Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2017 01 Entrepreneur Middle East
2017 01 Entrepreneur Middle East
2017 01 Entrepreneur Middle East
18
Injaz Bahrain CEO
H.H. Shaikha Hessa
bint Khalifa bin
Hamed Al-Khalifa
26 18 22 52
Indian Innovator INNOVATOR: INNOVATOR: TECH:
Awards 2016 Making it count Driven by impact ONLINE TREP
A look at the winners of H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Careem Egypts Managing Design: the driver of digital
the third annual edition of Khalifa Al Khalifa Director Wael Fakharany on reinvention
Entrepreneur Middle Easts INJAZ Bahrains Executive his transition from working Juan Jose De La Torre,
Indian Innovator Awards, Director wants to prep the at Google to working at Digital Transformation
Entrepreneur of the Year, countrys youth for the global the MENA regions latest Leader, IBM MEA believes
presented by du economic landscape. unicorn. that design is no longer just
an aesthetic component, but
64 rather an exigent driver of
START IT UP: human behavior.
ECOSYSTEM
No time to chill in the sun 42
DTEC Tech Startup TECH:
Incubators Sirine SHINY
Fadoul explains why #TamTalksTech
its important for Gadgets and doodads
entrepreneurs to instill a that you mightve missed
sense of urgency in their out on, sourced by a tech
organizations. aficionado.
26
Wissam Younane, CEO, BNC Publishing at the Indian Innovator Awards 2016
34 58
TREPONOMICS: TREPONOMICS:
PRO MARKETING
The future is here Whats in a name?
Bayt.coms Suhail Al Masri ServiceMarket co-founder
analyzes five trends that Bana Shomali draws from
the recruitment industry experience to offer tips
is likely to experience in on rebranding online
the year 2017. businesses.
62 42
Lenovo
MONEY: Phab 2 Pro
ECON
Private equity in emerging
60 46 markets
TREPONOMICS: treponomics: Sean McKeon explains why
SKILLSET ESQUIRE GUY MENA investors should
Beating the odds Civility matters look closer to home for
Ipsos MENA Chairman The Esquire Guy offers faster economic diversifica-
and CEO Edouard Monin a guide to figuring out if tion.
lists five key lessons for youre a bully at work, and
entrepreneurs to use in also explains how to get 14
their entrepreneurial things done without making EDITORS NOTE
journeys. other people miserable. By Aby Sam Thomas
68
Amr Sobhy,
co-founder and
CEO, PushBots
BREITLING.COM
CONTENTS january 2017
68 48
START IT UP: CULTURE:
Q&A LIFE
Quality over quantity Stay on the bus
Egypt-based startup James Clear explains why
PushBots helps app its important for a creator
businesses improve to stay committed to the
their reach with smarter cause when faced with
notifications. failure.
72 38
START IT UP: CULTURE:
Q&A LIFE
72 Pure Harvest founder and CEO Sky Kurtz Let it grow Starting early
Startup Pure Harvest aims BizWorld UAE CEO Helen
to overcome local climate Al Uzaizi makes the case
40 74 challenges and make the for entrepreneurship
TREPONOMICS: START IT UP: regions farming high tech education- for kids.
PRO STARTUP FINANCE in nature.
The times they are We got funded! 44
a-changin UAE online services 50 CULTURE:
Andreas Skorski, founder marketplace mrUsta raises TREPONOMICS: TRAPPINGS
and CEO, THE LIST, AED2.75 million in a pre- PRO Trep gear
highlights how the growth Series A funding round Come together The executive selection for
of luxury e-retail is from Precinct Partners, The case for team building the entrepreneur on your
redefining stores into just Millennial Partners & Co., efforts is stronger when list. Okay, maybe for a little
another marketing channel. and other angel investors. the times are tougher. self-reward as well.
44
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I
n my editors note last month, motivate others to get involved.
I wondered aloud whether the Ill gladly admit here that Alab-
MENA entrepreneurial ecosys- bars reply (Im hoping to have a
tem would have been better longer chat with him soon) took
served if Emaar Properties me by surprise. I wasnt expecting
Chairman Mohamed Alabbar, to hear back from him in the first
who had then announced the place, and so the fact that he took
launch of his new US$1 billion the time out to draft such a polite,
e-commerce venture Noon, had elegant and appreciative response to take on all of the opportunities
invested in an existing startup in increased my respect of him ten- and challenges that are going to
this space instead. Some of you fold. Alabbars reply was, in my be thrown at us with the right
responded in agreement with my opinion, an abject lesson for all of attitudes- Im pretty certain it will
notion (Henri Asseily aka @rikkles us in how to deal with criticism- be key to making things work for
tweeted: You wonder like 99.99% while nobody likes to hear negative us and our businesses for the next
of anyone in this industry), while feedback, one needs to learn to be 12 months. Happy new year!
there were others felt the entry appreciative of such comments all
of Noon would be a positive thing the same (instead of adopting a
for the industry as a whole- Mo- defensive approach).
hamed Hamdy aka @reachhamdy The entrepreneurs among
tweeted: Having a new startup you need to especially take this
like @noondotcom with all that $$ principle to heart: be it when a
should bring a multiplier effect in VC rejects your funding request,
the regional ecosystem. or when an editor passes on your
In the midst of all these re- PR pitch, you need to be able to
sponses, I was also treated to a react to these situations with the
reply from Alabbar himself- he right attitude. The way you reply
emailed me to thank me for my to these things say a lot about you,
comments adding that it was his and its safe to say that they play Aby Sam Thomas
hope that Noon and other ventures a key role in how you get ahead in Editor in Chief
like it will not only promote the life and business as well. As we are @thisisaby
digital economy, but also help at the start of 2017, lets resolve aby@bncpublishing.net
Bring it on
Enterprise Challenge Qatar
2016 kicks off
A
n initiative by Bedaya Centre and Qatar
Shell, the Enterprise Challenge Qatar (ECQ)
kicked off in November, bringing in over 1200
students from more than 40 schools in Qatar. Now
in its fifth year, the program has different levels
catering to high school and university students,
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, running until March 2017. It consists of three stages:
and Ruler of Dubai, at Dubai Future Accelerators the Ethical Business Challenge to practice the
participants abilities to work with the economic,
D
production, and the Grand Finals wherein teams
ubai Future Accelerators government and private entities join
(DFA) has concluded the the program- Department of Economic
first session of its ac- Development, Dubai Smart City, the
celerator program, and General Directorate of Residency and
marked the milestone Foreigners Affairs, du, and Etisalat.
with an allocation of over AED120 Saif Al Aleeli, CEO, Dubai Future
million (US$33.5 million) to the 19 Foundation, pointed out that the first
projects that were part of the program, round of DFA has managed to achieve
collaborating with key government an unprecedented success rate of
entities. These projects move on to the 64%, and on an average, the rate A team at the Enterprise Challenge Qatar
next phase and will work to implement seldom exceeds 30%. He also added
their solutions within seven key sec- that the first round of the program is present their business ideas in front a panel of
tors: health, education, energy, trans- said to have increased Dubais total judges. Designed to encourage the entrepreneurial
portation, infrastructure, technology, spend on research and development drive of the youth in Qatar, the program lets
and security. According to a statement efforts by 6% in three months. DFA participants gain valuable business skills, with
on the event, DFA expects the pilot was launched in September, and the the opportunity to learn from a team of volunteer
projects to create 135 job opportu- program paired 28 global companies mentors from professional backgrounds, including
nities in Dubai over the next three with Dubais seven founding entities: local business owners who have valuable experience
months and also revealed that fourteen Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in building a business venture. It has received a
of the international companies part of Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, few nods of approval too- in 2014, during the UK
the program have taken decisions to Dubai Health Authority, Knowledge Mentor of the Year Awards hosted by His Royal
relocate their headquarters to Dubai. and Human Development Authority, Highness, the Prince of Wales at the Sandringham
H.E. Mohammed Abdullah Al Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Palace in UK, gave recognition to the initiative. Last
Gergawi, Vice-Chairman of the Board (DEWA), and Dubai Holding. As per a year, Qatar Shell and Bedaya was recognized at
of Trustees, and MD of Dubai Future Medium post by DFA, the accelerators Social Development Centers Reyada awards with
Foundation, revealed at the event that second round is set to begin in the first the Outstanding Entrepreneur Support Award for
DFAs second round will see five new quarter of 2017. their efforts in supporting the Qatar entrepreneurial
ecosystem. The Enterprise Challenge competition
was a concept by Princes Trust International, a UK-
A selection of the winners based NGO established by His Royal Highness the
image source: Dubai Future Accelerator | enterprise challenge qatar
Making it
Recounting INJAZ Bahrains origins,
Al Khalifa says she started the orga-
nization after she started working in
Bahrain following her studies in the
UK, which was where she had got
firsthand experience of the JA World-
count
wide program through its branch
there, Young Enterprise. I did the
complete program, she remembers.
And therefore, Im an alumnus of
the organization. On her return to
Bahrain, Al Khalifa found that while
the country had a strong educational
system already in place, students
werent being taught entrepreneur-
I
bridge the gap between the world of
work and school. With that being
m a Bahraini citizen, and team are very much in line with the the case, Al Khalifa sought out JA
I firmly believe in citizen- realization of that vision. After all, Worldwides regional office in Jordan
ship- what your country has as Al Khalifa -whos also a member at the time, and went on to establish
given to you, you have to give of Bahrains Supreme Council for a licensed branch of the organization
back to your country. Thats Women, as well as the Chairperson in Bahrain. She then approached
the response I got when I of Al Salam Banks Board of Direc- the countrys Ministry of Educa-
asked about what drove H.H. tors- proudly states, INJAZ Bahrains tion, which got on board with INJAZ
Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa programs, which has its volunteers Bahrain, after realizing the benefits
to do all that she does in her role educate students on workforce of its offerings as an extracurricular
as the Executive Director of INJAZ readiness, financial literacy and en- activity for students, and then kicked
Bahrain, a non-profit institution trepreneurship, have, so far, reached it off on a high school level. At the
that she founded in 2005. Since its 108,000 students in the country- and same time, Al Khalifa went about
establishment, INJAZ Bahrain, which its pretty certain that this number is setting up a leadership team for the
is a part of the global JA Worldwide only set to grow in the future. organization as well. I approached >>>
network, has been, for more than
10 years, building on its vision to to be honest, there has been no one targeting
inspire a generation of Bahraini youth
to use their natural talents, inspira- younger kids. And this is where INJAZ
tions, passions, and determinations Bahrain comes in. We actually teach them
to become the business leaders and
entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Sure,
[entrepreneurship] at university, high school,
its a decidedly large undertaking to and intermediate levels, before they get in
take on- but looking at all that INJAZ to the job market. So we teach them to think
Bahrain has accomplished so far with
young people in Bahrain, it seems entrepreneurially, before they finish their
fair to say that Al Khalifa and her education.
We work with other open a class. So, our team -we are itself will enhance the volunteers
a team of 10 people working in the communication, presentation, time
member nations organization- try and outreach to as management skills, etc. At the same
around the globe many people in the community as time, the students are gaining a
possible to join us, and support our lot of information, learning how to
to swap programs, mission. And its been very good- the communicate, and learning about
to learn from their board of directors has been very ef- the global economy. So the program
experiences, and fective in releasing their volunteers has benefits to both the volunteers
[from their respective companies] and the students. So we are trying
enhance what we can during working hours, go to the to get as many people to volunteer
offer our students schools once a week, and teach our with us, as many students to join
program. In terms of future plans with us... We want to train a lot of
here in Bahrain. for INJAZ Bahrain, Al Khalifa is volunteers, and we want to train a
keen on increasing the organiza- lot of students.
some of the big organizations in tions reach in Bahrain. We aim to As for INJAZ Bahrains offerings
Bahrain, such as CitiBank, Bapco, all continue to reach as many students itself, Al Khalifa says she and her
large organizations in Bahrain from as possible, to engage as many vol- team will continue to strive to bring
the private sector, and we formed a unteers as possible,
board of directors, comprising of 10 because the program
CEOs from the major corporations, has two sides to it,
she says. And then they funded the she explains. When
organization, and provided their the volunteer teaches
employees to be volunteers to teach the program, the
the program. volunteer gains skills
Given that volunteers teach INJAZ as well; its not only
Bahrains programs, Al Khalifa is ex- the student. So both
tremely cognizant of their contribu- parties are benefit-
tions in realizing the organizations ing. If the volunteer
vision. We tell them they are our did not take the
partners in the program, she says. program as a young
www.injazbh.org
Driven by
will potentially see the two parties
work together on economically
empowering 70,000 people in Egypt
in 2017.
Its an impressively ambitious
impact
initiative, of course, but Fakharany
believes that it signals only the start
of the positive impact that Careem
could bring to the countrys popula-
tion. We are not an employer- they
Wael Fakharany
are not employees, they are inde-
pendent contractors, he says. But
having 70,000 people in the network,
who you can economically empower
Careem Egypts Managing Director on his career transition from
and give either part-time or full-time
Google to Careem, the startups ambitious plans for the future, income, is an incredible force in 6-8
and why he expects 2017 to be phenomenal months of the operation. And I think
By Aby Sam Thomas this is the tip of the iceberg. There
I
are probably nine million people in
first met Wael Fakharany at BECO er expected the kind of impact that I the working age in Egypt who are
Capitals Boost MENA conference would have, and the kind of impact I looking for opportunities. And if we
in November last year, and though would be able to do, you know, in [a can economically empower a million
we spoke for only a few minutes matter of] weeks, he says. But this of them, its just an incredible feel-
then, I remember being quite business keeps surprising me with ing. So, when I give you hope that
taken in by the exuberance of his some incredible opportunities. your future is going to be better, your
personality- it was this individu- Given its massive population, Egypt surroundings are going to be better.
ality that struck me again when is an important market for Careem in You are going to become bankable...
I got to have a longer chat with him the MENA region, and the company Youre going to do upward mobility in
in December. Its really quite easy to has been steadily growing its brand the society Theres this incredible
see Fakharanys passion and drive in the country, with its services now virtuous circle that is created when
for his role as the Managing Director available in the six cities of Cairo, you give people hope. So I couldnt
for Careem in Egypt, and for those Alexandria, Damanhour, Mansoura, be more hopeful about 2017. I think
of you who follow his blog posts on Tanta and Hurghada. It hasnt been 2017 will be a springboard for some
Medium, I can confirm that he is all smooth sailing though- Cairo, for phenomenal activities for Careem in
every bit as hopeful and optimistic instance, saw drivers of the countrys Egypt, for sure.
as his writing makes him out to be.
Fakharany joined Careem after a
nine-year stint at Google, and while You need to have incredible tenacity,
the startups unicorn status hadnt immense amounts of energy, the ability to
been declared at the time of our
conversation Fakharany was quite reinvent yourself every 3-4 months and push
emphatic that the four months he yourself harder, and at the same time, a
had spent with his new employer had
been a phenomenal experience. meticulous level of detail. So you [have to be]
When I stepped into this role, I nev- super operational, super on the ground.
two years in
a startup in a
hyper growth
mode is as good
as 12 years in a
large company.
nice and civil to people, and [being]
authentic and doing the right thing
So, Magnus, Mudassir, Abdulla, the
three co-founders, are people that
I highly respect, and you want to
be with them all the time, because
theyre just good, kind, hardworking,
tough, and fair people. You couldnt
ask for more.
But Fakharany also makes it clear
that working at a startup is no walk
in the park either- he admits to have
found his few months at Careem to
have been super hard, and claims
operating in such a tough environ-
ment is not for the fainthearted.
You need to have incredible tenac-
ity, immense amounts of energy, the
ability to reinvent yourself every 3-4
months and push yourself harder,
and at the same time, a meticulous
level of detail, he notes. So you
[have to be] super operational, super
on the ground. But for all the chal-
lenges working at a startup can pose,
the positive aspects of the experience
outweigh everything else, Fakharany
says, and given his own career transi-
tion, its hard to not take him at his
word. First of all, this is something
that cannot be taught- unfortunately,
it has to be experienced, he says.
Wael Fakharany,
Managing Director, Second is this immense power that
Careem Egypt you have as a startup in making
decisions and making mistakes and
correcting them, and being faced
Hearing Fakharany speak, it becomes build an awesome organization, he with very tough challenges every
quite apparent that he shares a explains. And these are the guys single day So it grows you up. This
lot of the same corporate ideals as I would like to work with, in that experience: you tinker with stuff, you
Careem co-founders Magnus Olsson, they are good, ethical, hardworking, make mistakes, you move at phenom-
Mudassir Sheikha and Abdullah fair, tough guys. You couldnt expect enal speed, but you learn every single
Elyas have professed to in the past, more from a colleague, or a partner, day. Sometimes I feel that the person
and he confirms that this factor or a boss I think great leaders are that I met a few weeks ago is very
indeed played a key role in his deci- people who are just good in creating different than the person you meet
sion to move from Google to the other leaders, and [they] almost have now With all due respect to very
startup. First of all, the company no control over this. So you dont large companies, youre a small piece
has an incredible mission, which is do this by design- you do it by basi- of the puzzle in large companies, and
to facilitate the lives of people, and cally just empowering people, being the playbook of operations, the >>>
www.careem.com/cairo
YED
Doha, Qatar
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The Global Leader in Managing Construction Risk
www.hillintl.com 1.800.283.4088
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INDIAN
INNOVATOR
AWARDS
2016
LUXURY PARTNER PLATINUM ALLY
A PRODUCTION BY
A
Entrepreneur of the Year, dors of India as well.
host of established sented on the night, with all of seeks to acknowledge agility Entrepreneur Middle Easts
and upcoming the winners having set them- across a variety of industries 2016 Indian Innovator Awards,
Indian business selves apart from their peers including luxury, healthcare, Entrepreneur of the Year, was
leaders in the Gulf in the region by showcasing a construction, hospitality, edu- a BNC Publishing produc-
were honored at commitment to excellence, and cation, banking, and commu- tion, presented by du, with
the third edition of Entrepre- thereby raising the bar of their nications, amongst other key the support of Platinum Ally
neur Middle Easts Indian In- respective industries. Speak- drivers of the Middle Easts AJSM Investments and Luxury
novator Awards, Entrepreneur ing on behalf of Entrepreneur economy. For an event thats Partner Cadillac. >>>
of the Year, presented by du, Middle East, Wissam Younane,
which took place in the UAE CEO, BNC Publishing, kicked
on December 13, 2016 at The off the event with his welcome
St. Regis Dubai. The award address, in which he felici-
winners this year have es- tated the winners of the night,
tablished themselves as clear and reiterated Entrepreneurs
industry innovators who have commitment to facilitating
made significant contributions the growth of enterprises in
to the Middle East business the region. This was followed
arena, and have thus set the by a keynote speech by H.
benchmark for corporations H. Sheikh Maktoum Hasher
operating across the region. Al Maktoum, President of Al
A total of 19 awards were pre- Fajer Properties, where he
Winners of the
Indian Innovator
Awards 2016
Contribution to
Business
Mohan Nambiar
Startup of
the Year
HolidayME
(Geet Bhalla and
Digvijay Pratap)
Hospitality Innovation
Adeeb Ahamed
(accepted on his
behalf)
Fastest Growth
Purple Honey Food
Chain Group (Akshay
Dosaj and Shalini
Gangaramani Dosaj)
Business Visionary
of the Year
Sunil Vaswani
Ecosystem Influencer
P.K Gulati
Stephen Marney,
Master of Ceremonies
at Indian Innovator
Awards 2016
Talent Solutions
Innovation
Mahesh Shahdadpuri Retail Innovation
Mushtaq Vakil
(accepted on his behalf)
Manufacturing
Innovation
Asif Sayeed
Healthcare
Khan
Innovation
Dr. Azad Moopen
(accepted
on his
behalf)
Homegrown Brand
of the Year
Harmeek Singh
Responsible Leadership
L.K. Pagarani
Diversified
Portfolio
Raj Sahni
Real Estate
Innovation
Kabir Mulchandani
(accepted on his
behalf)
www.famcointernational.com
Packaged with:
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3 years Warranty
3 years Financing
The future
from their personal life in when it comes to equipping
order to further their career. them with the learning and
Organizations that wish to training opportunities needed
attract and retain young to ensure their career growth,
talent will need to recruit and this consequently leaves
this cohort of hard-working, them feeling stifled in their
is here
digital natives and ensure jobs. In fact, the majority
that their journey throughout (78%) of respondents say
hiring and onboarding that they would leave their
is supported by active company for better training
engagement, learning and opportunities.
development opportunities, a Training and development
friendly environment, and a opportunities in the past have
Five recruitment trends we distinguished employer brand not reflected what employees
for them to associate with and actually need, according
expect to see in 2017 truly belong to. to the Bayt.com Career
By Suhail Al Masri Development in the Middle
One in two professionals East and North Africa survey.
(47%) have not formally set For instance, while considered
W
ith the prevailing in fresh perspectives and any development plans with relatively more important,
their manager in the Middle
economic instability bold ideas, unprecedented a smaller proportion of
East and North Africa. The
in the Middle East technology savvy-ness and great majority (95%) of
MENA employees received
and North Africa, the mastery, and most importantly those not having set any training in management
evolving labor market needs loads of dedication and hard development plan would like development, leadership,
and hiring preferences, and work. This group is interested to have one. time management and foreign
the new technologies that are in making their workplaces languages. Designing solutions
constantly introduced to this more innovative and they 2. Low-cost training for employee engagement
region, the business world are willing to learn and make Today, employees everywhere starts with listening to their
is definitely changing, and it mistakes in order to grow are eager to build solid career goals and needs. One in two
is expected that recruitment and develop their skills. trajectories and advance their professionals (47%) have not
will change as well. Without They are the digital media professional development. formally set any development
doubt, as the year 2017 quickly generation and are capable According to the 2016 Bayticom plans with their manager in
unfolds, it is highly recom- of managing social media Career Development in the the Middle East and North
mended that business owners, and other technology-heavy Middle East and North Africa. The great majority
managers, recruiters, and all roles better than any other Africa survey, a lack of career (95%) of those not having set
professionals remain abreast generation. According to development prospects can any development plan would
of such trends as it will impact the Bayt.com Millennials in radically make or break like to have one. Almost one
what strategies and tools they the Middle East and North employee engagement and in two current employees
will need to utilize in order Africa survey, millennials are retention. Many employees feel state that training by external
to remain at the top of their
game. Here are five trends
that we at Bayt.com expect Career development plans / goals set with manager
the recruitment industry will
experience in the year 2017.
27
1. More millennials in the 35
47 46 45 43 45 43
workforce 52 53 53 54 54 52
9
Millennials will soon account
for the majority of the global 20
workforce and will, therefore, 12 11 15 11
14 20
be part of nearly every 14 12
7
12
41
13 13
company and organization 21 28 20 25 23
20 20
across the Middle East 13
20 18 18 14 18
and North Africa. In fact, 9
charts and screenshot bayt.com
11 10 13 12 11 10 14
13 8
millennials already constitute 12 8 12
14
13
9 10 9 8 11 8 9
the majority of employees in 8 5 7 4 4 6
some companies. Total Saudi UAE Kuwait Qatar Bahrain Oman Lebanon Syria Jordan Egypt Morocco Algeria Tunisia
Millennials are the workforce Arabia
of tomorrow; they bring Yes, for the next 5 years Yes, for the next 2 years Yes, for the next year Yes, for the next 6 months No, I have not
41
enables employers to track
29 34
27 30 34
27 28 26 26 24 27 their applicants information
21 23
including skills, background as
well as previous engagements
Total Saudi UAE Kuwait Qatar Bahrain Oman Lebanon Syria Jordan Egypt Morocco Algeria Tunisia
Arabia
with the recruitment team.
Such information is very
Very dissatisfied 0-2 3-5 6-7 8-10 Very satisfied
essential for taking the
right and efficient decisions
professional trainers (47%), compensation and retention retention strategies. Not only throughout the recruitment
followed by seminars at strategies. Companies are is there a lot of employee process. Applicant tracking
professional institutes (43%), now collecting all sorts of data that is becoming readily is also important for
certified study programs data that come from a variety available this year, but centralizing the information
(40%) and company trainings of sources; ranging from HR teams have started to and making it more accessible
by internal teams (40%) are performance numbers and understand what to do with for all stakeholders within
the most preferred training attendance, to job satisfaction it. Indeed, collecting and the organization, such as
methods. surveys and tracking employee analyzing HR data requires hiring managers and talent
With the proliferation of life events. Today, more and a deep understanding of on-boarding professionals.
online learning and assessment more companies are making analytics and data science. Applicant tracking systems
tools, businesses in 2017 no use of Bayt.coms flagship Not only do resources can help all constituents
longer have to pay exorbitant product, Talentera, and similar such as Talentera provide a share their feedback about the
amounts for training their breakthroughs in online comprehensive recruitment applicant in real-time, greatly
employees and expanding recruitment, to help them solution, through which expedite requisition approvals,
their skills and knowledge make better sense of their data. employers can create branded and generate real-time reports
database. Companies and Such companies are aware career channels to source, and updates. Making use of
professionals who are looking of the importance of using track, assess, and hire such data in 2017 will lead to
for better career development analytics to outline trends in professionals, right through a more seamless recruitment
opportunities and chances the job market and improve their own websites, but experience that is faster and
to learn and grow can now their recruitment and talent using such platforms also more reliable at the same time. >>>
do so cost-effectively using
learning platforms such as
Bayt.coms online courses
and tests, many of which are
free of charge. There are also
numerous research reports and
career support articles that are
available on Bayt.com for all
professionals in the MENA to
make use of.
3. Big data
Companies that want to gain
a competitive edge and have a
more methodological approach
to talent management are more
commonly using analytics to
collect data-driven insights
and then taking action to
refine their recruitment,
4. Employee engagement inputting their objectives and are always well cared for. and wellness. In the upcoming
Organizations are focusing painting a picture of where It is not simply a wish for years, wellness programs will
more and more on achieving they would like to take their employees to have company- be increasingly instrumental
high levels of employee career in 2017 and the years sponsored wellness programs. in influencing employees
engagement. The reason ahead. In fact, 96% of polled happiness and performance.
for this is simple: engaged While almost half (48%) of respondents believe that it is Therefore, we recommend
employees drive the those surveyed in the 2016 the employers responsibility employers to take early
innovation, growth and Bayt.com Middle East and to promote employees health advantage of this rising trend.
revenue that companies need North Africa Salary survey,
in order to thrive. In fact, said loyalty to their company
engaged employees tend to be is linked to the salary they
more satisfied at their jobs and receive at least to some extent,
are likely to remain in their a considerable proportion
companies for longer periods (35%) claimed their loyalty is
of time. Managers should not not linked to the salary they
only encourage transparency, receive. Indeed, employers
but also promote open are recommended to continue
communication channels and navigating market averages
foster a feeling of corporate and salary reports for 2017
citizenship across their to ensure equitable salaries.
organizations. However, employers should
also explore other factors that
The great majority of influence employee loyalty.
professionals (82%) Retention may be impacted by
would leave their current employees lack of job security.
company for better training As seen in the 2016 Bayt.com
opportunities. The Lack of Stress in the MENA Workplace
motivation (38%), followed
poll, 62.9% of professionals
by no clear objectives (31%)
are the most mentioned
are concerned they may lose
internal barriers for career their jobs very soon. Such
development. insecurities are valid factors
for stress and low retention,
According to Bayt.com Career and employers should aim to
Development in the Middle address them in 2017.
East and North Africa, career
development is seen as one 5. Employee health and
of the most important factors wellness
for employee retention. The With the increasing
great majority of professionals importance of healthy
(82%) would leave their lifestyles, many companies
current company for better have started offering and
training opportunities. The investing in wellness programs
lack of motivation (38%), to ensure their employees
followed by no clear objectives are satisfied, healthy and
(31%) are the most mentioned productive. According to
internal barriers for career the 2016 Bayt.com Health
development. This is where and Lifestyle in the Middle
employee engagement comes East and North Africa poll,
into effect, as employers over 87% of professionals
interested in increasing in the region say they would
engagement, and subsequently be more likely to exercise if
satisfaction and retention, in their companies offered gym
2017, there would be a need subscription. Professionals
to adopt open communication who are happy and healthy
practices and feedback tools. will exert more effort to give
Encourage employees to draw back to the company, so
their own career map; by make sure your employees
infographics bayt.com
Suhail Al-Masri is the VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com. Al-Masri has more than 20 years of experience in sales leadership,
consultative sales, account management, marketing management, and operations management. His mission at Bayt.com goes in line with
the companys mission to empower people with the tools and knowledge to build their lifestyles of choice.
3. Getting emotionally
prepared
Lets say that in theory you
know the technical aspects
of starting a business, but
are you ready for the emo-
Starting early and university curriculums.
The earlier students pick up
tional and psychological toll
that it takes to manage it?
Making the case for kids this basic knowledge, the What if things arent going
to have an entrepreneurship education less they will have to strug- your way, are you ready to
gle with managing budgets deal with failure? The psy-
By Helen Al Uzaizi or creating viability studies chology of an entrepreneur-
when they start their own ial lifestyle is another vital
I
s there such a thing as a that entrepreneurial spirit. business. part that may be overlooked
natural entrepreneur? We also believe that the in the current ecosystem.
Someone who is destined earlier this education takes 2. Sparking innovation True entrepreneurship
for success, with all the place, the more effective it and creativity education works on building
right entrepreneurial will be in not only shap- One hallmark of success- up resilience and in parallel,
instincts, and an eye for ing future entrepreneurs ful entrepreneurs is their developing a sense of opti-
spotting business opportuni- and leaders, but its overall ability to adapt, innovate mism. These traits will help
ties years in advance, strik- impact on our economy and and come up with creative future entrepreneurs and
ing gold with every venture? greater society. solutions to age-old prob- leaders deal with adversity,
Ask any well-established Entrepreneurship educa- lems. These arent nascent and if they ever get knocked
entrepreneur this, and tion is important for so traits in people, so true down, get back up and try
theyll tell you what we are many reasons, and when it is entrepreneurship educa- again.
describing is a unicorn. done right at an early age, its
Theyll also tell you that impact can be tremendous:
entrepreneurship is part
science and part art, with 1. Learning basic
basic knowledge you need to business knowledge
learn, and skills that must be This may sound obvious,
honed over time. From our but it is often overlooked.
perspective, and within the Not everyone graduates from
context of educating children schools and universities
about entrepreneurship, we with basic business knowl-
at BizWorld UAE approach edge. Developing a busi-
this subject with the belief ness plan, keeping track of
that everyone is born an en- finances and marketing are
trepreneur- they just need to all vital for any would-be en-
develop certain practical and trepreneur, but they are not
A scene from a BizWorld program
emotional skills to bring out always mandatory in school
Helen Al Uzaizi is the CEO of BizWorld UAE and founder of the entrepreneurship education platform for the MENA region, Future Entrepreneurs.
With a 15+ year career in the corporate and startup worlds, Helen directed her passion to the entrepreneurship education field, working to instill the
entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation of leaders.
when it comes to choosing entrepreneur, and that the The eight-week workshop the workshops venue sponsor.
a school. Entrepreneurship qualities of entrepreneurship trains young students the ba- Register by emailing
education not only creates and leadership are already sics of launching and managing info@bizworlduae.org or visiting
richer curriculums, but it within them. a business, including creating a www.bizworlduae.org.
R
edge technology and sustain-
emember when a into our living rooms, what slash hangout space mimics ability ethos in a gallery-like
brands website will the purpose of brick a well decorated home setting, are a lesson on how
was little more and mortar stores be if not albeit one with a cosy movie luxury brands can become
than a 2.0 version selling things? In a David- theater in its basement. I more relatable while remain-
of a brochure? and-Goliath-like reversal want people to feel welcome ing aspirational. Through
In 2003, Pradas website of roles, physical stores are here, whether they buy or a combination of upscale
featured two photos taken becoming a marketing chan- not, said Morgane Szalory location, sleek ambiance,
from its ad campaign noth- nel just another step in the to The New York Times. Sell- museum-like installations,
ing else. Versaces homepage customers journeys towards ing is so not the focus that interactive technology and
boasted more sophisticated a purchase, not their natural its not even possible to walk well-trained staff, Teslas
web design and a Flash ani- endpoint. Forward-looking out with a shopping bag. message is: we are not here
mation, but took an annoy- retailers, those who refuse Orders must be placed on to sell to you; we are here to
ing 97 seconds to load. With to see their physical stores the website. share our vision with you.
a few exceptions like LVMH become skeletons of a long- This experiential con- Luxury fashion and jewelry
groups online shop eluxury. gone era, have realized this. cept store model has taken brands are also venturing
com high-end brands back And this is what theyre do- off thanks to online-first into the museum format to
then saw the internet as just ing with their floor-space. brands such as Bonobo and hit that sweet spot between
another promotion tool. The Warby Parker where trendy nurturing their mass appeal
business of selling that was Customers as guests, eyeglasses share shelf space while guarding their exclu-
what their exclusive, marble- not buyers with good reads and to sivity. Leveraging their herit-
clad stores were for. Web Spoiled by the freedom high street brands like URBN age, and their ties with the
selling seems more appro- and convenience of buying
priate for basic apparel, not online, todays time-poor
high fashion, said a Prada discerning consumers will
spokesperson to The Wall only visit a physical store
Street Journal in 2003. And that promises an experience
this way of thinking has been they can truly enjoy- a place
hard to knock down. where they are approached
But the tables are turning. more as a guest than as a
E-commerce has become the potential buyer.
fastest growing sales channel Thats what digitally born
in the luxury goods sector. French fashion brand Szane
With the point of purchase understood when it opened
increasingly shifting away LAppartement in Paris. Its
from the high street and first physical showroom
the comfort of your hotels only opening stores that are forward-thinking retailers. by forcing old-school retail
poolside lounge, Bain & worth the pricey hassle. On- Diors very own VR headset to reinvent itself, it is over-
Company has identified en- line stores, with their 24/7 transports store visitors coming Goliath.
Andreas Skorski is the founder and CEO of THE LIST, the Middle Easts leading marketplace for luxury goods. Currently based in Dubai, UAE, Andreas
started his first tech company in Germany at the age of 17, and has since successfully founded and invested in several lifestyle and tech startups.
This months tech lineup is catered towards the executive professional always on the go-
weve got a smartphone, a smartwatch, and, well, a smart scanner- if we do say so ourselves.
Geared up
Samsung improves Gear smartwatch
On the go
Epson launched portable scanners
Scanning just got easier need for cables, making the and zonal Optical Character DS-360W are perfect accom-
for busy professionals on device truly portable. Both Recognition support. The paniments for any mobile
the go. Epson has launched models are capable of scan- WorkForce DS-310 and professional.
two new portable business ning a wide range of media,
scanners and they boast including envelopes, and
the fastest speeds on the can scan cards and paper
market. The WorkForce DS- between 52-230gsm. They
310 and DS-360W make it are ideal wherever there is a
easy to manage documents need to scan and capture pa-
quickly and effectively while per documents, such as busi-
on the move. With one of the ness cards or signed forms.
lightest and smallest designs The devices can be paired
in their class, they are ideal with Epsons Document
for carrying in a bag or plac- Capture Pro software, which
ing in a drawer, allowing has a variety of scan-to
mobile workers to digitize options like scan-to-cloud,
paperwork with ease. The scan-to-email and scan-to-
additional embedded battery SharePoint, alongside other
Epson
and wireless connectivity on document imaging features DS-360W
the DS-360W eliminate the such as barcode recognition
#TAMTALKSTECH Tamara Clarke, a former software development professional, is the tech and lifestyle enthusiast behind The Global
Gazette, one of the most active blogs in the Middle East. The Global Gazette has been welcomed and lauded by some of the most
influential tech brands in the region. Clarkes goal is to inform about technology and how it supports our lifestyles. See her work both in
print regional publications and online on her blog where she discusses everything from how a new gadget improves day-to-day life to
how to coordinate your smartphone accessories. Visit www.theglobalgazette.com and talk to her on Twitter @TamaraClarke.
Trep trimmings
The executive
selection
F
rom better goods to boardroom
wardrobe bests, each issue we
choose a few items that make the
approved executive selection list.
In this issue, we present our picks from
The Kooples SS17 range, leather goods
for a staple upgrade, and a venue that
helps to take your grooming regime to
Trophy by Roderer
the next level.
If youre looking to get a fresh an entrepreneur much like comfortable in-pocket fit giving
start this year, perhaps its yourself, he was inspired to you quick access and extensive
time to replace your bulky, found this homegrown brand storage for your most-used
worn-out wallet with a fresh by his business travels and the cards. Minimalists out there
leather piece from the Saffiano citys entrepreneurial drive. will appreciate the streamlined
Leather Trophy collection. The collection features three (and useful) designs.
Created by Oliver Birault, wallets, designed super slim for www.roderer.info
Trophy
by Roderer
Good leaders know when its for the collection, The Kooples
time to change things up incorporates subtle prints and
and the three brothers behind textures, and a respectable
this French brand certainly color palette of dark blues and
demonstrate that quality with blacks. When youre heading to
The Kooples latest collection. the boardroom, we recommend
Known for its ad campaigns the grey suit jacket topped off
of real-life couples (and even by a navy-blue tie (slinked
creative duos), in the Summer/ back with a subtle tie pin)
Spring 2017 range, the creative paired with a statement pocket
direction moves towards travel- square. As for your off-the-
particularly Asia, ranging from clock ensemble, you cant go
India to Japan. With designer wrong with a relaxed fit jacket
and actor Waris Ahluwalia as embellished with a fine silk
its muse, and a collaborator scarf. www.thekooples.com
Editors pick
1847s VIP Room for the discerning gent
booking a visit to the recently 1847 offers, and then sit back
launched VIP Room at the and allow the expert in-house
1847 mens salon in Dubai. staff to offer you a personalized
1847 has dubbed its VIP Room pampering experience. Relax,
a grooming oasis, and the unwind and chill out, and up
discerning gentleman who your grooming game in the 1847 VIP Room
books it can treat himself to process! www.1847uae.com
Civility matters
The Esquire Guys guide to figuring out
if youre a bully at work
By Ross McCammon
L
ast year, I was a guest on And I certainly had never felt
an NPR call-in talk show bullied at work. And I certainly
to discuss workplace had never bullied anyone at work.
etiquette. Most calls were (Note: Never believe anyone who
about shaking hands, uses italics to deny something.)
conducting meetings, asking for a Or had I? The major problem with
raise, recovering from calling your the word bullying is that it seems
boss by your wifes name. (Maybe more tied to the playground and,
thats just me.) It was light and these days, social media (which is a
funny, until one caller asked for metaphorical playground). Walk-
advice about being shunned by her ing up to a coworker and flicking an
coworkers. They would gather near earlobe? I think wed all say thats
her desk, talking about work she bullying. (It is also assault- amusing
was involved in without asking her assault, but still.) But what about
to weigh in. They never invited her rolling your eyes every time a col-
to lunch or after-work drinks. When league speaks in a meeting? Gossip-
she brought up her feelings, her ing? Raising your voice? The things Bullying can include
colleagues dismissed and mocked weve all been guilty of doing? angry, aggressive or
her. She felt unimportant and The question for most of us isnt: hostile behavior from a
ostracized. And she sounded deeply are we being bullied? It is: are we colleague or a supervisor.
distressed. the bullies? Are we engaging in But it can also be more
I felt ill equipped to answer the behavior, even occasionally, that subtle, such as secretly
question. I stammered out a reply. well, what? That hurts a colleagues sabotaging someones work,
I made a joke. (She didnt laugh.) feelings? That threatens them? or setting them up for
The shows host suggested that she That gives them an ulcer? failure by purposely making
record these instances and, if they The effects can be serious. Stud- unreasonable demands.
continued, alert a supervisor. The ies have linked rude behavior to
host labeled the behavior as bul- decreased performance. In one joint
lying. Which at first struck me as study by the University of Southern
infantilizing. California and the University of Supreme Court told employers, You
I hadnt felt bullied since middle Florida, after a researcher belit- could be held liable for sexual har-
school. tled participants, they scored 33% assment, they all jumped onboard
worse on puzzles and came up to have educational programs,
with 39% fewer brainstorm ideas. training and workplace policies and
Even people who simply witnessed procedures, he says. With work-
uncivil behavior performed 22% place bullying, were where we were
worse on puzzles and had 28% maybe 30 years ago with sexual
fewer ideas. harassment.
Despite that evidence, theres So what constitutes bullying?
no direct line of legal liability for Bullying can include angry, aggres-
workplace bullying, which means sive or hostile behavior from a col-
very few employers cover bullying league or a supervisor, says David
behaviors in their internal em- Ballard, assistant executive director
ployee policies, says David Yamada, for organizational excellence at
professor and director of the New the American Psychological As-
Workplace Institute at Suffolk Uni- sociation. But it can also be more
versity Law School. When the U.S. subtle, such as secretly sabotaging
Did you skip over this column be- The sighs? Never sigh at work-
cause youre obviously not a bully? youll seem either tired, bored or in
Yes No respiratory distress.
The eye-rolling? When you feel
If you answered yes to any of those one coming on, tilt your head down;
questions, you may have a tendency the eye roll becomes a brief yet
to occasionally engage in bullying sweeping examination of your sur-
behaviors. (I sense you are rolling roundings.
your eyes at how unscientific that The thing where you keep typing
quiz was. Stop bullying me.) while someone is trying to talk to
Its OK to regress a little. Its OK you in your office? I happen to be
to think about, say, middle school - doing that at this very moment, and
about how you felt when you were its going to stop right now!
bullied and how other children
seemed to feel when they were. In See this article in its entirety at Entrepreneur.com
I
n June of 2004, Arno Some two dozen platforms are steamy black and white ing more of the difference
Rafael Minkkinen stepped are laid out in a square at the 8x10s of palm trees sway- between your work and what
up to the microphone at heart of the city, Minkkinen ing off a beachfront, havent influenced it. Your vision
the New England School of said. At the head of each you seen the work of Sally takes off. And as the years
Photography to deliver the platform is a sign posting the Mann? mount up and your work
commencement speech. numbers of the buses that So once again, you get off begins to pile up, it wont be
As he looked out at the leave from that particular the bus, grab the cab, race long before the critics be-
graduating students, Mink- platform. The bus numbers back and find a new plat- come very intrigued, not just
kinen shared a simple theory might read as follows: 21, form. This goes on all your by what separates your work
that, in his estimation, made 71, 58, 33, and 19. Each bus creative life, always show- from a Sally Mann or a Ralph
all the difference between takes the same route out of ing new work, always being Gibson, but by what you did
success and failure. He called the city for at least a kilo- compared to others. when you first got started!
it The Helsinki Bus Station meter, stopping at bus stop Minkkinen paused. He You regain the whole bus
Theory. intervals along the way. looked out at the students route in fact. The vintage
He continued, Now lets and asked, What to do? prints made twenty years ago
The Helsinki Bus Station say, again metaphorically Its simple, he said. Stay are suddenly re-evaluated
Theory speaking, that each bus stop on the bus. Stay on the [ex- and, for what it is worth,
Minkkinen was born in Hel- represents one year in the pletive] bus. Because if you start selling at a premium.
sinki, Finland. In the center life of a photographer. Mean- do, in time, you will begin to At the end of the line -where
of the city there was a large ing the third bus stop would see a difference. the bus comes to rest and
bus station and he began his represent three years of The buses that move out the driver can get out for a
speech by describing it to the photographic activity. Ok, so of Helsinki stay on the same smoke or, better yet, a cup of
students. you have been working for line, but only for a while- coffee- thats when the work
James Clear writes at JamesClear.com, where he uses behavior science to share ideas for mastering your habits, improving your
health, and increasing your creativity. To get useful ideas on improving your mental and physical performance, join his free newsletter
JamesClear.com/newsletter. To have James speak at your entrepreneurial event contact him jamesClear.com/contact
gotten shortly thereafter. metaphor, the photographers not being deliberate. potential you must choose
Consider someone who who get off the bus after a A lot of people put in one. This is one of the cen-
works on a computer each few stops and then hop on a 10,000 hours. Very few peo- tral tensions of life. Its your
day at work. If youve been in new bus line are still doing ple put in 10,000 hours of choice, but you must choose.
your job for years, it is very work the whole time. They revision. The only way to do And once you do, stay on
likely that you have spent are putting in their 10,000 that is to stay on the bus. the bus.
Come together
development, as opposed to
team building days provides
this. A structured program
The case for team building efforts is stronger of awareness, training and
when the times are tougher development over the course of
a few months or a year, whose
I
By Adrian Hayes
benefits will far outweigh lost
time emptying our inboxes. In
t is one of the strange In the first instance, 90% of But that day wont discover or some cases, a leader has the
anomalies and, frankly, our companies will do either resolve communication block- skills to provide this aware-
naivet of businesses no formal team building train- ages in a team, silo mentality, ness, training and change.
today: in the sporting ing or resort to a once a year misunderstandings, the sup- However, there are so many
world, where the stakes, fun based team building day port each team member needs, models, mantras, lessons, ex-
competition and money in the nave belief that this individual and team values, amples, exercises, experiential
have increased beyond all will create a high performing its strengths and weaknesses, work, tools and techniques in
recognition in the past corporate team. And secondly, feedback and acknowledge- the world of the real personal,
20 years, teamwork and team when times are hard, any team ment and many, many more leadership and team develop-
building is treated with the development training will factors that go into creating a ment that it often requires
utmost criticality in producing usually be scaled down or even high performing team. the support of experts. That is
a high-performing unit. In the cut. All of this is nave, danger- And it is easy to have a rela- why top sporting teams enlist
expedition world, too, true ous and, frankly, bunk. tively well gelled team when the skills of an entire group
teamwork is the key factor in A team building day such times are good, sales are flow- of coaches, psychologists and
achieving a major goal and, as a treasure hunt, building ing in and prof-
indeed, often staying alive a raft to cross a swimming its are trebling
and I give my teams weekly pool or embarking on a high every year the
team building training and ropes course will bring fun, periods when
awareness in the months lead- enjoyment and camaraderie. companies will
ing up to an expedition and All good things to have in a feel they can
whilst on it. Yet, in our corpo- corporate calendar- and if you spend money
rate world, where the stakes, cant have some fun alongside on personal,
competition and money have the relentless pressure of sales leadership and
risen equally as dramatically, targets, profit targets and team develop-
team development languishes growth, then a company isnt ment. Yet in
in the dark ages. putting its employees first. recessions,
A team building activity conducted by Adrian Hayes
Adrian Hayes is a British record-breaking adventurer, keynote speaker, leadership, team and executive coach, campaigner and author.
www.adrianhayes.com
P
In a program that should run icture this: youre sitting in a conference notes, and ask them to individually generate
over the course of a year, it is room thats slightly colder than you three ideas related to the topic at hand. After
impossible to give all you need prefer, taking a few notes, staring at a this phase, participants can pass their card
to know in a 1000-word single whiteboard and listening to some ideas being to the person on their right; the next person
article. But here are five tips: passed around. Time goes by, a few concepts finds a way to expand on these ideas, or add
are shortlisted, and the session is dismissed. incremental improvements. The objective is to
> See formal team coaching/ But what if there was a better way to brain- end up with 3x more ideas than if the session
team development as essential, storm, or generate creative, actionable ideas? had begun with collaborative thinking.
a part of a companys monthly When the original brainstorming technique
or quarterly program, as its was introduced in 1953, it was based on four
sales targets. key principles: generating a large quantity of
ideas, avoiding criticism, encouraging wild and
> Have clear agreements on the crazy ideas, and building on each others ideas.
need for honest, transparency However, advances over the past few decades
and openness in any team. have led innovation and creativity experts to
Without this in place, any de- call for a more structured approach to idea
velopment program will simply generation, development and implementation,
not work. all while keeping these basic principles in mind.
Hence the rise of structured ideation, or using
> As a starter session, ask the specific exercises, frameworks and models
non-judgmental question, to generate ideas and drive business growth.
How are we doing as a team? Structured ideation can be used to solve a 3. Speedboat
If the agreements of the earlier variety of business challenges; from developing Purpose Identify challenges in your
point are in place, it will open a a marketing strategy to redesigning a product product or service through visualization
rich channel of communication or service. Here are a few team-based ideation Visualization has been proven to enhance
that will likely have been sub- activities that can make your brainstorms more learning ability, and stimulate process-oriented
merged for months or years. inclusive, engaging and effective: creative thought. This technique starts with
a large speedboat drawn on a whiteboard or
> Have a discovery session of 1. Mission Impossible large sheet of paper, which is named based on
what team members individual Purpose Generate ideas using seemingly the challenge at hand. Team members work on
values, goals and objectives are. impossible questions identifying roadblocks or variables that would
Everyone has a different DNA How do we build a house in a day? Apply slow down this boat, and specify the kilo-
and are motivated by different this technique by framing your creative or meters or miles by which this specific problem
objectives. Contrary to common business challenge in a way that seems impos- would hinder progress. After all the obstacles
belief, money is not the key fac- sible, and seek out a variety of ideas from your or anchors have been identified, participants
tor in most peoples leaving of a team members. As the exercise progresses, can work on resolving these issues and finding
company. encourage participants to think about new innovative solutions.
features or benefits that might emerge from
> Enlist a professional team this constraint. Evaluate the core elements in 4. Dot Voting
coach. They have skills, tools conflict, and the potential solutions that can Purpose Choose and rank ideas based
and techniques that most man- come out of using time, space, technology or on business impact
agers and leaders simply do not the environment as key factors. This technique exemplifies democracy in
have either the awareness or action! By providing team members with five
time to deliver. 2. Brainwriting round stickers as votes, they can actively select
Purpose Build on each others ideas in ideas and concepts that resonate with them.
Real teamwork, team develop- an inclusive manner As a precedent to this exercise, participants
ment and team coaching is too Also known as the silent brainstorm, this can also be given a framework to evaluate and
critical to be left to the nice to technique has been lauded by practitioners and rank ideas based on feasibility or impact. The
haves or a once-a-year team critics alike. At the start of this exercise, pro- session ends with a clear display of ideas that
building days. It will largely vide all participants with index cards or Post-it are ranked as most effective or valuable.
determine your companys
success or failure and nowhere
more vital than in challenging Dipika Mallya is the founder of Ideation Labs, and she facilitates interactive sessions to help
incubators, accelerators and startups solve marketing and design challenges. She has worked for
times. Give it the importance it leading brands in the region, including Cleartrip, YouGov and the Al-Futtaim Group. She holds a
and your teams deserve. Masters degree in Advertising from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelors degree in
Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. www.ideationlabs.io
I
n a recent meeting, I was asked by a client why we do. However, the understanding of design has
there is so much focus on design, and if this was changed and evolved as our expectations and ways
not just another fashion trend aiming to become to interact with artifacts, machines and tools have
a paradigm of the decade. So I decided to openly also evolved from a pure functional and practical
reflect on it. Design has been an integral part drive to a more experiential and engaged approach.
of human evolution. From the development of the Design today is not just about the features of a
first tools by pre-historic man, to the industrial product and how those features function, but more
revolution and the invention of personal computing, on how we are able to create certain experiences
design has been at the forefront of everything that deliver delight or joy to the user.
a customer-centric value and beliefs, but also what are part of the experience design. This true multidisciplinary
proposition. This Democra- our business objectives. The Whether you are a young team operates on an itera-
tization of Design approach approach in which we design entrepreneur launching a tive basis, learning from the
will determine the next and then execute changes new venture, or an enter- responses that their designs
the behavior of our custom- prise executive looking for a stimulate, to then adapt
Design became an embodiment ers and employees. From a new revenue source, design and evolve the same designs
of empathy with users under-
lying emotions and motivations,
physical layout to the latest needs to be at the forefront accordingly. Thus, design
and a trigger of predicted digital application, design is of your aim. In this context, becomes an organic system,
behaviors that ultimately drive driving behaviors and busi- the pre-requisite of design is which by its nature evolves
business outcomes. ness results across industries a desired business outcome dynamically and constantly.
weekly basis.
Juan Jose de la Torre is a digital, telco and media senior executive with almost two decades of experience across America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
His drive and expertise has led to him to hold senior positions with global multinationals including IBM, Orange, TeliaSonera, Etisalat and Booz&Company. In line with
this and by creating and successfully trading three startups, J.J. combines a unique blend of corporate, consulting and entrepreneurial experience. The founder of
afkar.me (MENAs 360 degrees incubator and accelerator), an angel investor for 14 startups and startup mentor for more than 80 companies, he has also advised the
UN and OECD in mobility and innovation subjects. J.J. holds an MBA from INSEAD, a Masters from La Salle and an Industrial Engineer degree from Adolfo Ibanez.
Currently, J.J. is IBMs Digital Transformation Leader for Middle East and Africa, from where he helps IBM clients to embrace digital technologies.
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I
veloped your new brand, you On-site For the actual website,
n 2013, Wim and I but one that takes months of need to make sure all employ- you will need to research
founded MoveSouq, an research and careful planning; ees are familiar with it. It is and plan for the best way to
online marketplace help- we started the process over a a good idea to put together a transition all site functionality
ing Dubai residents book year ago. If youre planning to branding guideline book for seamlessly to a new domain,
and get quotes for home rebrand your online business, everyone to read through. while minimizing impact to
services. We had noticed then you will need to develop the site traffic.
that there was no transparency a comprehensive rebranding 2. Designing and planning
in the market when it came to plan, which should include the the change SEO and website perfor-
finding trusted home services following five key elements: We started the rebranding mance While some loss in
companies- there wasnt a sin- process a year before the traffic immediately following
gle place then where you could 1. Define your ambition and actual switch. You will need to the rebrand is inevitable, it is
find these companies easily or brand identity put aside time to research each important to do your research
read reviews on the quality of It is important to take the time element of the rebrand and and take steps to ensure that
the services they provide. We to develop the concept behind read through case studies. Its the PageRank you built up
initially focused on moving your new brand identity- this important to create a detailed over the years is correctly
services, but after a very posi- is not an element that you plan for absolutely everything; transferred, and not lost. Part
tive response from residents, should rush. Write down all from how you will transfer the of this is adding the correct
we started adding more and the reasons for doing the site to the new domain to how redirection to all pages so that
more services to the site. The rebrand and the main things you will manage your social search engines recognize that
website now offers 25 services, you aim to achieve, and share media accounts. For an online this is a migration and not
including cleaning, painting, these with your team. Set business, some elements you duplicated content.
maintenance, and home and aside a considerable amount of will need to consider include:
car insurance and is available time in your rebranding plan Social media As part of your
in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and to spend on developing your Operations You will need to rebrand strategy, you will
Doha, in addition to Dubai. We new brand identity and choos- plan for a smooth transition need to plan for the transition
recently took the bold move to ing a name that will reflect of all operational elements of all social media accounts.
rebrand ourselves to Service- it. Although brainstorming such as: email addresses, call This includes changing ac-
Market. Rebranding a digital your own ideas is a great place center scripts, customer ser- count handles and usernames,
company is not a simple task, to start, remember that you vice portals and any help desk changing all advert assets,
and moving and reconfigur-
ing ad accounts. If you have a
social media following, then
you will not want to lose your
account history. We worked
closely with reps from Google
and Facebook so that we could
keep our account history and
suffer minimal loss in terms of
the quality scores.
Bana Shomali co-founded ServiceMarket.com (formerly known as MoveSouq.com), with Wim Torfs in 2013 to innovate the home services industry
in the UAE. Realizing that many UAE residents struggled with finding and hiring professional home services companies, Bana set up ServiceMarket
to help customers get free quotes for any home service they needed, and book their service online. Before founding ServiceMarket, Bana worked as
a consultant at McKinsey & Companys Dubai office for six years. Bana is also a Fulbright scholar, and has an MBA from Vanderbilt University, USA.
A
initiatives is essential. This nalyze the composition study also reveals that email,
Investors You will need to plan should include both of any organizations as a medium, has been found
make sure that your investors onsite and offsite marketing marketing strategy to- to be 40 times more effective
are all aware of the rebrand campaigns. You will also need day, and you will see two tools at acquiring new custom-
and understand the reasons to update logos and brand de- leading the efforts: email mar- ers when compared to social
for doing it. This is a discus- tails on all existing marketing keting and social marketing. networks such as Facebook
sion that you should have very materials, including business A recent PayFort infographic and Twitter. Offering compa-
early on to make sure that cards, email signatures and highlights ways in which enter- nies a few ways to integrate
everyone is on the same page. any live ads. It is a good idea prises can derive benefits by both marketing strategies, the
to create a detailed brand combining these two market- infographic says that incentiv-
Customers A good commu- guideline document to share ing strategies (as different as izing newsletter readers to
nication plan for customers with everyone involved to apples and oranges), instead share your email content on
will prevent loss of brand make sure that they are famil- of utilizing them as two their social networks, promot-
recognition and retain users. iar with how to use the new distinct tools. Stressing on the ing the organizations email
The plan will need to have a logo and branding elements. significance of email marketing marketing campaigns on their
strategy for the weeks leading Although rebranding in- in todays digital world with own social media channels,
up to the rebrand and a plan volves a lot of work, creating some stats, the infographic and putting out catchy content
for the weeks following the detailed plans for all these estimates that email market- snapshots from the newsletter
rebrand. Pre-launch you will elements, along with thorough ing offers a massive 3800% of on social media, are a few ways
need to make customers aware research, should ensure that average return on investment to derive best efforts out of the
infographic payfort
that there is a change coming you have a smooth transition with 82% of enterprises using combination of email and social
and, ideally, create a bit of to your new brand. email marketing technique. The marketing. www.payfort.com/blog
I
to date. All team members and propose to clients. Be
need to be working with a needed.
was 25 years old when I journey leading into a corpora- set framework and a defined
set up a small statistics tion was not an easy feat, and strategy, and coached by the Come first. Innovate, and find
and research firm in that brought with it continu- CEO. If you try to do everything solutions. And be ahead of the
Beirut, Lebanon. It was ous daily challenges. But along yourself, your growth will be game. There is this saying that
1988. War was unfolding the way, there have been many limited and you will burn out. I will paraphrase to relate to
on the streets around my lessons that I have learned and Put in place a strategy and set business: you should always
family home, and I had experienced, which have kept the objectives, inspire them, have a seat at the head table;
only a few years of experience me going through all of the coach them, listen to them- but if not, youll be on the menu,
under my belt. But I had a challenges and growth spurs. let them do the work and give a secondary option. Make sure
vision and a goal. A year after Here are a few of them: them the credit as well. you are not marginal.
founding my firm, I reached
out to the founder and CEO LESSON ONE LESSON THREE LESSON FIVE
of Ipsos, one of the biggest You are tested the most in Passion and patience are your Never underestimate
research firms in France at the times of crisis lifelong friends You should never underesti-
time and soon to become one Being a leader and heading To succeed, you need both mate yourself, what you are
of the top three institutions of an organization brings with it passion and patience- one doing, and your team. You must
its kind in the world. I shared many challenges. At the same cannot exist without the other. always strive to find meaning in
with him my vision, my dream, time, internally, there is a You must be passionate about what you are doing both inter-
my plan- he saw the potential, team you need to motivate to what you are doing. But that is nally and externally. Its imper-
and believed in what I said and reach their potential, targets, not enough. You must also be ative that you strongly believe
what I promised. So he decided business goals, KPIs, and the patient to see results. in what you do. In addition, you
to support me and embark with like. A good manager is always must find opportunity in every
me on the journey to expand active and on the go. A good LESSON FOUR situation. I am aware that being
into the Middle East region. manager should never give up, You are not (and never will be) opportunistic has a negative
Today, the small firm I founded in both crisis situations as well alone connotation, however, a good
alone from my bedroom, as growth spurs. Persevere in In business, you are never leader uses every situation to
in front of a bulky desktop all what you do. Externally, alone, and there are several their advantage. If you do not
computer, is now the leading we have been met with many dimensions to this point. If a take the leap, others will, and
research firm in the Middle challenges, be it from economic business leader operates as you will miss the train. There is
East. The entrepreneurial fluctuation, political and social though his company exists in no mercy in business.
Edouard Monin founded Stat S.A.L in Beirut Lebanon in 1988, which provided market research services including media and consumers research. In
1992, the company later evolved along the way to become part of the global player in the world of research, Ipsos. Monin then became the Chairman
and CEO of Ipsos in Middle East and North Africa. With this role, Monin overlooks the company in 15 different countries across the MENA region,
ensuring that all targets are met and setting new standards for research companies in the region.
T
he importance of bringing a team demotivated if they know a promotion isnt
together to work hand-in-hand in the pipeline. Take time to recognize your
with each other is something that is team members efforts, and acknowledge
often talked about but rarely implemented. and reward their achievements. A 2015
Strong leadership is one of the elements study by HR firm, O.C. Tanner Co., in Har-
that will ensure a team stays together and vard Business Review showed that a new
continues to be efficient. By developing leader can instantly boost employee job sat-
good leadership skills, you will avoid issues isfaction by 31% just by recognizing those
such as high staff turnover, micromanage- who have never received any appreciation
ment, conflict in the workplace, and low from their leaders.
productivity. As a result, your actions and
behavior determine your teams success. 3. Prioritize and listen
Here are five ways to inspire your team in As a leader, your number one priority is to
2017: look after the needs of your employees. If
you see that certain members are strug-
1. Empower gling or unhappy, it is your responsibility
Nobody likes to be micromanaged or left to help change this, looking at what their
feeling like they are not good enough to do issues are and how they can be addressed.
a certain task. Empowering your team is a The team always needs to come first, and
solid strategy to keep them motivated and when employees feel this care and support
can also help identify key strengths that can network, they are more likely to feel at ease
be used for the greater good. In the 2016 within the organization.
Deloitte Millennial Survey, 66% of millen-
nial employees said they would not be in 4. Invest and engage
their current job by 2020, with 71% putting According to a 2016 study by Shift Disrup-
this down to their dissatisfaction at how tive Learning, one in three employees leave
their leadership skills are being developed. their organization because they are not
Take time to see how you can develop each engaged. By inspiring your team, investing
members skillset and show that his or her in training, and creating engaging opportu-
professional development really matters to nities to learn, they are more likely to per-
you and to the company. form better and strive for excellence. More
importantly, make sure its the right training
2. Recognize and reward by linking it to an objective, whether thats
In the same survey, 50% of male and 48% a one-on-one business coach or a group
of female respondents said they felt they training session on customer service.
were being overlooked for potential leader-
ship positions. This can really affect how 5. Communicate and connect
productive employees are in their teams, Teams start to fall apart when members
as they may start to feel disheartened and stop communicating effectively. Commu-
nication is at the heart of good teamwork,
and there are various ways to facilitate this.
Organize weekly meetings or regular team
building exercises that stimulate communi-
cation and encourage people to speak up for
what they believe in. Every team member
should have a voice, and as a leader you can
provide an environment that encourages
confidence, growth, and happiness in the
workplace.
Mike Hoff is the founder and CEO of Mike Hoff Consultancy (MHC), a privately owned
executive consulting business in the UAE. A certified Gazelles International Coach and
certified Innermetrix Consultant by trade, Hoff helps fast-growing companies scale up
their business by developing high performing teams. Hoff has more than 30 years of
senior leadership experience across a wide spectrum of trades and professions.
F
systems develop and leverage
1. Local knowledge is the comes into play, the sources
or private eq- geographically diversified name of the game of growth will change and
uity and venture portfolio- often in devel- As is the case in developed private equity is sure to grow.
capital inves- oped markets. For many, the markets, successful fund Todays investors should re-
tors, emerging perceived risk in emerging managers need extensive main conscious and creative
markets (EM) markets is just too high. For networks and a deep under- about the ways to facilitate
have long felt limited partners (LPs) based standing of deal making in a returns in emerging markets.
like the Wild in the Middle East and Af- local context. Many
West. Many question the rica, the story is similar: LPs investors in New
models success in countries would rather seek security in York or London are
where regulation is low and the tried and tested private disconnected from
leverage is hard to come by. equity markets of Europe these markets and
Sovereign wealth funds, fam- and North America. But in are hence reluc-
ily offices and other institu- doing so, they are neglect- tant to put capital
tions traditionally seek a ing opportunities available in unfamiliar and
much closer to home. By sometimes un-
History has shown that consistently looking towards tested geographies.
private markets move faster developed markets, inves- However, sector
in creating economic growth
tors are missing the chance diversification and
than public markets. To put
this into practice, GPs should to capitalize on several financial market
promote deals where invested emerging market advantages: development are
capital trickles down to local demographic change, middle becoming familiar
economies and promotes class consumption, and sec- themes. Develop-
development. tor diversification are just a ment Finance In-
M
returns. Private equity in to larger deal exits. ENA-based ride- says that the funds will be
these markets provides an hailing app Careem utilized to scale its transport
opportunity for investors of As financial systems develop has closed 2016 services in existing and new
all types to meet these in- and leverage comes into with a bang, with it becom- markets, accelerate innova-
terdependent goals of return play, the sources of growth ing the latest unicorn in the tion across its platform, and
and economic development. will change and private Middle East tech ecosystem. help the company achieve
So, with that said, how equity is sure to grow. Careem announced that it its goal of creating one
can MENA business owners has closed US$350 million million jobs in the region by
and fund managers convince The ability to identify in funding in a round co-led 2018. Mudassir Sheikha,
investors to look their way? emerging trends and capital- by Japanese tech enterprise co-founder and CEO, Ca-
There is strong evidence to ize on high growth opportu- Rakuten and Saudi Ara- reem, expects the support of
support investment: nities is attractive in todays bian telco Saudi Telecom investors such as Rakuten
environment where yield Company (STC). According and STC to bring institu-
1. Consider the returns is scarce and good ideas to a statement by Careem, tional backing for Careems
Firstly, while many con- are hard to find. For MENA this investment is the first operations with the global
sider emerging markets to be investors, local markets part released from a larger technology leadership and
undeveloped, returns in such provide an opportunity for $500 million round raised deep local experience
regions are anything but. faster economic diversifica- from various investors, and enabling Careem to further
David Wilton, the former tion at home. Many regional advised by Credit Suisse. improve the ease of trans-
head of private equity at the investors can manage an Careems announcement portation services in the
IFC, proved this by generat- added degree of risk in follows Bloomberg reports region. Careems investors in
ing returns that would be the short-term in favor of attributing Saudi stock previous rounds include The
attractive to any developed long-term performance. For exchange filings that STCs Abraaj Group, STC Ventures,
market investor (17% IRR on large institutions, invest- board has approved a 10% Al Tayyar Group, BECO
funds from 2000-09). The ment mandates increasingly stake buy in Careem, rais- Capital, El Sewedy Invest-
IFC team boasted a consist- require a balance between ing the startups valuation ments, and Wamda Capital
ent and successful track long-term financial perfor- to over $1 billion. Rakuten among others. Launched in
image credit careem
record investing in emerging mance and short-term eco- executive Oskar Mielczarek 2012, Careem operates in 47
market fund managers that nomic opportunity. Emerging de la Miel, and an unnamed cities across 11 countries and
many would have ignored as markets provide an opportu- STC Group executive are set claims to serve over six mil-
too risky. nity to achieve both. to join Careems Board with lion users with their network
this investment. of 150,000 captains (drivers)
Commenting on the us- in the MENA and South Asia
Sean McKeon is an investment advisor based in London age of the funds, Careem region.
and a passionate supporter of entrepreneurship in
emerging markets. Talk to him on Twitter @fseanmckeon.
E
continued growth.
arly-stage entrepre- and to fight the temptation When you are an early-stage
neurs run around we all have to do everything entrepreneur, you have to run the role of a startup CEO
putting off fires day at the same time and treat all around. But the key challenge is to define the pace of the
in and day out. Some challenges equally. Embrac- is to run around in a smart startup. It starts with
deem every single ing and instilling a true sense way. I have seen a few early- enforcing that sense of
challenge as worthy of urgency will allow entre- stage founders chilling in the urgency at the top level,
of their precious preneurs to do things faster, sun, and I wondered whether knowing that it will trig-
limited time that they end up smarter, with less resources they are the modern masters ger down to tight dead-
losing sight of growth strate- and much less frustration. of urgency, or if they suffer lines at the lower level.
gies- as well as planning for I asked Idriss Al Rifai, from the early-stage
the long run. They celebrate founder and CEO of Fetchr, complacency syn-
Idriss Al Rifai,
the small wins the everyday if, during the early days of drome, enjoying their founder and
emergencies and confuse the startup, he was able to small wins, while the CEO, Fetchr
avoiding crises with the con- run his company with a sense scaling war around
stant urge to get things done. of urgency. He replied, The them is raging. Run-
To many, the sense of urgency way we run Fetchr, from day ning around franti-
and the sense of emergency one, is definitely proactive. I cally can give a false
are indistinguishable. really believe that the role of sense of achievement,
Urgency, in the words of a startup CEO is to define the and the last minute
John Kotter, the author of A pace of the startup. It starts reactionary small
Sense of Urgency is not to with enforcing that sense fixes are often ineffec-
just have a meeting today, its of urgency at the top level, tual in their impact
to have a meeting that accom- knowing that it will trigger on the long term.
plishes something today. Its down to tight deadlines at the While reacting to
the courage to prioritize and lower level. The reactionary emergencies is inevi-
focus on what yields results part exists, but represents a table, founders need
to achieve a certain objective, much smaller part. to train themselves
Sirine Fadoul is Incubation Manager at DTEC Tech Startup Incubator, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority. She is a founding member of Girls in Tech
Middle East and a Mentor and Coach for The Cherie Blair Foundation for Womens Mentoring Women Program. Fadoul is also the founder of
Generation Disrupt, a nonprofit product design educational program for children.
100 customers to love you ChefXChange customer will never give you term planning, advised Nab-
than just have thousands who co-founder feedback on these channels. beshs Baz. We were recently
Karl Naim
like you. Our biggest source It is easier for them to ignore testing a new service in the
of new business comes from you, than over the phone. Saudi market, and we man-
referrals from existing cus- Starting a business involves aged to run a pilot so smooth-
tomers. When we lose busi- having a vision first, an ly and efficiently, while keep-
ness, it is always important aspiration to be the best at ing the team morale very high,
to understand why, to whom, what you do, and a mission to despite working long hours on
what we could have done to win. While working towards sometimes agonizing tasks.
retain them. And this requires achieving your vision, you Everyone was aligned behind
picking up the phone and need to align every helping a vision to reach a specific
daring asking for feedback hand and brain, and make milestone and it was executed
from a lost customer. And as a every action focused on perfectly. The more stable the
founder, I do this on a weekly success. Think big, feel the team is, the more efficient we
Sales is the task that
basis in front of my team and most team members dread
urge every day and spread become, and the higher our
try to instill that feedback fe- the most: cold calling, a go-getter behavior across chances to succeed and use
ver in them. Additionally, the fear of being pushy, fear your organization. Purge the the sense of urgency to deliver
new generation prefers relying of being compared to a low impact frantic bustle, and results.
on emails and WhatsApp, used car salesman. Yet always reward the strategic So heres the lesson I leave
which removes the whole per- startups only survive if proactive wins. With a grow- you with: instill urgency ur-
sonal and emotional aspect, they provide an excellent ing business, you can develop gently in your organizations.
and more often than not, a customer service. better foresight and do longer Good luck!
D
deep end with an ambitious notion, kick the
isruption was the buzzword for Here is a basic checklist to help guide your hornets nest and see what anomaly occurs
2016 in business schools, the me- disruptive spirit: as a result. Dont throw a pebble, throw a
dia, and most social circles. boulder and see what ripples you create.
Large, bureaucratic organizations 1. Who are the red herrings in my
yearned to be more agile, whilst industry Its safe to say that the major- Perhaps it would be advisable to strip back
smaller flat organizations relished in the hope ity of broad industry categories have either disruption and call it what it really is vi-
that they might be the next Uber or Airbnb of seen the rise of a disruptor or experienced sionary leadership guided by a spirit of true
their industry. To disrupt was to dominate. the introduction of one. Determine whether innovation. To this end, individuals like Steve
Amidst the hype of being anti-establish- your disruption will have enough impact to Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos are the
ment and non-conformist, its worthwhile to make yourself stand out as the disruptor in quintessential disruptors. They were disrupt-
remind ourselves that being disruptive in and your industry. Disruption is about dominating ing before it even had a catchy name. That is
of itself offers little to no value. an industry, not merely occupying a market the essence of the entrepreneur the often
Uber may have disrupted the transport sector. solitary voice who notices an enormous pivot
industry but they did so by creating value point to change the way business is done and
to customers in the form of on-demand 2. Disruption can be mainstream Thats how we conduct our daily lives.
transport. Airbnb likewise strived to connect right. Im sure you can think of a dozen indus-
empty spaces in peoples homes with those tries in which offering exceptional customer
seeking short-term accommodation thereby service will be a massive disruption to the
creating value. industry norms. Or what about offering 100%
Likewise, if your aspiring unicorn idea wants money back guarantee but actually offering
to disrupt for example the fast food sector, it? As consumers weve grown increasingly
you need to identify the value proposition to skeptical of companies claiming to be the
your customer base that will lead to mass best thing next to sliced bread. Perhaps its
adoption. Delivering fast food dressed as an opportunity to disrupt by simply doing
super heroes may be disruptive but does not what you promise your customers. Be fresh,
really add value albeit entertaining no doubt. not stale.
Johan Hanekom is the Managing Director of Hanbro, a boutique consultancy helping international companies setup and develop their UK market
presence. Johan is a lifelong entrepreneur having started his first business at age 16. A believer in social entrepreneurship, Johan helped launch
several NGOs in South Africa, including AISEC and Enactus. His paper while at Oxford focused on the importance of developing a nation of social
entrepreneurs in South Africa. Johan can be reached via email: johan@hanbro.co
We got funded!
a more traditional equity deal or try
to negotiate the agreement, tell them
youre happy to do that if they take
Dubai-based HR tech startup Visage raises angel investment 75% of the round. I also make sure
they understand [that] the money
A
re you, as an entrepreneur, looking a business model, the startup operates at needs to [be] wired the week after,
for a superstar hire to join your almost 1/10th of the cost of a recruit- otherwise they wont be onboard. I
growing team? Regardless of your ment agency. found that investors who can comply
posts on various job boards and The process by which Visage sealed with the above are extremely resource-
social media channels, there is a the investment is reflective of the MENA ful and will help you going forward.
possibility that the perfect candidate for funding scene, and also indicates the level
the opportunity may already be happily of research undertaken by the startup. What are your views on MENAs
employed elsewhere. This is where a funding ecosystem? What are
need to connect with passive talent as- Left to right: your pointers for aspiring
sumes importance for companies, and a Visage CTO entrepreneurs to successfully
Emmanuel
Dubai-based startup Visage has managed Marboeuf and
close funding rounds in the
to raise US$420,000 (AED1.5 million) co-founder region?
from Dubai Angel Investors and other Joss Leufrancois Raising money is tricky in MENA.
UAE-based investors for its business idea There is just not enough VC money
combining crowdsourcing and artificial around and they make much less bets
intelligence in a recruitment tool. Vis- than in Europe or the US. The good
ages fundraising comes at a time when thing is that MENA is full of wealthy
the startup is set to join the Alchemist individuals with cash to invest. They
Accelerator in San Francisco for a six- are used to the traditional form of
month program. We started by talking to VCs as they are investments like real estate. When I
Launched in 2015 by co-founders Joss the easiest to identify and get meetings understood it wasnt going to happen
Leufrancois and Barry Potier, along with with, [but] we realized late it wasnt the with MENA VCs, I reached out to my
CTO Emmanuel Marboeuf, Visages cli- way to go, notes Leufrancois. Middle friends, clients, and angel investors
ent base includes startups such as The East venture capitalists invest in later- in the ecosystem. The story was
Luxury Closet, Careem and Fetchr, and stage startups, even if they claim doing simple: We are raising $140,000
UAE corporations such as Etisalat and early-stage. The startups they invest in to implement artificial intelligence
Etihad, with the startup providing them are usually 3+ years old with significant on the platform. We have already
a curated shortlist of warm candidates traction. Having bootstrapped for almost $70,000 committed. We will close
ready to be interviewed. They [clients] 18 months before this angel round, next week and the minimum ticket is
work with us when they dont get the Leufrancois draws attention to using a $25,000. You need to create scarcity
results they want [by] advertising on convertible instrument (SAFE) for this and urgency. You do that by hav-
job boards, and yet are not ready to pay round, and says that the team syndicated ing your round always 50% full and
a recruitment agency, explains Leu- the deal themselves. This instrument is closing the following week. The worse
francois. We execute our recruitment supposed to avoid negotiating back and enemies are the maybes. Once you
campaigns pretty much the same way as a forth on the valuation, he explains. Com- have more than 50%, you raise your
marketing campaign. The company uses menting on the deployment of the funds funding target. You need to have your
a network of 1,000+ freelance recruiters raised, Leufrancois says that the capital due diligence pack ready and send
and an AI platform to hunt for passive will be used to progress on the artificial your SAFE [a convertible instrument ]
talent, which they claim make up almost intelligence [component] of the platform asking [investors] to sign and wire the
70% of the market. Clocking a monthly and for marketing efforts. We are also money by next week otherwise you
www.visage.jobs
growth rate of 20%, Visage says that as launching in the US market, he adds. cant guarantee their spot. This shows
leadership and it works.
start it up ecosystem | whos got VC | Q&A | STARTUP FINANCE
I
magine you turn off the other hand, the attention of then. We have been growing uct owners, while promoting
notifications on your users is limited, and you cant quite fast. 20 million of those a service or a tool indirectly,
phone. How much time do rely on users to pull content, 50 million end users were was found to be very effec-
you think you are going to he explains. He admits that added in the past six months, tive, notes Sobhy.
spend in each app? This while app engagement levels during which our monthly On the other hand, the
is the key reason Egyptian are a proxy to monetization, volume of messages sent has understanding that every app
entrepreneur Amr Sobhy if the notifications tool is increased 60%. Without needs users to spend time on
decided to launch his startup abused, users are going to opt disclosing the number of pay- it (be it through advertising
PushBots, a customer engage- out, or worse, uninstall the ing customers, Sobhy adds or in-app purchases) to be
ment tool for apps, in todays app completely. Therefore, that PushBots is currently a able to monetize also helped
mobile-first digital world. the need for personalizing profitable business with its fuel PushBots growth rate. As
With a keen interest in com- notifications is of utmost im- customer base including the is often the case with success-
munications technology, the portance to strike the needed likes of Vodafone, Al-Masry ful entrepreneurs, it is also
co-founders of PushBots, balance, he says. El-Youm, Otlob, and govern- a fierce passion for problem-
Sobhy and CTO Abdullah ment entities, among others. solving that motivates the
Diaa noted a need for a tech investors there think dif- Most of our customers come PushBots team. Hailing from a
ferently. In Silicon Valley,
tool that could push content from outside of MENA, which background in medical educa-
investors dont care about
to app users, and also create bloated business plans; they is reflective of the market of tion, both Sobhy and Diaa
engagement in the process. care about what you can apps in general, he notes. are self-taught entrepreneurs
In the app business, you control- your burn rate, how What also stands out as an who believe that starting
can assemble a great team, much cash are you going to admirable feature of Push- PushBots was never a con-
build a wonderful app, put it burn, where will that get you, Bots growth is its self-made scious decision to abandon
and when again will you need a
out there on the market, and cash influx.
success. While operating in [their] degrees but rather a
think this is it, Sobhy says. the midst of startups vying subtle process of immersion
[But] this is merely the be- PushBots can be integrated with each other to capture in what they loved doing. I
ginning. People have limited into apps with just a few investor interest and chas- was leaving for grad school in
attention and all the apps are lines of code, enabling app ing attractive valuations, 2012, when I had the initial
fighting for it. Thus, Sobhys developers to send notifica- PushBots has bootstrapped its idea and a prototype of the
vision for PushBots is to tions in under a few minutes, way to success since it gradu- product, [and thats] when
solve a key dilemma that app and also helps them make ated from Flat6Labs Egypt I decided to cancel my plans
businesses face today. On their pushes smart in in 2012. We are extremely and turn this into a company,
one hand, everybody wants to nature with capabilities to proud of what we managed he says.
have [build] an app. On the segment and target users. to do with zero VC funding;
by building value and raising The need for more advanced
money from the best possible tools for personalizing
investors- our customers. and tailoring messages is
Based on the teams experi- extremely high to avoid spam-
ming users with irrelevant,
ence with Flat6Labs, Sobhy
dull and non-engaging
stresses on significance of content. Its now all about
accelerator support for start- pushing smart, not hard.
ups in the early stages. In
our experience, the perks we For those among you strug-
got through affiliation with gling to find a right partner
Flat6Labs helped us greatly in to take your venture forward
scaling our business. On the with you, you should know
other hand, the network was that Sobhy found his co-
of a great value. founder in a rather unlikely
Like most SaaS businesses, setting- the two met on social
PushBots service is subscrip- media, with a common love
tion-based, and while Sobhy for open source bringing >>>
TREP TALK
Amr Sobhy, co-founder
on the way the mobile app and CEO, PushBots
industry is moving, and
has constantly iterated its The ecosystem is evolving, no
features to suit the market. doubt about this. But we cant
For instance, as early as deny that the region needs more
2013, PushBots introduced a investors, especially across differ-
tweet-to-notify push set- ent stages. While there are many
ting for its customers, which seed incubators and early-stage
could enable app managers accelerators, there are very few
to tweet a notification and investors in the later stages. How-
add a specific hashtag to it, ever, with the increasing complex-
so as to deliver it as a push ity of this landscape, events that
PushBots co-founders Amr Sobhy and Abdullah Diaa notification to the apps help connecting all stakeholders
users. The need for more like RiseUp [Summit] are proving
them together. I invited Videos, tutorials, articles, advanced tools for personal- to be of an important value.
Abdullah to join me, whom and various content forms izing and tailoring messages
I have been in touch with that serve to educate devel- is extremely high to avoid Tips for aspiring
opers and product owners,
through Twitter, Sobhy spamming users with irrel- entrepreneurs in the MENA
while promoting a service or
remembers. We lived in the a tool indirectly, was found
evant, dull and non-engaging region
same city, we both studied to be very effective. content. Its now all about 1. Build a SaaS product.
medicine related disciplines pushing smart, not hard. As SaaS is a great business and
and we both had a totally business plans; they care for the principle that keeps every business on the internet
opposite skill set which about what you can control- him going, Sobhy says he is today relies on a number of micro
made us a true complemen- your burn rate, how much a firm believer of offering SaaS services to address business
tary team. In his endeavor cash are you going to burn, value to users, rather than needs. From collecting emails to
to grow PushBots, Sobhy where will that get you, and tracking numbers as a means [sending] newsletters, to charging
was also aided by his stint when again will you need of success. Sometimes you customers, to giving them the
at Silicon Valleys Draper a cash influx, he says. He focus too much on monetiz- support they need.
University, a school that also learnt the importance of ing, without asking yourself
offers a residential program validating ones assumptions what value am I adding. 2. Build a global product.
for building entrepreneurs. from the Valleys entrepre- If you focus on building While its great to start a
Speaking about how the neurs. Every business is value first, most likely, business that serves a local need,
program helped him in his based on assumptions- the money is bound to follow, its also great to start a business
entrepreneurial journey, the faster you can validate these says Sobhy. Keeping to the that is relevant in every country.
entrepreneur counts numer- assumptions, the better the standards they have set thus Building a global product has both
ous takeaways. First, inves- turnout. comes first for this entrepre- pros and cons. On the pros side,
tors there think differently. Whats also commendable neurial duo- a strategy only when your countrys economy
In Silicon Valley, investors is the way the PushBots going to help push PushBots is struggling, your income will
dont care about bloated team has kept a close watch forward. be in hard currency, which will
both protect you, and potentially
help your economy. On the cons
side, you will be competing
with different companies in
different parts of the world who
may have access to resources
unapproachable to you. And at the
end of the day, you are expected to
provide a similar quality and a user
experience.
W
consumption, carbon emis- Using their investment back-
hen it comes from other countries is what sions via both commercial air- ground and acumen, Kurtz
to commercial imbued the team to launch freight and desalination, etc. and Adi delivered everything
farming in the Pure Harvest. They recognized Quite a target- and what from studies on the tech, cli-
MENA region, an opportunity to leverage do people think? Kurtz says mate, value chain, cost struc-
the months of commercially proven con- feedback is both excitement ture, resource consumption,
hot weather trolled environment agricul- and disbelief. While it took to landed cost of imports,
here often pose ture (CEA) tech for the GCC, a bit of convincing to cus- scalability, etc.- anything that
a challenge to commercial and were driven to pioneer a tomers that the concept will they themselves would want
farmers wanting to set up resource to overcome local work and that its been done to know to invest in a startup.
shop here. A remedy to this climate challenges (specifical- successfully in similar warm We wouldnt spend a dime
problem is the concept of
hydroponic farming, which
grows plants without artifi-
cial elements in soil-less or
aquatic-based environments,
using only mineral nutrient
solutions, which means crops
are no longer reliant on cli-
mate or season. Pure Harvest
founder and CEO Sky Kurtz
and his team are now aiming
to bring this farming model to
the Middle East, starting with
sky kurtz image credit devon tackels | images source pure harvest
M
platform front, a seamless
ore than ever, expertise of their investors. UX for both customers and
quality in the We wanted our investors service provides is still their TREP TALK
service industry to be active, and not silent goal, with mrUsta in Arabic Ibrahim Colak, founder and
is essential, and partners, those that share in the works. Plus, Colak says CEO, mrUsta, offers his take
the UAE-based our vision, provide insight Microsoft is offering them on pitching to investors
mrUsta, an online with their business acumen, machine learning software,
marketplace for and access to their business/ which can predict time,
consumers to find and book partner networks. cost and other metrics for
service providers founded in jobs that customers would
2013, has strived to accom- THE PROCESS be posting. For the service
plish this- and now, investors Colak credits their growth providers, or rather, Ustas,
have taken notice. to customer acquisitions, new features would soon be
In a pre-Series A funding which received a 100% offered, including a bespoke
round, mrUsta successfully increase, increasing from on-demand CRM platform
raised AED2.75 million from the platforms original 2000 based on the SaaS model.
investors including Pre- Ustas, to having 300 Ustas First, find investors in
cinct Partners, Millennial per month in the past nine the same field as they can
Partners & Co., and angel months and currently 6000 How mrUsta works mentor you through your
investors from Saudi Arabia Ustas as of November 2016. With respect to mrUstas entire business process;
and Egypt. This comes after When they decided to seek business value proposition, for better yet, it would be highly
the online service provider funding, Colak says, Our clients, the platform provides a beneficial if they come from
raised AED1.3 million from a negotiations started shortly trusted source of local service a technology and/or online
seed funding round in August before summer, so it took a providers based on reviews and technology background.
2015, led by Precinct Part- bit longer than we had had ratings in a convenient way, Also, make sure that your
ners Managing Partner Am- hoped due to the break. How- saving users time and money. potential investor is in for
jad Ahmad- who commends ever, it was a relatively quick For Ustas, its providing an online the long run and not in it
the team on their achieve- turnaround as everything presence for them, allowing for to make a quick buck. It is
ments within a short span of was finalized within four visibility and also to generate really important that the
time. While the original seed months. new client leads, plus the startup investor is just as excited
money was used for rebrand- can present them with a targeted and passionate about
ing and, as founder and CEO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT audience seeking their services, your concept as you are
Ibrahim Colak says, estab- With the newly acquired which in turn, increases the and that there is a clear
lishing a foothold in the mar- capital, the startup plans to prospect of gaining customers. understanding that you will
ket, the team decided to seek use it for their marketing According to CEO Ibrahim Colak, be working together as one
further funding to guarantee efforts, as their immediate compared to other local and team and one entity, and not
their startups steady growth, goal is to reach the mass regional concepts, mrUstas the stereotypical investor-
www.mrusta.com
as well as benefit from the in the UAE and acquire new forte is that it provides different investee relationship.