Ayman Essawy , three times Founder and Co-founder and CEO of Connect Money, a white-label card issuing platform enabling businesses to offer debit and credit cards without building fintech infrastructure, joins Moghamra to discuss his entrepreneurial journey.

أيمن أنضم لحوار مع مغامرة لمناقشة رحلته في ريادة الأعمال و مشواره اللي بدء من شركته الأولى، دي سكويرز، ثم لاكى وان، وأخيراً كونكت موني، والدروس القيمة التي اتعلمها خلال الرحلة. شاركنا أيمن رؤيته حول التحديات والفرص في المشهد المالي المصري، بما في ذلك صعود سوق برامج الولاء والتطور السريع للمشهد المالي المصري.

Our Sponsors:

Follow us on

Contact Refai:⁠⁠ Linkedin⁠

Our Guest: ⁠⁠Linkedin ⁠⁠

In this episode:

(0:00) Intro

(3:03) Founding Dsquares

(9:06) Acquiring The First Customers

(14:17) Monetizing Loyalty Programs

(20:35) Why Companies Create Loyalty Programs

(24:39) Founding Connect Money

(32:26) Expanding Into The Fintech

(47:59) From Zero to One

(1:05:55) Keys to Success in Fintech

(1:10:10) Strategic Thinking for Founders

في الحلقة:

المقدمة (0:00)

تأسيس الاستارت أب الأول (3:03)

اكتساب العملاء الأوائل (9:06)

تحقيق الأرباح من برامج الولاء (14:17)

ليه الشركات بتعمل برامح الولاء (20:35)

تأسيس الاستارت أب الثالث (24:39)

التوسع في الخدمات المالية الرقمية (32:26)

من الصفر لواحد (47:59)

عوامل النجاح بالخدمات المالية (1:05:55)

أهمية التفكير الاسترايجي (1:10:10)

In this episode, we speak to Walid Daniel, founder of Better, the first men’s wellness startup of its kind in MENA. Walid shares valuable insights learned from his previous startups, some of which faced shutdowns, while he exited others. He discusses his vision to expand Better’s offerings to include customized prescription medication and supplements for men, and his approach to help treat sensitive issues relating to intimacy and hair loss, providing effective, customized treatments.

Follow us on

Contact Refai:⁠ Linkedin

Our Guest: ⁠Linkedin ⁠

In this episode:

(0:00) Intro

(2:15) About Walid Daniel

(5:34) Learned Lessons

(15:54) About Better

(27:07) Pricing & Market Size

(32:59) Making Customized Medication

(41:54) Expansion

(43:06) Connecting With the Customer

(48:06) Challenges of the Pharmaceutical Market

المقدمة (0:00)

عن وليد دانيل (2:15)

دروس من شركات سابقة (5:34)

عن تطبيق بيتر (15:54)

حجم السوق والتسعير (27:07)

تصنيع علاج مُفصل (32:59)

التوسع (41:54)

الوصول للعملاء (43:06)

تحديات سوق الدواء (48:06)

In this episode, we speak to Ahmed Gaballa, Founder & CEO of SOKNA, Egypt’s first fully integrated funeral service. Ahmed joins Moghamra to discuss the taboo topic of death and how they are improving Egypt’s funeral industry. He shares insights on the challenges of working in a traditionally conservative market, the role of technology in simplifying processes, and the experience of providing end to end funeral services.He began his career in 2004 at ShopLink before joining Google, where he held key roles, including Product Manager for Arabic Knol. At Facebook, he worked on initiatives in Business Communication and Growth. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the American University in Cairo (AUC) and an Advanced Project Management certificate from Stanford University.

في الحلقة دي، اتكلمنا مع أحمد جاب الله، مؤسس ورئيس مجلس إدارة شركة سُكنة، أول شركة متكاملة للخدمات الجنائزية في مصر. أحمد أنضم لحوار مع مغامرة واتكلمنا عن مواضيع تابو تخص الموت وإزاي بيشتغلوا على تطوير سوق الخدمات الجنائزية في مصر. شاركنا جاب الله رأيه عن تحديات العمل في سوق تقليدي مُحافظ، ودور التكنولوجيا في تبسيط خطوات العمل، وتجربة تقديم خدمة جنائزية متكاملة.بدأ جاب الله حياته المهنية في 2004 في شركة شوب لينك قبل الانضمام إلى جوجل، و العمل بمناصب رئيسية، منها مدير منتج لـ "كنول العربي". في فيسبوك، عمل في مبادرات في مجال الاتصال التجاري والنمو. حصل على درجة في علوم الكمبيوتر من الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة (AUC) وشهادة في إدارة المشاريع المتقدمة من جامعة ستانفورد.

_______________________________________

Our Sponsors:

Nawy

WUZZUF & Forasna

Follow us on

Linkedin

Instagram

Tiktok

Twitter

Listen on your favorite platform:

https://bio.site/moghamra

Contact Refai: Linkedin

Our Guest: Linkedin

In this episode:

(00:00) Intro

(02:06) Why Sokna

(18:16) Pricing the Service

(22:42) The Hypird Model

(26:41) Marketing Challenges

(31:11) Price Inelasticity

(35:19) Funeral Preplanning

(38:54) Dealing with Death

(44:52) Interesting Market Insights

في الحلقة:

(0:00) - مقدمة

(02:06) - ليه سكنة

(18:16) - تسعير الخدمة

(22:42) - نموذج عمل هايبرد

(26:41) - تحديات التسويق

(31:11) - مرونة التسعر

(35:19) - التخطيط المسبق للجنازة

(38:54) - التعامل مع الموت

(44:52) - معلومات عن مجال الوفيات

In this episode we speak to Ahmed Gaballa, Founder & CEO of SOKNA, Egypt’s first fully integrated funeral service. Ahmed joins Moghamra to discuss the taboo topic of death and how they are improving Egypt’s funeral industry. He shares insights on the challenges of working in a traditionally conservative market, the role of technology in simplifying processes, and the experience of providing end to end funeral services.He began his career in 2004 at ShopLink before joining Google, where he held key roles, including Product Manager for Arabic Knol. At Facebook, he worked on initiatives in Business Communication and Growth. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the American University in Cairo (AUC) and an Advanced Project Management certificate from Stanford University.

في الحلقة دي، اتكلمنا مع أحمد جاب الله، مؤسس ورئيس مجلس إدارة شركة سُكنة، أول شركة متكاملة للخدمات الجنائزية في مصر. أحمد أنضم لحوار مع مغامرة واتكلمنا عن مواضيع تابو تخص الموت وإزاي بيشتغلوا على تطوير سوق الخدمات الجنائزية في مصر. شاركنا جاب الله رأيه عن تحديات العمل في سوق تقليدي مُحافظ، ودور التكنولوجيا في تبسيط خطوات العمل، وتجربة تقديم خدمة جنائزية متكاملة.بدأ جاب الله حياته المهنية في 2004 في شركة شوب لينك قبل الانضمام إلى جوجل، و العمل بمناصب رئيسية، منها مدير منتج لـ "كنول العربي". في فيسبوك، عمل في مبادرات في مجال الاتصال التجاري والنمو. حصل على درجة في علوم الكمبيوتر من الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة (AUC) وشهادة في إدارة المشاريع المتقدمة من جامعة ستانفورد.

Our Sponsors:

⁠Nawy⁠

⁠WUZZUF⁠ & ⁠Forasna⁠

Follow us on

⁠Linkedin⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠Tiktok⁠

⁠Twitter⁠

Listen on your favorite platform:

⁠https://bio.site/moghamra⁠

Contact Refai:⁠ Linkedin⁠

Our Guest: ⁠Linkedin ⁠

In this episode:

(00:00) Intro

(02:06) Why Sokna

(18:16) Pricing the Service

(22:42) The Hypird Model

(26:41) Marketing Challenges

(31:11) Price Inelasticity

(35:19) Funeral Preplanning

(38:54) Dealing with Death

(44:52) Interesting Market Insights

في الحلقة:

(0:00) - مقدمة

(02:06) - ليه سكنة

(18:16) - تسعير الخدمة

(22:42) - نموذج عمل هايبرد

(26:41) - تحديات التسويق

(31:11) - مرونة التسعر

(35:19) - التخطيط المسبق للجنازة

(38:54) - التعامل مع الموت

(44:52) - معلومات عن مجال الوفيات

Karima El Hakim, the Country Director for Plug & Play in Egypt, joins Mogharma to explore the vibrant landscape of the Egyptian startup scene. In their conversation with Moghamra, Karima discusses Aswan’s bootcamp, designed for supporting entrepreneurs in Upper Egypt. She shares practical insights on managing stakeholders, securing funding, and the market challenges for the MENA entrepreneurs.

In this episode:

في الحلقة:

Shady El Tohfa is Co-founder of Amenli, a licensed insurtech startup established in 2020 in Egypt. Through technology, Amenli aims to make insurance accessible to the masses, with the aim of protecting the welfare of millions of families in the region that are financially vulnerable.

Prior to Amenli, he was part of the founding team and CCO of Paymob since 2015, helped the company reach tens of thousands of merchants, processing millions of transactions and with operations across 5 markets, to become one of the leading fintechs in the region.

Shady also co-founded and was the president of the Business Association at AUC. He was Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Skydeck, the startup accelerator of UC Berkeley in the US. He is passionate about innovative financial technologies that grant the masses efficient and effective access to financial products and services. Shady holds a B.A. in Business Administration from AUC.

Hamdi Tabbaa is the co-founder and CEO of Abwaab. Previously, he was the General Manager at Uber for MENA in the Levant & GCC. Under his leadership, he grew the business in several multiples over 4+ years and worked with the government to pass ridesharing regulations in Jordan, the first of their kind across the region.

Youtube: @moghamra

Ashraf Bacheet is the CEO & Co-founder of O7 Therapy, a mental health platform that leverages technology to provide accessible, high-quality mental health services. The idea for O7 Therapy was driven by Ashraf's personal experience in the mental health field, inspiring him to address gaps in mental health care. He co-founded the platform with psychiatrist Dr. Ashraf Adel and tech entrepreneur Nader Iskander, combining his expertise in tech-entrepreneurship and healthcare.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moghamrapodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moghamra

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moghamra/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Moghamra

Rami Helali is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kotn, a Toronto-based world class clothing brand dedicated to producing high-quality, affordable cotton basics. Born in Canada and raised in Cairo, Rami's early exposure to entrepreneurship, inspired by his family's ventures, fuelled his passion for building businesses.

With a commitment to ethical manufacturing and sustainable practices, Kotn has grown rapidly, establishing a global team and opening 9 stores. Rami is also dedicated to social impact, leading initiatives that support Egyptian cotton farmers and contribute to local communities. They have formed partnerships with 5000+ farmers, 3,712 farms and 21 schools.

After graduating from Ivey Business School, he worked in the music industry before launching Kotn in 2015 alongside co-founders Mackenzie Yeates and Benjamin Sehl.

SPONSORS:

Nawy: The largest proptech in Africa

https://www.nawy.com

WUZZUF & Forasna: Leading hiring platforms in Egypt

https://wuzzuf.net/

https://forasna.com

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Introduction

01:40 - Rami & Kotn

08:57 - Challenges

13:30 - Fashion Value Chain

18:45 - Branding & Marketing

40:45 - Fashion Industry Cycles

47:25 - Building A Successful Brand

57:42 - Closing Remarks

SOCIAL LINKS:

X: https://x.com/moghamrapodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moghamrapodcast/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moghamra

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moghamra/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Moghamra

CONTACT REFAI:

Feedback - give feedback to Refai: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/refaix

This episode is proudly sponsored by:

Nawy: The largest proptech in Africahttps://www.nawy.com

Wuzzuf & Forasna: Leading hiring platforms in Egypthttps://wuzzuf.net/ https://forasna.com

Ameer Sherif is the Founder and Chairman of BasharSoft, the company behind WUZZUF and Forasna, two of Egypt’s leading online recruitment platforms. WUZZUF primarily serves white-collar professionals, while Forasna focuses on blue-collar recruitment.

Together, they have connected millions of job seekers with opportunities at thousands of companies across Egypt.

Since founding BasharSoft, Ameer has played a key role in shaping the company’s growth and securing investment from notable global and regional funds, including 500 Startups and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

He also serves as a Board Member at ITIDA (MCIT), representing Egypt’s tech startup ecosystem, and as a Venture Capitalist with Khwarizmi Ventures.In 2019, Ameer was recognized as an Endeavor Entrepreneur and named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.