Abderrahmane Boutaib

While the developers continue to focus on encoding the task/behavior they need in their app, ondemand x @jais will automate the rest, abstracting the heavy lift If you are a developer, enterprise, SI, ISV focused on building GenAI solutions for the Arab world, Jais is the answer Arabic AI is now, Jais is how Jais (1.63T tokens; 475B from Arabic docs) / LLM with best Arabic language capabilities / Cultural guardrails (Arabic/ Islamic) / Allows full fine tuning Jais for Ai/ Arabic/ Apps #jais #arabicllm #middleast #genai #microsoft #airev #saas #g42 #core42

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Breaking News! I am proud to share an Exciting Development; Smpl Holdings has just launched a $10 million fund - Smpl Fund I, to support tech and AI startups in the MENA region and beyond. As the UAE continues to emerge as a global hub for startups and innovation, this fund aims to provide seed capital and strategic value-added services to the promising ventures. 🔗 Read more about it here via a Gulf News story : https://lnkd.in/dBPbDfyn #SmplHoldings #Smpl #TechStartups #AIInvestment #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #Innovation #TechInvestment #MENAStartups

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In Tahseen Consulting's #MENA+ #techpolicy insight, you'll read about Delivery Hero IPO-ing 15% of talabat for $1B in the #UAE, IMAX releasing its 1st local production in #SaudiArabia, #Egypt launching a $530M sustainable aviation fuel company, #Pakistan’s PM meeting VEON to discuss #5G, #AI, #digitalexports, #Malaysia’s Tranglo entering 3 Gulf markets, #MENA funds posting robust performance, #SoutheastAsia leading #Chinese #app installs globally, Yandex investing in #Indonesia’s #AI ecosystem, and #India’s gaming market hitting $9B+ by 2029. 🇦🇪 #UAE Mubadala eyes Haier Smart Home stake 🇸🇦 #KSA Apartment rental yields the highest in the GCC - Sakan 🇪🇬 #EGYPT Vodacom pays $150M for 5G renewal, $17M for existing license 🇵🇰 #PAKISTAN trial #VPN block faces pushback 🌍 #GCC #WallStreet giants look to #AbuDhabi, #Riyadh for funds, deals 🌍 #GCC rail link to go live by 2030 🇹🇷 #TURKEY to launch long-term climate strategy at #COP29 🇹🇷 #TURKEY Borsa Istanbul investors ▼ to ~7M due to high rates 🇸🇬 #SINGAPORE Tencent partners with Visa on palm-based authentication 🇻🇳 #VIETNAM Temu, SHEIN told to register or be blocked 🇮🇳 #INDIA Competition Commission finds Zomato, Swiggy violated #antitrust laws

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A new wonderful episode of the VC React Podcast, with our amazing guests: Hasan Haider and Jessica Al-Hussaini, who provided great insights on: • Extending funding rounds and how it shows maturity in founders • Why payment gateways might want to stay focused on one big market • A deep dive into revenue based financing & how it's different than venture debt.  • How Revolut's expansion to MENA could shake things up in the regional Fintech scene, and force existing players to enhance their products and services, and would this move by Revolut influence local VC's investment theses?  • A comparison of two fintech startups that started in the same year, a global one that became a decacorn, and a local one that is still at series B.  • Selling founder shares at secondary rounds • How MENA startups could strategize their expansion to the US market if they plan to. A big thank you to our guests, and as always, thank you Jamie Lane and FWDstart. --- VC React Podcast Available on: • 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗲: https://lnkd.in/gswEc6DJ • 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆: https://lnkd.in/gERdVmEc • 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲: https://lnkd.in/gFT3FsCB • 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻: https://lnkd.in/gkfNgF5K ---

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𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀, 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲! 👐 👐 Last week, I had the fantastic opportunity to lead a workshop in collaboration with the Lebanese American University. Some of Lebanon's top talent in the tech industry gathered together, and dove deep into the essentials and cutting-edge strategies of 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀, 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, and 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀—three pillars that are revolutionizing the tech landscape. 🔹 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Whether you're a business owner, a CTO, or an aspiring tech graduate, understanding these concepts is no longer optional. It's necessary for navigating today's digital complexities and for ensuring seamless, scalable, and efficient digital operations. 🔹 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻: ➡ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: Learn why breaking down complex applications into smaller services is not just trendy—it's essential. ➡ 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘃𝘀. 𝗢𝗻-𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Choose which is best for your business needs. ➡ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀: From theory to practice, understand the philosophy that merges development and operations for faster, more reliable delivery cycles. 📈 This workshop is tailored for everyone from CTOs to fresh graduates and from product owners to intermediate engineers looking to sharpen their skills. 📥 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀: I would like to share with you all the slides, hoping to benefit you in your growth, and learn from you as well. If you're interested in discussing the content, I'm up for a chat. https://lnkd.in/gvBkPXfk

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In Tahseen Consulting's #MENA+ #techpolicy insight, you'll read about the #UAE’s Dubai Roads and Transport Authority’s #nolPay app reaching 950,000 users, AbbVie opening a #regionalHQ in #SaudiArabia, #Egypt launching its 1st government #datacenter, #Pakistan developing #ewaste rules, #Oman’s new #biometric data law, the #MENA establishing an asset recovery network, #Singapore’s Temasek-backed PsiQuantum developing a commercial #quantumcomputer, #Thailand getting Microsoft’s first #SoutheastAsia #datacenter, and UAE - #India trade reaching $80B. 🇦🇪 #UAE #AI blueprint to add $27B+ to #Dubai’s economy 🇸🇦 #KSA Public Investment Fund (PIF) to invest $5B in BlackRock Riyadh Investment Management 🇪🇬 #EGYPT, Indonesia explore #greenenergy cooperation 🇵🇰 #PAKISTAN Uber stops service, subsidiary Careem to continue operating 🇧🇭 #BAHRAIN Bapco Energies may sell Saudi oil pipeline stake 🌍 #MENA e& hits 173M users, to invest $6B internationally 🇹🇷 #TURKEY VP Cevdet Yılmaz meets Huawei on #tech, green energy cooperation 🇹🇭 #THAILAND to start imposing #VAT on postal imports 🇮🇩 #INDONESIA considers dual citizenship to woo skilled workers 🇮🇳 #INDIA Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s new rules hit #P2Plending #startups

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“Machine learning is not only a buzzword, it’s a competitive advantage.” 📺 Watch our 1st episode of TechExpress with L’Oréal Middle East! Alexis Jean-Baptiste, Chief Analytics and Data Officer at L'Oréal Middle East makes it clear: AI has the potential to transform decision-making and innovation. 💡 But the challenge lies in educating employees about the real applications and implications of data & AI, where generic training does not suffice. Alexis’ training approach is a tailored one: ↳ Programs meet the needs of specific groups (Data for execs, Data for experts, Data for all) ↳ Programs address the business challenges of the company ↳ Programs involve mainly practical exercises for immediate skills application #Training #Education #Dataanalytics #AI

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Interview on Asharq Business اقتصاد الشرق with Nour Amache and Mohamed Al Salti yesterday: - No change in stance, US stock markets are currently one-legged and controlled by retail investors. The volatility Nvidia is exhibiting, let alone valuations are not suitable for institutional investors - I was challenged by the feisty Nour, who argued about the valuation comparison with year 2000. The fact that we even comparing with year 2000 valuations, means Nvidia is overvalued, coming 2nd compared to year 2000 does not mean it not overvalued. Nour argued that Nvidia has a sort of "monopoly", hence this justifies current valuations. In year 2000, Cisco had the "monopoly" over routers, so it is the same situation. furthermore, Nvidia's revenue is coming from 5 clients at best, which is much less diversified than Cisco back in the day. Finally Cisco's price to sales was at 39 back in 2000, whereas Nvidia is at 28. Both numbers are beyond anything reasonable for an institutional investor. We stop counting after P/S crosses 10, otherwise this consumes the whole risk budget - Current markets are fantastic for retails investors, momentum investors and swing traders. I myself, made quite a bit of gain on Nvidia by swing trading on a personal level, but would I do that with client money whose aim is wealth preservation rather than Hodle and YOLO? For sure not! - The current US administration cannot have stock markets that drop so close to elections, therefore, everything and anything is valid to boost them. I encourage you to read about the White House plunge protection team Thank you Janti Hajhasan for having me again, and I always appreciate Janti's scheduling skills, where the interview is always programmed days in advance and well organized.

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Discover how to become a successful employee and what key qualifications you need to stand out in your company. If you're looking to grow within your organization and have ambitions of becoming an intrapreneur or a successful team member, then this episode is incredibly valuable for you. Tune in to learn essential insights and tips that can help you excel and achieve your professional goals. #CareerGrowth #Intrapreneurship #Success #Teamwork #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkplaceSuccess #EmployeeExcellence #HighFrequencyPodcast #CareerTips #BusinessGrowth

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The 45th edition of Iceberg weekly newsletter has been published. 📰🎉 What you will read in this issue: 📚 Insights from This Week's Analytics Review • UAE Walks the Tightrope: G42's AI Deal with Microsoft 💃💼 • AI Gold Rush: Can Meta Strike Luck? 🤖🍀 • Tesla's Split Vision: Cars vs. Tech on Stock Surge 🚗💻📈 • Microsoft Cloud: AI Uplift, Demand Strain ☁️⚡ Exploring the Financial Developments • Beyond the Risks: Emerging Markets Surprise 🌍💰 • Is China's Market Correction a Blip or a Breeze? 🇨🇳💨 • Rate Cuts & Deja Vu: Europe's Risky Stock Rally 💸🎢 • Dollar Dominance: US Strength Sparks Trade War Fears 💲🌍⚔️ • BoJ Defies Pressure: Weak Yen, Rate Hike on Horizon? 🏛️💰📈 Delve Deeply into the world of Crypto • Web3 Bubble Pops, But Asia Forges Ahead 💥🌏 • CBDCs: Analyst Warning - Control, Not Freedom ⚠️🔒 • Bitcoin Lingers, But Big Banks Signal Hope: Morgan Stanley on ETFs ₿💼🏦 • New Forms, New Rules: IRS Targets Crypto Transactions 💱📝🚫

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Delivery Hero plans to raise about $1.5 billion by selling a 15% stake in talabat: In 2019, Talabat acquired Zomato’s UAE business, improving app performance, delivery speed, and customer service to become the top food delivery platform, ahead of competitors like Uber Eats and Deliveroo. Now, as a subsidiary of Germany’s Delivery Hero, Talabat is launching an IPO on the Dubai Financial Market, offering 15% of its shares with dividends. With over 6 million active users across 8 MENA countries, Talabat’s growth strategy leverages its "flywheel" model, expanding into groceries, pharmacies, and its quick-delivery tMart stores. Key challenges include regulatory hurdles and competitive pressures.

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"For Mubadala’s next act, Ajami is seeking to milk his tech connections to put more money directly into startups. At the same time, Mubadala is increasingly using its clout to encourage Western companies and investors to deepen their ties to the UAE’s tech ecosystem, part of the country’s broader push to diversify its economy away from oil. For Ajami, 49, the goal is for Mubadala—a term that means “exchange” in Arabic—to one day be mentioned in the same breath as Sand Hill Road’s most vaunted investment firms. “The way founders speak about Sequoia—why not, 20 years from now, won’t they speak that way about Mubadala?” asked Ajami. Ajami has a ways to go before he gets Mubadala there. Mubadala has stumbled badly in Europe as it has tried to employ a strategy similar to the one it used to break into the U.S. The companies it has backed in Europe have performed so poorly that Mubadala has put Jonno Elliott—who joined the firm in 2022 after leading VC investments at Virgin Management Ltd.—in charge of salvaging its portfolio of companies from the region, according to a person who spoke to Elliott. Among some European investors and founders, it has developed a reputation for aggressive tactics that could impact its ability to invest in top European companies in the future. And while plenty of tech investors speak highly of Mubadala, many of them are eager to curry favor with the deep-pocketed firm so it continues to invest in their funds, especially in the current dismal fundraising environment for VC firms. Privately, after singing the praises of Mubadala as a limited partner, many venture capitalists have also said its direct investments in startups don’t carry the weight of other investors’ bets. Sovereign wealth funds just don’t have the track record of picking winners that VC firms do, those critics say. Still, Mubadala has had some notable successes. Ajami and his lieutenants have helped it buy shares in buzzy companies like SpaceX, Waymo, Klarna, Brex, Chime, pharmaceuticals company Recursion and AI infrastructure company Crusoe Energy Systems, among others. Mubadala Capital, the VC and private equity arm of the sovereign wealth fund, oversees a $24 billion pool of capital with 180 employees spread across several offices, including in London, New York and San Francisco, which hosts a tech team they first established in 2017. Mubadala is also continuing to plow money into other VC funds. Its portfolio includes Altimeter Capital Management, Greenoaks Capital, Iconiq Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, 8VC, Marcelo Claure’s Bicycle Capital, DCVC, Haun Ventures, Arch Venture Partners, Clocktower Group, Radical Ventures and a handful of emerging managers, like a new $30 million seed fund called Nebular, according to several people familiar with these funds." https://lnkd.in/gnyGdbg3

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This article (https://lnkd.in/dyzimUhj) announces new Moroccan Arabic 'darija' models (Atlas Chat), based on Gemma-2, and evaluation dataset ('darija' MMLU - apparently translated from Arabic translation).

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🌟 The Power of Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence: Yasser Al Bandari’s Vision for Democratizing Data 🌟 As the Director of Innovation, I am constantly exploring the transformative power of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing businesses. Today, I want to share with you the inspiring vision of Yasser Al-Bandari, the chairman of Update, a group of companies that is leading the charge in democratizing data. Yasser Al-Bandari believes that data analysis and AI have the potential to unlock limitless growth and innovation for businesses across various sectors. [3] [1] In an era where data is omnipresent, understanding how to harness its power is crucial for staying ahead of the curve. [2] Harnessing the power of data, analytics, and AI is not just about making smarter decisions, it's about reshaping industries and redefining business outcomes. Avinash Tripathi, an analytics evangelist, highlights how AI is reshaping data and analytics roles, paving the way for a new era of digital transformation. But what does this mean for businesses? It means unlocking the hidden value in their data and making more informed decisions that can drive growth and improve efficiency. AI data analytics is transforming the way businesses leverage their data assets, driving innovation and competitive advantage across industries. The convergence of emerging technologies and the abundance of data is fueling this data-driven revolution. It's not just about collecting data, it's about gaining insights from it. Artificial intelligence is the key to unlocking these insights and empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions. In a world where information is king, harnessing the power of data, analytics, and AI has become essential for making smarter decisions. It's about leveraging the power of insights to drive growth and innovation. I invite you to join the conversation and share your thoughts on how data analytics and AI are transforming businesses. Let's explore the limitless possibilities together! #DataAnalytics #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #BusinessGrowth References: [1] How Data Analytics Can Revolutionize Your Business – A Strategist's Guide: https://lnkd.in/djmkn7Un [2] Introduction to Data Analytics: Basics, Importance, and Industry Applications: https://lnkd.in/d96qcZMF [3] Unlocking the Value of Data: How Big Data Analytics is Changing the Game for Businesses: https://lnkd.in/dr_RxY29

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A great piece by Wamda ومضة on the breakdown of VC investments for H1 2024 in MENA. Some key takeaways: - B2B was the most funded category in June 2024 - SaaS was the second most funded category after Proptech, beating also Fintech investments (Proptech $200m, SaaS $164m, Fintech $156m) - B2B is the fastest growing category, with a 153% growth rate in comparison to 2023 ($187m vs $473m) This is exactly the reason Leo Capital has a fund thesis in MENA to focus on investing in early stage B2B companies across different sectors. MENA as a market is relatively large enough, but building out software or solutions for businesses that will reach scale, will most probably happen in other markets like the US. Our aim of helping some of these companies get to that scale with different GTM strategies, will remain the focus. #startups #VC #MENA Rajul Garg Shwetank Verma Ravi Srivastava Dinesh Singh Henry Goodwin Raeeza Tameez Jitesh Luthra Madhusmita Das Pavitar Raheja

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📍Here's the MENA startup, VC, and tech news you missed out on this week... 👇 💸 FlapKap (🇦🇪 UAE), a fintech platform offering revenue-based financing solutions, has raised $34 million in a combination of debt and equity funding, bringing its total to $37.6 million. The round was led by BECO Capital, with participation from Pact VC, A15, Nclude, QED Investors and debt financing from Channel Capital. 🚀 Founded in 2022 by Ahmad Coucha, Khaled Nassef, Sherif Bichara, and Kunal Harisinghani 🔥 💸 Paymob (🇪🇬 Egypt), a fintech platform, has raised $22 million in a Series B extension, bringing its total Series B raise to $72 million. The round was led by EBRD Venture Capital and Endeavor Catalyst, with participation from PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures. 🚀 Founded in 2015 by Islam Shawky, Alain El Hajj, and Mostafa El Menessy. Bruno Lusic, CFA Allen Taylor Hazem Safwat Taher 🧠 G42 (🇦🇪 UAE) has launched NANDA, a 13-billion parameter Hindi Large Language Model (LLM) at the UAE-India Business Forum. 🚀 Developed in collaboration with Cerebras Systems, MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence), Inception and Core42, NANDA was trained on 2.13 trillion tokens, is optimized for Hindi, Hinglish, and English and supports over 500 million Hindi speakers. 🤝 Entlaq Holding (🇪🇬 Egypt) has acquired a stake in Brotinni (🇪🇬 Egypt), a foodtech platform, for an undisclosed amount. Brotinni operates as a dark store, offering online meat and poultry services. 🚀 Entlaq – Supporting entrepreneurs in Egypt, founded in 2022 by Mohamed Ehab Hafez, Omar Rezk, Menna Zaghloul and Aya Ismail 🚀 Brotinni – Founded by Dalia abou Omar in 2020 💰 Raised $600,000 in a Seed round in 2022, led by innlife investment & technology company 🎧 In this week's VC React Podcast, Jamie and Ahmad dive into fintech highlights from Riyadh's 24 Fintech event, featuring Tabby's acquisition of Tweeq, Tamara's new finance license, Tarabut's Vyne acquisition, and funding rounds by Ziina زينة ($22M) and Malaa Technologies ($17.3M). This week, they were joined by: 🚀 Hasan Haider – Founder and Managing Partner, Plus VC (+VC) 🚀 Karim Samakie – Advisor, Fintech Saudi 🚀 Kevin Holliday – Managing Director, C3 - Companies Creating Change Get the full 5-minute briefing 👉 https://lnkd.in/g9CteaUT 🐢 And while you're here, do yourself a favor and sign up so that the next edition goes straight to your inbox: https://lnkd.in/dszhXGGP #menatech #startupnews #venturecapital #fintech #AI #techtrends

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We are moving from the world of plus AI to AI first. Companies that have adopted an #AI first mentality will be the winners of this next era. I sat down with Ossama El Samadoni from GBM and our clients Mohamed Abdel Hamid Abdel-Razek from Mashreq and Himanshu Shrivastava from Al-Futtaim to discuss the latest AI insights in the region and the ingredients to a successful AI adoption journey. Hosted by Sally Mousa سالي موسى from Forbes Middle East, the #podcast sheds light on the importance of partnerships between technology providers, regulators, and users in successfully deploying AI. It is our privilege to partner with clients like Mashreq Bank and Al Futtaim, adopting the latest IBM technologies and utilizing our consulting expertise to help transform businesses. #watsonx #genAI #hybridcloud https://lnkd.in/dkwnmVrW

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Swvl, the Dubai-based mobility startup, recently sparked discussions with the removal of its consumer services from its website. While initial reports suggested a shutdown of its consumer business, the CEO has clarified that these claims are unfounded. This evolution in Swvl’s strategy may suggest a shift towards B2B services or more specialized offerings. Predictions for the future include: - Increased focus on partnerships with corporations and governments. - Expansion into other markets with tailored mobility solutions. In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, adaptability will be crucial for startups like Swvl. It will be interesting to see how they navigate these changes in the coming months. #Swvl #Mobility #Dubai

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