logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
42m 28s

Tarek Kabrit on pivots, the startup roll...

Strategy& Middle East
About this episode

Join us as Tarek Kabrit, Strategy& Middle East alum and co-founder of the automotive AI company Seez, walks us through his startup journey – from launching a car buying app to expanding across 16 countries and eventually being acquired. In this Unscripted episode with Karim Sarkis, Tarek shares how Seez navigated multiple pivots, tough investor conversations, and the financial pressure between funding rounds. He opens up about taking loans from employees, staying committed when things got difficult, and why trying – even without guarantees – matters more than playing it safe.

Up next
Sep 18
Ashish Labroo on navigating markets, fostering innovation, and the power of meditation
Join Ashish Labroo, Strategy& alum and CEO of Careem Rides, as he reflects on a journey that spans hardcore operations, a dozen years in consulting, and leading ride-hailing across the Middle East. He opens up about staying connected to local markets, managing complex teams, the ... Show More
39m 33s
Jul 31
Anna Germanos on bold pivots, building resilience, and leading with purpose
Join Anna Germanos, Strategy& alum and Group Director for FMCG, Luxury, Retail, and E-commerce (MEA) at Meta, as she reflects on a career shaped by curiosity, resilience, and bold choices. From being the third daughter in a traditional Arab family to leading in tech and retail, A ... Show More
47m 14s
May 2025
Christos Mastoras on resilience, navigating boom-and-bust cycles, and the VC journey
Join Christos Mastoras, founder and managing partner of Iliad Partners, as he brings us the untold stories of seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges in emerging markets. From shaping bold investment strategies to fostering relationships across cultures, Christos shares l ... Show More
42m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
#32- Abdulmajeed Al Sukhan (Co-Founder & CEO of Tamara) on why building companies is tougher than fighting cancer
This episode was recorded live at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF). Our first live show!Abdulmajeed is a serial entrepreneur in the true sense of the word. He is co-founder of Nana (the largest grocery delivery platform in KSA) and currently co-founder and CEO of Tamar ... Show More
42m 50s
Jul 2024
How to Acquire Venture Capital Funding with Paul Jarrett
Paul Jarrett artfully blends difficult tales of entrepreneurship, logistics, and venture capital with his own real experiences, captivating audiences beyond just bullet points on a slide. His storytelling transforms complex topics into relatable narratives that go beyond insights ... Show More
27m 36s
Jun 2020
Investing in digital disruption: How Algebra Ventures became synonymous with tech startups (Ep 12)
Algebra Ventures Managing Partners Tarek Assaad and Karim Hussein From a background of senior positions at multinationals, Algebra Ventures Managing Partners Tarek Assaad and Karim Hussein are driven by a belief that tech and entrepreneurship can enable tangible change in a regio ... Show More
40m 46s
Jun 2024
How Investors Evaluate how Investable Your Startup Is - with Nader at DFDF | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep6
In his role as Managing Director of the government-owned Dubai Future District Fund, Nader Albastaki shares with us his views on what the difference might be for a founder coming to an evergreen Goverment fund versus a private VC fund. He also speaks into the important role all p ... Show More
39m 54s
Sep 11
$46B of hard truths from Ben Horowitz: Why founders fail and why you need to run toward fear (a16z co-founder)
Ben Horowitz is the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, Silicon Valley’s largest and most influential venture capital firm, with over $46B in committed capital across multiple funds. He took Loudcloud public with just $2 million in revenue (dubbed “the IPO from hell”), sold it for ... Show More
1h 37m
Sep 29
583 – Scaling a Software Startup with Joshua Talbert
Engineer-turned-entrepreneur Joshua Talbert shares his journey from defense contractor to tech startup founder and CEO of MySherpas.ai. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/583-josh-talbert-software-startup/ In this episode, Henry Lopez interviews Joshua Talbert, co- ... Show More
42m 10s
Aug 2024
The World Of Venture Capital and How They Pick Winning Investments In Startups and Early Stage Businesses | Chris Van Dusen
Episode Title: The World Of Venture Capital and How They Pick Winning Investments In Startups and Early Stage Businesses Guest: Chris Van Dusen - Senior Partner at Slyco Capital Guest Bio: Chris Van Dusen is a seasoned entrepreneur and senior partner at Slyco Capital, a creative ... Show More
43m 52s
Jul 6
Solo founder, $80M exit, 6 months: The Base44 bootstrapped startup success story | Maor Shlomo
Maor Shlomo is the founder of Base44, an AI-powered app builder that he bootstrapped to an over $80 million acquisition by Wix in just six months. As a solo founder (with severe ADHD), he hit $1 million ARR just three weeks after launch and grew the product to more than 400,000 u ... Show More
1h 31m
Feb 2025
A founder’s guide to crisis management | Uri Levine (Waze co-founder, serial entrepreneur)
Uri Levine is a co-founder of Waze (which was acquired by Google for $1.3 billion in 2013), along with nine other companies (including another company he sold for over $1 billion). He’s also been on 20 boards and has been an advisor to over 50 startups. He recently released a new ... Show More
1h 23m
Jun 2024
Building a Disruptive Payments Company (with Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski)
The tenacity required to build Klarna over the last 19 years is astonishing. Despite several headwinds and changes in the payments landscape since founding, Klarna is used today by 150 million consumers globally, processing two million payments a day. Founder and CEO Sebastian Si ... Show More
1h 19m