Inc. Arabia

The November issue of Inc. Arabia is here, headlined by Hattan Alsaif, the female Saudi mixed martial arts fighter making waves across the Kingdom. As 22-year-old Alsaif gets ready to compete in a showcase fight at the Professional Fighters League MENA Championship Finals at the end of the month, she tells Inc. Arabia: “I want history, legacy, and everything that would come on my way to be mine, and to win it." For this month's edition of Inc. Insider, we hear from "Manifest" author Roxie Nafousi on finding strength after a setback, The IMI Group's Tony Truman -- who's behind the launch of O Beach Dubai -- on hitting the mark in hospitality, 54 Collective's Aly El Shalakany on what not to do when pitching to an investor, Sunset Hospitality Group’s Iliana Orietta on humanizing a brand, BREITLING CEO Georges K. on why investing in analog is back in style, and Mostafa Talaat and Kareem El-Shaffei, co-founders of the erstwhile Cirqy, on lessons learned from failure. In addition, we do a deep dive into how luxury retail is being reimagined in the GCC, with insights from Etoile Group's Ingie Chalhoub, Endava’s Laith Al Bazirgan, Aiconic Labs' Nicolas Nath, Get Outfit's Kim Sanzhiev, and Best Kept Shared's Kelly Power. We also talk to Vadim Fedotov, co-founder and CEO of Bioniq, which counts soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as an investor, about how his startup is personalizing nutrition supplements. Plus, Bracewell LLP's Christopher Williams and Amelia Bowring, along with Jon Cottrell (of JPC Advisors and eGateway Capital) explain how to prepare for an exit. Also in this issue: personal branding expert Maha Abouelenein, Mindvalley founder and CEO Vishen Lakhiani, Matt Higgins, co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, co-owner of VaynerMedia, and “shark” on Shark Tank USA and Shark Tank Dubai, and SQUATWOLF co-founder and CEO Wajdan Gul, and more! Check out the full magazine here: https://lnkd.in/d8rZcp_u

In a commentary on the new UAE mandate for greater presence of women in boardrooms, Randall S. Peterson, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Academic Director of the @Leadership Institute at London Business School, explains why firms need to be working above and beyond the minimum when it comes to engaging with these new rules, "as representation isn’t enough to make meaningful progress alone": https://lnkd.in/dDNfMESt #women #boardrooms #womeninleadership #leaders #business #UAE #leadership #womenempowerment #representation #diversity #inclusion

🗞 IN THE NEWS 🗞 Abu Dhabi-based music and entertainment streaming platform Anghami has secured a new US$55 million funding round from one of the MENA’s leading entertainment networks, OSN Group, which includes an initial $12 million investment through a convertible note program. This development follows the announcement in April this year that OSN – a subsidiary of Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) - KIPCO – had acquired a 55.45 percent stake in Anghami, for a cash investment totaling $38 million: https://lnkd.in/dKwuTc5V #entrepreneurs #startups #business #Anghami #OSN #OSN+ #innovation #tech #video #streaming #entertainment #inAbuDhabi h/t Elie Habib Joe Kawkabani

🗞 IN THE NEWS 🗞 The Beam Foundation, a decentralized asset organization with a mission to maximize value accrual across various games in the metaverse, has unveiled Beam Ventures, a US$150 million gaming-focused venture fund set to launch in Abu Dhabi. With a mission to empower visionary founders, Beam Ventures aims to accelerate the growth of emerging gaming startups, while playing a pivotal role in transforming Abu Dhabi into a global gaming center: https://lnkd.in/dBJQhRBD #gaming #games #Beam #BeamVentures #blockchain #Web3 #AbuDhabi #UAE #inAbuDhabi #MiddleEast #MENA #innovation #tech #business

Getting ready to pitch your startup to an investor? Now, there are plenty of resources out there on how to craft a good pitch--but here's 54 Collective's Aly El Shalakany listing the things entrepreneurs should *not* do when cozying up to investors: https://lnkd.in/dxA3EgYy #entrepreneurs #startups #investors #pitches #MiddleEast #MENA #Egypt #pitchperfect #founders #investments #funding

Money20/20 Middle East, formerly 24 Fintech, is set to return to Riyadh in September 2025, bringing together a dynamic mix of keynote speakers, thought-provoking panel discussions, and ample networking opportunities for a three-day event in the Saudi capital. On the launch of the mega-event in MENA, Tracey Davies (Byers), president of Money20/20, said, “Our customers have made it clear — they see the immense potential of this region and are eager to establish their presence here. With the power of Tahaluf and its ability to expand Money20/20 into new geographies at pace, 2025 is the perfect time for us to bring this show to life and serve more customers than ever in this vibrant market.” Organized by Tahaluf, Saudi Arabia's premier business-to-business event organizer which has put together ground-breaking events like LEAP, Cityscape MENA, and Black Hat MEA, 24 Fintech debuted in September 2024, setting a record as the largest first-time fintech event ever, drawing over 300 exhibitors, more than 350 investors, and over 37,000 visitors. Next year's event promises to be "twice the scale, twice the audience, twice the speakers, and twice the exhibitors," said Annabelle Mander, executive vice president of Tahaluf: https://lnkd.in/dUQMwXGK #fintech #money2020 #tahaluf #KSA #SaudiArabia

"So, how do we create technology that actually serves humanity? It all starts with a simple guiding question: how will this make people’s lives better? Technology isn’t the final destination; it’s a bridge to solving real, human issues," writes CEO and founder of Mindvalley Vishen Lakhiani as he reflects on why it's key to keep people at the center as we embrace technology and innovation: https://lnkd.in/dBcQAqAS

India's early-stage startup accelerator 100Unicorns (formerly 9Unicorns) has announced its expansion into the UAE, with the opening of its office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, marking its first international expansion. The accelerator, which offers initial investments ranging between US$ 300,000 to $1 million in the first round, with follow-on funding of $500,000 to $2 million, has introduced measures to build investor confidence, including a corporate governance framework and transparent investment processes, as well as quarterly performance updates. Founded by Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Anil G Jain, Anuj Golecha, and Gaurav Jain in 2020 with the goal of supporting more than 50 category leaders in India's startup ecosystem, with its current fund target aiming to support at least 100 high-potential startups over the next decade and guiding them to valuations of $1 billion or more. The new office will facilitate cross-border investments, acceleration, and the incubation of startups between India and the Middle East and North Africa: https://lnkd.in/dWwU8xrA

"Failure wasn’t the end of the story – it just gave me better material for the next chapter.” Mostafa Talaat and Kareem El-Shaffei -- co-founders of the Cairo-based online marketplace for independent designers, creatives, and small brands to showcase their work who now work at The Coca-Cola Company and Money Fellows, respectively -- share how failing at their startup proved to be one of the most valuable lessons they've had in their careers: https://lnkd.in/dcA_xbCf #entrepreneurs #startups #business #learnings #lessons #failure #success #Cairo #Egypt #MiddleEast #MENA #creatives #ecommerce #founders

The Binary Holdings, a Dubai-based Web3 infrastructure provider valued at US$16.9 billion, has pocketed an investment of up to $5 million from the Bahamas’ Nassau-based ABO Digital, a digital asset investment firm that provides financing to cryptocurrency projects. We talked to The Binary Holdings founder and CEO Manit P. to learn how the funding is set to help the startup expand its digital infrastructure and grow its user base, which aims to reach one billion users by December 2025: https://lnkd.in/d_rbQP65 #entrepreneurs #startups #investment #funding #Web3 #Web2 #internet #blockchain #crypto #ethereum #Layer1 #Layer2 #fintech #Dubai #UAE