Conversations with Loulou

Ben Harburg is the Managing Partner at MSA Capital, a Chinese VC with $2.5bn of assets under management and MSA Novo, a newly established emerging markets fund with focus on the GCC. Ben brings a decade of expertise investing in Chinese tech companies to the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region and is scouting for the next MENA based unicorns. MSA capital is already an investor in regional success stories like Tabby, Homzmart, Rabbit, Baly and KASO to name a few. A refreshing conversation on Chinese tech and what we can learn from China’s startup ecosystem and why Ben believes that startups in MENA would likely be looking more East than West when it comes to innovation and business models to mimic and perhaps even exit opportunities. Ben is an entrepreneur and the co-owner of Cadiz football club, he shares tips on entrepreneurship and on having the foresight to spot opportunities before they become common knowledge and why he constantly seeks arbitrage opportunities. Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their webiste to start trading today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huda Al-Lawati is a veteran private equity professional across emerging markets having had executive roles at companies like Gateway Partners, Savola and Abraaj. Huda has recently launched Aliph Capital, a private equity fund that focuses on the mid market segment. I sat down with Huda to get an insider’s view on the private equity industry in the MENA region, what are the opportunites, where to fundraise, how to source deals, how to create value to companies they acquire by building the right teams and much more. Also if you’re interested to work in private equity, Huda shares her tips on what she looks for and what it takes to succeed in this competitive industry. If you’re looking to gain an understanding of how the industry works then this is a great place to start! Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their webiste to start trading today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Hassan Sawaf started working on machine learning in the 90s in Germany, no one thought advancements in AI would bring us to where we are today. Not even Hassan himself! In fact, people thought the AI field was too 'theoretical'. In this conversation, Hassan talks to us about AI’s evolution and his vision for aiXplain, a company he is building out of California that aims to make AI accessible to builders and innovators and provide them with tools to prototype their ideas with low or no-code. Hassan has been in the driving seat of the AI evolution and has led AI efforts in some of the world’s leading companies; eBay, Amazon AWS and Meta, he is a serial entrepreneur, sits on several boards, has a Ph.D. in machine learning algorithms for speech translation applications and has 60+ patents and publications in the field. Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their webiste to start trading today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'I have my termination letter framed in my office’ that is the first thing that Jihad said to me when I first met him. Jihad El Eit, is the Founder & Group CEO at Kaykroo, the region’s creator of home grown brands like Manoushe Street, the Good Bowl, Fern el Balad, the Pasta Cup and many more. Jihad has a fascinating entrepreneurial journey that started after the company he worked at i2 shut down in 2007. Immediately after, Jihad saw an opportunity to become the distributor of Nokia in Pakistan, so he packed his bags and moved from Dubai to Pakistan to pursue it! A few years later, another opportunity arose to open a Lebanse Street Food concept with friends and Manoushe Street was born. After exiting his business in Pakistan, Jihad went all in on food and beverage and expanded Manoushe Street which becase Kaykroo in 2020, a series of hybrid kitchens serving over 40 brands in the UAE & Saudi Arabia. With $50m in investments to date, Kaykroo is scaling fast. Jihad shares his story, his insights on the food and beverage industry and plenty of advice for entrepreneurs looking to enter the space. Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their webiste to start trading today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode shot live from the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival on February 4th 2024, Steven and I discuss the power of personal branding and authenticity. Steven is a celebrity in the world of podcasts, his podcast the Diary of a CEO gets 50million monthly downloads and is the #1 podcast in Europe! Steven is a successful entrepreneur, investor and author. Steven is remarkably humble, his passion is grounded in pragmatism and his story truly inspiring, a self-made, self-taught immigrant from Botswana to the UK who made the best out of his privileges and continues to build and be at the helm of successful ventures. This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit: https://capital.com Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with Allen Taylor, the Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst to learn more about their unique approach to investing across the world. Endeavor Catalyst fund is part of the non-profit Endeavor network, the home of 2500+ entrepreneurs across 42 markets. Over the past 11 years, Endeavor Catalyst, chaired by LinkedIn Co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman, has raised $500m and deployed $2m cheques in 300+ companies. We discuss the importance and return potential of investing in emerging markets, why investors need to stick through the current macro environment, advice for founders on raising down rounds and dealing with the stigma of it and what Allen looks for in entrepreneurs. An inspiring discussion and an open invitation for both governments and the private sector to invest in the growth of the startup ecosystem. This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit: https://capital.com To read Endeavor catalyst’s latest report click here and to connect with Allen click here. Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with Elie Habib, the Co-founder of Anghami, the region’s most loved home grown brand! Anghami is a leading music streaming platform catering for the Arab world. We discuss Anghami’s much hyped listing on the NASDAQ New York on February 4th 2022 and the period that follows including the tumbling of their market cap well below their yearly revenues. We discuss Anghami’s new merger with OSN+ and Elie’s new role as CEO post merger. Elie gave me a carte blanche to ask him anything and I deeply respect that. Always leading by example! Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I chat with Philip Bahoshy, the CEO of Magnitt, about the dynamic tech startup scene in the MENA region after a turbulent 2023. We delve into how recent economic shifts affect venture capital and discuss the current trends and 2024 predictions for venture capital in MENA, including the impact of new funding from Saudi Arabia, the resulting high demand for startups and the rise of startups like Tabby and Tamara to unicorn status. We also speculate on potential 2024 IPOs and ponder if MENA startups will pivot from the first layer of digital transformation into more ‘deep tech’, similar to trends in markets like Singapore. We discuss the context behind the numbers and share a cautious optimism for 2024. This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit: https://capital.com Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this second part of 2023’s wrap up, we take a look at some of the year’s most practical advice. We hear from top entrepreneurs and venture capitalists about company culture, shutting down a startup, selling a startup, re-purchasing a startup after a sale and the importance of founders at various stages of the startup building. We also remember a great episode on communicating with confidence. I wish you a great start for 2024 and looking forward to bring to you insights from the world’s most brilliant humans! Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! 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

We’re looking back at 2023’s biggest AHA moments and what a tough year it has been. The common theme across the 19 episodes recorded in 2023 was ‘resilience’ and that is representative of the mood for the year. We saw soaring inflation, increased interest rates which led to a venture capital slow down, we also saw the collapse of several global banks including Silicon Valley Bank. We saw climate get a lot of attention especially as the UAE hosted COP28 and we ended the year with a brutal war on Gaza which continues to rage on. Entrepreneurs and business leaders have been pushed to the limit and our humanity is currently being tested. I would like to thank all of our guests who showed up and shared openly. I also extend my deepest gratitude to you, our community. I wish you all a fulfilling 2024! Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! 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 Ali Halabi, Founder & CEO of Volt Lines, a Turkish based B2B mobility platform solving for the daily work commute in Istanbul, a city of 15million people that is notorious for its traffic woes. Ali has had a fascinating journey from Lebanon to Turkey and has rubbed shoulders with failure many times. In fact Volt Lines was the re-birth of a previous startup called Volt which he had to shut down. He saw himself celebrate Volt Line’s exit to Swvl, a $1.5B regional startup, only to get his company back 6 months later. Ali’s business ingenuity has been documented in a 3 part Harvard Business School case study. This episode is raw, genuine and a masterclass in entrepreneurship. Please spend 7min to fill this anonymous podcast survey. It would really help me in growing the show! 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. Ryan Lefers, Co-founder & CEO at RedSea a climate tech company founded at King Abdullah University of Science and technology (KAUST) building technologies from the desert of Saudi Arabia to make agriculture more sustainable. With $36m of funding to date, RedSea products are currently selling across the world. We discuss Dr. Ryan’s journey from scientist to entrepreneur and the process of taking big ideas through R&D in a lab, manufacturing and testing as well as fundraising to get technologies into the hands of customers. We also discuss the role of universities like KAUST as an R&D and world class talent hub as well as being the first investor in RedSea. Please spend 7min to fill out the podcast listener survey. 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 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