logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
1h 1m

E55: Mudassir Sheikha on scaling and rei...

Loulou Khazen
About this episode
Mudassir Sheikha is the Co-founder & CEO of Careem, the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan's (MENAP) biggest startup success story to date with a $3.1Bn exit to Uber in 2020. After the ride hailing success, In April 2023 Mudassir announced a new entity 'Careem Technologies' that will focus on building the region's super app and provide a wide range of se ... Show More
Up next
Jun 30
Peter Middlebrook on Dubai as the New New York and the Return of the Golden Age
Is the Middle East entering a new golden age? Loulou sits down with one of the most well-connected geopolitical economists working today for a structural read on the region recorded as the US-Iran 60-day MOU process opened, Strait of Hormuz traffic restarted, the IMEC corridor re ... Show More
51m 43s
Jun 23
AI, Jobs and the Side Door: A Top MENA Recruiter on Surviving 2026
What happens to your job when the most powerful companies in the world are laying off thousands of people not because they are failing, but because they are betting on AI instead, and your region is also in a war that is reshaping who can hire and who has to cut? In this episode ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 16
HE Faisal Belhoul on the UAE That Came Out of the War: Capital, the World Cup and the IPO
Where do you put your money in the Gulf right now? Loulou sits down with one of the UAE's most experienced investors to read the region as it actually is in June 2026: the regional war still the dominant story, the World Cup just under way and more. HE Faisal Belhoul is a veteran ... Show More
48m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
20VC: The $3.1BN Meeting That Led to an Uber Acquisition, The Battle With Uber; How to Outcompete When You Have 10x Less Cash & The Marketing Campaigns That Led to Pakistan MDs Fleeing and Elon Musk Fanboying with Mudassir Sheikha, CEO @ Careem
<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>Mudassir Sheikha is the CEO and Co-Founder of <a href= "https://www.careem.com/">Careem</a>. Over the last 11 years, Mudassir has scaled the service to more than 80 cities in 10 countries, with 1,400+ colleagues and more than 2.5 million Captains. ... Show More
47m 23s
Jan 2024
Growth Strategy Lessons from the Middle East’s First Unicorn Start-Up
Careem launched as the “Uber of the Middle East” in Dubai in 2012, with a mission to make life and work better for drivers in the region. Despite technical, cultural, and financial challenges, Careem eventually became the Middle East’s first unicorn start-up, valued at more than ... Show More
20m 52s
May 2023
EP 44: Building a Super App: The Journey of Careem Pay with Madiha Sattar, VP of Careem Pay
<p>In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we speak with Madiha Sattar, VP of Careem Pay, the fintech arm of Careem, the Middle East&apos;s first unicorn.</p><p>Madiha has had a versatile and ambitious career across finance, tech, and media. Prior to joining Careem, she worke ... Show More
1h 11m
Jan 2023
Part 1: The Dos & Don’ts of Fundraising, with Ankur Shah
We’re kicking off our first episode with Ankur Shah, now ex-CFO of two large enterprises including Careem. Careem was the largest venture-backed exit in our region, fully acquired by Uber for US$3.1 billion.In Part I of this conversation, we’ll get into some of his insights on re ... Show More
25m 40s
May 2024
Startup acquisitions & fund raising, Egypt's ride-hailing issue, and crypto regulations
Hala Insurance founder Walid Dib has sold his new startup CallMi, Walid Shihabi's rent now, pay later startup Keyper has secured $4M in equity & $30M in sukuk, the Egyptian government may launch its own ride-hailing service, and we give you the highlights from the Qatar Economic ... Show More
36m 51s
Aug 2021
The journey to scaling a fitness technology app in MENA
I talk to Tarek Mounir, founder of Enhance Fitness which has already crossed 160 full time employees and is on track to generate $1 million in monthly revenue by September 2021. Tarek Mounir was Deezer’s CEO for the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and Turkey. He oversaw Deezer’s ... Show More
1s
Jul 2023
#27- Muhammed Mekki (Founding Partner at AstroLabs) on business building being a talent game
Muhammed Mekki is a Founding Partner at Astrolabs, the leading startup ecosystem building in MENA. Prior to starting Astrolabs, Muhammed was a co-founder at Namshi which went on to sell to EMAAR for roughly $300MM. Muhammed started his career in consulting before joining Delivery ... Show More
53m 36s