Not too long ago, Chalhoub Group, a Middle East luxury retail conglomerate, started on its quest for tech startups capable of addressing ever-evolving retail challenges. The Group’s approach has been two-fold: employees can test their ideas through Ibtikar, its internal innovation lab, while promising entrepreneurs outside of the company can apply for The Greenhouse, an equity-free accelerator…
When I interview entrepreneurs and how they go about their businesses, I’ve often thought it to be alarming if the founder of an enterprise tells me that they are not involved in its day-to-day operations. But I’ve begun to rethink this particular notion of mine, more so after my chat with Al Masah Capital founder Shailesh Dash for this particular article- in fact, I’ve come to realize…
One of the recurring themes in the conversations I have had lately with people in the MENA entrepreneurial ecosystem is about how we often shy away from admitting to or publicly talking about the days when everything seems to be going, well, belly up in our respective startup enterprises. It’s something we at Entrepreneur have noticed quite a few times as well- in interviews, when we ask entrepreneurs…
"A company that doesn’t innovate in its operations and products cannot survive in the marketplace nowadays.” With a declaration like that, Union Properties Managing Director Ahmed Khouri makes it clear that he is not someone who believes in sticking to the status quo. And for someone who works in the real estate space of the UAE, this might seem like a hard principle to abide by-…
For a company that started out as a one-woman show, Akanksha Goel, founder and Managing Director of Socialize, centers the company’s accolades to its team: “The truth is, an entrepreneur starts a business, but it is the team that makes it successful.” In 2010, Goel recalls launching the company at a time when social media was dubbed as “Web 2.0,” and social networks weren’t…
Tunisia is perhaps best known for its successful transition to democracy in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring, but despite the political transition and compromises that landed the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, the economy has faced significant challenges over the past years. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, in power since 2016, has forged ahead with significant reforms…
