Wamda

Episode 45 - How can Mena build a deeptech ecosystem?

Amr Awadallah is an Egyptian born computer scientist and entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley. What’s particularly interesting about Amr’s story is that he had no interest in becoming an entrepreneur. His plan was to become an academic and teach computer science back in Cairo. But while at Stanford University where he was doing his PhD, the startup bug hit him and he launched his first venture, Aptivia, back in 1999, which was later acquired by Yahoo. He went onto found Cloudera which went public back in 2017 in an IPO that raised over $4 billion. Now on his third venture, Zir AI, Amr is hoping to revolutionise the way we search online. In this podcast, Awadallah talks about his entrepreneurial journey, the key ingredients of a startup ecosystem and why paying it forward is so important.

Episode 44 - Can data ensure a startup’s success?

As the UAE went into a strict lockdown in 2020, those offering mobility solutions suffered immensely, among them car-leasing and subscription app, Invygo. But the startup not only survived, it grew thanks to a watchful eye on expenses and close examination of user behaviour. In this podcast we spoke with co-founder Pulkit Ganjoo about Invygo's use of data and how it drives the company's decisions

Episode 43 - What is so special about Jordan?

Almost a third of all the entreprenuers in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) are Jordanian, despite the country accounting for just 3 per cent of the region's total population. Jordan has become a major technology outsourcing hub thanks to its young, highly skilled population, bilingual in English and Arabic with a neutral accent; they are technologically savvy, highly educated, and eager to work at competitive wages. 

More than 50 per cent are under the age of 24, with 22 per cent holding degrees in IT, Computer Science, and Engineering. To get a better understanding of Jordan's startup ecosystem, we spoke with Zeena Majali, founder of Crystel and Xina AI, an Arabic virtual assistant. 

 

Episode 42 - How is impact measured?

Most organisations around the world want to create “impact”, but what does this impact look like and what is the best way to measure it?

Reem Khouri, co-founder of Jordan-based Whyise, believes the software solution she has developed can help companies and organisations track and measure the change they wish to bring.

In this podcast we discuss the importance of tracking data and how to use it to bring about change. 

Episode 41 - Should we pay closer attention to Pakistan?

There has been a sudden spike in investment heading towards Pakistani startups, with Middle East investors leading a significant chunk of this trend. In the eight months to August, startups in Pakistan raised more than $200 million, an astounding amount when compared to the $66 million raised in total in 2020.

Pakistan’s economy has all the right markings of a market with potential. It has a population of 200 million, 64 per cent of whom are below the age of 30. It has a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $1260, internet penetration stands at 54 per cent and startups and SMEs account contribute 40 per cent to the country’s GDP.

The government has made significant strides in enabling the entrepreneurship sector, which has enabled the country to jump from 126^th on the Global Entrepreneurship Index back in 2018, to 109 currently, reflecting the growth of the startup and SME sector in the country.

In this podcast we spoke with Saif Ali, general manager at Dastgyr and Ahmad Saeed, founder of Grocerapp about the growth of entrepreneurship in Pakistan and whether the Middle East should be taking greater notice.

Episode 40 - What is the main cause of stress for founders?

Wamda recently launched a report assessing the state of mental health and wellbeing of entrepreneurs in Mena. Based on data collected from 101 startup founders, the report shows that more than a third of startup founders rate their mental as "bad". To further discuss the findings and the future of the mental health sector in the Middle East, we spoke with Ally Salama, founder and CEO of EMPWR.

الحلقة السادسة - كيف تطور سوق توصيل طلبات الطعام في مصر؟

شهد سوق توصيل طلبات الطعام المصري نمواً كبيراً خلال جائحة كورونا، والتي ساهمت في ارتفاع معدلات الطلب عبر الإنترنت. وفقاً لموقع Statista، يقدر حجم سوق توصيل طلبات الطعام إلى حوالي 100 مليون دولار في 2021، ومن المتوقع أن تزداد قيمته السوقية لتصل إلى 145 مليون دولار في 2024، محققاً نمواً سنوياً بنسبة 13.5 في المائة.

خلال عام 2020، حققت شركة طلبات مصر نمواً بأكثر من 80 في المائة، وفقا لما أعلنته المدير التنفيذي لشركة طلبات مصر "هدير شلبي" أثناء المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقد في مايو الماضي بمناسبة إطلاق خدمة طلبات مارت، وهي خدمة قائمة على تلبية احتياجات العملاء من محال البقالة والسوبر ماركت وتوصيلها في زمن أقل من 30 دقيقة.

تحدثنا مع هدير شلبي المدير التنفيذي لشركة طلبات مصر وهي إحدى العلامات التجارية التابعة لشركة دليفري هيرو الألمانية للاطلاع على خطط الشركة التوسعية و تأثير جائحة كورونا على سوق توصيل طلبات الطعام في مصر.

Episode 39 - Deepfakes: Who can we trust?

Deepfake technology has rapidly developed over the past few years and while many will have experienced it through fun apps designed to edit their own faces onto famous movie scenes, the technology beholds a far more sinister side.

In this podcast we spoke with Mark Little, founder and CEO of Ireland-based Kinzen, a media startup whose technology helps to identify fake news online, and Liz Gibbons, head of news at BBC World News, to explore the impact that deepfakes could have on society and our ability to trust what we see online.

الحلقة الخامسة: كيف تجمع تمويل قدره ١١٠ مليون دولار؟

كان 2020 عاما عصيبا لملايين الأشخاص في العالم، ولكن ليس لضيفنا الذي استغل ذلك الوقت لبناء واحدة من أكثر شركات التكنولوجيا المالية الواعدة في الشرق الأوسط.

تحدثنا مع السيد عبد المجيد الصيخان، المؤسس المشارك والرئيس التنفيذي لشركة التقنية المالية السعودية ”تمارا“، وأخبرنا عن شركته الناشئة لخدمات الشراء الآن والدفع لاحقا (BNPL)، والتي تمكنت في تسعة أشهر فقط من إغلاق جولة تمويلية تعد الأكبر ضمن مرحلة Series A في السعودية والشرق الأوسط بقيمة 412 مليون ريال سعودي (110 ملايين دولار) بقيادة شركة Checkout.com العالمية على شكل تمويل رأس مال جريء وتمويل دين. سوف يساعد هذا الاستثمار تمارا على تسريع وتيرة توسعها في جميع دول الخليج العربي بنهاية عام 2021.

استمع إلى البودكاست الخاص بنا مع السيد الصيخان لمعرفة المزيد عن نشأة وتطور شركة تمارا.

Episode 38 - What is growth hacking?

It took Nader Sabry 139 attempts before he launched a prayer mat designed to alleviate pain using NASA technology. Once the prototype was ready, Sabry used several growth hacking techniques to fuel sales. After exiting the venture, Sabry has gone onto become a growth hacking expert, penning two books on the subject and advising startups on government on innovation and growth.

In this podcast we speak to Sabry about his entrepreneurial journey and why “I don’t know” is the most important question to ask in growth hacking.