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Feb 2023
18m 47s

Syria: Starting a business in a warzone

Bbc World Service
About this episode

How do you launch a successful start-up in a country where there’s been more than a decade of civil war? In this episode of Business Daily Maddy Savage hears how an entrepreneur from Syria was inspired by Scandinavia’s tech scene. Khaled Moustafa founded Syria’s first ride-sharing app, Yalla Go, in 2019. The platform now has hundreds of thousands of users who can book taxis on their smartphones to get around Syria's biggest cities.

Khaled shares his story with Maddy and talks about some of the challenges, and benefits, of launching a business during a time of conflict. We also hear from a Yalla Go driver and get a glimpse into Syria’s emerging tech scene.

Presenter/producer: Maddy Savage

(Photo: Khaled Moustafa. Credit: Khaled Moustafa)

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