Meet Tarik Chebib — ex-pro athlete, corporate leader, and podcast host who’s all about discipline, resilience, and staying curious. In this episode of Founder’s Voice, Tarik shares how 17 years of basketball shaped his mindset, how he climbed the ranks of the finance world, and what it’s like building out Capital.com’s presence across the Middle East.We talk about the power of morning routines, spotting “bigger carrots” that distract founders, hiring for energy (not just skills), and why increasing your “luck surface area” might just change your career. Plus, the story behind his podcast No Money But Dreams and how he’s keeping it real on LinkedIn.Whether you’re an athlete-turned-founder or just trying to stay focused in a world full of distractions, this one’s packed with sharp takes and practical wisdom.Topics Covered:• What pro basketball taught Tarik about business• Navigating the corporate vs. startup mindset• Dubai life: tax-free perks & fewer commutes• The soft skills that really matter in hiring• Why he posts on LinkedIn every single dayListen to Tarik’s Podcast:No Money But Dreams – https://open.spotify.com/show/2OfUdBLuP8BP...Follow Tarik on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarikchebib/⸻Show Info:Founders’ VoiceHosted by Dan Mellins from AraGeek, Founders’ Voice brings you raw, honest conversations with the entrepreneurs and dreamers reshaping the MENA region.Listen Now:• Website: https://en.arageek.com• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOiMKhmwUSB...• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/475543...Follow AraGeek:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arageek_en• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/arageek-com• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arageek.english/• AraGeek TV: https://en.arageek.com/tv
From Google to guiding startups across the MENA region, Majd Alayli joins Founder’s Voice to unpack the real startup process—beyond the pitch decks and hype. In this episode, we talk about what founders keep getting wrong, how to validate fast (without wasting years), and why “vibe coding” isn’t your silver bullet. Oh, and how building a Reddit-Medium hybrid brought a million Arabic speakers together. Come for the insights, stay for the founder rambles.
Topics:
The startup trap: too much to do, too little impact
Why your assumptions about your audience are probably wrong
What Majd learned building a platform with 1M monthly users
Vibe coding, prototyping, and the danger of AI hype
From animator dreams to Google and beyond
The double-edged sword of founder passion
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Founders’ Voice
Hosted by Dan Mellins from AraGeek, Founders’ Voice brings you raw, honest conversations with the entrepreneurs and dreamers reshaping the MENA region. From bootstrapping in tough times to building businesses that make a real impact—these are stories of grit, hope, and community. No jargon. No fluff. Just real voices making it happen.
Listen Now:
• Website: https://en.arageek.com
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOiMKhmwUSBjElxrWP6No?si=yP0CtF2dTDmfZocUNZ_HWw
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/475543d2-24b4-4de1-b247-27ceb584436c/founders’-voice-from-arageek-com
Follow AraGeek:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arageek_en
• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/arageek-com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arageek.english/
• AraGeek TV: https://en.arageek.com/tv
🎙 From opera stages to startup exits — Julian Issa’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode of Founders’ Voice, Julian shares how he went from choirboy at Westminster Cathedral to business journalist, then co-founder of Feather — a platform tackling loneliness through tech, acquired just two years in.
We unpack the power of reinvention, what makes a real founder, and why building community isn’t just a startup cliché — it’s the job. Julian also opens up about people-pleasing, impostor syndrome, and why he believes suffering is a privilege.
Whether you’re mid-pivot or just scribbling ideas after work, this one’s for you.
Topics:
From music scholarships to founding an AI startup
Building Feather to fight loneliness — and selling it
Why solo founding is a red flag (unless your partner’s “an idiot”)
How to set real metrics before quitting your job
Storytelling, authenticity, and finding your voice
Beyond Tomorrow: Julian’s new podcast on health, AI, and the future
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Founders’ Voice
Hosted by Dan Mellins from AraGeek, Founders’ Voice brings you raw, honest conversations with the entrepreneurs and dreamers reshaping the MENA region. From bootstrapping in tough times to building businesses that make a real impact — these are stories of grit, hope, and community. No jargon. No fluff. Just real voices making it happen.
Listen Now:
• Website: https://en.arageek.com
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOiMKhmwUSBjElxrWP6No?si=yP0CtF2dTDmfZocUNZ_HWw
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/475543d2-24b4-4de1-b247-27ceb584436c/founders’-voice-from-arageek-com
Follow AraGeek:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arageek_en
• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/arageek-com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arageek.english/
• AraGeek TV: https://en.arageek.com/tv
What’s holding your LinkedIn profile back? In this episode of Founder’s Voice, Khaled El-Ahmad—founder of inhub.ai—joins Dan to share smart, no-fluff tips for standing out on LinkedIn. From AI-enhanced profiles to why networking beats applying, this one’s for anyone serious about their career in the age of AI.
Topics:
• Why most LinkedIn profiles fail (and how to fix yours)
• Networking over applying: the smarter way to get hired
• AI’s real impact on personal branding
• A simple hack to uncover hidden job opportunities
• How inhub.ai is rethinking LinkedIn success
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Founders’ Voice
Hosted by Dan Mellins from AraGeek, Founders’ Voice brings you raw, honest conversations with the entrepreneurs and dreamers reshaping the MENA region. From bootstrapping in tough times to building businesses that make a real impact—these are stories of grit, hope, and community. No jargon. No fluff. Just real voices making it happen.
Listen Now:
• Website: https://en.arageek.com
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOiMKhmwUSBjElxrWP6No?si=yP0CtF2dTDmfZocUNZ_HWw
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/475543d2-24b4-4de1-b247-27ceb584436c/founders’-voice-from-arageek-com
Follow AraGeek:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arageek_en
• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/arageek-com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arageek.english/
• AraGeek TV: https://en.arageek.com/tv
From ADHD superpowers to space-faring dreams! In this episode of Founders’ Voice, we meet the multi-hyphenate innovator, author, and business consultant Mohammad Bahareth. We dive into his “Goal Model Canvas,” hear how neurodivergence can fuel big thinking, and explore why reinventing the ordinary—like the humble coat hanger—can spark your next big venture. Plus, a quick detour into Sherlock Holmes fan fiction (yes, he married Irene Adler!) shows just how boundless creativity can be when you follow your passions.
Topics:
• The “Goal Model Canvas” for laser-focused ambition
• Harnessing ADHD and dyslexia as entrepreneurial strengths
• Reinventing the familiar: why small tweaks lead to big success
• From translating Sherlock Holmes to building space rovers
In this episode of Founder’s Voice, Ahmad Sufian Bayram shares the powerful story behind Startup Syria—a movement that brought together thousands of Syrians across warzones, refugee camps, and blackout-hit cities to imagine a better tomorrow through tech and entrepreneurship. It’s a story of grit, survival, and the kind of hope only builders can create.
Topics:
• Survival entrepreneurship in times of conflict
• How 5,000 Syrians joined a hackathon from exile and frontline cities
• Building startups under power cuts and political instability
• The rise of StartupSyria.org as a grassroots innovation hub
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Founders’ Voice
Hosted by Dan Mellins from AraGeek, Founders’ Voice brings you raw, honest conversations with the entrepreneurs and dreamers reshaping the MENA region. From bootstrapping in tough times to building businesses that make a real impact—these are stories of grit, hope, and community. No jargon. No fluff. Just real voices making it happen.
Listen Now:
• Website: https://en.arageek.com
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOiMKhmwUSBjElxrWP6No?si=yP0CtF2dTDmfZocUNZ_HWw
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/475543d2-24b4-4de1-b247-27ceb584436c/founders’-voice-from-arageek-com
Check out Startup Syria: https://startupsyria.org
Follow AraGeek:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arageek_en
• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/arageek-com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arageek.english/
• AraGeek TV: https://en.arageek.com/tv
In this unfiltered episode, Mo Salah (no, not the footballer) breaks down exactly why that’s a problem—and what we need to fix it.
From working with Techstars, Seedstars, and Startup Grind to founding Pitlane Ventures and Founders Paddock, Mo’s spent a decade inside accelerators across the region. He’s seen what works, what doesn’t, and why Silicon Valley’s model still matters.
💥 Why the region lacks a true builder culture
💥 What a “real” startup ecosystem needs (hint: not McKinsey)
💥 The 4 things every founding team must have before Day 1
💥 Why you probably shouldn’t start a company in your 20s
💥 The Middle East’s most promising startups right now (Tabby, Gameball, Instabug)
⸻
Founders’ Voice
Hosted by Dan Mellins from AraGeek, Founders’ Voice brings you raw, honest conversations with the entrepreneurs and dreamers reshaping the MENA region. From bootstrapping in tough times to building businesses that make a real impact—these are stories of grit, hope, and community. No jargon. No fluff. Just real voices making it happen.
Listen Now:
• Website: https://en.arageek.com
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AOiMKhmwUSBjElxrWP6No?si=yP0CtF2dTDmfZocUNZ_HWw
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/475543d2-24b4-4de1-b247-27ceb584436c/founders’-voice-from-arageek-com
Follow AraGeek:
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arageek_en
• LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/arageek-com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arageek.english/
• AraGeek TV: https://en.arageek.com/tv
