Panel discussions titled “How to get Funded” and “Women Leveraging E-commerce for Growth” examine the role of accelerator programs, funding opportunities and e-commerce technology
The MENA Summit was focused on spurring action that will accelerate women’s entrepreneurship in the region’s emerging economies.
The two-day, MENA GWFD 2020 took place at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of Dubai.
Ramez El-Serafy, CEO, Flat6Labs Egypt, stressed on the importance of passion to drive start-up success at the earliest stages. “We pick teams and individuals who are passionate about their dreams and what they want to achieve. You can teach entrepreneurs virtually anything when it comes to doing business – but you can’t instill passion,” he said.
El-Serafy also touched upon the importance of incubation to reinforce founding teams, citing that the Flat6Labs accelerator program is designed to equip our entrepreneurs to continue to thrive long after they fly the nest.
Dany Farha, Co-Founder & CEO, BECO Capital UAE, underscored the importance of a founding team’s ability to articulate their vision clearly and concisely. “When it comes to securing funding, it is imperative that the founding team can walk us through what their vision is, and how they intend to execute on that vision. If what they are doing doesn’t excite us to the point of wanting to quit our jobs and work for that start-up, then by and large it’s not something we’re going to buy in to,” shared Farha.