Lyve Talks

In this episode, Karim has an insightful conversation with our guest Leo Dovbenko – a serial entrepreneur, angel investor with 15 years in FoodTech, Retail, and Horeca, and founder of Yallahub and Yallamarket. He has spearheaded 15 successful projects and 3 start-ups in the UAE.Karim and Leo give a glimpse into the rapidly transforming world of quick commerce. They discuss the points to consider when starting a quick commerce business and how this industry comes laid out with several trials and tribulations such as its capital intensive nature as well as stock warehousing. The conversation digs deeper to uncover the market demand for quick commerce, the involvement of centralized hubs for fulfillment, associated investments and growth-hacking strategies for online businesses.

In this episode, Karim and Dr.Malick, a PHD holder and professor of industrial engineering at the American University of Sharjah, have an insightful and dynamic conversation on the emerging drone technology, the various use cases, and its prevalence across the globe.

In the latest episode of Lyve Talks, which marks the 1 year anniversary of our podcast journey, our host Karim Bakhache sits down with Costas Papadopoulos, Deputy General Manager at One Delivery Cyprus, part of PHC Franchised Restaurants Public Ltd. With over twenty years experience in the Hospitality industry, Costas has been dealing mainly with franchise operations since 2003 for worldwide known and local brands in categories including casual dining, fast casual, and QSR operations.Karim and Costas contemplate the transformative face of the F&B sector and how it has taken a different direction in light of technological advancements over the course of the last three decades.

In episode 10 of #LyveTalks, our guest is Walid Mansour, co-founder and co-CEO of MEVP. Walid’s deep involvement in the VC & Technology ecosystem in the MENA region dates back to the mid 2000s - when Walid had been intimately involved in his transformational entrepreneurial story by participating in the setup, scale up and exit of several VC Funds and Technology companies. Walid now serves as a board member and advisor to many successful internet and technology companies regionally andglobally.Karim Bakhache, Nader Museitif (CIO at Lyve) and Walid Mansour, discuss the nitty-gritty surrounding the Venture Capital and MENA tech ecosystem, in contrast with the investment landscape across various geographies.

On our latest episode of #LyveTalks, our guest Omar Halabieh, Director of Technology at Amazon Payment Services. Omar has over 20 years of technology experience where he has delivered transformational initiatives that have created competitive advantage, enabled business growth, exceeded customer expectations, and transformed global organizations. Before his current role, he had led technology teams within Amazon’s Supply Chain Optimization Technologies organization out of Seattle, USA.Karim and Omar delve deep into the convoluted journey of scaling up a tech company, and how to navigate it. Omar stresses the importance of having a forward-looking strategy, leading the team with transparency and empathy throughout the inevitable changes brought along by growth - and last but not least, keeping up with technology to avoid playing catch-up.

In this episode, Karim and Nader Museitif - Chief Investment Officer at Lyve - chat with Markus Thomas, Head of Investments at Abu Dhabi IPO Fund (ADIPOF).Markus is an experienced Capital Markets deal maker and investor with a career long focus on first time issuers. Having implemented merchant banking and investment strategies in senior positions across Europe, the UK and the UAE, he brings a wealth of experience as well as deep origination and execution relationships to the fund.He had previously served as Head of Investments and a member of the Executive Committee at Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) the central government hub supporting private sector #investment in the Emirate of Abu Dhab.Karim, Nader and Markus discuss some of the main efforts by the Abu Dhabi government to build a thriving ecosystem. Markus covers what Abu Dhabi can offer to companies of all sizes; from company setup support, to business incentives, all the way to IPO support and investment from the IPO fund - giving a great intro to how businesses can leverage the UAE and Abu Dhabi opportunity.

In this episode, Karim interviews J.K Khalil, General Manager of MENA East at Mastercard, with over 18 years of tech, banking, consulting andpayments experience. Prior to Mastercard, Khalil was a senior manager with Strategy & (formerly Booz & Company). In 2021, he was recognized in Arabian Business’ Young Achievers List (formerly known as 40 under 40), profiling young leaders who are making their mark in the GCC and the wider region.Karim and J.K Khalil discuss the growth of fintech and its intersection with ecommerce. Khalil covers the different types of payments and their popularity in different regions as well as cryptocurrencies - and Mastercard's expansion of digital innovation portfolio through investments and acquisitions.

In this episode, Karim interviews Nina Seredai-Udalova, Founder and Managing Director of Ninth Space. Nina has extensive experience in the design industry and is skilled in Business Planning and Business Strategy as well as Brand Development and Brand Strategy.Nina differentiates between marketing and branding, and addresses the role of vision in the latter. She discusses common mistakes made by businesses when creating a brand and gives businesses tips on how to find their purpose, create an impactful brand and loyal customers.

In this episode, Karim interviews Omar Rifai, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Grubtech. Omar has 16 years of experience in private equity. His experience in the technology space started with angel investing in numerous MENA based start-ups since moving to the region. Along with a few investors, Omar funded a regional cloud kitchen business called Ikcon (now Reef Technologies), before co-founding Grubtech. Karim and Omar discuss operating systems for kitchens’ and restaurants and their goal to increase operational transparency while reducing the time from order creation to delivery. Omar sheds light on Grubtech’s aim to simplify and centralize all information for kitchens and restaurants, while ensuring all systems have a bidirectional flow of information and are properly integrated with one another.

In this Episode, Karim Bakhache interviews Adam Ridgway, CEO of One Moto. Adam specialises in sustainable product development, tech-driven vehicles and delivering the future of mobility to the everyday commuter and logistics sector. Adam has built four businesses in the UAE over 13 years in Dubai and is managing a portfolio of start-up companies for respected brands under The MEDIACUBED Group. Adam is also a speaker of Future and Smart Mobility, and a start-up mentor for the future of entrepreneurship in the region. Karim and Adam discuss what sustainability entails in the field of last-mile delivery, the benefits of 3PLs and F&B businesses going green, and how to make this switch.