I sat down with Ziad Awad, the Founder and CEO of Awad Capital, a boutique investment bank, specializing in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

I sat down with Philip Bahoshy, founder of MAGNiTT, for a no-holds-barred conversation on the realities of the startup world. We unpack the "Startup Valley of Death," exploring why founders fail, when to quit, and how to navigate burnout.

I sat down with Sky Kurtz, Co-founder and CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, to explore the $300M journey of building an agri-tech giant in the Middle East. In this episode, Sky shares his hard-earned lessons on avoiding down round disasters, the pitfalls of founder self-sabotage, and why a high valuation isn’t always a good thing.

In this episode, we'll get practical insights from Chris as a founder, investor, global thinker and yogi. We'll explore what it takes to scale a business and why he believes in the potential of the MENA region.

I sat down with Maha Abouelenein, powerhouse communicator, entrepreneur, and best-selling author of Seven Rules of Self-Reliance. Maha shares her incredible journey—from starting as a secretary for Naguib Sawiris to building a PR empire, working with global icons like Gary Vee, and becoming a bestselling author. We dive into the lessons from her book, the importance of betting on yourself, unlearning outdated ideas, and building a personal brand rooted in authenticity. Maha’s insights are both inspiring and practical, whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate leader, or someone seeking purpose and growth. This is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and self-belief! Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment company with offices in Dubai. Click here for a chance to win AED 1m. 

I sat down with Talal Tabbaa, co-founder of CoinMENA, to unpack the latest in the crypto world. We dive into Bitcoin’s recent bull run and why ETFs are a game-changer for institutional adoption. Talal shares his take on altcoins, meme coins, and whether they’re worth the hype—or just a gamble. We also tackle the big question: is it too late to get into Bitcoin? Plus, we discuss how governments, particularly in the GCC, are positioning themselves in the crypto race. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, this episode offers insights you can’t afford to miss. Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform with offices in Dubai. Click here for the chance to win AED 1m: https://bit.ly/3CDIT3f

I sat down with H.E. Sheikh Fahim a member of the Executive Council of Sharjah and the Executive Chairman of the Department of Government Relations to talk about his marine conservation work. Sheikh Fahim a.k.a. ‘the Turtle Sheikh’ whose love for the ocean - sparked by saving ‘Farah’ a turtle stuck in a fishing net - led him to launch SeafoodSouq, a technology business that tracks the global seafood supply chain or as per his words ‘a digital passport for fish’.  Our conversation covers the state of our oceans, overfishing, bycatch and outright fraud. A fascinating discussion about the need for us all to do our bit and most importantly, to ask a very simple question: where is my fish coming from? Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform with offices in Dubai. Visit (https://bit.ly/3YaWM0R)

I sat down with Abdullah Mutawi, Partner and Head of Corporate at law firm Taylor Wessing and prolific angel investor as the Co-founder and Chairman of Dubai Angel Investors and Saudi Angel Investors and we unpack some of the challenges that startups founders and venture capital investors are facing as they learn how to deal with a major downturn echoing the global venture capital downturn post 2020/2021 bubble. As a prominent lawyer, Abdullah is often called upon to mitigate distress situations, those that evoke strong emotions between the parties. Abdullah shares his learnings from various situations he has managed including one of the successful restructuring deals he worked on with Fetchr, the logistics startups that was saved, only to shut down again in 2021 in a twist of fate. If you are in the startup ecosystem or a stakeholder of the ecosystem, then you will certainly enjoy this discussion.  Support for the show comes from capital.com, a global investment platform with offices in Dubai.

I sat down with Charlie Wright, Founder & CEO of Humantra, the fastest-growing electrolytes brand in the UAE, now eyeing global expansion after a successful UK launch. Charlie’s journey to Dubai began straight out of college, where a sales job quickly showed him that he craved more than the corporate grind. After two failed ventures, he learned valuable lessons that paved the way for something bigger. A chance encounter with the Huda Beauty investment team led him to join their incubator, ultimately giving birth to Humantra. In this episode, we explore the world of electrolytes, navigating obstacles, scaling a business, and forming international collaborations, all while unpacking the key insights Charlie picked up along the way. Support for this episode comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform with newly launched offices in Dubai. To learn more about Capital.com click here.  Support for this show comes from Dubai Harbour Residences, a newly launched beachfront project. Book your apartment by clicking here.

I sat down with Farida El Agamy, an entrepreneur, a lawyer and expert on the MENA family business landscape, to get a peak into the rise and challenges of the families that shaped our region from the Almajdouie and Zamil families in Saudi Arabia, to W.J. Towell in Oman, the Sawiris in Egypt and Juma Al Majid in the UAE and many more. Those family businesses grew to become multifaceted conglomerates employing thousands and creating a considerable economic and social impact across the region.  Farida shared insights from her extensive research work at Tharawat Family Business Forum, highlighting the critical importance of succession planning, governance, and the role of women in family businesses. We explored the rise of single-family offices, how investment strategies are evolving across generations, and the increasing importance of sustainability. Throughout our discussion, we kept circling back to one question: how will the 3rd or 4th generation of family business owners navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world?  To learn more about family businesses in MENA visit: www.tharawat.org and www.familybusinesshistories.org or connect with Farida on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faridafelagamy/

Welcome back to work everyone. In this last part of the '3 part bite sized summer special', I revisit my conversations with my guests in the first half of 2024 and distill 3 trends that are shaping MENA startups. If you’re an entrepreneur you’re probably head down and ready for an eventful second half of the year! If you’re fundraising, you’re probably wondering if the VC winter will come to an end now that the US Federal Reserve Chief is signaling rate cuts? Will you be able to ‘blitzscale’ again? If you’re raising a big round of funding today, where is the money going to come from? Lastly, how big is the influence of China on our startup ecosystem? I hope you enjoy this episode and always happy to hear your input. We go back to our original programing next week!

As you gear up for back to school season, I hope you enjoy part 2 of our 3 part - bite sized - summer special. In this episode, I share with you my personal views on what makes a great entrepreneur. Having been an entrepreneur myself over the past decade, having sat with unicorn founders, and hundreds of entrepreneurs that I’ve met over the past 5 years of venture capital investing, I offer you the 5 characteristics that make a great entrepreneur. Keen to know your thoughts!

I hope you’re all enjoying the summer! In this 3 part episode, I will be sharing with you a bit of my raison d’être for doing the podcast. As an entrepreneur and investor living in Dubai, I am heavily invested in our regional startup ecosystem and my wish is to get as many of you to actively participate, whether as entrepreneurs, investors, advisors or enablers. In this episode I build on insights shared by some of my guests so far in 2024 and I put forward the case of why you, our listener, should care about startups. I hope you agree! Data used in the beginning of the episode is from Clearworld (www.clear.world) I have accidentally shared the wrong url in the podcast. Support for the show comes from capital.com, a global investment platform.

I sat down with Mazen Kanaan, Co-founder and CEO of House of Pops to discuss his incredible journey leading the ice cream business at Unilever in the region, to his abrupt ouster and the subsequent launch of House of Pops with his girlfriend (now wife) Marcela Sancho. Mazen recounts the challenges of starting from scratch, going all in and being self-funded, the importance of brand building and customer journeys, and the strategic decisions that led to scaling the business and regional expansion. He also recounts his Shark Tank Dubai experience and the subsequent negotiations. Mazen’s story is a testament to resilience and innovation in entrepreneurship and a playbook in how to build a regional champion. Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform. 

Imad Ghandour shares his extensive experience in the private equity sector, covering essential topics such as buying, improving, and selling companies in MENA. He delves into the philosophy behind his firm, CedarBridge Capital Partners, highlighting their unique approach to operational involvement, and focus on positive management. We delve into CedarBridge’s latest successful exit ‘The Grooming Company Holding’ and how Imad and his partners were able to successfully invest in the beauty sector, grow the business internationally and grow its bottom line. Imad offers tips on management, deal making, achieving operational excellence and managing through crisis. Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform.