with Loulou

Startups across the globe are reckoning with a down cycle as a result of the overall macro economic environment and some practices that were long romanticized by Silicon Valley - such as growth at all cost - that have led to bloated startups with a high cash burn and a long path to profitability. I speak to Basil Moftah, General Partner at Nclude, a Venture Capital firm based in Egypt about the impact of the global environment on local startups. We also discuss the challenges that Egyptian startups are facing as they experience spiraling inflation in their own country. How are resilient entrepreneurs and the overall venture capital industry navigating this down cycle and what are some of the lessons learned?

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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The post Covid era has been an eventful one with rising inflation, a war in Europe, choppy markets and a severe correction in the startup world with both private & public valuations plummeting. That precipitated the collapse of 5 banks within a few weeks including the #1 global startup bank; Silicon Valley bank. I invite my friend and finance expert Binod Shankar - an ex-finance director, ex-founder, executive coach and market analyst on Bloomberg & CNBC - to talk to us about inflation, bank failures and what it means for us as business leaders and individuals living in the GCC. When will inflation taper? when will the good times roll again? what are some prudent investment strategies given the choppy market? In this conversation Binod simplifies some of the macro economic terms, discusses bank failure and contagion risk, provides advice and lots of laughs!

To leaner more about Binod visit: www.therealfinancementor.com

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Adam Ridgway, a British expat, moved to the UAE 15 years ago to pursue his career in TV and like most entrepreneurs to be, he realized that he needed autonomy to unleash his creativity. He went on to launch and exit several businesses in branding and publishing until his passion for bikes led him to launch One Moto (https://one-moto.com/), a global electric vehicle startup from the UAE. Adam is the quintessential entrepreneur; visionary, bold, resourceful, resilient and with a strong bias to action. In just under 2 years, One Moto is producing ~10,000 fully modular electric bikes and vans on a monthly basis and selling across 6 markets. One Moto recently secured a $150Mn financing to expand their vehicle leasing offering and has already won several awards. This is a story in the making and we look forward to see One Moto soar.

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Happy International women's day! I wanted to address the topic from a mental health perspective and I wanted to hold a conversation that would be beneficial to both men and women. I chat to Carine el Khazen Hadati, a leading clinical psychologist in Dubai about raising girls that become resilient, content and independent women. We discuss the behaviors that we parents should be modeling at home, dealing with eating disorders in kids and adults, and catching ourselves as we repeatedly judge and shame women. The messages in this conversation are simple, yet very powerful. A must listen to episode for a genders, particularly those who are raising children.

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Hossam is a marine oceanographer turned climate fund manager. We discuss the nature economy, regenerative farming, insect protein, food security and why the Middle East and Africa region is particularly vulnerable vis-a-vis the Global North. A truly educational conversation and a wake up call for all of us to safeguard our planet which is 'teetering on bankruptcy'.

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Nima Abu Wardeh, an award winning journalist and the former BBC World reporter, uncovers some of the tools that she teaches in her media trainings to politicians and business leaders. Nima is on a path to democratize the art of communicating effectively to all. This podcast is a communications masterclass and is a must listen if you are looking to become a better communicator and ultimately get what you want.

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Philip Bahoshy - the Founder & CEO of Magnitt.com - and I unpack the latest Emerging Venture Markets 2022 report recently published by Magnitt. Magnitt tracks startup and investment data across MENA, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan. We discuss venture capital investment trends, winning industries, 2023 predictions and advice for founders. A great way to set the scene for 2023.

For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Sufyan Al Issa, Ph.D, is the Head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in the UAE. We discuss the need for more investment in the MENA region particularly to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) such as climate, education, financial inclusion and more. Sufyan highlights some of the programs and channels that the IFC is creating to support local entrepreneurs and SMEs particularly in cross-border growth. We also discuss the gender gap and why we must act now.

For more information visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Dr. Stephen Druggan is an experienced educator and leader, he is currently the Superintendent at the American School of Dubai. We discuss the role that schools play in the development of our children and the responsibilities that schools have in raising children that are whole, both emotionally, academically and socially. We discuss the need for diversity of thought, how can schools teach resilience and confidence, how are schools dealing with mental health and we wrap with some heartfelt advice to parents.

For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com

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Dr. Raf Fatani is spearheading Amazon Alexa in Arabic globally. While most firms tend to revert to the Modern Standard Arabic (or Fusha - فصحة) when they speak to over half a billion Arabic speakers globally, Raf decided that Alexa cannot go down the same path and that an investment has to be made once and for all to bring colloquial Arabic to technology. We discuss the challenges of building Alexa in Arabic from the ground up, what is the utility of a virtual assistant today and what does the future look like.

Here is a link to Prof. Elias Muhanna's article that Raf and I discussed at the beginning of the podcast: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/translating-frozen-into-arabic

For more information visit www.conversationswithloulou.com

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