Mohammad Gaber, is the co-founder and CEO of Velents, an innovative data-driven AI-based hiring platform that combines an applicant tracking system with assessment software to automate the recruitment lifecycle!

Back in December 2023, Velents closed a Seed round for an undisclosed amount, led by A15 with participation from Nibras Capital, AUC Venture Lab, and local investors.

🛠️ Breakdown what you do?

First and foremost, I am a father, that’s my main and full-time job 😀 

Secondly, I am the CEO of Velents, where I would say my job as a CEO that I should be on top of a function of the company until I get someone makes it good then fire me from this function to work on another function then repeat.

🚀 What gets you up in the morning?

I was once told to my face: “Google doesn’t take any candidates from your university”, which surprised and upset me, as I felt highly capable at the time. 

Years later, I turned down an offer from Google because I was working on Velents. 

Look, it’s statistically proven that having a degree from a prestigious university increases your chances of getting a job.

Having a certain name, accent, provenance may also influence how recruiters perceive you.

Sometimes it’s an issue of unconscious bias, other times it’s outright discrimination.

My main motivation with Velents is to help individuals get the jobs they deserve. 

💼  Leadership advice you wish you had known sooner?

For sure it relates to management style. While micromanagement typically carries a negative connotation, it's essential for founders to understand the details of their business.

Managers should enable their team to assume responsibility and ownership of their tasks. 

Striking a careful balance between these two management styles is really hard but absolutely vital.

🌟 What's been your most rewarding career moment to date?

I don’t really approach life this way, I’d rather not focus on the highs because that may also make me dwell on the lows. I take everyday as is and do the best I can.

Overall, I am proud of my team and what we’ve achieved so far. 

🗻 And the most challenging?

The Great Pivot! 🤯

We were six months into building Velents, we’d gone to market and realised our offer was not attractive enough. We were on the brink of collapse, and I even advised the team to look for other jobs. Not being able to pay people salaries is a low moment for any founder. 

It was during this critical time that I had to mature rapidly. Velents took a giant leap forward and here we are today!

🔍 What's a start-up trend you’re keeping an eye on in 2024?

For sure it’s AI-generated videos and this is where we plan on spending some of our R&D resources. 

👶 As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

You may find this surprising but I really wanted to be a journalist. It was my father who convinced I would be a good engineer, and here I am. 

😅 Go-to activity to decompress?

Playing chess is my outlet. 

📚 A book that stopped you in your tracks?

Zero to One (the philosophical part of it, not the practical part).

🎧 Favourite podcast?

From the English realm, I really enjoy “Philosophize this!”. My favorite Egyptian podcast is “Eshtery mny”, which translates to “Buy from me”, it’s very funny.

📚 Meet iStoria! A Saudi-based English-learning app that focuses on vocabulary building through enjoyable graded stories.

And, they just raised $1.3 million in a Seed round.

• The company was founded in 2022 by Abdullah Al-Jaberi, Faisal Al-Hamoud, Abdul Nasser Al-Wali, Ismail Ashour, and Khaled Al-Rashed, and reached a milestone 1 million learners worldwide last month.

💰 Investor lowdown: The round was led by Nama Ventures, Classera, Flat6Labs, BIM Ventures, and other angel investors.

• iStoria also just graduated from the the second cycle of the Flat6Labs Riyadh Seed Program.

📖 English language learning

Globally, the online English learning market is a $14 billion industry, with the MENA region accounting for a significant $700 million chunk.

A common hurdle for English learners? Vocabulary acquisition.

The solution? The Graded Reader approach.

This innovative method, through progressively challenging stories, enables learners to master over 3,000 words.

Recognising this method's potential, iStoria transformed it into an app, enriching it with additional features like gamification.

🛠️ Break it down

1. Personalised Starting Point: Learners begin with a story matched to their current proficiency, choosing from over 100 books.

2. Interactive Learning: Words can be clicked for translations and added to a personalised “learning” list.

3. Progress Tracking: A detailed overview shows the balance of words known and those yet to be learned.

4. Contextual Practice: Practice newly learned words in diverse settings, such as through readings or listening exercises.

🔢 Numbers

iStoria currently boasts 10,000 paying subscribers and has generated $500k in revenue.

• They offer several subscription models: a monthly package at $11, a 6-month package for $52, and an annual package at $70, each with a 7-day free trial.

🔮 Flashforward: 

The fresh funding will be used to further enhance its English language learning platform, accelerate innovation, and widen its footprint worldwide.

• Search-party. Arc Search combines browser, search engine, and AI into something new and different

• Layoffs. Nearly 25,000 tech workers were laid off in the first weeks of 2024. Why is that?

• Bad memories. The Japanese semiconductor deal spooking rivals and investors

• Copycat. GenAI tools ‘could not exist’ if firms are made to pay copyright

👋 Message from the team

Thanks for reading! We’ll see you all again on Friday.

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