Startups Arabia

About Startups Arabia

The Arab startups scene is one of the hottest globally. The Startups Arabia podcast is the place to learn all about it. With a 420 million strong population that is young and tech-savvy, the Arab world is proving to be a great market to create a startup. This podcast interviews the best founders, investors and operators of the region. Listening to deep conversations with them, you will learn deep insights about the ecosystem. You will also be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see.

Publisher

Ali Zewail

Category

business · education · news · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Jul 2022

Latest episode

16 Nov 2025

Latest episodes

15 of 36 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   16 Nov 2025

   Yasmine El-Mehairy, Building Dija, Empowering Women & Navigating Uncertain Terrain – Ep.8, Season 3

   Yasmine El-Mehairy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dija, a platform helping Muslim women invest with confidence in a way aligned with their faith and values. Yasmine is a serial entrepreneur, passionate about startups with purpose. Before launching Dija, she worked in global financial service organizations like City Ventures and Deloitte Digital, as well as founding and managing other startups in various fields, like digital media and e-commerce. She previously Co-Founded SuperMama, the one-stop shop for mothers in the Arab world, which was acquired by Mawdoo3. She's also an expert in entrepreneurship, serving as a lecturer and tutor at Oxford University. Yasmine holds an executive MBA from London Business School, a master's in online media from the University of Westminster, and a bachelor's in computer Science from Egypt's Aisha's University, and has been strongly committed to creating the change she wants to see in the world by starting purposeful startups that contribute to the growing ecosystem. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Startups Arabia Podcast connects you to the most prominent founders, investors, and operators of the Arab region. You will be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see. Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch: LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast (https://www.linkedin.com/company/startups-arabia-podcast/) Twitter: @ArabiaStartups (https://twitter.com/ArabiaStartups) Facebook: @startupsarabia (https://www.facebook.com/startupsarabia) Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@startupsarabiapodcast4364) —--- Resources—--------: Yasmine’s LinkedIn account: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-hagrass/)@Yamine El-Mehairy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmineelmehairy/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAK_ok0BlYDXD0Vj68GvILnytWyegl22WB4) Dija Money’s Website: https://www.dija.money/ (https://www.dija.money/) —----------------------------------------------------------- SHOW NOTES: 00:00 Introduction to the Startups Arabia Podcast 00:25 Meet Yasmine El-Mehairy: A Serial Entrepreneur 02:17 Yasmine's Early Career and First Startup 03:01 The Turning Point: From Corporate to Startup 07:28 The Birth of SuperMama 09:11 Challenges and Pivots in SuperMama's Journey 19:46 SuperMama's Growth and Traction 34:31 Navigating Investor Relations and Board Dynamics 38:37 The Acquisition of SuperMama 45:07 Transition to Dija Money and Financial Empowerment 45:30 The Origin of Dija Money 46:29 Financial Mistakes and Lessons Learned 49:32 Gender and Financial Literacy 54:18 Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Factors 01:00:45 The Dija App: Vision and Development 01:06:23 Building a Startup: Strategies and Challenges 01:10:51 Personal and Professional Reflections 01:20:53 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts

2. 

   5 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Ramez El-Serafy, The 14 year Journey of F6 and an Evolving Region – Ep.7, Season 3

   Ramez El-Serafy is the General Partner and Co-Founder of F6 Ventures, bringing over 18 years of experience in technology, investments, entrepreneurship, and management. Before launching F6 Ventures, Ramez served as CEO of Flat6Labs from 2011 to 2025, where he led its transformation into one of the most active innovation platforms in the Middle East and Africa, expanding its footprint, scaling its operations, and investing in hundreds of high-growth startups. Earlier in his career, Ramez was responsible for building and managing the mobile applications business at Sarmady – a Vodafone company – and served as a board member of the Global Accelerator Network from 2014 to 2016. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Alexandria University and is deeply committed to fostering innovation, empowering entrepreneurs, and building impactful businesses that shape the future of emerging markets. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Startups Arabia Podcast connects you to the most prominent founders, investors, and operators of the Arab region. You will be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see. Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch: LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast (https://www.linkedin.com/company/startups-arabia-podcast/) Twitter: @ArabiaStartups (https://twitter.com/ArabiaStartups) Facebook: @startupsarabia (https://www.facebook.com/startupsarabia) Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@startupsarabiapodcast4364) —--- Resources—--------: Ramez’s LinkedIn account: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-hagrass/)@Ramez El-Serafy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramezm/) F6 Ventures’ Website: https://f6.vc/ (https://f6.vc/) —----------------------------------------------------------- SHOW NOTES: 00:00 Introduction to Ramez El-Serafy and the Podcast 02:41 The Birth of Flat6Labs 07:14 Challenges and Growth of Flat6Labs 24:00 Expanding Beyond Egypt 30:36 The Evolution into F6 Ventures 38:59 Introduction to F6 Ventures 39:30 Launching F6 Ventures and Portfolio Management 40:33 Regional Strategies and Consolidation 41:54 Investment Programs and Mandates 43:00 Focus on Africa, Levant, and GCC 52:07 Personal Transformation and Health Journey 57:11 Fundraising Advice for Founders 01:03:51 Investment Decision-Making Process 01:10:22 Challenges in the Regional Ecosystem 01:13:04 Navigating Market Challenges 01:14:00 Geographical Diversification Strategy 01:15:07 Startup Exit Options 01:15:51 Investor Exit Strategies 01:18:33 Impact of Exits on Ecosystems 01:22:33 Key Questions for Founders 01:25:36 Challenges in Fundraising 01:28:38 Emerging Sectors and Technologies 01:35:19 Building a Sustainable Ecosystem 01:40:12 Future Goals and Expansion 01:41:43 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts

3. 

   14 Sept 2025

   Karim Jouini, Pursuing a Second Successful Startup and Rethinking his Identity as a Global Entrepreneur – Ep.6, Season 3

   Born in Tunisia and “well-travelled”. Geek, started my first software company at the age of 16. Studied Software Engineering and AI at INSA Toulouse and University of Western Ontario. Joined Microsoft, where I spent 7 years — from Software Engineer to Engineering Manager — and truly fell in love with testing and quality. Then co-founded Expensya, an AI-powered expense management scale-up that grew across Europe and was acquired for over $100M. Now building Thunders: a no-code, agentic AI testing solution that empowers both developers and non-technical teams to automate end-to-end testing at scale — without writing a single line of code. Passionate about shipping faster, with confidence. —----------------------------------------------------------- The Startups Arabia Podcast connects you to the most prominent founders, investors, and operators of the Arab region. You will be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see. Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch: LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast (https://www.linkedin.com/company/startups-arabia-podcast/) Twitter: @ArabiaStartups (https://twitter.com/ArabiaStartups) Facebook: @startupsarabia (https://www.facebook.com/startupsarabia) Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@startupsarabiapodcast4364) —--- Resources—--------: Karim’s LinkedIn account: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-hagrass/)@Karim Jouini (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karimjouini/) Thunders’ Website: https://www.thunders.ai/ (https://www.thunders.ai/) —----------------------------------------------------------- SHOW NOTES: 00:00 Introduction to Karim Jouini and the Podcast 03:10 Karim's Journey in Tech and Early Ventures 05:00 The Importance of Hard and Soft Skills 07:29 Challenges and Lessons from Building Expensya 10:16 Founding Thunders and Its Vision 25:56 Thunders’ Progress and Future Plans 30:38 AI in Testing and Overcoming Regional Challenges 47:55 Handling Customer Feedback 50:16 Go-to-Market Strategy 53:34 Team Size and Structure 55:56 Remote Work Policy 56:53 Leadership Principles 59:37 Identity and Global Citizenship 01:01:55 Impact of Global Events 01:08:54 Fundraising Strategy 01:13:05 Acquisition Decision 01:17:32 Co-Founder Dynamics 01:22:21 Regional Startup Ecosystem 01:25:13 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts

Who has been a guest on Startups Arabia

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Khaled Talhouni
• Michael Lints
• Julien Plouzeau
• Waleed A Alballaa
• Saoud Khalifah

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

3,646

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

91

YouTube

74

Engagement

32

Contact Startups Arabia

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.