits are expected to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, more than double the $4.7 billion forecast in December, driven by pent-up demand for air travel following the pandemic.  Revenue passenger-kilometers for Middle Eastern carriers stands at 88% of 2019's figures, showing the airlines in the region have already been making strong progress. GCC carriers will be at the forefront of the surge in passenger numberswhich IATA expects to double in the region to 550 million by 2040. The PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced a landmark agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis. The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF's golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game's best players. The UK Government will be eliminating the need for visit visas for individuals from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Jordan. Instead, these individuals will have the option to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation that will be valid for two years, and the cost for this will be only £10 ($12). This change will align the entry requirements for Gulf travellers and Jordanians with those of US and Australian citizens.

31 May 2023. Gulf News and Khaleej Times newspaper in the UAE has decided to stop printing the physical newspaper on weekends. Anshuman Joshi, Director Sales & Publishing at Gulf News & Al Nisr Publishing talk us through the business case behind the decision. Plus, ratings agency S&P has affirmed its AA rating on the Abu Dhabi economy – one of the highest in the world, economist Trevor Cullinan of S&P outlined the main findings. And,  latest report that Dubai is now home to hundreds of Russian startups and investors. We speak to the author from Wamda, Triska Hamid.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 966 Episode 85! The 966 hosts speak with Norah Ortiz, founder of the first authentic Mexican restaurant in Riyadh, Don Reuben's, which is located in the Diplomatic Quarter. Ortiz tells us her story as an American born in San Diego to Mexican parents and her journey to owning and operating the first authentic Mexican restaurant in a city increasingly becoming a hot spot for foodies. Before that discussion, the hosts talk about Richard's One Big Thing: a growing Captagon crisis in the Middle East and Syria's fall into becoming a narco state. Lucien's One Big Thing is Lionel Messi's long relationship with Saudi Arabia as rumors and reports swirl that he might be heading to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Hilal. The hosts then conclude as always with Yallah! 6 top storylines to keep you up to date heading into the weekend. 9:11 - Richard's one big thing is a growing Captagon crisis in the Middle East and Syria's fall into becoming a narco state. Captagon is a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant, fenethylline and has become the center of an increasing number of drug busts across the Middle East. The vast majority of global captagon production occurs in Syria, with the Gulf region being its primary destination.24:24 - MESSI TO SAUDI? Lucien's one big thing is what is dominating the headlines this week for the Kingdom. There are reports now, not just rumors, that it's going to happen… Messi to Saudi Arabia and probably to Al Hilal. Messi was officially unveiled as a brand ambassador for the Saudi Tourism Authority last year, and rumors swirled about him playing in Saudi Arabia eventually. Lucien provides a timeline of Messi's experiences and relationship with Saudi Arabia and some thoughts on what this might mean for the Saudi Professional League. 40:10 - Riyadh-based restaurateur Norah Ortiz, who is founder of the popular authentic Mexican restaurant Don Reuben's, located in the diplomatic quarter. Don Reuben's is the first authentic taco shop in the Kingdom and recently won the “highly commended” Riyadh Time out awards for best Latin American restaurant in the capital city. Ortiz tells us her story as an American born in San Diego to Mexican parents and her journey to owning and operating the first authentic Mexican restaurant in a city increasingly becoming a hot spot for foodies.1:08:44 - Yallah!MENA startups Raised $7 Million in April 2023, a 93 Percent Decline Year-on-Year – WAMDA ReportIn April 2023, startups based in the Middle East and North Africa raised roughly $7 million, a drop of 97 per cent compared to March 2023 and a 99 per cent drop compared to April 2022, according to a report in Wamda, which we shared on SUSTG.com today. Banker Pay Surges For Those Willing to Work in Saudi ArabiaAccording to Bloomberg, banking jobs remain plentiful and salaries are surging in one unexpected corner of the world: Saudi Arabia.Aramco In Talks With Sinopec and Total on $10 Billion Saudi Gas DealAccording to Bloomberg, Sinopec and TotalEnergies SE are among companies holding talks to invest in the Jafurah development in Saudi Arabia, according to people familiar with the matter, as the kingdom seeks to exploit one of the world's largest untapped gas fields.Saudi economy edging closer to reducing dependence on oil, IMF official saysAccording to Reuters, Government-led reforms and the growth of private investment in new sectors will help support non-oil economic growth in Saudi Arabia amid an expected sharp slowdown in overall growth this year, a senior IMF official said.Asset Management Firm Tiger Global, Visa Invest in UAE Fintech Company Tarabut Gateway for Saudi Expansion – ReportPayments giant Visa Inc. has made its first open banking investment in the Middle East, joining Tiger Global Management in backing UAE-based fintech firm Tarabut Gateway's latest fundraising which outlines an expansion to Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg.Middle East Set to Outpace Other Regions in Growth of Travel Demand: RategainThe Middle East region is expected to outpace all other travel markets in its rate of recovery for travel demand in the April-June quarter, according to India-headquartered travel technology firm Rategain.

The conversation with Wafa Alobaidat continues to unchartered waters…Reframing the experience of miscarriages. Analyzing how you can be a mompreneur and run a successful business. Our Founder & CEO, Wafa AlObaidat is the founder of PLAYBOOK, an edtech company that aims to accelerate women's careers. Wafa is an award-winning serial entrepreneur and Global Shaper, and has built successful businesses from the ground-up including the leading PR & Design Agency Obai & Hill. She hosts a number one rated show on Apple podcast, Women Power Podcast and has been named amongst the Top 50 Most Powerful Women by Business in Gulf. Wafa has been featured in Wamda, Harper's Bazaar Arabia and Entrepreneur magazine. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and of course SHARE! And above all, reflect and enjoy!

That's according to separate reports from Magnitt and Wamda. We get more about the latest figures with Triska Hamid of Wamda. Plus, Careem has partnered with Swapp, a car rental service based in the UAE, to bring car rental options to customers. Adeeb Warsi, MD of Platform at Careem explains the additional Careem service and the details behind the deal. And is a robot going to steal our job? We asked Professor Dario Floreano, Director of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chatting with Wafa Alobaidat brings up a lot of good vibes and commitment of oneself and others. Sharing her journey and mission in entrepreneurship. Analyzing how to start a business and scale up. Our Founder & CEO, Wafa AlObaidat is the founder of PLAYBOOK, an edtech company that aims to accelerate women's careers. Wafa is an award-winning serial entrepreneur and Global Shaper, and has built successful businesses from the ground-up including the leading PR & Design Agency Obai & Hill. She hosts a number one rated show on Apple podcast, Women Power Podcast and has been named amongst the Top 50 Most Powerful Women by Business in Gulf. Wafa has been featured in Wamda, Harper's Bazaar Arabia and Entrepreneur magazine. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and of course SHARE! And above all, reflect and enjoy!

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Christopher Shroeder, the author of Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East. ________________________ Christopher Schroeder is an entrepreneur and angel investor. He is the author of Startup Rising. In 2010, he wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post about the start-ups in Dubai, and was subsequently invited by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to judge a start-up competition in Cairo one week before Tahrir Square. He is on the boards of advisors of the American University of Cairo School of Business and regional start-up resources Wamda and Oasis500. He lives in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That data will be put together by Property Finder and the Dubai Land Department - who will release the first index within days. We get the details from Lynette Sacchetto of Property Finder Group. Plus, startups in Mena raised a record-breaking $2.87bn across 639 deals. To find out more, we've been speaking with Triska Hamid from Wamda. And Fed chair Jay Powell gives hints over interest rates - what could it mean for us here in the UAE? we asked our economist, Ed Bell. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questa puntata di Leaks of the week è dedicata ai fatti di cronaca relativi alla fuga di notizie sul comportamento di Facebook, all'andamento del processo contro la fondatrice di Theranos, alla Cina che blocca la candidatura di Wikimedia Foundation al World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo). Maria Matloub e Emil Abirascid parlano poi della startup Ramp Network, del nuovo fondo di Five Seasons Ventures dedicato alle startup food tech europee e dei dati relativi agli investimenti nelle startup dell'area Mena, quindi Medio oriente e Africa del nord che, secondo quanto rilevato da Wamda, crescono in modo significativo. Buon ascolto.

On this week's show: Tripwire Interactive CEO tanks his studio's reputation with a single tweet before showing himself the door, Epic vs Apple is over (and Apple mostly won), Twitch sues hate raiders as it scrambles to do evidence it's doing anything to stop harassment on its platform, Paradox employees speak out against toxicity, and more. Update: After we published, Epic filed a notice of appeal after the ruling in its case against Apple. So, despite our earlier show note, it isn't over yet! You can support Virtual Economy's growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise! TIME STAMPS [00:01:08] - Tripwire Interactive's (former) CEO wants to control women's bodies [00:21:47] - Paradox Interactive employees stand up against a toxicity [00:28:39] - Sony's State of Play was a strong showing, though the format was iffy [00:43:27] - Twitch sues alleged hate raider ringleaders [00:49:17] - Investment Interlude [00:57:39] - Quick Hits [01:11:54] - Epic vs. Apple is OVER [01:23:08] - Two companies adopt new permanent work policies in the wake of the pandemic [01:27:03] - GameStop Q2 FY22 and a potential partnership with… AMC Theatres? SOURCES John Gibson on Twitter - September 4, 2021 Shipwright Studios on Twitter - September 5, 2021  Torn Banner Studios on Twitter - September 5, 2021 Tripwire Appoints new Interim CEO, Alan Wilson Alarm from inside the game success Paradox Interactive – leaked document testifies to bullying, abuse and culture of silence (BreakIt) Twitch sues two people allegedly behind hate raids (Washington Post) Epic vs Apple Rule 52 Order After Trial on the Merits Epic vs Apple Judgment Epic vs Apple Permanent Injunction Phil Tibitoski of Young Horses on Twitter - September 2, 2021 Gamestop FY2022 Q2 Earnings AMC CEO Adam Aron on $25M ad campaign, potential relationship with GameStop (FOX Business) INVESTMENT INTERLUDE Welcoming Firesprite to the PlayStation Studios Family Jam City Acquires Award-Winning Game Studio Ludia for $165 Million... Virtuos Secures USD150 Million Investment... to Accelerate Global Growth and Fast Track Digitalization AccelByte raises $10M to make Tripe A Quality Backend-as-a-Service Accessible and Affordable Toya Raises $4M to Fuel Diverse Growth on Roblox Stillfront acquires UAE's Kawaker for $205 million (Wamda)

In this episode with Stephanie Nour, we learn everything there is to know about scaling a startup, VC funding and its ins and outs. Stephanie with over a decade’s experience in funding and investing tells us what it's like starting a company that focuses on bringing together and building a community that is contributing to a large appetite to invest in the tech industry across the MENA region. Stephanie along with her partner’s goal with Nuwa Capital is to transform the relationship between investors and founders and to build a better framework to drive value to the founders that are effecting positive change in this market. Catch the episode, out now!Stephanie Nour Prince is a partner at Nuwa Capital where she leads on network engagements and operations. Most recently, she was Wamda’s Director of Communications and Outreach, working on outreach and partnerships with multiple stakeholders in the MENA startup ecosystem. At Wamda, she focused on building the brand and community since joining in 2012, and led on projects such as the MIT Media Lab workshop Dubai, the American University of Beirut’s Reboot Beirut Hackathon, and the Crown Prince Court’s Minds on a Mission Design Thinking workshop among other programs and deal sourcing activities.

In this inspiring episode with Triska Hamid, we touch upon experiences that will ignite purpose and inspiration in you to do the greater good. Triska shares her memoirs of life as a refugee, being displaced from her homeland and finding her way through the struggles and  fulfilling her dreams and aspiration through strict perseverance and courage. Triska shares what it’s like to still recall the horrors of fledding a region that was afflicted with war and turmoil, the trauma that stays and having the will to fight it everyday. She also talks about scaling her career through multiple venues as a journalist and editor and even an entrepreneur. Catch her episode, out now!Triska Hamid is a journalist, editor and entrepreneur. Born in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, she is a survivor of the First Gulf War having fled with her family to Iran, mostly on foot. She grew up as an asylum seeker in the UK where she graduated from Oxford University. Today, Triska is the editorial director at Wamda and is also the founder of London-based Mokaya Brownies, the company behind the most awarded brownies in the UK.

In this episode we catch up with the CEO of Ureed, the largest freelancer marketplace in the GCC. We discuss things like customer acquisition, building Ureed from scratch, raising funding from WAMDA capital and acquiring nabbesh.com Find out more about ureed here : https://ureed.com/ Ureed.com functions as an online platform that connects employers with freelance translators and editors. Using our platform enables employers to post their linguistic needs online, view available bids, and approve the most compatible applicants for their projects' deliverables and deadlines. In return, freelancers will have the opportunity to sift through online projects, submit their bids and rates, and start with the project as soon as they’re matched. Follow us on Social or use #StartupHustleME to connect: https://www.facebook.com/startuphustleme https://www.instagram.com/startuphust... https://www.twitter.com/startuphustleme www.linkedin.com/company/startup-hustle-middle-east/ Email us on startup.hustle.me@gmail.com Visit our Car rental startup: https://ejarcar.com Get in touch with Yellow here: https://welcometoyellow.com/ If you are looking to start a new business in the Middle East, or are looking for information on how to grow your startup, this podcast is for you! Join us on our journey as we build our own startup, Ejarcar.com, and hear success stories from established entrepreneurs and VCs in the Middle East. Startup Hustle Middle East is a weekly podcast, hosted by Siddharth and Mamta Varerkar. This podcast will cover topics like how to build a lean startup, how to pitch, growth-hacking tips to market your product and we also interview leading thought-leaders in the Middle East. You can find our audio podcast on all podcast platforms - apple podcasts, google podcasts, castbox, spotify, itunes etc. If you have the Anchor app, you can also leave us a voice note to be featured in an upcoming episode. Follow us on Social or use #StartupHustleME to connect: https://www.facebook.com/startuphustleme https://www.instagram.com/startuphustleme/ https://www.twitter.com/startuphustleme www.linkedin.com/company/startup-hustle-middle-east/ Email us on: startup.hustle.me@gmail.com Visit our Car rental startup: https://ejarcar.com If you are looking to start a new business in the Middle East, or are looking for information on how to grow your startup, this podcast is for you! Join us on our journey as we build our own startup, Ejarcar.com, and hear success stories from established entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Startup Hustle Middle East is a weekly podcast, hosted by Siddharth and Mamta Varerkar. This podcast will cover topics like how to build a lean startup, how to pitch, growth-hacking tips to market your product and we will interview leading thought-leaders in the Middle East. You can find our audio podcast on all podcast platforms - apple podcasts, google podcasts, castbox, spotify, itunes etc. If you have the Anchor app, you can also leave us a voice note to be featured in an upcoming episode. Connect with us #StartupHustleME

In this episode, we talk about creating a global product for e-commerce companies, identifying the right verticals, expanding globally vs Asia, and building and scaling with five co-founders. To discuss more, we speak to Hande Cilingir, co-founder and CEO of Insider, an integrated growth management platform that is changing the game for e-commerce businesses globally. Backed by investors such as Riverwood Capital, Sequoia, Wamda, and Endeavor Catalyst, Insider is helping over 800 global brands drive their digital growth through highly individualized multichannel experiences powered by AI. [4:25] Hande shares about Insider’s mission to become a pain killer for the current pains and challenges that online businesses face. [5:59] Hande shares her goal of proving to the world that breakthrough product companies can be created and thrive outside of Silicon Valley. [19:04] Hande explains her leadership philosophy and journey with personal development as a young female CEO that has built a global company. Listen to the podcast to discover stories of exceptional people who are playing a key role in building and shaping the next wave of tech.

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.

In this episode, Sid and Mamta speak to one of the most influential people in the Startup ecosystem in the Middle East, Fadi Ghandour, at STEP conference 2019. Fadi talks to us about what it was like to build Aramex more than 37 years ago and tells us about the purpose behind Wamda X, a grant-based programme to encourage entrepreneurs from the region. You can also watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/DbIqA3uoItQ Check out Wamda X here: https://www.wamda.com/wamdax Find out more about Fadi Ghandour here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fadi-ghandour-52353b/ Follow us on Social or use #StartupHustleME to connect: https://www.facebook.com/startuphustleme https://www.instagram.com/startuphust... https://www.twitter.com/startuphustleme www.linkedin.com/company/startup-hustle-middle-east/ Email us on: startup.hustle.me@gmail.com Visit our Car rental startup: https://ejarcar.com Get in touch with Yellow here: https://welcometoyellow.com/ If you have the Anchor app, you can also leave us a voice note to be featured in an upcoming episode. Connect with us #StartupHustleME

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.

Digital Media & Tech in Dubai is back for season two! And for our kickoff episode, we are thrilled to present one of the MENA region's most experienced digital executives, Yousef Tuqan--widely respected as one of the most outspoken and visible evangelists for digital/social innovation in Dubai business. Launched in March of 2016, Dubai's top tech podcast focuses on bringing listeners informative conversations with local experts exploring the latest trends in the digital media and tech scene in the burgeoning international capital that is Dubai. Hosted by Spencer Striker, PhD, Digital Media professor at the American University in Dubai--episodes are recorded on location at AUD in the heart of Dubai's Media City.   In our exclusive conversation with Yousef Tuqan, we trace the fascinating biography of his twenty year career, during which he has helped forge the face of modern digital Dubai. http://youseftuqan.com/ Beginning in 1996, when he had to drop out of UMass-Amherst to help his family, Yousef broke into web design, (a technology in its infancy), shortly thereafter designing the original emirates.com website. And for much of the next twenty years, Yousef has repeated this pattern of being at the groundfloor of so many nascent digital Dubai initiatives. At the turn of the millennium, he became the first digital employee for OgilvyOne, and was there at the creative conception of Madinat Jumeirah. After a stint as an account director at north55, in 2005, Yousef began a 10 year path to the top of Flip Media, one of the top digital marketing startups in the region, at the time. Joining as employee #20 or so, he would rise to become the CEO and oversee the company's expansion to over 150 employees, navigating the financial crisis of 2008, and eventually overseeing the successful acquisition of the company by Leo Burnett. After working as Chief Innovation Officer for the new parent company, Leo Burnett MENA, Yousef took a strategic two month trip across the United States, (yes, he IS the Middle Eastern Don Draper), and upon his return became Entrepreneur in Residence at Wamda Capital, a VC firm focused on growing regional tech startups. It was in that role that he got tapped to take over as VP of Marketing & Analytics for one of Wamda's key investments, the red hot startup, Careem, often considered the most successful MENA startup to date. Yousef next describes the strategic positioning of Careem and the exciting future of the company. Never one to sit still, he has since taken over as Group Vice President, Brand Marketing & Loyalty, for the Jumeirah Group. Finally, Yousef lays out his interpretation of the Dubai vision, which he summarizes as the goal to become “the best city in the world.” Like a visionary startup, Yousef explains, Dubai must continue to build a platform for innovation upon which successful businesses and systems can grow, thereby creating the greatest city of the 21st century. Hosted by: Spencer Striker, PhD, Digital Media professor at the American University in Dubai https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerstriker Special Guest: Yousef Tuqan, Group Vice President, Brand Marketing & Loyalty, Jumeirah Group https://www.linkedin.com/in/youseftuqan Special thanks to Reina Dib and Joy Semaan of the AUD Marcom Team https://www.instagram.com/audubai Huge shout out to stellar AUD student podcast producers, Rana Daoud & Rami Hawa https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranadaoud Audio engineering by AUD Digital Media's own Anil Mathew James Featuring original Video Game Remixes by the legendary Chris Bateshttp://youseftuqan.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerstrikerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/youseftuqanhttps://www.instagram.com/audubaihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ranadaoudhttp://youseftuqan.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerstrikerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/youseftuqanhttps://www.instagram.com/audubaihttps://www.instagram.com/audubaihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/youseftuqanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerstrikerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ranadaoudhttps://www.instagram.com/audubaihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/youseftuqanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ranadaoudhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ranadaoud

Digital Media & Tech in Dubai is back for season two! And for our kickoff episode, we are thrilled to present one of the MENA region’s most experienced digital executives, Yousef Tuqan--widely respected as one of the most outspoken and visible evangelists for digital/social innovation in Dubai business. Launched in March of 2016, Dubai’s top tech podcast focuses on bringing listeners informative conversations with local experts exploring the latest trends in the digital media and tech scene in the burgeoning international capital that is Dubai. Hosted by Spencer Striker, PhD, Digital Media professor at the American University in Dubai--episodes are recorded on location at AUD in the heart of Dubai’s Media City. In our exclusive conversation with Yousef Tuqan, we trace the fascinating biography of his twenty year career, during which he has helped forge the face of modern digital Dubai. http://youseftuqan.com/ Beginning in 1996, when he had to drop out of UMass-Amherst to help his family, Yousef broke into web design, (a technology in its infancy), shortly thereafter designing the original emirates.com website. And for much of the next twenty years, Yousef has repeated this pattern of being at the groundfloor of so many nascent digital Dubai initiatives. At the turn of the millennium, he became the first digital employee for OgilvyOne, and was there at the creative conception of Madinat Jumeirah. After a stint as an account director at north55, in 2005, Yousef began a 10 year path to the top of Flip Media, one of the top digital marketing startups in the region, at the time. Joining as employee #20 or so, he would rise to become the CEO and oversee the company’s expansion to over 150 employees, navigating the financial crisis of 2008, and eventually overseeing the successful acquisition of the company by Leo Burnett. After working as Chief Innovation Officer for the new parent company, Leo Burnett MENA, Yousef took a strategic two month trip across the United States, (yes, he IS the Middle Eastern Don Draper), and upon his return became Entrepreneur in Residence at Wamda Capital, a VC firm focused on growing regional tech startups. It was in that role that he got tapped to take over as VP of Marketing & Analytics for one of Wamda’s key investments, the red hot startup, Careem, often considered the most successful MENA startup to date. Yousef next describes the strategic positioning of Careem and the exciting future of the company. Never one to sit still, he has since taken over as Group Vice President, Brand Marketing & Loyalty, for the Jumeirah Group. Finally, Yousef lays out his interpretation of the Dubai vision, which he summarizes as the goal to become “the best city in the world.” Like a visionary startup, Yousef explains, Dubai must continue to build a platform for innovation upon which successful businesses and systems can grow, thereby creating the greatest city of the 21st century. Hosted by: Spencer Striker, PhD, Digital Media professor at the American University in Dubai https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerstriker Special Guest: Yousef Tuqan, Group Vice President, Brand Marketing & Loyalty, Jumeirah Group https://www.linkedin.com/in/youseftuqan Special thanks to Reina Dib and Joy Semaan of the AUD Marcom Team https://www.instagram.com/audubai Huge shout out to stellar AUD student podcast producers, Rana Daoud & Rami Hawa https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranadaoud Audio engineering by AUD Digital Media’s own Anil Mathew James Featuring original Video Game Remixes by the legendary Chris Bates

Iliana Montauk the co-founder and chief operating officer of Gaza Sky Geeks, the first startup accelerator in Palestine launched with support from Mercy Corps and Google in 2009. Before arriving to Gaza sky geeks, Iliana helped launch Wamda’s Research Lab. She has previously worked at Google, the Monitor Group, which is now part of Deloitte Consulting, a startup that failed, and a microfinance nonprofit. She graduated from Harvard in 2006 and claims to speak five languages.  Lets listen into Iliana Montauk talk about founding Gaza Sky Geeks from Startup Grind’s Global Conference earlier this year.  Quick question. How many emails do you have in your inbox right now? A hundred? A thousand? Twenty thousand?  If your email is anything like mine used to be, the answer is too many. But here’s the thing—even though I knew I wanted to do something about it, I didn’t know how. I knew I’d miss something important if I just deleted them all, and there were too many emails to go through one at a time.  Thankfully I found SaneBox, and I can’t recommend it enough. SaneBox sorts through your email and moves all of the trivial stuff into a different folder so the only messages in your inbox are the ones you actually want to see.  There's also this amazing thing called BlackHole. Move an email into that folder and you’ll never hear from that sender again. It’s so rewarding.  Visit sanebox.com/startupgrind today and get an extra $20 credit on top of the already free two-week trial.   Check it out today and let me know if you love reaching inbox zero as easily as I do nowadays.  Again, that’s S-A-N-E-B-O-X.com/startupgrind

يحدّثنا أيمن فرحات عن عمله في "ومضة" بالاضافة الى تجربته مع التوظيف, ادارة المبرمجين والمشاريع البرمجية, كما نتطرّق للعديد من المواضيع التقنية منها: كيفية استخدام نظام التحكّم بالمراجعات "غيت" مع فريق يتألّف من عدة أشخاص Ayman Farhat is a full-stack web developer working at Wamda, a platform of programs and networks that aims to accelerate entrepreneurship ecosystems across MENA. In this episode he talks to us about: Git workflows and processes The importance of branching in versioning systems as a means of avoiding conflicts The importance of hiring the right developers Technical interviews, from idealistic to realistic How one Wamda employee turned from graphic design to front-end web development Interesting reads: Why we don't hire programmers based on puzzles, API quizzes, math riddles, or other parlor tricks by 37 Signals The power of believing that you can improve TED talk