Conversations with Loulou

I sat down with Charlie Wright, Founder & CEO of Humantra, the fastest-growing electrolytes brand in the UAE, now eyeing global expansion after a successful UK launch. Charlie’s journey to Dubai began straight out of college, where a sales job quickly showed him that he craved more than the corporate grind. After two failed ventures, he learned valuable lessons that paved the way for something bigger. A chance encounter with the Huda Beauty investment team led him to join their incubator, ultimately giving birth to Humantra. In this episode, we explore the world of electrolytes, navigating obstacles, scaling a business, and forming international collaborations, all while unpacking the key insights Charlie picked up along the way.

Support for this episode comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform with newly launched offices in Dubai. To learn more about Capital.com click here. 

Support for this show comes from Dubai Harbour Residences, a newly launched beachfront project. Book your apartment by clicking here.

I sat down with Farida El Agamy, an entrepreneur, a lawyer and expert on the MENA family business landscape, to get a peak into the rise and challenges of the families that shaped our region from the Almajdouie and Zamil families in Saudi Arabia, to W.J. Towell in Oman, the Sawiris in Egypt and Juma Al Majid in the UAE and many more. Those family businesses grew to become multifaceted conglomerates employing thousands and creating a considerable economic and social impact across the region. 

Farida shared insights from her extensive research work at Tharawat Family Business Forum, highlighting the critical importance of succession planning, governance, and the role of women in family businesses. We explored the rise of single-family offices, how investment strategies are evolving across generations, and the increasing importance of sustainability. Throughout our discussion, we kept circling back to one question: how will the 3rd or 4th generation of family business owners navigate the complexities of a rapidly changing world? 

To learn more about family businesses in MENA visit: www.tharawat.org and www.familybusinesshistories.org or connect with Farida on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faridafelagamy/

Welcome back to work everyone. In this last part of the '3 part bite sized summer special', I revisit my conversations with my guests in the first half of 2024 and distill 3 trends that are shaping MENA startups. If you’re an entrepreneur you’re probably head down and ready for an eventful second half of the year! If you’re fundraising, you’re probably wondering if the VC winter will come to an end now that the US Federal Reserve Chief is signaling rate cuts? Will you be able to ‘blitzscale’ again? If you’re raising a big round of funding today, where is the money going to come from? Lastly, how big is the influence of China on our startup ecosystem? I hope you enjoy this episode and always happy to hear your input. We go back to our original programing next week!

As you gear up for back to school season, I hope you enjoy part 2 of our 3 part - bite sized - summer special. In this episode, I share with you my personal views on what makes a great entrepreneur. Having been an entrepreneur myself over the past decade, having sat with unicorn founders, and hundreds of entrepreneurs that I’ve met over the past 5 years of venture capital investing, I offer you the 5 characteristics that make a great entrepreneur. Keen to know your thoughts!

I hope you’re all enjoying the summer! In this 3 part episode, I will be sharing with you a bit of my raison d’être for doing the podcast. As an entrepreneur and investor living in Dubai, I am heavily invested in our regional startup ecosystem and my wish is to get as many of you to actively participate, whether as entrepreneurs, investors, advisors or enablers. In this episode I build on insights shared by some of my guests so far in 2024 and I put forward the case of why you, our listener, should care about startups. I hope you agree!

Data used in the beginning of the episode is from Clearworld (www.clear.world) I have accidentally shared the wrong url in the podcast.

Support for the show comes from capital.com, a global investment platform.

I sat down with Mazen Kanaan, Co-founder and CEO of House of Pops to discuss his incredible journey leading the ice cream business at Unilever in the region, to his abrupt ouster and the subsequent launch of House of Pops with his girlfriend (now wife) Marcela Sancho. Mazen recounts the challenges of starting from scratch, going all in and being self-funded, the importance of brand building and customer journeys, and the strategic decisions that led to scaling the business and regional expansion. He also recounts his Shark Tank Dubai experience and the subsequent negotiations. Mazen’s story is a testament to resilience and innovation in entrepreneurship and a playbook in how to build a regional champion.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform. 

Imad Ghandour shares his extensive experience in the private equity sector, covering essential topics such as buying, improving, and selling companies in MENA. He delves into the philosophy behind his firm, CedarBridge Capital Partners, highlighting their unique approach to operational involvement, and focus on positive management. We delve into CedarBridge’s latest successful exit ‘The Grooming Company Holding’ and how Imad and his partners were able to successfully invest in the beauty sector, grow the business internationally and grow its bottom line. Imad offers tips on management, deal making, achieving operational excellence and managing through crisis.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform.

Vadim shares insights from his journey as a professional athlete, how he learned all about mental toughness and breaking your opponent. He shares his journey beyond sports into management consulting in Germany and then becoming the youngest CEO in Groupon as he led Eastern Europe and was part of Groupon’s NASDAQ IPO. He then goes back to his roots in ‘health and sports’ to launch Bioniq in 2018, a personalized supplements company that currently sells is products globally while he lives in Dubai. Vadim talks about the multi-billion dollar supplements industry and why most supplements don’t work. He offers tips on health and wellness, shares insights from Bioniq’s large data pool and wraps up with some tips for healthy eating habits. A very insightful conversation that tackles not only Vadim’s entrepreneurial journey but also, the very important subject of health. 

I sit down with Courtney Powell, Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of 500 Global to discuss her journey from entrepreneur to global venture capital leader. Courtney shares insights on expanding 500 Global into emerging markets like MENA, balancing motherhood with her career, and the evolving landscape of education and female representation in tech. She also shares practical tips for pitching and fundraising, weaving personal stories and professional insights throughout the conversation.

Support for the show comes from Capital.com a global investment platform.

I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Ronaldo Mouchawar, the trailblazing Co-founder and CEO of Souq.com, which was acquired by Amazon in 2017 for $580 million in cash + $200m in Amazon shares. Ronaldo, a true pioneer of e-commerce in the MENA region, founded Souq in 2005 as a spin-off from Maktoob, another regional success story that was sold to Yahoo for ~$170 million in 2009.

In our conversation, Ronaldo shares captivating industry insights, recounts his personal journey, and reveals his passion for music. Now heading Amazon's operations in MENA and Turkey, Ronaldo remains fervently optimistic about the future of e-commerce in the region. Don't miss this fascinating and inspiring episode!

Support for the show comes from capital.com a global investment platform. Visit their website to start investing today.