Check us out here: https://www.startupsarabia.com/ Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch: Twitter: @ArabiaStartups LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast Facebook: @startupsarabia Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast ..read more

Rama Kayyali is CEO and co-founder of Little Thinking Minds, an award-winning edtech company with a mission to close Arabic language literacy gaps, creating digital learning platforms to improve targeting over 100 million children in MENA and over 100 million globally. Currently Little Thinking Minds platforms are used by half a million students in 800 schools in 10 countries in the MENA region in private and public schools as well as schools that cater to refugee communities. Little Thinking Minds is a multiple globally recognized and award winning company: 2023 winner of the Innovation Awar ..read more

Wael is a Computer Engineer, serial entrepreneur, and YC alumnus who has co-founded various startups in the Silicon Valley and the Middle East. He was one of the early employees of Careem and held roles including VP of Product Management and VP of Platform Superapp Business Unit until Uber's acquisition for $3.1bn. Wael is a techie at heart and has built technology products used by tens of millions of users worldwide. He is currently a General Partner at Raed Ventures​, a VC firm ​investing in early stage startups in the region​,​ and is passionate about building tech capacity and fostering en ..read more

Asher Siddiqui is a tech investor with a global career spanning 25+ years, having made 100+ investments valued at $15bn+. Asher is a General Partner at Sukna Ventures, a MENA focused early-stage VC Fund that backs exceptional teams building the software & data infrastructure layer enabling the digital transformation of industries across the MENA region. Asher started out in the late 90’s as an entrepreneur and software engineer building J2EE B2B SaaS products (1998-2006), followed by 10 years (2006-2016) in corporate M&A, as Head of M&A and CVC at Etisalat Group (now e& Group ..read more

Asher Siddiqui is a tech investor with a global career spanning 25+ years, having made 100+ investments valued at $15bn+. Asher is a General Partner at Sukna Ventures, a MENA focused early-stage VC Fund that backs exceptional teams building the software & data infrastructure layer enabling the digital transformation of industries across the MENA region. Asher started out in the late 90’s as an entrepreneur and software engineer building J2EE B2B SaaS products (1998-2006), followed by 10 years (2006-2016) in corporate M&A, as Head of M&A and CVC at Etisalat Group (now e& Group ..read more

Ismael Belkhayat is the CEO and cofounder of Chari. He’s a serial founder who is a notable figure in the Moroccan tech ecosystem. After his time in consulting at the Boston Consulting Group, Ismael founded two companies that would kickstart his entrepreneurial career: the Venture Builder Wib.co, a startup studio, and VotreChauffeur, a leading ground transportation company in Morocco later acquired by Avis Car Rental. After gaining significant traction and recognition, Ismael went on to found Sarouty, a marketplace that facilitates real estate deals, helping people to rent or buy property acros ..read more

With that we conclude the first season of the Startups Arabia Podcast. Your host, Ali Zewail, takes a moment to reflect on the podcast’s first season and the journey thus far. Thank you for joining us and a special thank you to our wonderful guests who made it all possible. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Startups Arabia Podcast connects you to the most prominent founders, investors, and operators of the Arab region. You will be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see. Check us out on: https://www.startupsarabia.co ..read more

Eman Hylooz is the Founder and CEO of Abjjad, the first and biggest Arabic digital reading platform. Her passion for reading and solid experience in technology inspired her to create Abjjad and embark on the journey of promoting digital reading in the Middle East. Prior to establishing Abjjad, Eman worked in the IT field, where she gained valuable experience in digital marketing. She has also worked closely with entrepreneurs in three local startups and was employed at KPMG in her most recent job. Eman is an accomplished businesswoman with a proven track record of success and has been recogniz ..read more

Belal is the co-founder and CEO of MaxAB, after getting his BASs from Virginia Tech in the States, Belal decided to join his family business and worked there for 2 years before joining the famous ride-hailing app "Careem'', then he decided to walk out of flourishing career in the middle east's first unicorn to build an app that will transform the Egyptian B2B grocery market forever! In 2018, he teamed up with Mohamed Ben Halim (Co-founder and COO) and formed the e-commerce marketplace MaxAB to connect informal food and grocery sellers with suppliers and provide a wide range of services to unde ..read more

Roberto has over 20 years of experience working for companies such as Microsoft and Google. Roberto is now the Director of Value Creation and Transformation at the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is the engine, driving the transformation of Saudi Arabia’s economy. He is passionate about innovation, startups and people, where he thrives mentoring young people across the globe - helping them develop an entrepreneurial mindset as they look to solve the world’s most pressing problems. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Startups Arabia Podcast connects ..read more