Hashem is joined by fellow hybrid Egyptian/Arab/American, Amira Rashad, founder of Dubai’s first bulk online shopping portal, Bulkwhiz. As the founder of a retail startup that implements AI and bespoke customer service, Amira shares her philosophy behind Bulkwhiz, why even affluent customers like a good deal, and how COVID-19 set the stage for new challenges ... Show More
Jan 12
“Going into a new market requires humility. You don’t know the market well, and you have to accept that.”
In this year-in-review episode, Hashem looks back on 2025 and what it actually took to open two restaurants in Riyadh in one year. It’s a conversation about going up the learning curve fast, staying humble, and why consistency always outlasts hype. Chapters: 0:00 Coming up... ... Show More
44m 43s
Oct 2025
“The day I stopped being a ‘Googler in Dubai’ and started being ‘Lynn, who happens to work at Google,’ everything changed.”
Lynn Hazim, founder of Middle Child and creator of popular food blog @nosoupforyou, shares her journey from corporate life at Google to building her own restaurant in Dubai. The episode explores her early love for food, the roots of her inspiration, and her bold pivot to entrepre ... Show More
42m 47s
Sep 2025
“It’s not enough to just have good taste.” Rajat Malhotra on building the last major independent festival in the GCC
Raj Malhotra, co-founder of Sole DXB, shares the story behind building one of the GCC’s last major independent festivals — a cultural platform born from minimal capital yet lots of passion and grit. The episode traces his journey to meeting co-founders Hussain Moloobhoy and Joshu ... Show More
39m 16s
Jun 2024
Don’t Fundraise Unless You Have to, But if You do, Look for this in your Investors - with Sonia W. at VentureSouq | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep5
<p>We were thrilled to speak with Sonia Weymuller, one of Dubai’s most active investors who started her VC career by launching the largest angel investor syndicate before professionalizing the firm to become <a href='https://lucidityinsights.com/investors/venturesouq-63'>VentureS ... Show More
41m 16s
Sep 2020
Episode 8: Part 1 Take a Big Bite of Entrepreneurship with Mantoushe's Founder and CEO Sophia Sleiman (literally means big bite in Arabic)
My guest Sophia Sleiman, Founder and CEO of Mantoushe, Real Food, Lebanese fusion restaurants operating Four branches out of UAE. In this first instalment of two episodes, Sophia and I talk about her beginning, what inspired her to become an entrepreneur and all that she has lear ... Show More
36m 36s