What it takes to build a startup in Iraq, lessons from launching Careem, and why fragmentation, not TAM, is the real signal for venture-scale opportunity in frontier markets.
Jun 18, 2025
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13 min read
Why obesity in the GCC isn’t just medical, how GLP-1s could be the iPhone of health, why D2C is a necessary (but temporary) proving ground, and what asynchronous care gets right about shame and scale.
May 28, 2025
9 min read
Why localisation is the hardest problem in GenAI, how to build foundational AI in an ecosystem still playing catch-up, and why Dubai doesn’t need more capital, it needs more conviction.
May 21, 2025
11 min read
What it takes to digitise lending inside legacy banks without triggering resistance, how to underwrite customers with no formal credit history, and why AdalFi’s refusal to lend may be its biggest strategic moat.
May 7, 2025
30 min read
The mechanics of how to build a high-performing syndicate, why values alignment is a competitive moat, and the MENA+ diasporic founders you should know.
Apr 30, 2025
7 min read
What it means to build in a market where volatility isn’t a risk – it’s a cyclical certainty, why going top-down beats direct-to-MSME, and how you build real moats in enterprise fintech — not with UX, but with trust, switching friction, and time.
Apr 24, 2025
Trubuild’s CEO Bisrat Degefa on what makes construction tech such a tough sell, why most tools fail in the field, and what meaningful disruption actually looks like in one of the world’s most traditional industries.
Apr 17, 2025
6 min read
Seven years, 959 rejections, and a circuitous journey from San Diego to New York to Abu Dhabi – Khatija Ali MD and BioSapien’s mission to deliver chemotherapy locally is as much about persistence as it is about innovation.
Apr 16, 2025
8 min read
Rabbit’s CEO Ahmad Yousry on localising dark stores, rejecting discount wars, and why winning quick commerce in MENA is a supply chain challenge — not a marketing one.
Apr 11, 2025
5 min read
The long road to fintech infrastructure in MENA, the overlooked power of remittance corridors, why stablecoins are no longer a sideshow – and what it really means to build a business from the trenches of regulatory complexity.
Apr 9, 2025
32 min read
CEO Mounir Nakhla on achieving fintech ecosystem lock-in, the company's acquisition and expansion strategy, why tailored risk models beat copy-paste approaches, and the potential path toward becoming a fully-fledged digital bank.
Mar 26, 2025
An honest reflection with Idriss Al Rifai on Fetchr’s hypergrowth, what went wrong, the isolation of being a founder, and the emotional cost of tying self-worth to a company, plus hard-won lessons on hiring, scaling, and the $140 billion SME financing opportunity in MENA.
Mar 19, 2025
TAP’s transformation from manual job placement to AI-driven talent acceleration, how it's sustaining financial viability without compromising impact, and the realities of scaling a company in the face of relentless adversity.
Mar 12, 2025
Why the next industrial revolution will be local, breaking ‘pilot purgatory’ in deeptech sales, and the biggest misconceptions about additive manufacturing.
Mar 5, 2025
Why AI and embedded finance aren't always the answer, getting pricing strategies right in cost-sensitive markets, and why the biggest cost drivers are in the back-of-house.
Feb 19, 2025
Why it's so difficult, the benefits of offering LLM flexibility, and how AI is changing the enterprise pricing model.
Feb 5, 2025
Saudi Arabia’s reliance on food imports for 90% of its fresh produce is a problem. This startup thinks it has the food security solution.
Jan 29, 2025
How an $80M Series B led to a strategic acquisition, the realities of navigating an exit, and starting fresh as a second-time founder.
Jan 22, 2025
MilkStraw AI just raised a $600k pre-seed round. We sat down with CEO Jawad Shreim to learn more about the problem they're solving, what makes them different, their business model, and their vision for the future.
Jan 9, 2025
12 min read
