I sat down with Tomaso Rodriguez, CEO at talabat to learn more about his experience growing the largest food delivery platform across 8 Middle Eastern markets. Talabat was born in Kuwait in 2004 and was sold to global player Delivery Hero in 2015 for $170m. Tomaso shares insights on talabat's complex operations, technology and artificial intelligence, building a culture of innovation, creating new revenue streams as well as his thoughts on potential acquisitions for talabat. Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1  This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit https://capital.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with GV Ravishankar the Managing Director at Peak XV (previously Sequoia India) to discus the state of growth stage investing given the current macro environment. The team at Peak XV are managing US$10bn in assets. GV walks us through Peak XV's investment strategy with a focus on MENA, what he looks for in target companies, the importance of founders as the startup matures, advice to founders in his portfolio companies as they weather the global downturn, and parallels between India, South East Asia and the MENA region. Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1  This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit https://capital.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with Dr Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Founder of The Lighthouse Arabia (https://www.lighthousearabia.com), to understand how we can prepare better, react better recover better from rejection.  No is a powerful word. Being comfortable saying no in the right situations is essential to setting healthy boundaries at work and in our personal lives. But sometimes in our professional lives hearing a no can be disheartening. Whether you are a salesperson, in negotiations, an entrepreneur seeking resources and funding, or a creative trying to pitch their vision this conversation will give you practical tips and psychological insights to help you.  Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit https://capital.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with Dr. Ali Fenwick, Professor of Organizational Behavior & Innovation at Hult International business school, to discuss how culturally specific narratives of AI fuel fear or foster optimism and why he fully believes that AI should look and behave more like a human than a robot. An enlightening discussion about what AI means, how ChatGPT feels sentient, the predictability of algorithms and how Dr. Ali built a ~2 million social media following by creating viral content and lastly whether AI will threaten or enhance our human potential. Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with Philip Bahoshy, the founder and CEO of MAGNiTT, the leading VC data platform, to unpack the most recent H1 report on the venture capital landscape and trends across MENA, Pakistan, Turkey and SEA. We discuss the macro conditions leading to the slowdown, how are investors behaving, and what it means for our nascent ecosystem. We also touch on winning industries, new and emerging industries, artificial intelligence and I get Philip’s views on Elon Musk’s ‘hardcore’ work ethic as highlighted in Walter Isaacson’s recent book and if that should be the entrepreneur’s modus operandi in these challenging times. Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar co-founded Carzaty in 2018 in Oman. Carzaty aims at transforming the customer's used car buying journey from a messy experience to a high trust, digital first journey. Carzaty followed a portfolio management approach to selecting, buying and pricing cars. The founders raised $5.9Mn since inception and exited to Mexico born Kavak in 2021. The founder's approach to building and exiting Carzaty is quite interesting as they were quite methodical and analytical. While optimizing the used car sales journey was not their passion, they were passionate about one thing, winning! From the outset, they were realistic about their exit potential and had put a target of $200Mn. How do you ideate for a startup? Should founders build companies that can fetch a realistic exit or aim for a unicorn status but take on higher risks? How would the founders' ambition impact their ability to raise funds from investors? We cover all that and more in our discussion. Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mudassir Sheikha is the Co-founder & CEO of Careem, the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan's (MENAP) biggest startup success story to date with a $3.1Bn exit to Uber in 2020. After the ride hailing success, In April 2023 Mudassir announced a new entity 'Careem Technologies' that will focus on building the region's super app and provide a wide range of services to meet the needs of MENAP's 500 million+ population. Mudassir and I discuss the learnings from the various stages of Careem as well as what the future holds. A glimpse into the mind of one of the region's top entrepreneurs.  This episode is brought to you by She's Next by Visa. A program designed to provide female entrepreneurs with mentorship and support as well as financial rewards! Apply to join the program by June 23rd 2023. Links to the program here: UAE: https://l8.nu/ryNe KSA: https://l8.nu/qgZA Qatar: https://l8.nu/ryNi Kuwait: https://l8.nu/ryNn Bahrain: https://l8.nu/qgZK  Please fill in the podcast listen survey it takes 7 minutes: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zuhair Shamma and Rawan Baddour are the co-founders of Zest equity, a platform that enables startup founders, employees and investors to sell shares they've earned in a secondary transaction, providing much needed liquidity and incentives. But not everyone is bought in, some investors are proponents of such liquidity events, while others remain skeptical as it may incentivize bad actors. A great discussion around syndications, secondary transactions, ESOP and the maturity of the startup ecosystem in the region. To learn more about Zest visit: https://zestequity.com/ Please fill in the podcast listen survey it takes 7 minutes: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kareem Elsirafy is the Managing Partner at Modus Capital, a venture builder with offices in Cairo, Abu Dhabi and soon in Riyadh. Kareem emigrated to the US from Egypt as a toddler, grew up in a challenging environment and joined the US Marine Corps to get some discipline. 4 years later he found himself in a homeless shelter trying to integrate back into society. He eventually worked his way out of homelessness into Columbia University and ultimately co-founding Unite Us, a startup that supports military servicemen, veterans and their families. Unite Us is valued at over $1.5Bn. Kareem made his way back to the region to help founders build companies from the ground up. An inspiring and candid conversation with so many nuggets for entrepreneurs. Please fill in the podcast listener survey: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 A link to Find your Larry, the story we referred to in the podcast: https://modus.vc/find-your-larry/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Presenting confidently is a skill that no entrepreneur or business leader can ignore. The ability to communicate to different stakeholders in a clear, concise and attention grabbing manner is vital to success. I sit down with Bill Connor - veteran White House TV correspondent and anchorman for 15 years - currently the Founder & CEO of Three Media Consultancy to discuss how we can prepare content for presentations and speeches, present the content and then deliver a strong ask. We also discuss how leaders can manage media interviews. A must listen to episode for anyone trying to put together a presentation and looking for tips to do so more calmly and confidently. I would love to get to know you our listeners a bit more so I am conducting a survey. Please spend 3 to 5 minutes on the survey to tell me more about you and provide feedback on the show. I would really appreciate it. All survey responses are anonymous: https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/KeVEuZe1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Startups across the globe are reckoning with a down cycle as a result of the overall macro economic environment and some practices that were long romanticized by Silicon Valley - such as growth at all cost - that have led to bloated startups with a high cash burn and a long path to profitability. I speak to Basil Moftah, General Partner at Nclude, a Venture Capital firm based in Egypt about the impact of the global environment on local startups. We also discuss the challenges that Egyptian startups are facing as they experience spiraling inflation in their own country. How are resilient entrepreneurs and the overall venture capital industry navigating this down cycle and what are some of the lessons learned? For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The post Covid era has been an eventful one with rising inflation, a war in Europe, choppy markets and a severe correction in the startup world with both private & public valuations plummeting. That precipitated the collapse of 5 banks within a few weeks including the #1 global startup bank; Silicon Valley bank. I invite my friend and finance expert Binod Shankar - an ex-finance director, ex-founder, executive coach and market analyst on Bloomberg & CNBC - to talk to us about inflation, bank failures and what it means for us as business leaders and individuals living in the GCC. When will inflation taper? when will the good times roll again? what are some prudent investment strategies given the choppy market? In this conversation Binod simplifies some of the macro economic terms, discusses bank failure and contagion risk, provides advice and lots of laughs! To leaner more about Binod visit: www.therealfinancementor.com For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Ridgway, a British expat, moved to the UAE 15 years ago to pursue his career in TV and like most entrepreneurs to be, he realized that he needed autonomy to unleash his creativity. He went on to launch and exit several businesses in branding and publishing until his passion for bikes led him to launch One Moto (https://one-moto.com/), a global electric vehicle startup from the UAE. Adam is the quintessential entrepreneur; visionary, bold, resourceful, resilient and with a strong bias to action. In just under 2 years, One Moto is producing ~10,000 fully modular electric bikes and vans on a monthly basis and selling across 6 markets. One Moto recently secured a $150Mn financing to expand their vehicle leasing offering and has already won several awards. This is a story in the making and we look forward to see One Moto soar. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy International women's day! I wanted to address the topic from a mental health perspective and I wanted to hold a conversation that would be beneficial to both men and women. I chat to Carine el Khazen Hadati, a leading clinical psychologist in Dubai about raising girls that become resilient, content and independent women. We discuss the behaviors that we parents should be modeling at home, dealing with eating disorders in kids and adults, and catching ourselves as we repeatedly judge and shame women. The messages in this conversation are simple, yet very powerful. A must listen to episode for a genders, particularly those who are raising children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hossam is a marine oceanographer turned climate fund manager. We discuss the nature economy, regenerative farming, insect protein, food security and why the Middle East and Africa region is particularly vulnerable vis-a-vis the Global North. A truly educational conversation and a wake up call for all of us to safeguard our planet which is 'teetering on bankruptcy'. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nima Abu Wardeh, an award winning journalist and the former BBC World reporter, uncovers some of the tools that she teaches in her media trainings to politicians and business leaders. Nima is on a path to democratize the art of communicating effectively to all. This podcast is a communications masterclass and is a must listen if you are looking to become a better communicator and ultimately get what you want. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philip Bahoshy - the Founder & CEO of Magnitt.com - and I unpack the latest Emerging Venture Markets 2022 report recently published by Magnitt. Magnitt tracks startup and investment data across MENA, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan. We discuss venture capital investment trends, winning industries, 2023 predictions and advice for founders. A great way to set the scene for 2023. For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sufyan Al Issa, Ph.D, is the Head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in the UAE. We discuss the need for more investment in the MENA region particularly to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) such as climate, education, financial inclusion and more. Sufyan highlights some of the programs and channels that the IFC is creating to support local entrepreneurs and SMEs particularly in cross-border growth. We also discuss the gender gap and why we must act now. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Stephen Druggan is an experienced educator and leader, he is currently the Superintendent at the American School of Dubai. We discuss the role that schools play in the development of our children and the responsibilities that schools have in raising children that are whole, both emotionally, academically and socially. We discuss the need for diversity of thought, how can schools teach resilience and confidence, how are schools dealing with mental health and we wrap with some heartfelt advice to parents. For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Raf Fatani is spearheading Amazon Alexa in Arabic globally. While most firms tend to revert to the Modern Standard Arabic (or Fusha - فصحة) when they speak to over half a billion Arabic speakers globally, Raf decided that Alexa cannot go down the same path and that an investment has to be made once and for all to bring colloquial Arabic to technology. We discuss the challenges of building Alexa in Arabic from the ground up, what is the utility of a virtual assistant today and what does the future look like. Here is a link to Prof. Elias Muhanna's article that Raf and I discussed at the beginning of the podcast: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/translating-frozen-into-arabic For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Noah Raford is a globally respected futurist and the Director of the Oxford Program on Peace, Policy and the Metaverse. He was previously a founding executive and Futurist-in-Chief at the Dubai Future Foundation and a senior advisor in the UAE Prime Minister's Office. We discuss the evolution of gaming and why we should be paying attention as our lives become increasingly intertwined in these sophisticated spaces where we spend time, socialise, create economic value and culture. Follow Noah on Twitter @nraford or visit, www.noahraford.com For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian Eid is one of the few who played a critical role in Careem's early days launching new markets and then heading marketing for the group. The efforts made in the early days led to its eventual $3.1Bn sale to Uber in 2019. We talk about Careem's secret sauce and how he has taken this knowledge to launch two new ventures, DuckLife and NoBueno. With NoBueno, Christian is taking a non-traditional approach to talent matching, we discuss the biases in the current recruitment process and how he's addressing them. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I speak to Meta's Regional Director for MENA, Fares Akkad about Meta's $10Bn push into the metaverse and what it would mean for us to have both physical and virtual lives. What is the metaverse exactly and how can we experience it? We also discuss the creator economy from a MENA perspective and the opportunities for creators and for businesses. A very insightful discussion that provides a glimpse of what's coming! For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to Basel Anabtawi, podcaster and co-founder of Rising Giants Network, a UAE born podcast network producing hit shows like Al Rasoul, Al Tikriti and Beirut Blast. Basel takes us through his journey of trial and error, why it's important to ask for what you want and to drop your ego. We also discuss the ups and downs of startup life, educating brands on the value of podcasts, monetization and creating hit shows. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to Sara Chemmaa, the Founder and CEO of Citron.ae about stumbling into entrepreneurship after realizing that she needed to find a solution to her toddler's unusual mealtime needs. Little did she know that her toddler would become the source of inspiration for Citron, a company that produces over 200 products and sells in over 20 countries. We discuss entrepreneurship, manufacturing, fundraising for a non-tech startup and more. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to Feras Jalbout about making the jump from professional investor to entrepreneur and building Baraka, an investment platform for the MENA region. Baraka not only enables the young generation to invest, its goal is to educate everyone about the markets locally and globally using simple and easy to understand language. We wrap up with Feras' experience and learnings from having joined YCombinator, one of the top global accelerators and his views on the volatility and the changing expectations of investors funding startup companies in the current environment. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to Dr. Louise Lambert, a Registered Psychologist, Researcher and Professor about Positive Psychology. We cover strategies to use to improve our overall wellbeing as well as the endless pursuit of happiness and meaning in life and at the workplace. We wrap up with some insights from Dr. Lambert's research (a podcast scoop!) on the impact of school systems on our children's wellbeing, a must listen if you're a parent! For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to Rashid Al Ghurair, the Founder & CEO of Cafu, the first on-demand fuel delivery company in the Middle East that is expanding to become the one-stop-shop for all vehicle needs. Rashid recalls how growing up in one of the UAE's most successful business families has taught him that "business has no borders" and that he needed to branch out of the family business and leave his own legacy. We discuss bootstrapping Cafu, the future of fuel and mobility, sustainability as well as standing up to what you believe in despite being told "no" several times. For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices