
From MENA to the World
Over the past decade, the MENA region has been silently building an ecosystem while the world wasn't watching. The mission of this show is to share those stories from those that are contributing to this change, the investors, founders, and operators. We'll be interviewing guests to talk openly about their journeys, starting with their childhood and going all the way through to the Why? How? What? of their entrepreneurial journeys. Showcasing these stories is vital for people to connect, learn and get inspired. Join our host Amir Farha, Founder of COTU Ventures, as he explores the human side to entrepreneurship in the Middle East from the narratives of people who have the courage to drive change, overcome barriers, and build lasting companies despite all the difficulties along the way.
Episodes
Ola Doudin (BitOasis) - How her rebellious childhood caused her to get kicked out of school, why fringe online forums were her entry into the crypto world, and her journey to becoming the first regulated exchange in MENA

Rami Salman (Wrappup, Cisco) - Why his Lebanese roots impact him to this day, how he is able to make something out of nothing, what prompted the Voicea acquisition, and how he overcame countless failures

Sonia Weymuller (VentureSouq) - How VentureSouq came to be, why she describes herself as an accidental outlier in everything, and what her own philosophy of impact investing is

Kamal Reggad (RemotePass) - Why his father starting a company at 48 left a lasting impact, how different the initial MVP looked to RemotePass now, and why Kamal still runs onboarding for clients to this day

Ben Mouflard (Chatfood) - How his first business was selling golf balls at 7 years old, why he was working on idea #20 before reaching PMF, how he met his cofounder, and why they chose to bootstrap Chatfood

Talal Bayaa (Bayzat) - Growing up in Dubai when it had dial-up internet, why he rejected Amir’s initial investment offer, what it’s like to expand across MENA, and how Bayzat went from 3 employees to now over 150+

From MENA to the World: Elevating the voices of entrepreneurship in the Middle East
