Music streaming platform Anghami has listed on the New York NASDAQ exchange via a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Vistas Media Acquisition Company (VMAC). The merger agreement will result in Anghami becoming the second Arab company to list on NASDAQ after Aramex 24 years ago, and the first Arab technology startup to do so.

The transaction implies a pro-forma enterprise value of $220 million, which is 2.5 times its 2022 estimated revenues and compares to Spotify’s current revenue multiple of 6.5x revenue.

The combined company will operate under the Anghami name and will trade under the new symbol “ANGH.” The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.

UAE-based asset management firm SHUAA Capital and Vistas Media Capital Singapore, the parent of the sponsor for (VMAC), have participated in a combined round of $40 million ($30 million from SHUAA and $10 million from Vistas Media Capital) in private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing for Anghami.

Accordingly, the company expects to have approximately $142 million of cash on its balance sheet at closing to be used primarily to fuel additional growth.

Founded in 2012 in Beirut by Eddy Maroun and Elie Habib, Anghami is the first music-streaming platform in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. Its revenues have grown by 80 per cent in the past three years and is expected to increase five-fold over the next three years according to a statement issued by the company.

“Today is a very exciting day for all of us at Anghami and our partners globally. Elie and I co-founded the company in 2012 with a vision for Anghami to be a first of its kind, digital media entertainment technology platform in the Mena region. Today, we have taken a significant step forward in our growth plans in seeking to become the region’s first Arab technology company to list on NASDAQ. Being a US listed public company gives us access to growth capital and a global platform that is the best in the world,” said Eddy Maroun, co-founder and CEO of Anghami.

Anghami offers more than 57 million Arabic and international songs to more than 70 million of its registered users, with around one billion streams per month. With an Arabic speaking population of over 450 million globally, its listing on NASDAQ allows Anghami to scale its user base and invest in technology to build on its data play.

Anghami's AI and machine learning algorithms process over 56 million data points from its user base every day. Over nine years of user data is enabling the company to predict user behaviour and trends to better focus its investments and improve monetization.

The company recently relocated its headquarters to the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in Abu Dhabi, while maintaining its offices in Beirut, Dubai, Cairo and Riyadh to establish and maintain partnerships.

The company has established direct partnerships with 36 telecommunication companies across the region to boost free user acquisitions and facilitate subscriptions.

“We’re proud of the product and technology we’ve been able to build and now we will have the ability to invest more in R&D and innovate providing a product that goes beyond music to immersive experiences around media and entertainment while remaining relevant to our users and focused on our local edge,” said Elie Habib, cofounder, Chairman and CTO of Anghami.

Anghami has raised more than $33 million to date, from several Mena-based investors including Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), Samena Capital and MBC Ventures and others who collectively own approximately 68 per cent of Anghami, with the balance owned by the founders.

“We are delighted to be leading the PIPE for Anghami’s business combination with VMAC in what will accelerate Anghami’s growth and build upon its success as a pioneer in the music streaming space in the Middle East and North Africa. SHUAA led a funding round for Anghami earlier in the year and has been working closely with the team to secure the PIPE investment and deliver a successful listing on NASDAQ.

In addition, the enhanced reputation and access to capital that comes with a listing on NASDAQ accelerates the company’s growth journey,” said Jassim Alseddiqi, group CEO of SHUAA.

source: wamda

نظار بولاديان رائد أعمال سوري- كندي ولد ونشأ في مدينة حلب وبدأ أول أعماله الريادية كمنظم حفلات مستقل في عمر ال 18! في عام 2012 وبسبب الأحداث في سوريا انتقل بولاديان إلى لبنان ليكمل دراسته في جامعة Haigazian وتخرج منها لاحقا بعد سفره واستقراره في كندا! وفي عام 2019 حاز نظار على منحة Chevening من الحكومة البريطانية لينهي مسيرته الدراسية بشهادة ماستر في المدن الذكية من جامعة لندن.

أسس بولاديان في لبنان مشروعين رياديين الأول هو مشروع GEDON وهي وكالة تختص بتسويق أعمال الشركات وصناعة العلامة التجارية.. والثاني هو مشروع "بدايتي" وهي شركة ريادية- اجتماعية هدفها التحسين من مهارات وقدرات اللاجئين السوريين في لبنان.

إلى جانب الأعمال الريادية التي أسسها نظار بولاديان فإنه عمل لصالح شركات كبيرة منها digilite وRoyal Bank of Canada وهو يعمل منذ أكثر من 3 سنوات في شركة ديلويت Deloitte كمستشار إداري.

وأخيراً، أسس نظار نشرة يومي البريدية المختصة بالتطوير المهني وأخبار الأعمال، وهي النشرة التي حققت نجاحاً سريعا منذ تأسيسها في منتصف العام الماضي ولاقت رواجاً بين المهتمين بهذا المجال.

وهو ما دعانا للقاء السيد نظار بولاديان للحديث معه حول مسيرته كرائد أعمال ومشروعه الجديد "نشرة يومي".

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: بالرغم من أنك تعمل في شركة عالمية كشركة ديلويت Deloitte لكنك قمت بتأسيس شركة ناشئة، كيف تجد السبيل إلى التوازن بين العمل في شركة وتأسيس شركة ناشئة في الوقت نفسه؟

نظار بولاديان: من المؤكد من أن إيجاد التوازن بين العمل بدوام كامل ومتابعة أعمال شركة ناشئة أمر صعب ويضعني أمام تحدي كبير، منذ ستة أشهر على هذه الحالة، لأكون صريحاً يحدث أن أقصر في أحد الأمرين.. احاول ان اقسم وقتي ليس بين عملي في "يومي" وفي Deloitte بل أيضاً في حياتي الشخصية، أن ترك مساحة للتواصل مع العائلة والأصدقاء وأن أقضي وقتاً معهم.. بشكل عام ستجد الوقت لمتابعة عملك في شركتك الناشئة حتى لو كنت ملتزماً في عمل آخر إذا امتلكت شغفاً لفكرة شركتك الناشئة، لربما هذا أكثر ما يجعلني قادراً على إيجاد توازن مقبول. بالإضافة إلى الشغف، فإن خبرتي التي اكتسبتها من خلال عملي والشركات الناشئة تساعدني في النجاح في عملية تنظيم والوقت وتوزيع المهام والتواصل والتنسيق بين فريق العمل، الأمر الذي يسمح لي توفير الوقت والجهد، وبالتالي التوازن.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: لنبدأ من فكرة النشرة البريدية، يعتقد الكثيرون بأن فكرة النشرات البريدية بحد ذاتها قد عفى عليها الزمن وأن وسائل أخرى كمنصات التواصل الاجتماعي، لديها قدرة أكبر على الوصول إلى الجمهور.. لماذا وقع اختيارك على تأسيس شركة ناشئة تقوم على النشرات البريدية؟

نظار بولاديان: قد يكون هذا في الظاهر فقط، لكن إذا تحدثنا بلغة الأرقام فسنجد بأن النشرات البريدية مازالت تقع في صدارة وسائل التواصل الأكثر قراءة! بل وهي الأكثر استخداماً، فحتى عام 2019 كان عدد مستخدمي البريد الإلكتروني يبلغ 3.9 مليار والتقديرات تشير إلى ارقام المستخدمين قد تصل إلى أكثر من 4.48 مليار مستخدم بحلول عام 2024، لذلك هي الوسيل الأكثر رواجاً في وقتنا الحالي، كما أن نسبة الأشخاص الذين يقرؤون محتوى النشرات البريدية أعلى من نسبة قراء المحتوى على الفيس بوك مثلاً، بالإضافة إلى مزايا أخرى لا يمكن الوصول إليها إلا عبر النشرات البريدية التي مازالت معتمدة لدى كبرى المؤسسات الإعلامية حول العالم.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: هل يمكن لك أن تعطينا وصفا عن "نشرة يومي" ما الذي تقدمونه؟ وما هو الوضع الحالي للنشرة؟

نظار بولاديان: نشرة يومي في الوقت الحالي تتألف من 500 كلمة تقريباً وتتكون من ثلاثة أقسام، القسم الأول مخصص لمقالة نتناول فيها بالتحليل آخر مستجدات الاعمال والاقتصاد والتكنولوجيا. القسم الثاني يتضمن مقالة عن التطوير المهني والذاتي، أما القسم الأخير فيحتوي على فقرات قصير تتضمن روابط مفيدة متعلقة بوسائل كسب المال والتعليم المستمر ودورات مجانية وقصص تحفيزية وأخبار تهم قارئ "يومي" تصل نشرة يومي إلى البريد الإلكتروني لمشتركيها ثلاثة مرات في الأسبوع.

 كذلك قمنا مؤخراً بالتعاون مع "مهارات من Google" لتكون بذلك أول راعي رسمي لنشرة يومي.

ولربما أكثر ما يسعدنا فيما وصلنا إليه إلى اليوم هو مستوى التفاعل مع قراءّ "يومي"، في كل نشرة نرسلها نتلقى ردود وتعليقات إيجابية من متابعي النشرة، وهذا ما يعطينا الحافز على الاستمرار والتوسع.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: ما هي خططكم المستقبلية لتطوير النشرة وتوسيع أعمالها؟

نظار بولاديان: لدينا طموحات كبيرة. نتطلع للوصول إلى مليون قارئ عربي! من جميع الأقطار العربية وأينما وجد متحدثي اللغة العربية حول العالم، لكن في المدى المنظور نتطلع إلى التوسع في مصر والمملكة العربية السعودية، كما نسعى للوصل إلى 10 آلاف قارئ خلال النصف الأول من العام الحالي.

كذلك لدينا توجه بأن نجعل من يومي المكان الذي يتواجد فيه المجتمع المهتم بأخبار الاقتصاد والتكنولوجيا والتطوير المهني، مجتمع لديه الرغبة في مشاركة المعرفة وتبادل الخبرات.

اعتقد بأن وجود مجتمع كهذا سيكون مكسباً للشباب العربي عموما وللخريجين الجدد بشكل خاص والعمل الحر Freelancing وهم الفئة التي نراها تتوسع يوماً بعد يوم في السوق العربية..الفئات الشابة التي تتطلع إلى الدخول في سوق العمل بحاجة إلى مصدر معلومات موثوقة وإلى المعرفة التي تمهد لهم الطريق لدخول سوق العمل بقدرة أكبر على استيعاب تطوراته واكتساب المهارات التي تمكنهم من رفع قدراتهم وزيادة حصيلتهم المعرفية، لاسيما في المجالات التي لا تدرس في جامعات كمهارات التواصل وإدارة الوقت والتعامل مع ضغوطات العمل واختيار المسار المهني..وغيرها.

لدينا الرغبة بأن يكون لدينا بث إذاعي "بودكاست" وان نتتقل من 3 نشرات في الأسبوع إلى 5 نشرات، وأن يكون لدينا نشرات خاصة في المنح والوظائف، وفي الوقت الحالي نعمل على إضافة قسم جديد على الموقع نقدم من خلاله طلبات التوظيف التي تهم الطلاب والخريجين الجدد بشكل خاص، كذلك لدينا خطط مستقبلية لإنشاء نسخة من يومي باللغة الإنكليزية.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: "مجتمع مهتم بأخبار الأعمال والتطوير المهني.." تركز كثيراً على فكرة وجود مجتمع متخصص في هذا المجال، ما الذي يجعلك تركز على فكرة وجود مجتمع متخصص بالتطوير المهني؟ ما وراء هذه الفكرة؟

نظار بولاديان: اعتقد أن هذه الفكرة ولدت لدي أول مرة عندما كنت في لندن، هناك شاهدت ظاهرة لم يسبق لي أن رأيتها بهذه الصورة  في أي دولة أخرى من الدول الكثيرة التي زرتها أو عشت بها..وهي المجتمعات لدى البريطانيين اهتمام كبير بالمجتمعات، فبالكاد تجد موضوع ما ولا تجد له مجتمعه الخاص، مجتمعات قد تأخذ شكل أندية أو فعاليات تعقد بشكل دوري أو اشكال أخرى..المهم في ذلك هو أن هذه المجتمعات هي في جوهرها مكان لتبادل المعرفة والخبرات وتكوين شبكة أعمال..من هنا يمكن لي أن أقول بأن فكرة "نشرة يومي" ولدت من تقاطع فكرتين، الأولى هي الحاجة الحقيقية لوجود منصة تحتضن الشباب الراغب في تطوير مهاراته المهنية والشخصية وتساعده على الوصول إلى المكان الذي يطمح إليه، والفكرة الثانية هي أن الإطار العام "لنشرة يومي" يجب أن يكون اجتماعياً، أي أن يكون تفاعلياً بين اشخاص حقيقيين يتبادلون فيه الخبرات والمعرفة ويجدون فيه نظراء ومرشدين في المجال المهني الذي يعملون به.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: في الوقت الحالي يوجد العديد من النشرات البريدية في المنطقة العربية، وبعضها يتناول موضوعات مشابهة لمحتوى نشرة يومي..هل يمكن أن تخبرنا عن السمات التي تجعل من نشرة يومي مميزة عن غيرها؟

نظار بولاديان: صحيح، لكن ما يميز نشرة يومي عن غيرها من النشرات، بأنها أول نشرة عربية مختصة بالتطوير المهني، كما أننا في "يومي" نعتمد على التكثيف والإيجاز في المحتوى الذي نقدمه فنشرة "يومي" تقرأ في 3 دقائق فقط! ونعتمد في كتابة المحتوى على مصادر موثوقة وعلى فريق عمل من كتاب محترفين وأصحاب خبرات وخلفيات اكاديمية عالية..وربما الأهم من ذلك كله هو التوازن بين الكتابة الرصينة والموثوقة ومنح القارئ المتعة عند قراءة مواد النشر من خلال استخدام لغة حوارية وعصرية ولا تخلوا من روح الفكاهة أحيانا.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين:  ما هو نموذج الأعمال الذي تعتمده لتحقيق الإيرادات من شركة "يومي"؟

لا نعمل وفق نموذج واحد لتحقيق الإيرادات لكن تركيزنا الأساسي هو على رعاية النشرة من قبل الشركات حيث سيكون بإمكانهم، من خلال نشرة يومي، التعريف بعلامتهم التجارية لشريحة واسعة من المشتركين التي تضم فئات متنوعة من طلاب ومهنين وأصحاب العمل الحر، كذلك نعمل على تقديم خدمة صناعة النشرات للشركات، وحالياً نحن في طور النقاشات الأولى مع شركتين في السعودية لمساعدتهم في صناعة علامتهم التجارية من خلال التسويق عبر النشرات البريدية، بالإضافة إلى ذلك نعمل على الحصول على برامج شراكة مع المنظمات الحكومية وغير الحكومية لتقديم المنح لقراء نشرتنا لنساعدهم بدورنا على دخول العمل الحر والعمل عن بعد وفي مجال الكتابة والنشرة. وأخيراً، لدينا توجه مستقبلي بتقديم محتوى حصري من خلال الاشتراك المدفوع.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين:  ما هي أبرز الصعوبات التي واجهتك عند إطلاق شركة يومي؟ وكيف تجاوزتها؟

الصعوبات كثيرة لكن أبرزها هو إيجاد الفريق المناسب للشركة..يجب أن تمتلك فريق تقني وكتاب من المحترفين و الشغوفين في عملهم ليس هذا فحسب بل أن يكونوا قادرين على التفاعل والتواصل فيما بينهم..وأن تجد الشريك الصحيح. من ناحية أخرى تكمن الصعوبة في إيجاد جمهور الشركة، فيومي فكرة جديدة في نهاية المطاف..كذلك كسب ثقة الشركات واقناعهم بفكرة يومي ونجاحها.

منصة رواد الأعمال العرب السويسريين: من خلال تجربتك في تأسيس الشركات الناشئة ماهي النصائح التي تقدمها للشباب الذين يطمحون بدخول عالم ريادة الأعمال؟

نظار بولاديان:

• أهم شيء هو أن تفكر بريادة الأعمال كمسار، لن تكون تجربتك الأولى ناجحة بالكامل لأنك ببساطة لا تمتلك الخبرة والمعرفة الكاملة بالكيفية التي تجري فيها الأمور..كيف تبني علامتك التجارية وتصنع جمهورك وتقنع الشركات بفكرتك، هذا امر طبيعي ستكون بحاجة للتجربة والتعلم من أخطائك.
•   ركز على شيء يمكن لك أن تفعله، الجميع يريد أن يعمل شركة مثل "تسلا" "Tesla"، وان يغير العالم، نعم أحلم، لكن في تجاربك الأولى ركز على ما تجيد فعله، فقد تصبح نشرة يومي في المستقبل نشرة بريدية تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي! لكن اليوم نفعلها بالطريقة التي نجيدها بالطريقة التي تسير بها أهم النشرات البريدية في العالم.
•   كن لين ومرن، وصريحاً مع نفسك ومع فريقك، فسلوكك سيؤثر كثيراً على نجاحك.
•   إذا كان لديك عمل بدوام كامل فلا تتخلى عنه فمن الصحيح أنك ستتعرض لضغوطات كبيرة، وهي حياة ريادة الأعمال بجميع الأحوال، لكن من الصحيح أيضاً ان تركك لعملك سوف يتركك في ضغط أكبر! ستتعرض لضغط نفسي كبير كما أنك ستخسر مصدراً للدخل وبالتالي تخسر فرصة دعم شركتك الناشئة مادياً من مدخراتك..بالطبع في وقت ما سيكون عليك ترك عملك لكن هذا الوقت يجب أن يأتي عندما تكون شركتك الناشئة أصبحت تقف على أرضية صلبة.
•   وأخيراً، لا تخجل من الحديث عن فكرة شركتك الناشئة، تجنب التفكير بأنك إذا ناقشت سوف تسرق منك وينفذها غيرك.. ناقش الآخرين وسألهم على دوام في رأيهم بعملك.

Translated by: Hayat Hernández

The ramifications of Covid-19 epidemic has generally affected MENA countries economies, but the uncertainty along with other negative economic repercussions, had a significant impact on the venture capital financing sector in the MENAin particular.
In this article we will take a glance at the recently released report "Venture Capital in the MENA in 2020" by Magnitt foundation.

Venture Capital Investments

The VC investments volume broke a one billion dollar barrier in the MENA for the first time in 2020, reaching a growth rate of 13% in comparison with 2019. Although Covid-19 repercussions had a noticeable impact on the volume of VC investments, it was subsidized by the midterm growth of 2020 when the epidemic ramifications were less critical on the MENA economies.

Magnitt’s report data on the VC investments volume geographical distribution in the MENA were not surprising, as the UAE ranked first with 56% of total VC investments with a 4-point decline in its share of total VC investments in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Egypt ranked second with a 17% reaching a growth rate of 31% compared to 2019, and an increase of 2 points in the share.

While Saudi Arabia ranked third with a 15% ratio and an increase in the share of VC by 4 points, which is considered to be the highest increase regarding share distribution. Furthermore, it reached an annual rate of growth of more than 55% which is the second highest growth rate for venture capital investments compared to Bahrain as it attained 200% of growth, and with a ranking increase of one point in the MENA in terms of VC, ranking by that the seventh.

Venture Capital Deals

The number of VC deals decreased by 13% compared to 2019, as it reached 496 deals. This decrease subtended with also a 13% increase regarding the investments volume indicates an excess in the volume of a single deal in terms of the rate, as the size of a single deal in 2020 reached more than two million dollars on average, while it was about 1.6 million in 2019, indicating an increase of more than 400,000 dollars per deal. Consequently, the deal size average in 2020 is the highest in three years.

In contrast to the volume of VC investments which were concentrated in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia at an attribution of approximately 88%, VC deals in 2020 were less concentrated while maintaining their positions order in the first three places, as the UAE acquired 26% of the total number of deals, followed by Egypt with 24% and thirdly Saudi Arabia with 18%, which also witnessed the highest growth rate in the number of deals as it reached 35%, as well as Lebanon and Oman, both witnessed a rise in the number of deals reaching 23% and 18% respectively. While Lebanon witnessed a significant decline of nearly 64%, which led to eliminating it from the list of the top seven countries in terms of VC deals number in 2020.

Allocating Venture Capital Investments by sectors

Perhaps the most prominent impact of the Covid-19 epidemic was on the sectorial distribution of VC investments. This effect is indicated by the sectorial focus of investment deals on E-commerce, Financial Technology, Health Care, Delivery and Logistics Services, all of which witnessed an increase in demand in 2020 and received most of the VC transactions.
As for the sectors ranking regarding the share of total VC investments and the volume of invested capital in 2020, they came as the following:
E-commerce ranked first with a growth rate of 24%, and an increase in the participation share to total investments by one point. Followed by The Real Estate Sector with an increase of 54% and a growth of 4 points. Ranking third, The Financial Technology sector demonstrating a rise by 19% with an increase by one point.

Followed by The Food and Beverage Sector having a growth rate of 265% and an 8-point increase in its share.

As for The Health Care sector, it occupied the fifth place with a growth rate of 280% and an increase of 5 points. While The Transport Sector ranked sixth with a decline in growth by (-32%) and a decrease in the share by 4 points. Finally, came The Delivery and Logistics Sector with an increase in growth reaching 3%, with neither a decline nor a progress in the VC investments participation rate.

How would it be in 2021?

It is too early to talk about our expectations on what the situation will be in the following months of this year, but the last quarter data of 2020 indicate a remarkable improvement regarding the deals number and volume, as their number increased by 17.5% compared to the third quarter.
In addition to the improvement in the number and volume of VC transactions in the last year final quarter, the number and volume of the deals announced in the first month of this year also indicate a relative improvement in VC investments compared to how they were in the third quarter of the last year when the epidemic ramifications were significantly noticeable.

Some good examples of those deals might be the investment tour of AZOM foundation, as its value attained about 9 million dollars, as well as Foodex which was estimated at 20 million dollars, Tamara with 5.8 million dollars, and also Salasa with about 8.5 million dollars, accomplishing a total value of 43.3 million dollars.

 All of those deals have been conducted from the beginning of the year until the first week of February in this year. In addition to those investment rounds and many others that we did not mention, the number of undeclared deals constituted 17% of the total volume of VC investments, according to 2020 data.

Based on the above, an improvement in the venture capital investments in MENA can be anticipated in the foreseeable future.

Abu Dhabi has launched a programme inviting all talented professionals, students and investors to settle down with their families in the UAE capital.

Called Thrive in Abu Dhabi, the initiative seeks to develop key sectors such as culture, healthcare, research and development (R&D), and real estate.

It offers long-term visas that may translate to the coveted UAE citizenship for talented expatriates in a safe, welcoming and supportive environment, while contributing to Abu Dhabi’s sustainable development.

“Creative talent are encouraged to be part of a global arts and culture hub, join the emirate’s dynamic media and the entertainment industry, or support the development of our understanding of the past among fellow academics, conservators and archaeologists,” an official release stated.

“The creative visa builds on the five-year Culture Sector Strategy for Abu Dhabi, unveiled in November 2019 by the Department of Culture and Tourism, which covers five strategic objectives: preserve and sustain its cultural heritage; increase awareness of, and engagement with, cultural heritage and the arts; stimulate creativity as a driver for education and social change; build and enable capacity in its culture sector; contribute to economic growth and diversification.”

Abu Dhabi has a thriving cultural and creative sector with strong global credentials. They include world-class museums, art centres, art fairs, music concerts, and a grassroots artistic community.

The Capital also boasts the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Warehouse241, Abu Dhabi Art annual fair, Qasr Al Hosn and Cultural Foundation and the forthcoming Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim — not to mention international educational institutions supporting students to excel in creative activities such as NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Berkley College, and CNN Academy.

Students especially have opportunities galore. Those pursuing a PhD or have promising scientific ability at either high school or university level, can expand their horizons and ensure exciting career paths by studying at one of a collection of world-class academic institutions in Abu Dhabi such as NYUAD, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi and Khalifa University.

Students can also learn the skills of the future, including in specialist areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), at the new Mohamed bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence, or coding at 42 Abu Dhabi.

They can participate in pioneering research in areas related to Covid-19 and farm technology at UAE University, or focus on tolerance and coexistence at the world’s first university dedicated to the human fraternity, the Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities.

Thrive in Abu Dhabi also invites innovators to turn their ideas into reality — with access to funding and incentives — as part of a dynamic R&D ecosystem that is pioneering new technologies to solve the global challenges of the future, from water security to food technology.

As part of Abu Dhabi’s accelerator programme, Ghadan 21, the Department of Education and Knowledge has launched academic research grants to award Dh40 million in competitive research funding to support R&D.

Details about the programme — including the long-term visas and paths to citizenship — can be found at https://tamm.abudhabi/en/Golden-Visa or by calling 02-6664442 (outside UAE) or 800 555 (within UAE).

source: zawya

The digital economy of the Middle East, including online shopping, online education and online healthcare, has seen significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has become a highlight of regional economic development.

Analysis shows that the digital economy in the Middle East has broad development prospects in the future, as the number of young consumers in the area is huge and the use of internet infrastructure is gaining increasing popularity.

The latest statistics, released by Egypt's Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade in December 2020, showed that the electronic commerce market in Egypt has reached 40 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.54 billion). It is estimated that the annual growth of Egypt's electronic commerce consumption will reach over 30 percent between 2019 and 2022.

Turkey is now establishing software platforms to allow shopping centers to open online pages, offering non-contact shopping services for customers. The initiative is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs in the delivery business.

Noon Academy, an online learning platform started in Saudi Arabia, has recently seen an increase of 3 million in its student numbers, following deals signed with the education departments of countries throughout the Middle East. In June 2020, it received $13 million in a new round of financing.

The Digital Cooperation Organization was set up by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Pakistan, aiming to promote cooperation in innovation-driven fields and speed up the growth of the digital economy.

The Gulf Information Technology Exhibition took place in the United Arab Emirates in December 2020. It attracted representatives of 1,200 companies from more than 60 countries and regions around the world to carry out discussions on the development of digital technologies spanning artificial intelligence, smart cities and 5G.

The rapid development of digital economy industries and relevant companies has shown proof of the flexibility of digitization schemes when facing new markets born out of crises. It is expected that the digital transformation of the economy will play an important role as countries in the Middle East pursue economic diversification.

Several Middle Eastern countries have increased policy support to facilitate digital transformation during the COVID-19 epidemic, by taking initiatives such as expanding the construction of internet infrastructure and building an excellent business environment for the digital economy.

The Egyptian government has allocated 12.7 billion Egyptian pounds during the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year to support digital transformation, and has launched a "Digital Egypt" project.

Telecom Egypt has announced it is to build the largest international data center in the country in the western part of the capital Cairo. The center is scheduled to be put into operation at the beginning of 2021.

Banks and network operators in Egypt are now promoting "e-wallets" on television and online, and have released discounts to encourage merchants and consumers to use QR codes for payment.

The country will also set up an electronic system to trace cargo and handle cargo tariff issues. The system is expected to begin experimental operation in April 2021.

According to the economic revival project released by the UAE, the government will encourage investment in the digital economy over the long term. Particular attention will be paid to the development of advanced technologies such as 5G and AI, to promote digital transformation and economic revival after the pandemic.

Saudi Arabia's cabinet approved the country's digital economy development plan in December 2020. The plan establishes detailed targets in areas spanning establishing digital platforms, promoting innovation, cultivating talents and opening markets.

Saudi Telecom Company has started first-phase construction of three large-scale data centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina at a cost of 1 billion riyal ($266.67 million) with the aim of helping governments and private organizations achieve digital transformation while offering infrastructure support for the development of the local digital economy. Four more data centers will be built during the second construction phase.

The Algerian government has also launched its digital transformation plan, noting that digital service platforms for the public will be built by linking data from different government departments, in order to increase efficiency in handling affairs.

Oman will spend the next five years looking at online education, taking measures such as digital platform construction, personal training, and the research and development of lessons.

The website of Gulf Business, a business magazine from UAE, pointed out that the pandemic has had a big impact on industries such as tourism, aviation and hotels in Middle Eastern countries, but the digital economy has gained great momentum against this trend, making regional countries realize the urgency and necessity of developing their digital economies.

The website of an Egyptian business newspaper said that China has taken the lead in developing the digital economy around the world, and has gained a lot of advanced experience in areas such as e-payments and digital ecology.

"We are looking forward to carrying out more communication with China on the digital economy and to deepen exchanges and cooperation," said the UAE Ambassador to China, Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri.

Fruitful outcomes have already been achieved in digital economic cooperation between Middle Eastern countries and China.

Huawei has now signed technical protocols with more than 10 telecom operators from countries including Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to build their 5G networks.

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has signed agreements with relevant Chinese companies and institutions to conduct cooperation in areas such as smart city construction and the development of AI technologies in Arabic.

Egypt's Ministry of Education teamed up with Net Dragon Websoft Holdings Ltd, a company from China's Fujian province which manages online gaming and mobile internet industries, to launch a suite of online education products, offering support to more than 22 million students and one million teachers all over the country when schools were closed due to the pandemic.

Exhibitions such as the China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo and the China-Middle East & North Africa (Morocco) International Digital Trade Fair have been held in quick succession, using advanced technologies and new models including the internet, online exhibitions and online negotiations to deepen the digital economy cooperation between China and the Middle East.

Media outlets from the Middle East have widely recognized that the cooperation potential between the Middle East and China is huge.

source: wuzhenwic

Khazna, the UAE's largest supplier of commercial wholesale data centre services, to increase capacity five-fold by 2025

Khazna, the UAE’s largest supplier of commercial wholesale data centre services, has announced major expansion plans to support the country's digital ambitions.

The company said it will build multiple new data centres and increase its capacity five-fold over the next four years to provide vital infrastructure as companies and the government agencies accelerate digitisation.

Khazna operates two data centres in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai with a combined capacity of 40 megawatts, with plans to have a total of 200 megawatts of IT load capacity by 2023.

Multiple new data centres will be built in locations across the UAE and additional capacity will be increased at its current sites.

Hassan Al Naqbi, CEO of Khazna, said: “This significant expansion will support the economic ambitions of the UAE in the coming years.

“The UAE government and private sectors are pressing ahead with digital transformation, which has gathered pace in the last year through necessity. The experience of remote working and the growth of online services during the global pandemic has underlined the importance of robust, state-of-the-art digital infrastructure."

He added: "Demand for flexible, scalable and secure data storage is increasing rapidly, and this trend will continue as smart city and smart government projects gather momentum, cloud computing adoption grows and 5G networks are rolled out.”

Khazna, which was established in 2012, has grown rapidly into one of the leading data centre providers in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Khazna said with the focus on enabling hyperscalers, its new data centres will ensure that market demands are fully met while maintaining customer satisfaction excellence and trust.

source: arabianbusiness

Khazna, the UAE's largest supplier of commercial wholesale data centre services, to increase capacity five-fold by 2025

انعكست تداعيات وباء كوفيد-19 على اقتصاديات الدول الشرق الأوسط بشكل عام، لكن حالة عدم اليقين، إلى جانب التداعيات الاقتصادية السلبية الأُخرى، كان لها أثر على قطاع تمويل رأس المال المخاطر في الشرق الأوسط بشكل خاص.

في هذه المقالة سنلقي نظرة سريعة على التقرير" رأس المال المخاطر بمنطقة الشرق الأوسط خلال عام 2020" الذي صدر حديثاً عن مؤسسة ماجنيت.

استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر

تجاوز حجم استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر في الشرق الأوسط، وللمرة الأولى حاجز المليار دولار أمريكي في عام 2020 وبنسبة نمو عن عام 2019 وصلت إلى 13%، ومع أنه كان لتداعيات وباء كوفيد-19 بالغ الأثر في حجم استثمارات رأس مال المخاطر لكن أرتفاع حجم الاستثمارات كان مدعوماً بالنمو النصفي لعام 2020، أي حينما كانت تداعيات الوباء أقل وطئه على اقتصاديات الشرق الأوسط.

لم تكن بيانات تقرير ماجنيت بخصوص التوزيع الجغرافي حجم استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر في شرق الأوسط مفاجئة فقد حلت الإمارات العربية المتحدة في المرتبة الأولى بنسبة 56% من إجمالي استثمارات رؤوس الأموال المخاطرة، مع تراجع بمقدار 4 نقاط في حصتها من اجمالي استثمارات رؤوس الأموال المخاطرة في الشرق الأوسط، فيما جاءت مصر في المرتبة الثانية بنسبة 17% بمعدل نمو وصل إلى 31% بالمقارنة بالعام 2019 وبارتفاع نقطتين بمقدار الحصة.

في حين حلت المملكة العربية السعودية في المرتبة الثالثة بنسبة بلغت 15% وبارتفاع في حصة رأس المال المخاطر بمقدار 4 نقاط، وهو الارتفاع الأعلى من حيث توزيع الحصص، كذلك حققت السعودية معدل نمو سنوي فاق 55% وهو ثاني أعلى معدل نمو لاستثمارات رأس المال المخاطر بعد مملكة البحرين التي حققت نمواً بنسبة 200% وارتفع ترتيبها في الشرق الأوسط بالنسبة لرأس المال المخاطر بمقدار نقطة واحدة، ولتحل بذلك في المرتبة السابعة.

صفقات رأس المال المخاطر

انخفضت أعداد صفقات رأس المال المخاطر بنسبة 13% عن عام 2019 حيث بلغت 496 صفقة، يشير الانخفاض في عدد الصفقات الذي يقابله ارتفاع بذات النسبة (13%) إلى ارتفاع حجم الصفقة الواحدة من حيث المعدل، فحجم الصفقة الواحد في عام 2020 بلغ أكثر من مليوني دولار بالمعدل فيما بلغ حجم الصفقة الواحدة في عام 2019 حوالي 1.6 مليون دولار، أي بزيادة تفوق الـ400 ألف دولار للصفقة الواحدة، وبذلك يكون متوسط حجم الصفقة في عام 2020 هو الأعلى منذ ثلاثة سنوات.

بخلاف حجم استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر التي تركزت في الإمارات ومصر والسعودية بنسبة 88% تقريباً، فإن صفقات رأس المال المخاطر في عام 2020 كانت أقل تركزاً مع حفاظها على التراتبية ذاتها للمراكز الثالث الأولى؛ فقد استحوذت الإمارات على ما نسبته 26% من إجمالي عدد الصفقات تليها مصر بنسبة 24% وثالثاً السعودية بنسبة 18% والتي شهدت أيضاً أعلى نسبة نمو في عدد الصفقات التي بلغت 35%، كذلك شهدت كل من الأردن وسلطنة عُمان نمواً بعدد الصفقات بلغ 23% و18% على التوالي، فيما شهد لبنان تراجعاً كبيراً بلغت نسبته حوالي 64% وهو التراجع الذي أخرجه من قائمة ترتيب الدول السبعة الأولى في عدد صفقات رأس المال المخاطر في عام 2020.

توزع استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر قطاعياً

لعل أبرز تأثير لوباء كوفد-19 كان على التوزع القطاعي لاستثمارات رأس مال المخاطر، يظهر هذا التأثير في تركز صفقات الاستثمارات قطاعياً على التجارة الإلكترونية والتكنولوجيا المالية والرعاية الصحية والتسليم والخدمات اللوجستية، التي شهدت جميعها زيادة في الطلب في عام 2020 واستقبلت معظم معاملات رأس المال المخاطر.

أما ترتيب القطاعات من حيث الحصة من إجمالي استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر وحجم رؤوس الأموال المستثمرة لعام 2020، فقد جاءت كالآتي:

التجارة الإلكتروني بالمرتبة الأولى بنسبة نمو 24% وبزيادة في حصة المشاركة إلى إجمالي الاستثمارات بواقع نقطة واحدة يليه قطاع العقارات بمعدل زيادة 54% وبـنمو 4 نقاط، ثالثاً جاء قطاع التكنولوجيا المالية بنسبة نمو بلغت 19% وبارتفاع نقطة واحدة، يليه قطاع الطعام والمشروبات بنسبة نمو 265% وبزيادة 8 نقاط في الحصة، أما المرتبة الخامسة فاحتلها قطاع الرعاية الصحية بنسبة نمو بلغت 280% وبزيادة في الحصة بواقع 5 نقاط فيما جاء قطاع النقل في المرتبة السادسة بتراجع في النمو بنسبة -32% وانخفاض في الحصة بـ4 نقاط، واخيراً، قطاع التسليم والخدمات اللوجستية بزيادة في النمو بلغت 3% وبدون تحقيق تراجع أو تقدم في نسبة المشاركة باستثمارات رأس المال المخاطر.

كيف ستكون الأوضاع في عام 2021؟

من المبكر الحديث عن توقعات لما ستكون عليه الأوضاع في الأشهر المقبلة من العام الجاري لكن البيانات الخاصة بالربع الأخير لعام 2020 تشير إلى تحسن ملحوظ من حيث حجم الصفقات وعددها، فقد بلغت نسبة نمو استثمارات رأس المال المخاطر للربع الأخير مقارنة بالربع الثالث حوالي 57% كذلك ارتفعت عدد الصفقات مقارنة بالربع الثالث بنسبة 17.5%.

بالإضافة إلى التحسن في حجم وعدد معاملات رؤوس الأموال المخاطرة في الربع الأخير من العام المنصرم، فإن حجم وعدد الصفقات المعلنة في الشهر الأول من العام الجاري تشي أيضاً بتحسن نسبي لاستثمارات رؤوس الأموال المخاطرة مقارنةً بما كانت عليه الأمور في الربع الثالث من العام الماضي الذي ظهرت فيه تداعيات وباء كوفيد-19 بشكل واضح.

ومن تلك الصفقات نذكر الجولة الاستثمارية لشركة AZOM التي بلغت قيمتها حوالي 9 مليون دولار وفودكس بقيمة 20 مليون دولار وتمارا بقيمة 5.8 مليون دولار وشركة سلاسة بحوالي 8.5 مليون دولار، بجموع يبلغ 43.3 مليون دولار، ولقد تمت جميعها منذ بداية العام وحتى الأسبوع الأول من شهر فبراير/شباط الجاري، بالإضافة إلى هذه الجولات الاستثمارية وغيرها الكثير التي لم نأتي على ذكرها، فإن عدد الصفقات غير المعلنة تشكل ما نسبته 17% من إجمالي حجم استثمارات رؤوس الأموال المخاطرة بحسب بيانات عام 2020.

بالاعتماد على ما سبق يمكن التنبؤ بحدوث تحسن باستثمارات رأس المال المخاطر في الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا على المدى المنظور.

Rami Issa is a Syrian entrepreneur, born in Latakia in 1982. He holds a BA in Business Administration, specializing in marketing, "Tishreen University" in 2007.

He started practicing basketball in 1994 at the Hitteen club and graduated from all age groups in 2004, after which he worked in the ranks of Al Ittihad Club between 2005 and 2007, with whom he won the Syrian Basketball League championship. Then in 2008, he moved to the Al Karama Club, which amounted to the second-highest deal that year. He continued here until his retirement from playing in 2012. During his professional basketball period, Rami Issa also played for the first Syrian national basketball team.

In addition to continuing his professionalism in basketball, in his home city of Latakia, Rami established the largest private school for teaching basketball in Syria, through which he was able to attract sponsorship contracts, some of which exceeded the size of sponsorship contracts for large clubs in Syria.

In 2012 Rami moved to the State of Qatar and continued to shine as a sports star in basketball, where he played for the Qatari Al-Arabi club in 3×3 basketball. Al-Arabi team was ranked third in the 3×3 Basketball League in Qatar for 2019 and 2020. Rami Issa is also ranked first as the best Syrian basketball player in 3×3 in 2020, according to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ​​classification.

During his stay in Qatar, Rami moved to work in the field of human resources and moved from an employee in the department to a deputy director, then on to the director of human resources in the Al-Safwa Group of companies.

But Rami was not impressed by the human resources field. He sees himself as a marketing addict! He used to devote his spare time to working in the field of marketing until he was fully devoted to this field. From then on, he worked as a marketing manager for many local companies in Qatar.

In addition to this, Rami has established a number of pioneering projects, including the “Intalaq” network, which specializes in employment. In addition to providing training courses in marketing, he also works in providing marketing consulting to a number of emerging companies in Syria, Turkey, and Qatar, including the Harvard Qatar foundation, for which he serves as the head of the marketing consulting department.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Despite your academic background, you have been a basketball star for years, and as you know, most sports stars turn into coaches for clubs and teams, meaning they remain in the orbit of the sports world, but you chose a completely different direction. How would you describe your experience of moving from the sports field to the world of entrepreneurship?

Rami Issa: Indeed, all of my interest was focused on basketball. I used to have a special school to teach basketball in Syria. I was also planning to launch Tactik magazine, specializing in basketball training, but the circumstances of 2011 forced me to give up my plans and travel to the State of Qatar in 2012, where I started working as a human resources employee. In fact, this field did not appeal to me much, so I used to work in my spare time in the field of marketing, and with time, I spent more time doing that until I started working full-time in marketing 4 years ago.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Who benefits from your services? Sectorial and geographical distribution?

Rami Issa: Most of my clients are from Qatar. Being based in Qatar, it is difficult for those abroad to pay wages equal to the wages recognized in the State of Qatar. Therefore, I rarely contracted with people or companies outside Qatar, so most of my services that I provide to those outside Qatar are limited to consultations and (remote) training courses.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: What is your economic model? How do you make profits?

Rami Issa: The economic model I work in differs according to the service I provide. Regarding training courses, I prefer to work according to the “Freemium” model, meaning that the basic version is free and the upgraded version is paid. As for the marketing services, I charge the costs of the services I provide directly according to the previously concluded contract.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Many young people coming to entrepreneurship miss the fact that about 90% of startups fail, and most entrepreneurs hide their failed experiences as a disgrace. Describing those experiences that are incomplete or successful, you realize that there is a possibility of failure, and you openly admit that some number of projects you have started have actually failed. Here is our question: what do you think of the culture of shame of failure, and how do you describe the experience of failure of your project? What are the most prominent lessons you learned from that?

Rami Issa: An important question. Indeed, 90% of projects fail for various reasons, and I think that the most important reason for the failure of projects is ignorance in the market in which the project is active, or that the project itself is just an attempt to imitate another successful project or because there is not enough budget to market the idea of ​​the project.

Returning to your question about the absence of a culture of recognition of failure, I believe that this matter is linked to the culture of each country. We, in the Arab region, relate the cause of failure to the person himself, which is unfair. Sometimes the cause of failure is a result of external circumstances that the entrepreneur has nothing to do with. On the other hand, recognition of failure in the business culture in the United States is acceptable and commendable.

For me, I have no problem admitting failure, and recently I shared the most prominent seven projects that I failed in on my Instagram account @ramiissa.marketing. For me, it is not a point of shame but rather lessons to take advantage of, because in the end, success comes from failed experiences.

One of the lessons that I learned from my failed experiences is not to live in dreams but rather to be realistic and to study the market that I want to enter and understand its requirements. As for the most important lesson I learned, it is allocating the marketing budget before the project budget. Unfortunately, it often happens that someone launches an application on smartphones and then is unable to market it due to neglecting to allocate sufficient amounts for marketing it, for example Google does not implement any project if there is no potential to market it, meaning that thinking about marketing the product precedes its production and not the other way around.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Many entrepreneurs attribute the failure of their projects, or even not being able to start their projects, to the absence of funding. As an entrepreneur who relies on self-financing in his projects, what do you think of this? What advice would you give to entrepreneurs struggling with funding issues?

Rami Issa: I believe that the idea of ​​financing startups at its inception by investors in the Arab region is a lie! This type of financing is only found in the United States and to a lesser extent in Europe. In the Arab region, a project is not funded unless it is fundamentally a successful project or has gained a wide audience, and this is rare. Therefore, I advise entrepreneurs in the Arab region not to be drawn behind the American business model and to think about how to start as a small business that generates revenue directly.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: What are the main difficulties that you faced in the beginning of your marketing career?

Rami Issa: Some project managers' mentality about marketing may be one of the most prominent problems that I encountered. On the one hand, I meet with company owners who talk about the importance of marketing in the success of the product, but things become clear when seeing their actions, as marketing is not given an adequate amount of attention in the project budget. We can see that the first item to be canceled or reduced in the company's budget, in case of financial difficulty, is marketing costs. It is annoying and confusing at the same time because the marketing plan has already been developed.

On the other hand, we find the owners of companies who are obsessed with the saying "a good product markets itself," so they do not believe in the importance of marketing in the first place. Although I believe this saying is correct, it does not reflect the complete picture; there may be 10 good and wonderful products, and therefore marketing is needed at the end of the day. Finally, I think that intruders in the marketing profession are one of its problems as well. Unfortunately, they deplete the companies’ budgets and do not bring back any effective results, so the owners of companies lose their confidence in marketing and make it more difficult for us to persuade them later.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Tell us about the most important problem you faced and how you dealt with it?

Rami Issa: The most important problem I faced was in the recruitment process. Unfortunately, many people claim to have the skills that qualify them for the tasks that you require, such as programming or design, but you discover later that they do not have the expertise and skills required to work, so you lose your money and time.

In addition to that, a problem arises represented by bureaucratic obstacles when establishing companies in the Arab region. These kind of difficulties do not exist in the West, in Britain, for example; you can establish a company via the Internet in five minutes, while in the Arab region, you need a partner and pay fees and other procedures that take a lot of time and effort, which hinders many projects. In addition, we find in the Arab region a weakness in companies that operate using a ‘subcontracting’ system, such as customer service or delivery companies; consequently, most companies are forced to do everything themselves and start from scratch.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Is your scope of activity limited to a country/Arab world?

Rami Issa: Most of my activities at the present time are limited to the Arab region, or let's say to Arabic speakers, and I have rarely provided a service to companies or people who are not Arabic speakers.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: By following your activities, we see that you focus on the platforms Instagram and Facebook. Why did you choose these two platforms in particular? What are the determinants that must be taken into consideration when choosing the platform on which you will market a product?

Rami Issa: Regarding the intensity of my activity on the Facebook platform, it is normal, as we know that most people on the Internet around the world have a Facebook account, including my friends and acquaintances in the Arab region, as well as my popularity on Facebook, came from my professionalism as a former player in the Syrian Al-Ittihad club and the Syrian national team, I entered the field of entrepreneurship before, so I invested my network in this platform.

As for the Instagram platform, I honestly did not pay attention to it first, but with the high spread of the Instagram platform in the Arabian Gulf in the past few years and the increasing demand from customers to market on this platform, I started to be more present and work on it, then I was impressed later by this social media. In addition to that, I also have a presence on YouTube, but to a lesser extent than Facebook and Instagram.

In theory, it is preferable to be present on all platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat, but the lack of time and having a lot of work prevents me from that. So I think it is better not to be distracted by the different platforms.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: You have a distinctive style of explaining marketing concepts and methods, which is characterized by simplicity and sense of humor. We noticed the audience's interaction with you and their admiration for your distinctive style. What are the criteria that you set in order to make a balance between conveying the idea through propaganda content and giving the audience enjoyment and entertainment?

Rami Issa: My marketing style is similar to my personality. Whoever knows me personally knows that I am a funny and easy-going person, and I like the sense of humor and simplification of things. This is my nature. That is why I like to transfer this method to my field of marketing, just as if I am addressing people in real life. Also, following this method is based on my personal conviction. I believe that complexity is the enemy of understanding, so the more complex the subject, the less the recipient understands it. Einstein has a wonderful saying in this regard, "If you cannot explain your idea to a 6-year-old child, then you do not understand it yet!"

Besides, we must not forget that marketing on social media has its own status. It is more like talking to people in a cafe rather than in a university. In other words, the style of the message should not be overly serious. Rather, it should be simple, easy to understand, and fun for the audience to enjoy.

At the same time, I strive to balance between presenting information, simplifying it, and presenting it in a humorous manner, and I try my best not to reach the point where it becomes heavy to the audience.

Incidentally, some people may think that this method is easy. On the contrary, to simplify and communicate an idea, which may have been written in a paper or in a chapter of a book of more than 50 pages, in just a few phrases, is difficult and requires double effort and a full understanding of the content of the idea.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: As you work in e-marketing, at what stage of the project should an entrepreneur use this method? How much is the average budget required to reach satisfactory results?

Rami Issa: You should start marketing before starting the project; that is, at the idea stage, and start marketing by questioning the persons around you about the idea of your project. Perhaps you will be surprised by the amount of information and advice that you will get. This will avoid you getting involved in providing a product that does not have customers… Consult people from the start and in each stage preceding the launch of the product… Ask them for their opinion of the product's shape, characteristics, features, and everything that will affect the success of your project. The ideas are available for free on the Internet, and you can test their suitability for your product by asking those around you. I have always consulted people on social media platforms and benefited a lot from that. And when you launch your product or service, then it would be a good time to start paying advertising campaigns.

So e-marketing actually starts from the production of the product and continues with the project. As per the budget to be allocated for the marketing of a product or service, it differs from one country to another. For example ,in Qatar, I recommend starting from an amount between $1500 and $2000 as a minimum budget for ads on one platform only, such as Instagram.

The issue of the minimum costs that should be allocated to marketing is similar to a dose of medicine. If your doctor advises you to take an antibiotic dose of 1000 units, then you should not be surprised that you did not get an effective result if you took a dose of 500. As I said in Qatar, the minimum is $1500. In Saudi Arabia, the minimum amount maybe $2000. The important thing is to comply with the advice of the marketing specialist.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: What are your future plans? We heard from you that you are working on establishing an academy for marketing training. Can you tell us more about this project? Are you thinking of going global/communicating with partners, entrepreneurs, investors? What is needed to develop yourself?

Rami Issa: In fact, the idea of ​​establishing an academy specialized in marketing is an idea that I’ve had in mind for a long time, but my commitment to my actual work is distracting me from implementing this project, but the idea of ​​the project still exists.

As for the need for partners, of course I am seeking that, but the discussion about the nature of the partnership I want is still early. As for the geographical scope of the academy, it will be limited to the Arab region, which suffers a shortage of this type of education. In the world, there are many English-speaking academies, so the goal is the Arab region. I will follow the "freemium" model.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: What are your most important tips for entrepreneurs?

Rami Issa: As I mentioned before, the most important advice I give to entrepreneurs is to be realistic and allocate a large budget for marketing, and start with the minimum product characteristics (M.V.P). I also advise people to always consult and take loss and failure with an open spirit. Nobody learns except from his own mistakes.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Don't you think that the entrepreneur needs to belong to a community of entrepreneurs in order to communicate with local and international partners and to build a network of relationships that allows exchanging experiences, find partners, or obtain financing to increases his chances of success?

Rami Issa: the entrepreneur should join any platform, group, or page which helps him realizing his objectives. There must be a platform (community) for entrepreneurs. But the problem is that the (superego) of some entrepreneurs, which hinders them from participating in this type of society. Unfortunately, there are some entrepreneurs who live in a dreamworld, so they try to copy the American entrepreneurial model and apply it in the Arab region, which is impossible to succeed. Therefore, I recommend that the entrepreneur be realistic and listen to real people who have experience and expertise in the world of entrepreneurship and love to share what they have learned with others. As for those who look at the books and blogs of American entrepreneurs, I think they are wrong. The important thing is to provide information and ideas that can be applied in the Arab region and not in a business environment far away from our region.

(بالعربية)

The age-old myth of alchemists searching for the coveted formula to convert copper into gold, follows along the same lines as the Aleppine narrations about soap being made from laurel oil. This idea follows the belief that the essential oil, hailing from thousands of years ago, holds the properties to cleanse and sterilize the body as well as soften the skin.

The soap’s richness is not limited to its physical properties, as it also has a rich history. It is believed to be a royal soap that Zenobia, the Queen of Palmyra bathed with, following the tradition of Queen Cleopatra, who used laurel soap to preserve the youth of her skin.

In reality, the historical facts about laurel soap are no less than the myths and tales shared about it. Aleppian laurel soap dates its existence back to more than 1,200 years ago, when the first soap factory was established in the city of Aleppo in the Qansarin region. Some historians also believe that the birth of Aleppo laurel soap dates back to 2000 BC, when it was manufactured in homes and not for commercial purposes.

Others boldly claim that the first soap in human history was Aleppo laurel soap, and this belief stems from an understanding about the spread of laurel trees, which are proven to be an essential component in the manufacture of soap.

The descriptions and claims about royal laurel are not vacuous ones. They are corroborated by historiography linking the soap’s use to the city’s wealthiest people, who it was limited to, for a large portion of the twentieth century. Arrivals of merchants and foreign tourists skyrocketed the sales and consumer interest in the product due to its high price point, as it was seen as a luxury gift, both then and now. As for the benefits of laurel and olive oil, they are numerous.

To explore the advantages of laurel soap further, we hosted a meeting with the "Daqqa Qadima" store, located in the commercial center of Aleppo. This store is one of the most distinctive and pioneering brands in the manufacture of laurel soap. We interviewed Mr. Ahmed Hamra, beautician and specialist in laurel soap, who answered our enquiries from a specialist perspective.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Despite the entrance of soaps and cosmetics from well-known, international brands in the city, the use of laurel soap is still the most common here. What is the secret that distinguishes laurel soap from other types of soap?

Ahmed Hamra: Laurel soap’s main distinguishing factor from other types of soap is that it is natural and made from olive oil, natural laurel oil and sodium water. It is completely free of any fats including animal fats, palm oil and does not contain any preservatives or genetically modified materials. Laurel soap has a deep-rooted cultural and historical position in the city, and people have continued their use of it for many centuries.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: The laurel soap industry has spread outside the city to extend to other provinces, and some factories have even opened in Europe and North America, but Aleppo soap is still in demand on the global level. What is the secret that enabled the laurel soap industry to flourish in the city despite all of the difficult circumstances it has faced throughout the past decades?

Ahmed Hamra: The manufacture of Aleppo laurel soap exceeds three thousand years, and what distinguishes the soap industry in Aleppo is the availability of raw materials, namely natural olive oil and laurel oil, both of which are internationally acclaimed for their quality. In addition, the nature of the climate in the city of Aleppo, plays a major role in its heritage and historical industry.

The soap industry in Aleppo exclusively starts production by the arrival of the winter season and it continues until the end of the season; the soap is then dried by the end of summer in preparation for sale. The climate of the city of Aleppo plays a great role in the continuity of the soap industry. Winter is generally cold, and the summer season is hot with dry air, which helps to dry soap naturally. Many attempts were made to manufacture laurel soap outside of Aleppo but were not completely successful due to differences in climate and the lack of high-quality raw materials.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: What are the cosmetic and health benefits of laurel soap?

Ahmed Hamra: The benefits of laurel soap stem mainly from its valuable components; it is made from natural olive oil and laurel oil. Olive oil tonic for the scalp prevents hair loss and the appearance of dandruff. It also gives the skin a smooth texture, as it deeply moisturizes it and provides the vitamins necessary for cell renewal, giving the skin a bright and vibrant look.

As for laurel oil, it is a sterile and antiseptic substance for all parts of the body and helps relieve eczema and psoriasis. It also helps to regenerate skin cells due to its elimination of fungi and bacteria that cause dark spots. Thus, laurel soap helps to correct and unify skin color. Laurel soap is also distinguished by its pleasant aroma, which clings to the body and hair, giving it a natural aromatic smell for a long time.

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Industry laurel soap

Despite the few and natural ingredients used in the manufacture of soap, this industry remained attached to the city of Aleppo until it became a trademark of laurel soap products.

So, how is laurel soap made? What are the components included in it? We conveyed these questions to Mr. Alaeddin Hamami, an experienced senior in Aleppo’s soap industry, who briefed us on the stages of manufacturing laurel soap.

The cooking stage

Soap manufacturing begins with the cooking stage, where the water and "Qatron" (a natural substance extracted from salt) are mixed and heated extensively. Then, laurel oil, olive oil and "cystic" are added, the latter of which is a substance used to "saponify", in order to encourage the mixture to meld together. After this, the ingredients are stirred, thoroughly. Laurel oil is considered the most expensive ingredient involved, hence the percentage of laurel oil and the price of the soap show positive correlation, where the price increases as the percentage of laurel oil in the product increases. Furthermore, a high percentage of laurel oil in the soap is very desirable, as it is the main ingredient in soap, and its low percentage causes soap to lose much of its value.

As in cooking food, adding extra salt, even in small increments, makes the food taste unbearable. Similarly, the cooking process must be carried out with accuracy, as it is the most important stage in soap making, requiring a high level of attention. Significantly, errors in the addition of any one of the ingredients has the ability to cost a lot and fixing the error would compromise the quality of the final product, resulting in lower prices.

Expansion of the mixture

The “expansion” is the stage during which the mixture is dried by transferring it from the pot to the “mobasset”, which is a clean floor stretched out with white paper. This is a procedure to keep the soap clean and protect it from impurities. Moreover, the ceiling should not be made of reinforced cement, but rather the ceiling must be a “Tottyaa” (Zinc ceilings). There are a number of specific conditions that must be in place, including the fact that the walls should have vents to aid in drying the mixture.

After completing the "expansion" process, the mixture is left for a period ranging between 4 and 12 hours, which is the time required for the mixture to dry. This may increase depending on weather conditions, as dehydration can take between one and three days in the summer months. Therefore, for productive efficiency reasons, soap making often takes place in the winter season.

Shredding, sealing and "pipara"

After the mixture dries, the process of cutting it into small squares begins. This is to work towards the final product, forming the dried mixture into the shape of a soap bar. This process is done using a wooden tool with sharp metal edges.

Next, comes the "sealing" process where the soap is "knocked" with a wooden tool and the brand name of the soap bar is engraved on it. This is followed by the paving of the soap, which is executed using a special method called "pipara", where the soap bars are stacked on top of each other in a hierarchical manner, leaving empty spaces of about 1 centimeter between each soap bar, so that air enters all sides of the soap.

Finally, and imperatively, the soap is left to dehydrate for a period ranging between six months and a year in storage. The soap cannot be sold before it is left to dehydrate for a minimum of six months as if it is used before this period, it will quickly dissolve in the hand and thus will not last long.

Swiss-Arab Entrepreneurs Platform: Well, Mr. Mustafa, your briefing on the manufacturing stages of laurel soap was very informative, but can you share how a high quality laurel soap can be distinguished from one of lower quality?

Mustafa: There are three distinct indicators of the quality of the soap, the first of which is its color. Good quality laurel soap must be yellowish in color, and if the soap is soft and greenish in color, it means that it has not been stored for long enough.

Secondly, it must be durable, which is achieved after six months of drying. A high-quality soap has a texture such that it is tough as stone, and when pressing a finger on it, it does not peel off.

The third sign is the smell, as laurel soap has a very strong aromatic smell, and the strength of the smell indicates the percentage of laurel oil that has been used in its manufacturing. If the smell is light, this means that the percentage of laurel oil is low and the soap may not contain laurel oil at all, but rather an artificial fragrance added to it. The scent is the most important characteristic of laurel soap, as synthetic soaps that are made from animal bones, mixed with colorants and synthetic fragrances are light and do not last long after washing and may instead turn into a rancid smell.

Laurel soap from Aleppo to the world

Although the fame of the Aleppo soap emerged in the last few decades, its exportation began about 800 years ago, which was a period of prosperity for the city of Aleppo, a prime location on the Silk Road. Foreign communities working in trade and commerce, enabled the spread of Asian products like silk, spices and jewelry without incurring the hardship of traveling to Asia. Merchants also played the role of commercial mediator, and commercial deals were concluded through them. As European merchants settled inside the city in traveler-settling areas called the ‘khans’, they learnt to make soap from natural materials. However, the time was not ripe for the economic opportunities that laurel soap had to offer and it initially had limited reach in Europe.

Further down the line, due to the harsh war conditions in Aleppo, directly affecting the soap industry in the city, many soap manufacturers transferred their industry to other countries, perhaps the most important of which are Turkey, Egypt, France and Canada. Many factories were established in these countries and soap production took place there in order to meet the increasing demand for the product.

In the last three decades, laurel soap has been transformed from a local industry in the city of Aleppo that exports mainly to neighboring countries, especially Iraq, to ​​a product that is exported to all parts of the world. It is important to note that laurel soap did not gain its global fame from transformations and improvements made by its manufacturers. The laurel soap industry has not changed for more than 1,200 years and has maintained its traditional method of production and natural components.

What has changed, however, is the world's view of laurel soap, and the main motivation for this was the "wave of return to nature." In the last quarter of the last century, civil society organizations, human rights organizations and green parties have been active in raising awareness of the dangers of non-natural products, rediscovering the great benefits that come from the use of products extracted from natural materials. In the Arab region itself, the laurel soap has become one of the main products for skin and hair care, mainly in the Arab Gulf states.