Spark! with Shereen

In our latest episode, we sit down with Sagi Melamed to discuss mindful investing. Sagi is the author of Mindful Fundraising as well as a resource development consultant.

 Together we discuss:

1. Applying mindfulness when fundraising
2. Benefits of being mindful when doing business
3. Measures of business impact
4. How to measure business impact

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

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Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In our latest episode, we sit down with Faris Mesmar to discuss venture building. Faris is a serial entrepreneur as well as the founder and managing partner of Hatch & Boost, which is a venture builder. Hatch & Boost is all about creating value in MENA's consumer space by tackling key problems, by introducing interesting solutions.

 Together we discuss:

1. The evolving definition of venture building
2. How venture builders operate
3. Importance of making an impact with ventures
4. Communicating venture performance to investors

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In our latest episode, we dig deep with Marcus Smith on the topic of wearables. Marcus is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, fitness coach, and extreme athlete. He is the founder of InnerFight and takes on "extreme challenges," such as, running 30 marathons in 30 days. 

Together we discuss:

1. The various wearables available in the market
2. How to select the best wearables for your specific fitness needs 
3. How to make use of the data you gather from wearables
4. The realities of the effectiveness of wearables

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In our latest episode, we had an engaging conversation with Nouf Alharthi. Nouf works for Monsha'at, which the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). She is an enabler in the ecosystem and works very closely not just with other ecosystem players but also with entrepreneurs in order to assess what they need in the market and to make sure that it is provided to them.

Together we discuss:

• Preferred language of communication in Saudi Arabia
• How to communicate with Saudis when doing business within the Kingdom
• Mannerisms to adapt during business meetings
• Saudi's unique startup demographics

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In our latest episode, we sit with Mohamed Dhaouafi to discuss how he is bringing 3D printing, VR, and gamification technologies to healthcare. More specifically, through his company CURE BIONICS, based in Tunis, he builds bionic prosthetics and therapeutic solutions using these technologies. Mohamed is a 2020 FORBES Middle East 30 Under 30, a 2020 MIT Technology Review 35 under 35 Innovator, and a 2019 Obama Foundation Africa Leader - super impressive, right? To top it all off, he started his business from scratch.

Together we discuss:

• How to launch a hardware-based product from MVP to market
• 3D printing, VR, and gamification applications in the prosthetics market
• Distribution models to scale hardware-based businesses
• Various uses of 3d printing in healthcare and beyond!

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In this episode, we’ll be talking about how to keep your mental health intact as an entrepreneur. We had a meaningful discussion with Areije Al-Shakar, who has guided startups throughout her career in the area of funding (debt, equity, and VC), and along the way has learned about effective coaching and mentoring whilst appealing to the human side of the entrepreneurs across the table from her. Together we discuss:

1. Building a strong network of connections to aid start-up growth
2. Importance of acknowledging loss and admitting to mistakes
3. How cultural barriers prevent us from discussing mental health
4. How to find a mentor and build the basis for a strong win:win relationship

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In this episode, we’ll be talking about the digitization of media in the Middle East. We sit down with John Lillywhite, who has a wealth of experience in this industry having undertaken several publication-focused roles both at corporations and entrepreneurial ventures. Together we discuss:

1. Media consumption habits of Arabs in the Middle East
2. Differences between the publishing industry in the West & the Middle East
3. Machine learning advancements with the Arabic language
4. New models in the publication industry (e.g. Blockchain)

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

We’re a studio that produces original content & provides content-as-a-service.
Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

In this episode, we’ll be talking about events and how the event management industry has changed over 2020. We sit down with is Ali Rifai, who has spent over 10 years organizing events of all scales in the Middle East whilst working for one of the largest live entertainment event management companies in the region. Together we discuss:

1. How the music and sports industries have been adapting to virtual experiences
2. Key takeaways what others can learn from him

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Majid Al Qassimi, who is a founding partner for the Middle East's only food & agricultural sustainability consulting company, SOMA MATER. We discuss the following aspects from farm to fork:

1. The importance of food security
2. The UAE’s efforts towards ensuring food security
3. Agriculture technology trends that support farming
4. Business aspects of commercial farming
5. Methods to reduce food waste

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching. 

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Fitzgerald, who is the CEO and Co-founder of Augustus Media, which owns the Lovin Dubai, Lovin Saudi, Smashi TV platforms. We discuss:

1. News platforms- what it means to the public and how they prefer to access and interact with it
2. The media industry in the Middle East vs. global markets
3. How to monetize and promote media platforms

Want to read the episode instead? Access the show notes here.

Feel like socializing? Connect with us on Instagram and Linkedin.

Subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

Got something you'd like to discuss with us? Email us at [email protected]

Podcasts hosted by @shereenabdulla.

Produced by Spark! Studios. We are a creative brand studio that helps companies tell their story and grow their audience through content. We specialize in business, finance, and tech written and visual storytelling for digital multi-platform campaigns. Our production suite offers end-to-end services, including strategy, production, hosting, and distribution. We also offer storytelling training and coaching.