with Loulou

E98: Nana's $212M collapse, MENA funding -37% YoY, late-stage freeze in the Iran war, the AI thesis in the GPT-6 era

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:24:30 +0000

After nine months off the mic, With Loulou returns with a new format: dissecting global and regional events and what they mean for the MENA economy.

First guest back is Khaled Talhouni, Managing Partner and co-founder of Nuwa Capital — a $100M GCC-focused VC firm with 53 portfolio companies across Saudi, the UAE, and Egypt. Recorded in Dubai on April 22, the morning after the Iran ceasefire was extended indefinitely.

What we get into:

✔️ What 53 portfolio companies actually saw through the war and the quieter capital story underneath.
✔️ The Wamda Q1 numbers ($941M, -37% YoY, 7 late-stage deals) and what's behind the late-stage freeze.
✔️ Nana's $212M collapse and why quick commerce is a race to the bottom.
✔️ How Nuwa thinks about AI in the GPT-6 era.
✔️ Plus rapid fire: biggest MENA exit of 2026, deals he regrets passing on, and the most underrated sector right now.

Chapters

00:00 A new direction for the show
03:00 The mood in the Gulf after the ceasefire
06:30 What 53 portfolio companies saw through the war
12:10 Global funds, term sheets, and the debt-side slow-walk
18:20 Venture deployment, valuations, and risk in uncertainty
24:00 Why downturns produce strong companies
28:30 IPOs, secondaries, and the changing exit map
33:20 Nana's $212M collapse and quick commerce's race to the bottom
46:30 Portfolio construction in angel investing
49:10 The AI thesis in the GPT-6 era
56:50 Rapid fire: exits, regrets, and the most underrated sector

Follow Loulou Khazen

Instagram: /louloukhazen
LinkedIn: /louloukhazen
X (Twitter): /louloukhazen

Also available on

Apple Podcasts
https://bit.ly/3Stm32D

Spotify
https://bit.ly/3H1vzHO

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Special Episode: When War Stops Feeling Far Away | Mo Gawdat

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:13:53 +0000

In this special episode, Loulou Khazen speaks with Mo Gawdat about fear, uncertainty, and the psychological impact of war. في هذه الحلقة الخاصة، تتحاور لولو خازن مع مو جودة حول الخوف وعدم اليقين والتأثير النفسي للحروب.

As the Gulf faces a moment that can no longer be ignored, this conversation explores what happens inside people when threat stops feeling abstract. ومع لحظة حساسة تعيشها منطقة الخليج ولا يمكن تجاهلها، يستكشف هذا الحوار ما يحدث داخل الإنسان عندما يتوقف الخطر عن كونه فكرة بعيدة ويصبح واقعاً.

From anxiety and overload to risk assessment, parenting, media fatigue, and emotional regulation, this is a practical conversation about how to think clearly and stay human when the world feels unstable. من القلق وتدفق المعلومات إلى تقييم المخاطر وتربية الأطفال وإرهاق الأخبار وتنظيم المشاعر، يقدم هذا الحوار نقاشاً عملياً حول كيفية التفكير بوضوح والحفاظ على إنسانيتنا عندما يبدو العالم غير مستقر.

Key Moments
محطات الحلقة

What you will learn ماذا ستتعلم في هذه الحلقة
✔️ Why the brain struggles so much with uncertainty لماذا يعاني العقل البشري كثيراً عند مواجهة عدم اليقين
✔️ How fear changes the way we think, feel, and behave كيف يغير الخوف طريقة تفكيرنا وشعورنا وتصرفاتنا
✔️ How media overload distorts judgment and increases stress كيف يؤدي الإفراط في متابعة الأخبار إلى تشويه الحكم وزيادة التوتر
✔️ How to assess risk without spiraling كيف يمكن تقييم المخاطر دون الوقوع في دوامة القلق
✔️ Why calm is a better way to function under pressure لماذا يعتبر الهدوء الطريقة الأفضل للتعامل مع الضغوط
✔️ How to support children emotionally during crisis كيف يمكن دعم الأطفال عاطفياً أثناء الأزمات
✔️ How not to lose your humanity in difficult times كيف نحافظ على إنسانيتنا في الأوقات الصعبة

00:00 Introduction | المقدمة
02:35 Why this conversation became necessary | لماذا أصبح هذا الحوار ضرورياً
05:00 What war does to the human mind | كيف تؤثر الحروب على العقل البشري
08:10 How social media normalized violence | كيف جعلت وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي العنف يبدو طبيعياً
11:50 How to question your thoughts in a crisis | كيف نراجع أفكارنا أثناء الأزمات
15:10 Propaganda, media overload, and fear | الدعاية وتدفق المعلومات وتأثيرهما على الخوف
18:45 Why uncertainty makes us anxious | لماذا يسبب عدم اليقين القلق
22:10 How the brain reacts to danger | كيف يتفاعل العقل مع الخطر
26:30 Real danger vs perceived danger | الفرق بين الخطر الحقيقي والخطر المتصور
30:40 How parents should talk to children about war | كيف يتحدث الآباء مع أطفالهم عن الحروب
35:10 Why compassion matters in a crisis | لماذا يظل التعاطف مهماً في الأزمات
40:15 How different people react to stress | كيف يختلف رد فعل الناس تجاه الضغط
45:00 How to stay calm during chaos | كيف نحافظ على هدوئنا وسط الفوضى
49:30 How to turn fear into clarity | كيف نحول الخوف إلى وضوح
55:40 How not to lose your humanity | كيف لا نفقد إنسانيتنا
01:01:00 What to remember from this conversation | ما الذي يجب أن نتذكره من هذا الحوار

Follow Loulou Khazen تابعوا لولو خازن
Instagram: /louloukhazen
LinkedIn: /louloukhazen
X (Twitter): /louloukhazen

Also available on متوفر أيضاً على
Apple Podcasts https://bit.ly/3Stm32D
Spotify https://bit.ly/3H1vzHO

Share your feedback شاركونا آرائكم
https://33s6g1ujw6w.typeform.com/to/K

New to With Loulou? هل هذه أول مرة تتابعون

Hi, I’m Loulou Khazen, based in Dubai. I started my journey as a tech entrepreneur, and today I’m a startup investor, podcaster, and speaker. Most importantly, I’m a mom of two. مرحباً، أنا لولو خازن، أعيش في دبي. بدأت مسيرتي كرائدة أعمال في مجال التكنولوجيا، واليوم أنا مستثمرة في الشركات الناشئة وبودكاستر ومتحدثة في الفعاليات. والأهم أنني أم لطفلين.
To learn more, check out my LinkedIn profile or read my latest feature in Entrepreneur Magazine: للمزيد من المعلومات، يمكنكم زيارة صفحتي على لينكدإن أو قراءة مقابلتي الأخيرة في مجلة Entrepreneur: https://bit.ly/3QLwBKs

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E97: This Dubai Expat Risked Everything—Then Raised $30M to Build a Global Brand

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Anam Khalid, Loulou Khazen) — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:43:18 +0000

Discover how Anam Khalid, co-founder and COO of Squatwolf, went from a small-town girl in Pakistan to building a global fitness brand from Dubai. In this inspiring conversation, Anam reveals the sacrifices, challenges, and truths of entrepreneurship, breaking gender barriers, and building a business with her husband. If you dream of creating your own success story, this episode will light the fire.

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E96: أن تكون معروفاً أو أن تُمحى: عن المال والكرامة في عالمٍ تضيق فيه الخيارات | مع خبيرة التواصل والإعلامية نعمة أبو وردة

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Nima Abu Wardeh, Loulou Khazen) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:00:45 +0000

لماذا علينا أن نتحدث عن المال؟ ولماذا تكون النساء أكثر عرضة للموت مفلسات؟

في هذه الحلقة، نستضيف الإعلامية العالمية، خبيرة التواصل، ومؤلفة كتاب "The Brilliant Communicator"، نعمة أبو وردة، وهي أيضاً صحفية سابقة في هيئة الإذاعة البريطانية (BBC)، لنغوص في قضايا المال، واتخاذ القرار، وأهمية الحضور والتعبير عن الذات.

نعمة، بخبرتها في آلاف المقابلات وتدريب مئات الأشخاص، تشرح لنا لماذا لا تقل طريقة عرض المعرفة أهميةً عن المعرفة نفسها.

هذه الحلقة ليست موجهة للنساء فقط، بل لكل من يسعى لفهم النظام، وكسر الصمت، وصناعة حياة مليئة بالخيارات والكرامة

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🎁هذه الحلقة برعاية Mustashar Mini MBA. زوروا الموقع وإستعملو الكود: Loulou

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👇 Explore the full journey below | استكشفوا محطات الحوار الكاملة هنا 👇

00:00 مدخل تمهيدي للحلقة | Episode Hook

00:54 التعريف بنعمة أبو وردة ومقدمة الحلقة | Meet Nima Abu Wardeh & Episode Intro

01:29 رسالة نعمة إلى المستمعين | Nima’s Message to Listeners

04:36 الفلسفة والدوافع وراء تفكير نعمة | Behind Nima’s Mindset & Drive

07:02 لماذا من الضروري تبنّي منظور صانع القرار؟ | The Importance of Stepping into the Decision-Maker’s Shoes

08:43 كن المدير التنفيذي لخبرتك | Become the CEO of Your Expertise

10:28 نجاحك يتحدد بمن يعرفك، لا بمن تعرفه | Your Success Is Defined by Who Knows You, Not Who You Know

12:29 أهمية بناء الحضور خارج إطار العمل | The Importance of Building Presence Beyond the Workplace

16:38 ضعف شبكة العلاقات يؤدي إلى قلة الفرص المهنية | How a Weak Network Hurts Career Opportunities

17:53 وجودك على منصة هو مفتاح نجاحك | Why Having a Platform Is Key to Success

21:27 تميّزك يلغي المنافسة | Stand Out by Defining Your Uniqueness

25:41 كيف تحقق أهدافك؟ دليل من الكتاب | Reaching Your Goals – Insights from the Book

31:19 الفيل في المقابلة: الأسئلة غير المعلنة | Addressing the Elephant in Job Interviews

34:08 امتلك خبرتك بثقة | Owning Your Expertise with Confidence

38:59 عبّر للعالم عمّا تريده | Communicate What You Want to the World

39:30 خطوات عملية لتحقيق الأهداف | Steps to Achieving Your Goals

40:10 اقترض لتبني | Borrow to Build

45:00 تدرّب على عرض قيمك عبر المنصات | Practice Sharing Your Values Across Platforms

48:50 لماذا النساء أكثر عرضة للموت مفلسات؟ | Why Are Women More Likely to Die Broke?

56:00 الحقيقة حول فجوة الأجور بين الجنسين | The Truth About the Gender Pay Gap

01:02:00 الطلاق وتحمل المسؤولية المالية بمفردك | Divorce and the Burden of Being the Sole Provider

01:04:05 تكلفة المعيشة بالنسبة للنساء | The Cost of Living for Women

01:06:50 الظلم الواقع على النساء حول العالم | Injustice Toward Women Worldwide

01:08:15 كيف تواجه المرأة المُهمشة واقعها؟ | How Can Disadvantaged Women Stand Up for Themselves?

01:11:07 هل هناك ما يُسمى بوظيفة “أقل قيمة”؟ | Is There Such a Thing as a Lesser Job?

01:11:45 كسر القيود الثقافية التي لا تخدمنا | Defying Cultural Norms That Don’t Serve Us

01:14:48 كلمات ختامية | Closing Remarks

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E95: From Refugee Roots to Snapchat VP: Hussein Freijeh on Love, Progress and Authentic Leadership

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Hussein Freijeh, Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 12:02:52 +0000

What does progress mean when you start life as a refugee?

In this heartfelt episode, Snapchat's MENA VP Hussein Freijeh opens up about building what his father and grandfather never had.

We talk about fatherhood, the pressure to succeed, why he nearly lost his job in Big Tech, and how he's now mentoring others to find the path he once had to figure out alone.

He also shares his vision for Snap as a platform that embraces simplicity, authenticity and creativity.

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E94: محمد جودت: لأول مرة، ما لم يُقَل عن النجاح والحياة

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Mo Gawdat, Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 29 May 2025 15:21:07 +0000

ماذا لو كان ما نؤمن به عن النجاح والمشاعر والعمل... مجرد وهم مغلف بإتقان؟

في هذه الحلقة المؤثرة، نستضيف محمد جودت — الرئيس التنفيذي السابق للأعمال في غوغل إكس، مؤلف عالمي الأكثر مبيعًا، وصوت رائد في السعادة وتطوير الذات

🌐 هذه الحلقة برعاية Bioniq Go: https://bioniq.com/loulou
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E93: "زينة خوري تتحدث عن الاستثمار بالنفس، العقارات، و"الدراما

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Zeina Khoury, Loulou Khazen) — Sat, 10 May 2025 14:32:43 +0000

شاهد الملايين برنامج “دبي بلينغ” على نتفليكس، حيث نتابع حياة الأثرياء الباذخة في الجانب الصاخب من دبي. لكن ما لا يعرفه كثيرون هو من هم هؤلاء الأشخاص خلف الكواليس، بعيدًا عن الأضواء والثراء. في هذه الحلقة، أتحاور مع زينة خوري، نجمة “دبي بلينغ”، حول الشهرة، والثروة، وما وراءهما

هذه الحلقة برعاية Bioniq Go
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Millions have watched Dubai Bling on Netflix, where we follow the daily lives of the rich and glamorous in Dubai. But what many don’t know is who these people really are behind the scenes, away from the spotlight and the luxury. I sat down with Zeina Khoury, star of Dubai Bling, to talk about fame, wealth, and what lies beyond them.

00:00 - 01:39
مقدّمة

01:39 - 03:45
النشأة في لبنان

03:45 - 05:51
قرار الهجرة والبدء من الصفر في دبي

05:51 - 06:56
من بيت الأهل إلى الاستقلال المادي

06:56 - 08:03
محاولات دخول الإعلام والعمل الحر

08:03 - 10:49

أول فرصة حقيقية في مجال التقديم وإدارة الأعمال

10:49 - 11:24
إعلان

11:24 - 14:02
كيف جنت زينة ثروتها

14:02 - 15:29
الاستثمار والتفكير المالي

15:29 - 17:57
الاستثمار في العقارات والوقت الصحيح للبيع

17:57 - 23:14
ظاهرة الربح السريع في الجيل الجديد ودورالسوشال ميديا والتأثير

23:14 - 27:50

استخدام الأدوات الحديثة في السوشال ميديا وأهمية وجود أساس للتأثير

27:50 - 33:30
الانضمام إلى دبي بلينغ والتعامل مع الشهرة

33:30- 36:50
الفصل بين الشخصية الحقيقية والصورة الإعلامية

36:50 - 35:36
تأثير السوشال ميديا على العلاقات والمفاهيم

35:36 - 41:31
مفهوم زينة النجاح خارج المال والمظاهر

41:31 - 43:18
فلسفة زينة في السكن والمعيشة العملية

43:18 - 45:52
أدوات للاستثمار العقاري الحديث

45:52 - 47:58
مفهوم زينة للنجاح وأهمية السعي للتطور

47:58 - 50:00
التعامل مع المقارنة والضغط الاجتماعي

50:00 - 53:11
تجربتها الشخصية مع التحيّزات الجمالية

53:11 - 59:17
عن القلق، التمثيل، والانطباع الخارجي

59:17 - 1:05:03
التحرش والمضايقات في بيئة العمل وضرورة المواجهة

1:05:03 - 1:06:35
الإيمان بالنفس كمفتاح لكل شيء

1:06:35 - 1:07:24

الخاتمة

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E92: How to Think Big, Start Small, and Succeed at Anything — Lessons from the Founder of the world’s largest tech event!

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Paddy Cosgrave) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:14:46 +0000

Paddy Cosgrave, founder and CEO of Web Summit, joins me for a fast-paced conversation recorded live at Web Summit Qatar. We talk about how he scaled a 150-person event into one of the world’s largest tech conferences, and why the same principles—imagination, naivety, and engineering serendipity—can be applied to anything you want to build. Paddy shares his thoughts on avoiding fear-driven decisions, why big ideas need a bit of “clinical insanity,” and how success often comes down to simply starting—even if you have no idea what you’re doing.

We also touch on tech hype, unsanitized founders, and why he won’t let his kids near addictive apps. This episode is about thinking big, starting small, and taking action—no matter what you’re building.

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E91 Special Arabic Episode: عن الشهرة، الفشل، الذكاء الاصطناعي وعظمة المرأة المصرية: حوار بالعربي مع رائد الأعمال المصري محمد أبو النجا

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 14:59:33 +0000

في الحلقة الأولى من البودكاست بالعربي، حبيت اني أتكلم مع صديقي رائد الأعمال محمد أبو النجا المعروف في مصر ب"نجاتي". محمد عندو رؤية في مجال العمل. عندما كان موظف في فوري، قرر إنو يشتري أسهم بالشركة وأدرجت فوري على البورصة المصرية في عام ٢٠١٩. ومن بعد فوري، كان نجاتي المدير الإقليمي لشركة "كريم" في مصر. وبعدها، كان الشريك المؤسس لشركة "حالاً" وهي اليوم شركة مليارية. ولقد أدى نجاح نجاتي في العمل إلى شهرة كبيرة في مصر وهذه الشهرة فتحت له أبواب منها نجاحه في البودكاست "المال الحلال" الذي اطلقه في أخر سنة ٢٠٢٤

في هذه المحادثة، نتكلم عن الحياة في مصر والفرص المتاحة للشباب والشابات، نتكلم عن دور المرأة المصرية في تربية الجيل الجديد وعن الثقة بالنفس، الرؤية، النجاح و تأثير الشهرة و كيف نتعامل مع الفشل. انشالله تستمتعو بالحديث

00:00 مقدمة الحلقة والتعريف بالضيف

03:18 نجاحات وإخفاقات نجاتي في ريادة الأعمال

09:36 البودكاست والشهرة

11:56 أهمية الإتقان في العمل

20:54 الذكاء الاصطناعي ومستقبل الأعمال

24:47 التحديات والفرص في السوق المصري

32:41 أهمية العائلة والتربية في حياة نجاتي

01:16:07 التوازن بين العمل والحياة الشخصية

01:20:44 خاتمة الحلقة والدعوة للتفاعل

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E90: The deal maker: Ziad Awad on compromise, deal killers, negotiation, and Trump’s ‘drill baby drill’ impact on GCC economies

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 20:00:00 +0000

We kick off by exploring the broader implications of President Trump’s ‘drill baby drill’ policy and how it could shape GCC economies, from oil markets to capital flows. We then deep dive into the art of deal-making, from knowing when to sell, to navigating high-stakes negotiations, to creating a win-win scenario to uncovering the one thing that kills a deal. Ziad gives us a behind the scenes look into how a deal is made and what can go wrong. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or just curious about the inner workings of M&A, this conversation is packed with lessons on valuing time, thinking strategically, and winning in business.

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E89: Philip Bahoshy-the startup valley of death, founder burnout, UAE-Saudi ecosystems, M&A drought and venture capital predictions!

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 02:18:57 +0000

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. Philip dives into M&A challenges, scarce exits, and the rising role of secondary transactions and IPO readiness. He also highlights scaling hurdles in fragmented markets, the talent crunch, and UAE-Saudi ecosystem dynamics. With sharp predictions for 2025—AI’s rise, more IPOs, and deeper ties with Southeast Asia—this episode offers critical insights for founders and investors navigating today’s uncertain venture landscape.

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E88: Sky Kurtz: the $300M agri-tech giant, avoiding down round disasters, founder self-sabotage, the hard truth about MENA exits, tariffs, and bad actors ruining a multi-billion dollar industry

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 02:35:06 +0000

In this episode, we dive into the hard truth about why exits in MENA are so challenging, the role of tariffs in protecting domestic production, and how bad actors have tarnished the reputation of an entire industry. Sky also gives us a masterclass on navigating capital markets, working with your board (hint: don’t deprive them of their learning moments), and what to do when you’re stuck with an inflated valuation.

From ag-tech failures to billion-dollar blunders and business model innovation at scale, this conversation is packed with insights for founders, investors, and anyone interested in the future of food production.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform with offices in Dubai. Click herefor a chance to win AED 1m.

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E87: What It Takes to Win Big (in MENA): Insights from a $35B Founder and Global Investor

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 02:59:26 +0000

Chris Rogers is a global entrepreneur who co-founded Nextel Communications, a wireless connectivity company, in 1987 and sold it for $35B in 2005. In the early 2000s, Chris came to Saudi Arabia to launch Nextel as a joint venture with Saudi Telecom. His deep connection to the region brought him back as an investor in Careem, Kitopi, and several other startups.

In this episode, Chris shares what it takes to build and lead billion-dollar businesses, his perspective on Sovereign Wealth Fund initiatives shaping the MENA startup ecosystem, the challenges Venture Capital firms face in the region, and what it truly means to exit successfully.

Chris also offers timeless lessons on resilience, attracting global investors, and balancing ambition with wellness. Whether you’re a founder, VC, or someone with big dreams, this episode is packed with insights to help you scale your next big thing.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment company with offices in Dubai.Click herefor a chance to win AED 1m.

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E86: Maha Abouelenein: build your brand, bet on yourself and live with no regrets!

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 2 Dec 2024 00:31:00 +0000

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.

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E85: Talal Tabbaa on the Bitcoin run, Bitcoin ETFs, Altcoins. Is it too late to get in?

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 03:45:00 +0000

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

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E84: Where is my seafood coming from? A conversation on turtles, tech and fishy business practices!

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 4 Nov 2024 04:19:00 +0000

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)

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E83: MENA venture capital crisis management and postmortems with Abdullah Mutawi

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:43:00 +0000

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.

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E82: Charlie Wright: hard work, failure, mindset & the serendipity behind Humantra’s Huda Beauty investment

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 7 Oct 2024 07:01:00 +0000

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.

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E81:The families that shaped MENA and what lies ahead for them?

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:03:00 +0000

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/

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Summer Special - Part 3 of 3: What trends are shaping MENA startups today?

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 1 Sep 2024 20:13:00 +0000

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!

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Summer Special - Part 2 of 3: What makes a great entrepreneur?

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 02:25:00 +0000

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!

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Summer Special - Part 1 of 3: Why should you care about startups in MENA?

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 03:09:00 +0000

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.

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E80:Mazen Kanaan on Unilever ouster, House of Pops success, and a Shark Tank deal that went south!

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 5 Aug 2024 05:56:00 +0000

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.

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E79: The art of deal making with private equity veteran Imad Ghandour

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 19:54:00 +0000

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.

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E78:Vadim Fedotov on leading Groupon, founding Bioniq, health & wellness, mental toughness and the right diet

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 7 Jul 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Vadim shares insights from his journey as a professional athlete, how he learned all about mental toughness and breaking your opponent. He shares his journey beyond sports into management consulting in Germany and then becoming the youngest CEO in Groupon as he led Eastern Europe and was part of Groupon’s NASDAQ IPO. He then goes back to his roots in ‘health and sports’ to launch Bioniq in 2018, a personalized supplements company that currently sells is products globally while he lives in Dubai. Vadim talks about the multi-billion dollar supplements industry and why most supplements don’t work. He offers tips on health and wellness, shares insights from Bioniq’s large data pool and wraps up with some tips for healthy eating habits. A very insightful conversation that tackles not only Vadim’s entrepreneurial journey but also, the very important subject of health.

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E77:Courtney Powell on scaling 500 global, investing in MENA, motherhood and entrepreneurship

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:00:00 +0000

I sit down with Courtney Powell, Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of 500 Global to discuss her journey from entrepreneur to global venture capital leader. Courtney shares insights on expanding 500 Global into emerging markets like MENA, balancing motherhood with her career, and the evolving landscape of education and female representation in tech. She also shares practical tips for pitching and fundraising, weaving personal stories and professional insights throughout the conversation.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform.

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E76: The incredible journey of MENA’s e-commerce pioneer, Ronaldo Mouchawar

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 9 Jun 2024 20:00:00 +0000

I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Ronaldo Mouchawar, the trailblazing Co-founder and CEO of Souq.com, which was acquired by Amazon in 2017 for $580 million in cash + $200m in Amazon shares. Ronaldo, a true pioneer of e-commerce in the MENA region, founded Souq in 2005 as a spin-off from Maktoob, another regional success story that was sold to Yahoo for ~$170 million in 2009.

In our conversation, Ronaldo shares captivating industry insights, recounts his personal journey, and reveals his passion for music. Now heading Amazon's operations in MENA and Turkey, Ronaldo remains fervently optimistic about the future of e-commerce in the region. Don't miss this fascinating and inspiring episode!

Support for the show comes from capital.com a global investment platform. Visit their website to start investing today.

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E75: The business of building startups from Rocket Internet to Antler with Jonathan Doerr

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 27 May 2024 22:23:00 +0000

I sat down with Jonathan Doerr, the Co-founding Partner at Antler MENAP to learn about his experience in building, scaling and exciting companies. Jonathan brings a ton of learning from his time with Rocket Internet, where he was the Co-founder and Managing Director at Jumia Nigeria, Africa’s leading e-commerce site which IPOed on the NYSE in 2019 and the Co-CEO at Daraz, the South Asian e-commerce player which was acquired by Alibaba in 2018.

We discuss challenges of building e-commerce companies in emerging markets and the differences between an IPO and an acquisition. Today, Jonathan is leveraging his experience to enable the next generation of founders via Antler where he plays matchmaker and investor to 100s of founders that join Antler’s programs in Dubai, Riyadh and more to come.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform.

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E74:From corporate America to corporate lunch. The story of MUNCH:ON

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 12 May 2024 20:35:00 +0000

Dana Baki is the co-founder and COO at MUNCH:ON, a UAE born startup that was solving the corporate lunch problem. MUNCH:ON which started as LUNCH:ON was utilizing kitchen’s off-peak to deliver affordable meals to corporate executives. The business was experiencing high growth until Covid which posed an existential threat. MUNCH:ON was then born to cater for meals throughout the day. Careem acquired MUNCH:ON in 2022 and Dana took time off to recalibrate and figure out what she wanted to do and landed in the space exploration industry. This is a fantastic conversation about entrepreneurship, work ethic, motherhood and so much more.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their website and start investing today!

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EP73: Why is a Chinese fund scouting for the next unicorn in MENA? Ben Harburg, Managing Partner MSA Capital

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:57:00 +0000

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!

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E72: An insider’s guide to private equity in MENA with Huda Al-Lawati

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:03:00 +0000

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!

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E71: AI for everyone, Hassan Sawaf’s journey to a no-code AI

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 21:43:00 +0000

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!

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E70: What is a hybrid kitchen and how to build one, with Jihad El Eit

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 17 Mar 2024 23:15:00 +0000

'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!

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E69: A conversation with Steven Bartlett from the Diary of a CEO on fame, authenticity and leadership

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 3 Mar 2024 21:00:00 +0000

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

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E68: Learnings from investing in 300+ Emerging Market Startups - Allen Taylor, Endeavor Catalyst

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 03:45:00 +0000

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.

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E67: Listing on the NASDAQ ahead of an economic downturn and new beginnings - Elie Habib, Co-founder Anghami

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 5 Feb 2024 03:08:00 +0000

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!

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E66: A deep dive into MENA venture capital trends with Philip Bahoshy

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 09:28:00 +0000

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

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E65: 2023’s most practical advice

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 7 Jan 2024 22:39:00 +0000

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!

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This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit: https://capital.com

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E64: 2023’s biggest AHA moments

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 13:15:00 +0000

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!

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This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit: https://capital.com

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E63: Ali Halabi on startup failure, pivot and re-birth. An incredible story of resilience

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 20:38:00 +0000

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.

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This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit: https://capital.com

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E62: Dr. Ryan Lefers on building technologies to feed the world sustainably

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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E61: Tomaso Rodriguez on scaling talabat

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 21:27:00 +0000

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.

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E60: GV Ravishankar on growth investing in MENA

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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E59: Dr Saliha Afridi on the art of hearing 'no'

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. To start trading today, visit https://capital.com

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E58: AI and the future of work with Dr Ali Fenwick

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 1 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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E57: Philip Bahoshy on MENA venture capital trends and predictions

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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E56: Marwan & Hassan on Carzaty's multimillion-dollar exit to Kavak

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 2 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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E55: Mudassir Sheikha on scaling and reinventing Careem

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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

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E54: Zuhair & Rawan on building Zest Equity

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 4 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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/

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E53: Kareem Elsirafy explains the venture builder model

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 21 May 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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.

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A link to Find your Larry, the story we referred to in the podcast: https://modus.vc/find-your-larry/

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E52: How to present like a pro with Bill Connor

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 7 May 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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

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E51: Basil Moftah on navigating a down cycle as an Egyptian VC

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 04:58:00 +0000

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

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E50: Money talk: Inflation, rates, recession and you with Binod Shankar

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 9 Apr 2023 17:05:00 +0000

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

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E49: Building a global electric vehicle company from the UAE

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0000

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

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E48: How to raise resilient girls with Carine el Khazen Hadati

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 18:44:00 +0000

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.

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E47: Hossam Allam on food security and safeguarding our future

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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

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E46: How to become a better communicator with Nima Abu Wardeh

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

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

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E45: Emerging Venture Markets Trends and Predictions

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 18:42:00 +0000

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

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E44: IFC's Sufyan Al Issa on responsible and inclusive investing

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 11:10:00 +0000

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

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E43: Dr. Stephen Druggan on the role of schools, raising kids that are whole, and mental health

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 1 Dec 2022 20:00:00 +0000

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

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E42: Amazon Alexa's Dr. Raf Fatani on why technology must cater for Arabic speakers

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 19:20:00 +0000

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

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E41: Dr. Noah Raford on the future of gaming, identity, culture and governance

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 07:41:00 +0000

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

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E40: NoBueno's Chris Eid on Careem's secret sauce, recruitment and a beginner's mindset

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:55:00 +0000

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

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E39: Meta's Fares Akkad on the metaverse and the creator economy

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 23:00:00 +0000

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 hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E38: Basel Anabtawi on podcasts, startups and dropping your ego

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 05:30:00 +0000

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 hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E37: Sara Chemmaa on how a tantrum inspired her entrepreneurial journey

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 9 Jun 2022 17:14:00 +0000

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 hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E36: Tough Love Advisors on new beginnings, brand building, marketing and more

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 26 May 2022 18:01:00 +0000

Kamal Dimachkie and Eddie Maalouf are veteran marketing and communications experts from the MENA region. They have recently launched Tough Love Advisors, a new age consultancy practice. We discuss the challenges of new beginnings, the pillars of brand building, the role of marketing and the impact of social media, influencers, technology and more on how we succeed or fail at brand building.

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E35: Feras Jalbout on building investment platform Baraka

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 12 May 2022 19:02:00 +0000

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 hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E34: The man behind the US$ 3.4 Million Lykan in Fast & Furious 7

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 18:53:00 +0000

We talk to Lebanese entrepreneur Ralph R.Debbas about pioneering the automotive industry in the Middle East. A 15 year journey that saw him create some of the world's most exquisite high performance luxury cars. Today, Dubai born W Motors is building and shipping hypercars like the Lykan - the star of the Fast & Furious 7 movie - the Fenyr and more recently Ghiath, a series of police patrol and military cars. Ralph is also venturing into electric vehicles, the metaverse and more! This is the story of W Motors.

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E33: Dr. Louise Lambert on applying positive psychology

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 16:13:00 +0000

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 hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E32: Cafu's Rashid Al Ghurair on disrupting the petrol station

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 18:57:00 +0000

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 hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E31: Omran Sharaf on reaching Mars and beyond

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 18:52:00 +0000

We talk to Omran Sharaf, Project Director of the Emirates Mars Mission about his experience in leading one of the most significant projects the UAE has undertaken. Omran and his team were in charge of developing, building and launching the "Hope Probe", an unmanned spacecraft sent to study the Martian atmosphere. Omran recalls the events of the night of November 20th 2013, as he juggled between the launch of DubaiSat 2, an earth observation satellite, and a call from the UAE government that would ultimately change his life. We discuss what it takes to deliver such a project, why we should study Mars and the impact that this mission will have on the UAE, the region and the world for generations to come.

For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com or reach out to me on hello@conversationswithloulou.com

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E30: Unifonic's Jonathan Labin on sabbaticals, scale-ups and the metaverse

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 17:08:00 +0000

We talk to Jonathan Labin about his move from a high powered career at Viacom and Facebook to taking a 1 year sabbatical and then shifting gears to startups. In 2020, Jonathan joined Unifonic, a Saudi born startup co-founded by brothers Ahmed and Hassan Hamdan. In his role, Jonathan was responsible of taking the company to the next level, and in 2021, Unifonic raised a whopping US$125 Million to scale. We discuss startups versus scale-ups, cultural, technical and organizational debt and we wrap up with Jonathan's 2022 tech trends including the metaverse!

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E29: CoinMENA's Talal Tabbaa on crypto's disruptive powers, ICOs and why Bitcoin has won!

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 09:32:00 +0000

Talal Tabbaa is the Co-Founder & Chairman of CoinMENA, a crypto business that was founded by Talal and his Co-Founders Dina Sam'an and Yazan Barghuthi - and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain - that aims to provide crypto based financial services such as borrowing, lending, investing and more. He joins us to discuss the business of crypto exchanges and why we need them particularly in the Middle East and North Africa region. A thought provoking and energy filled conversation about ICOs, technology infrastructure inversion, the utility of money, the emergence of private currencies, Bitcoin at $600,000 and more.

You can find Talal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talaltabbaa/

For more on this show visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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E28: TikTok's Shant Oknayan on leadership and building a winning culture

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 10:59:00 +0000

Shant Oknayan is the Head of Global Business Solutions at ByteDance (TikTok) across Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. He joins us to discuss his role in building the regional footprint of one of the fastest growing startups globally. In this episode we zoom in on challenges of leading in a pandemic and we focus on culture. We discuss the evolution of our digital lives and we close with a deeply personal story from Shant and we learn about its impact on his leadership style.

You can find Shant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shant-oknayan/

For more on the show visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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E27: Kitopi's Mohamad Ballout on how to build a unicorn

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Mohamad Ballout, a serial entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Kitopi, a cloud kitchen startup, has recently joined the exclusive and extremely coveted "unicorn club", with Kitopi's valuation topping US$ 1 Billion. He joins Loulou to discuss building a global business out of the UAE, the challenges he faces as he scales Kitopi beyond the UAE, the complexity of running a "food platform" and shares his views on fundraising and managing the Board of Directors effectively.

You can watch this episode on YouTube and you can reach out by visiting the show's website: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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E26: Nadine Mezher, Co-Founder of Sarwa on passive investing and building a fintech company

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 13:34:00 +0000

Nadine Mezher, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Sarwa, and her 2 partners Mark Chahwan and Jad Sayegh want to bring smart investing, trading and saving to the Middle East. In 2017 they launched Sarwa.co, a venture backed fintech startup with US$25M in funding to date. Sarwa is democratizing investing for the young professionals and as a result has witnessed tremendous growth. We talk to Nadine about investing, her own entrepreneurial journey and advice for budding entrepreneurs about having co-founders and fundraising. For more on Nadine and Sarwa visit: www.Conversationswithloulou.com

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E25: Clinical Psychologist Dr. Saliha Afridi on women, creativity and power

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 07:04:00 +0000

Our guest is Dr. Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Founder of The LightHouse Arabia, a premier mental health and wellness center in the UAE. We check in on mental health in our "new normal" and we discuss unlocking our potential as individuals and business leaders, listening to our spirit, taking back our power, unleashing creativity and healing both our body and mind. If you're looking for inspiration, this episode is for you!

Find out more about The LightHouse Arabia by visiting their website: www.lighthousearabia.com

Thank you to our sponsor Astrolabs. To avail exclusive discounts visit: www.astrolabs.com/loulou

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E24: Sexual what? Ketish, the new startup on the block

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 12:43:00 +0000

Emaan Abbas is an American Egyptian entrepreneur who has recently moved to the UAE to follow her dream of working with her idol Huda Kattan, the famous Co-Founder of the Billion Dollar Huda Beauty brand. Working under the stewardship of the Kattan sisters, Emaan quickly learned everything about product development and gave herself the permission to dream about creating her own, one day.

We talk to Emaan about grasping opportunities as they arise, pitching her dream business to her boss and mentor Huda Kattan and then kicking off her journey with Ketish, the Middle East and North Africa's first luxury feminine and sexual wellness brand.

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E23: Let's talk about health and wellness with Dubai government advisor Cedric Betis

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 17:52:00 +0000

We talk to Cedric Betis, an athlete and wellness expert who works with Ministers from the Dubai government and CEOs from the private sector to help them achieve their health and wellness vision for themselves, their companies and their city.

We discuss how COVID has changed the dynamics in terms of wellness on a corporate level and why it is no longer a "nice to have" a wellness program and why the role of "Chief Wellness Officer" would become ubiquitous.

Cedric offers tips to companies, individuals and parents who are looking to achieve their health & wellness goals and how to make these goals sustainable.

PS: please excuse the glitch in the sound in the last 10 minutes as my microphone was accidentally disconnected!

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E22: Noor Sweid on Venture Capital and Startups Exits in MENA

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 14:00:00 +0000

We talk to Noor Sweid, the General Partner at Global Ventures about building a top tier Venture Capital firm in the Middle East & North Africa region. We cover her recent startup exits with e-commerce startup Mumzworld that has undergone an M&A transaction and Kitopi, a cloud kitchen startup that has recently raised $415M via Softbank’s Vision Fund. We discuss fund return expectations in MENA and we wrap up by touching on Noor’s own journey as an entrepreneur and investor.

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E21: Facebook's Ramez Shehadi on the digital economy, entrepreneurship and impact

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 18:52:00 +0000

Ramez Shehadi is the Managing Director of Facebook for the MENA region. In 2020, Ramez was ranked among the top 20 of the 'Top 50 Regional Executives Heading International Companies' by Forbes. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Aramex, the Board of Trustees of BeMA (Beirut Museum of Art), the Board of Directors of MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) and is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Middle East Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Global Leadership Network to name a few. What is striking about Ramez though is not his accolades, it is his humility. In this episode Ramez speaks openly about the differences between his lifelong consulting career and his leadership role at Facebook. He shares some of the hard lessons he had to learn along the way. Ramez talks about a stronger and more prosperous MENA region and why he has faith in the region and its capabilities. We talk about Ramez's own experience as an entrepreneur and the outcome of the startup he co-founded. He continues to love and give back to the startup space by mentoring and personally investing in startups via R&R Ventures, a boutique VC he co-founded. We chat about the skills of the future and what advice he is currently giving his daughters who are transitioning from high school to university. We conclude with a recommendation for governments that are currently launching funds to invest in local startups and SMEs. This conversation is a peak into Ramez's mind and would certainly leave you more optimistic about the future. For more on Ramez and his work, please check out his biography. If you're enjoying this podcast, please subscribe, share and leave us a review!

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E20: Crypto currencies, asset-backed tokens and building a MENA crypto exchange

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 30 May 2021 09:13:00 +0000

As the topic "cryptocurrency" reaches its highest level on google trends globally, we decide to dig into this world in order to understand what it all means to us as individuals and potential investors. We've all seen the news and watched Elon Musk drive cryptocurrencies and particularly Bitcoin to its highest peak and then sent it back crashing. But is it all Elon? What else is at play? Are cryptocurrencies and their underlying technology the blockchain here to stay? Will they indeed fundamentally change the way we own assets and transact? We tackle these points and bring a MENA perspective as we chat with Daniel Ahmed, the co-founder of Fasset, a newly launched (but a couple of years in the making) emerging markets "Digital Asset Gateway" which offers a cryptocurrency exchange service and tokenization services for corporates/ governments with an emphasis on sustainability. We discuss cryptocurrencies, MENA trends, regulation, crypto cycles and his advise for first time crypto investors. To learn more about Fasset visit their website: https://www.fasset.com If you like this content, please subscribe to Conversations with Loulou on Youtube, it helps increase the reach and visibility and helps me as a content creator. For sponsorships, guest recommendations, feedback and other requests, you can connect with me here: https://conversationswithloulou.com/contact/

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E19: Kristel Bechara on embracing NFTs & crypto currencies

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 10 May 2021 17:03:00 +0000

This inaugural episode for season 2 delves into the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and gives you a high-level overview of their use cases. We talk to Kristel Bechara, the award-winning Lebanese artist residing in Dubai about her experience being the first artist from the MENA region to mint and sell NFTs. Why do you need to know about NFTs? Because the underlying technology of NFTs could become ubiquitous sooner than you think and ultimately everything that we own could be made into and traded as an NFT.

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E18: Brahms Chouity a.k.a Daddy Foody on becoming an accidental award winning food blogger

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 06:56:00 +0000

Brahms Chouity known by his Instagram handle @DaddyFoody is the winner of the Best Comfort Food Blogger at the World Bloggers Award for 2019. In this episode we discuss Brahm's passion for conceptualising and identifying business opportunities with the goal to exit in a few years and how he managed to launch close to 30 startups in 2 decades. Whilst he was hard at work churning one business after the other and just before he turns 40, life throws Brahms a curveball that would change his perspective forever. Out of that experience, Daddy Foody was born. Tune in to listen to Brahms' story and find out about his plans for the future!

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E17: Tara Rogers-Ellis on the vital role of public relations

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 10:30:00 +0000

Tara Rogers-Ellis, co-founded Mojo along with Louise Mezzina. Over the course of a decade, the duo have built Mojo into a successful PR and Communications agency, with top clients like Johnson & Johnson, the European Union, RAKBank, Montblanc and more. Tara grew up in South Africa during apartheid and an opportunity to move to the UAE meant that she could have a fresh start, it was at that point when she discovered her natural inclination towards PR and her love for building teams. During the episode, Tara shares useful tips for companies looking to fully leverage public relations, and what to avoid.

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E16: Mishaal Al Gergawi on turning his thirst for learning into a startup

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:30:00 +0000

I’m excited to have Mishaal Al Gergawi on the show this week, one of the UAE’s top thinkers and intellectuals. Mishaal’s journey is quite fascinating as he started his career in finance yet quickly became renowned for his writing, a passion that fueled the launch of The Delma Institute, a think tank that he ran between 2012 and 2018. His work was centered around providing analysis and insights on West Asia and North Africa to governments and corporates. At that point, his curiosity to learn about the world peaked and he decided to undertake his first deep dive and learn about the world’s modern history, a gigantic task that took him 3 years to complete. He wrote a summary about his learnings on [medium](https://medium.com/thingsilearn/history-1453-2001-a1bbc16f455e)]. He is currently on his second deep dive and tackling both the world of sci-fi and crypto currencies. Mishaal wants to be an eternal student, the most well rounded person he can possibly be. His curiosity about the world and his wish to make an impact led him to launch [AXIS](http://axis.xyz), a startup with an audacious goal to build the world’s best graph for companies to understand the MACRO forces impacting their business and help them make informed decisions. I’d love to hear what you’re reading—you can tag me on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/louloukhazen) and leave me a review in Apple Podcasts and IMDb. For sponsorship opportunities, collaborations or guest recommendations, you can [email me](mailto:loulou.khazen@gmail.com) for details.

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E15: Lessons from building LinkedIn's presence in MENA with Ali Matar

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Ali Matar, LinkedIn's Head of EMEA Emerging Markets, Middle East & Africa talks about the disruption that COVID has had on the MENA region and how people are coping with the new work dynamics, job losses and the need to re-think their careers, particularly women. We build on Ali’s experience as the first employee tasked to build the LinkedIn presence in MENA and how a misconception he had ended up being one of his biggest career learning opportunity. A great discussion if you’re currently managing people and looking for practical tips on building a thriving workplace.

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E14: Let's talk about sperm, with Khaled Kteily of Legacy

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

I’m joined by my friend Khaled Kteily, the Founder and CEO of [Legacy](http://givelegacy.com), - a startup he founded at the Harvard Innovation Lab - that provides from-home fertility services for men with the aim to change the outdated view that fertility is a women's issue. The UAE is part of Legacy’s first phase of international expansion and Khaled is hoping to kick off at the earliest given the region’s struggle with infertility in general. Khaled and I talk about the similarities in our journies--we both left home at 17, we both started business from scratch as first-time entrepreneurs at 29, we both won startup competitions & believe in creating momentum to make things happen. We also talk about his own identity and the start of his career at Oliver Wyman followed by the World Economic Forum. A quick disclaimer: I’m a super proud investor in Legacy and fully believe in their mission to become the Fatherhood company helping over 100M men on the journey of becoming a father.

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E13: How a blast injury inspired Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram to create Proximie

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 09:50:00 +0000

Nadine Hachach-Haram is Lebanese reconstructive plastic surgeon based in London and the founder of Proximie, an augmented reality platform allowing surgeons to remotely guide local clinicians through complex procedures in real-time. She joins me on the show this week to talk about growing up in post-war Beirut in the early 90s, her first exposure to the world of surgery to her mission with Proximie to provide top-class healthcare across the world. We also discuss the importance of multitasking and finding a balance as a surgeon, entrepreneur, wife and mother of 3!

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E12: Sky Kurtz on spearheading technology, sustainability & food security with Pure Harvest

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 1 Sep 2020 11:30:00 +0000

In an increasingly digital world, you have to appreciate people who work with their hands—artists, tailors, buildings, designers, cooks. I’m joined on this episode by Sky Kurtz, co-founder & CEO of Pure Harvest, a new breed of tech startups that has raised $50 million to build high-tech greenhouses. We talk about how he got started with entrepreneurship after graduating from Stanford, moving to the UAE and eventually setting up Pure Harvest with a “demo” farm based on which he raised his first $5.8 million from 31 investors. I believe Sky is on a path to build a unicorn in the region (a business valued at over $1 billion). Listen in to hear why he believes education was his ticket to get somewhere in life and how he’s looking to send the elevator back down and give back.

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E11: Jalil Allabadi on how COVID has created an inflection point for health tech

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 08:30:00 +0000

Jalil Allabadi started working on Altibbi.com, a health-tech startup out of Jordan in 2011. It was the first attempt to digitize an Arabic-Arabic medical dictionary published by his father, a prominent Jordanian surgeon. What started off as 15,000 terms is now 100,000 medical terms across 2 million pages. In 2016 he saw an opportunity to change his business model and decided that the real opportunity is in telehealth - the ability for patients and doctors to connect online and on demand - a feature that has witnessed mega growth at the onset of COVID with 1 million online consultations performed in 6 months! Jalil shares his journey into entrepreneurship, his challenges with finding a suitable co-founder, fundraising and his vision for Altibbi.

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E10: Dina El-Mofty on overcoming barriers to launch an NGO in Egypt

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 4 Aug 2020 07:30:00 +0000

Dina El-Mofty is the founder of Injaz, a pioneering NGO in Egypt and on a mission to empower one million Egyptian youths by 2020 by teaching them entrepreneurship, financial and work readiness skills. Injaz's work with schools and universities led Dina to launch "My Company" in 2011, an accelerator offering grants and mentorship to entrepreneurs at a time of crisis (during and post revolution). We talk about her journey of persistence building Injaz, the importance of patience in building relations and more importantly, having a strong mindset and faith to overcome tough times. If you’re looking for inspiration and to discover the rewards of following one’s purpose then this episode is for you.

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E9: Finding yourself and starting over at age 40, with Binod Shankar

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Binod Shankar is many things--from a former entrepreneur & now a mentor to a podcaster & speaker to a cyclist & mountaineer, and a dear friend. He was also my CFA Level I coach. After leaving the corporate life, he went on to co-found the Genesis Training Institude in 2009 which eventually got acquired by Kaplan Inc. in 2017. Today he mentors young finance enthusiasts via his podcast, The Real Finance Mentor, and is a writer, speaker and regular guest on CNBC Arabia. Binod opens up about his journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship and some key life lessons along the way, his take on executive coaching and how fitness can help shape your mindset. If you're someone on a path to self-discovery, this episode is for you.

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E8: Abdulaziz Al Loughani on scaling & exits and why regional VCs need to add more value

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Wed, 8 Jul 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Abdulaziz Al Loughani co-founded and managed [Talabat.com](http://talabat.com) before it was acquired by Rocket Internet for $170m in 2015. He is currently the CEO of Floward, a flowers and gifts ecommerce platform and the co-founder and managing partner of Faith Capital, a Kuwait based private Venture Capital firm investing in MENA startups. Abdulaziz is a hardworking, brilliant and humble man whom I am proud to call a friend. He brings a lot of experience to the MENA startup scene and has even helped shape the Kuwaiti government’s strategy towards entrepreneurship and SMEs. In this conversation we discuss his views on the regional Venture Capital firms (VCs) and why he believes that little value is added beyond cash. We also discuss what founders need to build a company that lasts forever, opportunities for founders in MENA, exits, IPOs and more. This episode is a must listen entrepreneurs, angel investors and VCs.

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E7: VentureSouq’s Sonia Weymuller on finding your inner Sisu

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 21 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0000

I’m joined on this episode by Sonia Weymuller, founding partner at VentureSouq, a Dubai-based investment platform. Sonia’s career started out in media & technology working with companies like Turner Broadcasting, Viacom and Microsoft before going on to found VentureSouq in 2015. Last year, she launched Conscious Collective, an impact-driven investment vehicle that is an extension of VentureSouq. Sonia is a Charter Member & Board Director for TiE’s Dubai Chapter, serves as the UAE Director for the Yale Alumni Schools Committee and is a Board Member and Mentor for e7 Daughters of the Emirates. Sonia is also a Kaufman Fellow. In this chat we discuss Sonia’s decision to switch to entrepreneurship and how she recovered from the curveballs in her life to find her inner Sisu, which is also what she named her rescued cat. Thanks to Primal Alignment for their support of this episode. If getting fit and staying fit has been a challenge for you especially recently, Coach Franky — a former Green Beret and former instructor of the British Commando's training wing — is going to change your life. Register for the online program by visiting his [website](http://primalalignment.net).

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E6: Chris Schroeder shares valuable advice on entrepreneurship and venture investing

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 8 Jun 2020 06:30:00 +0000

Chris Schroeder is a global angel investor & advisor to tech startups with a keen interest in emerging markets. Chris is the co-founder of Next Billion Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on the next billion digital consumers across global emerging markets, he is a Network Partner for Village Global, an early venture capital fund backed by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Diane Greene, Sara Blakely, Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman and many more exceptional entrepreneurs. He sits on the investment committees of Wamda Capital & Saudi Telecom Ventures and he is on the board of several private and NGO boards. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Chris started out in politics with the George W Bush (Senior) presidential campaign before becoming the CEO of the Washington Post/ Newsweek interactive. In 2005 he co-founded Health Central, a platform that helps people find and share real-life experiences related to their health needs. Health Central was backed by the likes of Sequoia, Polaris Ventures and the Carlyle Group to name a few and was acquired by Remedy Health in 2012. In 2013, Chris published the first book on the Middle East & North Africa’s entrepreneurship scene called: Startup Rising — The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East — with a forward by renowned investor Marc Andreessen. I’ve known Chris for nearly a decade and am delighted he let me ask the questions this time as he is the one who is always curious and eager to be of service. We talked about Chris's transition into entrepreneurship from politics and corporate life, his fascination with entrepreneurship in the Middle East and emerging markets, the sectors he’s currently considering for investment and we touch on our need to step up and take control of our lives and also our biases. For those interested in learning more about fundraising for startups and venture capital, check out these 2 books: [Venture deals](https://www.venturedeals.com) by Brad Feld and (Secrets of Sand Hill Road](Secrets of Sand Hill Road) by Scott Kupor.

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E5: Samer Hamadeh on building F&B brands that people love

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sun, 24 May 2020 07:00:00 +0000

My guest Samer Hamadeh is a serial entrepreneur in the entertainment and Food & Beverage space having built some great concepts such as Republique, Stereo Arcade, Akiba Dori and more. I met Samer way before his food and beverage days when he was at Impact BBDO, where 7 months in, he was already on his way out, founding his first business in the corporate events space. Samer is the kind of guy you want to hang out with and learn from as he openly shares his successes and failures. I catch up with Samer to talk entrepreneurship, fundraising, managing a board of directors, building brands that people love and more.

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E4: Rayan Karaky on spearheading digital media in MENA

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Thu, 14 May 2020 15:00:00 +0000

A recording from the first LIVE session with Rayan Karaky who currently leads Partnerships, Product and Platform teams at Google – MENA. We chat about Rayan's standup comedy and how it helps leaders show vulnerability which makes them more approachable. We also discuss his intrapreneurial journey with Starcom (part of Publicis Group) and his push towards implementing the latest digital advertising tools in MENA followed by his move to Google and his role in helping partners achieve digital maturity in order to better leverage digital advertising. We then move to a post COVID world and we discuss some of the opportunities for the MENA region particularly with 200 million people who are still not connected to the internet.

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E3: Turning your MBA project into a startup with Magnitt's Philip Bahoshy

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 11:30:00 +0000

My guest today founded a company that set out to be the _Tinder_ for startups & investors--Magnitt--which he conceptualized in 2012. Philip Bahoshy is a Brit with Iraqi origins and after exploring a career in financial services, found himself wanting to get away from the corporate world and the Middle East. He went on to complete his MBA at INSEAD and as he learnt about the entrepreneurial world, realized a major gap in the startup space particularly in the Middle East. Recorded before the coronavirus restrictions came into effect, this episode has numerous insights from Philip and the data they are compiling at Magnitt alongwith his take on key players, opportunities & exits.

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E2: Why is company culture critical for success? With OMG’s Nadim Samara

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

My guest Nadim Samara is the CEO of Omnicom Media Group (OMG) MENA, the premier media and marketing services group. He is a media agency veteran having built a career at OMD since 2001 and built expertise in both MENA and US markets. I’ve known Nadim since childhood and I can say with absolute certainty that he is a genuine person that is big on life. In addition to his highly successful career in media, he is a shrewd businessman, a master conversationalist, a loving father of 3 beautiful kids, an adventurer and nature lover. Lest not forget his biggest passions in life, chocolate and building - oversized - cars that scale the Lebanese mountains or Dubai deserts! In this episode we discuss his focus on building a great company culture following the footsteps of his mentor Elie Khoury – now Chairman of Omnicom Media Group MENA – and why it is important for the health of the business. We will also talk about the importance of talent particularly in an industry that is under constant transformation and how OMG is diversifying their business to create more revenue streams for themselves and their clients. Lastly, we will talk about the person behind the business and what has ultimately prepared Nadim and primed him for success as well as his tips for staying the course. Overall, if you are in the advertising, media or an executive in a large business, you may find some great insights into leading, scaling and diversifying a US$500M+ business.

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E1: Elie Habib on building Anghami, a $100 Million+ music streaming service out of Lebanon

loulou.khazen@gmail.com (Loulou Khazen) — Mon, 2 Mar 2020 13:15:00 +0000

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Conversations with Loulou, a podcast that aims to be an extension of my learning journey & transformations over the past decade. I couldn’t think of a better guest to join me to kickstart the show than a serial entrepreneur who’s fifth venture Anghami—the region’s largest music streaming service—is valued at over USD$100 million. Elie suggests that running Anghami is not unlike cooking in a kitchen with a limited pantry and we talk about some of the major milestones in the company’s journey, what they got dead right when it came to understanding the region’s consumers and Elie’s personal goal of turning the music streaming business model on its head.

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