Startup Minute

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid with Good News! ‘Golden Card’ for Permanent Visa Residents ; Jordan Introduced its 1st Agritech Accelerator HASSAD supported by ITG Solutions ; Oasis500, one of the leading investment companies and business accelerators based in Jordan announces a seed round of investment in Jordanian Sportech startup DigitaSport ; Trukkin raises $3.5 million becoming the leading truck aggregator in the GCC ; Egyptian foodtech startup Yumamia raises a Pre-Series A $1.5M investment round, plans expansion to Saudi ; Google integrates food delivery services into Search, Maps and Assistant & partners with delivery companies like DoorDash, Postmates, Delivery.com, Slice and ChowNow ; In Ford’s future, two-legged robots and self-driving cars could team up on deliveries ; Arnold Schwarzenegger said he’d be back in the first Terminator movie back in 1984 and 35 years later, that’s come true, again. There’s another Terminator movie on its way, "Terminator: Dark Fate" will hit theaters on November 1st.

Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co. 

The Cycle 3 touch Innovators met with mentors to get support in various areas of operation and further their business.

Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co.

Great demand from investors and entrepreneurs for long-term visas in UAE ; Saudi Arabia approves a Green Card-style system to issue residence permits for highly-skilled and wealthy foreign nationals ; Discover Egypt’s first fashion incubator program tailored to Egyptian fashion entrepreneurs' needs ; Cairo-based fintech startup XPay raises $250,000 pre-seed to enable universities, residential compounds and other communities go cashless ; Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim has acquired Wadi.com the Saudi online grocery delivery platform ; Dubai’s The Luxury Closet closes its growth round with $11 million, acquires Hong Kong-based Guiltless ; Careem, the Dubai ride-hailing platform that was bought by Uber for $3.1 billion, plans to revolutionize mass transportation across Saudi Arabia with the launch of a bus service from Jeddah to Makkah, following the success of Careem Bus in Egypt last December ; Netflix takes on ‘Project Runway’ with new competition series Next in Fashion ; Spotify is test driving a car hardware thing called ‘Car Thing’ .

Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co.

You know you want to start a business, but what do you do next? Here's how to find the perfect idea for your business. 

Watch "Apps of our Lives" episode 6 to learn how you can manage all aspects of your business on your mobile device.

Featured App: Business Builder Android App

The Business Builder is a combination of bookkeeping and productivity tools for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The app is designed to help entrepreneurs handle the basic administration of their business. It comes with multiple checklists and guided business activities to help you start and grow your business. We know that with limited funding during the start-up phase, starting a business can be quite hectic, not to mention expensive. The Business Builder App will help you be your own bookkeeper, accountant, and marketer when funds are limited.

Download the Business Builder App to get started on your entrepreneurial journey. Turn your business idea, into a business plan and grow your business. The Business Builder App will help you strategically position your business to take advantage of funding opportunities and to keep a decent set of business records.

Share it with your friends who need to see how they can start and grow their businesses, and let us know what you think in the comments & what to talk about next time in order to find more apps that can simplify our lives.

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Watch the full episodes and join the conversation at startupminute.co.

Entrepreneurship rising in Jordan - the Kingdom announces the first Ministry of Digital Economy & Entrepreneurship in the region ; Cairo-based sports data startup ArqamFC gets acquired by UK’s StatsBomb ; Coffee on demand! COFE App signs an exclusive partnership deal with Deliveroo ; Egyptian digital marketplace for auto spare parts, Oddiggo, raises $180,000 seed fund from Saudi-Based angel investor ; Google Podcasts comes to iOS and desktop as Google now lists playable podcasts in search results ; With new Fit technology that uses AR to help you find the right fit for your sneakers, Nike calls itself a tech company ; Louis Vuitton’s flexible-screen handbags are the definition of extra ; Netflix acquires StoryBots children’s brand ; The trailer Netflix has dropped for sci-fi thriller 'I Am Mother' will have you wondering which character to trust in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are supposed to be done for.

Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co.

Have you ever wanted to break your bad habits or create new ones?

It’s usually easier said than done.

Everyday our lives are governed by habit. These habits are the little routines and small ways of doing things. Most people are unaware or are only slightly aware that they’re doing them.

Whether you want to read some more, stop smoking, start working out or even just track how many hours you wasted on Facebook, this app lets you do it!

Watch "Apps of our Lives" episode 5 to learn how to keep track of your day to day habits and routines, and smash through your goals.

Featured App: HabitBull

Habits are no more than routines which you perform subconsciously. To build one - train yourself. To break one, find another one which is similar, yet different and nicer, and repeat it until it sticks.

To assist you with this HabitBull lets you set reminders for each habit and displays them on days when you need to be successful. This is especially useful if you have a to do list with repeating tasks or if you want to be reminded to do the same thing every day. It can also be used as a calendar planning tool or checklist, but also as a very effective repeating reminder (e.g. to drink water every 2 hours).

It is entirely up to you, really. But why not give it a try and have a convenient helper on the go?

Share it with your friends and let us know what you think in the comments & what to talk about next time in order to find more apps that can simplify our lives.

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Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co. 

Zain Bahrain, a leading telecommunication services provider in the kingdom, has joined forces with Alkeri Partners to launch the ‘Zainnovate’ initiative aimed at supporting the Bahraini startup ecosystem ;  DHL, the global brand in the logistics industry has launched Saloodo! in the Middle East, to provide a digital platform that connects shippers and transport providers for road freight needs within the UAE ; Oman's eMushrif, which turns ordinary school buses into smart buses to make sure that children are safe, raises $1 million pre-Series A funding ;  Kitab Sawti, the world’s largest Arabic audiobook platform, has raised USD 6 million in Series A funding from prominent new and existing investors ; Car rentals in UAE stronger than ever as UDrive, the app-based pay-per-minute car rental service, announces $5M Series B funding round to accelerate growth and increase the number of premium cars in its fleet - including Mercedes, Audi and Mustang models ; Souq.com becomes Amazon.ae! The world’s largest e-commerce platform is now giving Middle Eastern users access to its gigantic catalogue ; Deliveroo and McDonald’s UAE complete the UAE’s first ever hot air balloon delivery to a Dubai desert safari ; A new trailer for “Spider-Man: Far From Home” has just been released!

Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co. 

Where does all the money go by the end of each month??! If you are in your 20s and want to maintain your finance efficiently, put this app on your smartphone and you'll no longer need to wonder. 

Watch "Apps of our Lives" episode 4 to learn how to better manage your money, stay on top of budgets and SAVE MONEY for your financial goals.

Featured App: Money Lover

Money Lover helps you get just about everything managed. A smart, easy-to-use app that allows you to track and categorize your in-and-out money, create budgets that you can actually stick to. It works seamlessly across devices and platforms, available on phone, tablet, PC and Web. Plus, it works with all currencies.

Managing finance shouldn't be complicated and time-consuming, so Money Lover is the simplest finance application to keep track of expense and plan budgets ahead.

Share it with your friends who need to see where their money is going and how they can spend it better, and let us know what you think in the comments & what to talk about next time in order to find more apps that can simplify our lives.

Tag a friend who needs to see and stay on budget.

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Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co.

Listen to Maya Wakim, Community Developer for Lebanon and the MENA region for Makesense.

Based out of Beirut, Maya developed a love affair with the many facades of the city. Beirut’s aesthetics and nuisances triggered her passion for activism, writing and photography. Stories behind the faces, buildings and streets prompt her to give a voice to the voiceless. She currently resides in Lebanon, slowly turning her hobbies into professional work and planning on discovering more cities in the near future.

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In an age when most communities fail to reach out enough, global social entrepreneurship community Makesense does exactly that.

Join the 1st online course made in Arabic about Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation! 

More than 20 experts will be sharing many years of expertise and experience with you through the course.

Join this free program created by Makesense Lebanon and connect with 500 participants nationwide from all over Lebanon who have the passion and belief for positive change!

هذا البرنامج متاح مجاناً وباللغة العربية للمتطوعين، رواد الأعمال وكل من يشعر أنه معنيّ بالدعوة 

رح تقدم برنامج عبر الإنترنت، جديد من نوعو، بيبلش 20 أيار عن ريادة الأعمال الاجتماعية والابتكار بلبنان. 

هيدا البرنامج رح يكون محدود لـ 500 مشترك بس، لحقوا حالكن! 

اكثر من عشرين خبير رح يشاركوكن خبراتن ليدربوكن على طريقة التفكير لحل المشاكل 

وكمان عندكن الفرصة لتتعرفوا على 500 مشترك من كل المناطق بلبنان عندن نفس الحماس والدافع ليعملوا تغيير إيجابي.

شوفوا هالفيديو لتعرفوا أكتر عن الموضوع 

وسجّلوا بالبرنامج هون

REGISTER HERE: https://makesense.typeform.com/to/VsbyyY 

#احلم_لتنطلق #dreamtostart 

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Learn more and join the conversation at startupminute.co/thepodcast

Listen to Elsa Abi Khalil, Social Innovation Program Manager at Makesense.

Elsa joined Makesense to accelerate a substantial change in people's lives through social entrepreneurship. She's also a big believer in the power of 1) design-thinking and 2) collective intelligence.

1) With design-thinking, you can get yourself to learn anything!

It's the Identify a Challenge > Brainstorm > Create a solution > Test > Iterate cycle that has allowed her in moments of uncertainty to come up with great ideas and move forward.

2) And with collective intelligence, the smarter person in the room is THE ROOM.

Elsa believes in community power and she believes that every individual has talent(s) waiting to be harnessed.

And when you get right down to it, she's much more than that -- She's an activist, an entrepreneur, a blogger, a branding strategist, and a cooking amateur (ask her anything about cream-filled cupcakes. Hummus, and sushi cakes seriously)

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In an age when most communities fail to reach out enough, global social entrepreneurship community Makesense does exactly that.

Join the 1st online course made in Arabic about Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation! 

More than 20 experts will be sharing many years of expertise and experience with you through the course.

Join this free program created by Makesense Lebanon and connect with 500 participants nationwide from all over Lebanon who have the passion and belief for positive change!

هذا البرنامج متاح مجاناً وباللغة العربية للمتطوعين، رواد الأعمال وكل من يشعر أنه معنيّ بالدعوة 

رح تقدم برنامج عبر الإنترنت، جديد من نوعو، بيبلش 20 أيار عن ريادة الأعمال الاجتماعية والابتكار بلبنان. 

هيدا البرنامج رح يكون محدود لـ 500 مشترك بس، لحقوا حالكن! 

اكثر من عشرين خبير رح يشاركوكن خبراتن ليدربوكن على طريقة التفكير لحل المشاكل 

وكمان عندكن الفرصة لتتعرفوا على 500 مشترك من كل المناطق بلبنان عندن نفس الحماس والدافع ليعملوا تغيير إيجابي.

شوفوا هالفيديو لتعرفوا أكتر عن الموضوع 

وسجّلوا بالبرنامج هون

REGISTER HERE: https://makesense.typeform.com/to/VsbyyY 

#احلم_لتنطلق #dreamtostart 

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Learn more and join the conversation at startupminute.co/thepodcast