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Making It

EnterpriseAM

Six days a week, we help top executives make sense of the Arab world’s companies and economies — and every Thursday, our editor-in-chief, Patrick, talks shop with the people who run them.

Making It is an hour where the founders, CEOs, investors, and policymakers making the biggest decisions in our region show their work and talk about what’s next.

From EnterpriseAM, the Arab world’s business daily.

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30 episodes
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Avg 44 min
English

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Oct 21, 2020 · 43 min
Building a “people” business with Dr. Bahaa Alieldean, of the Alieldean Weshahi & Partners law firm
If your business sells time — yours or your team’s or both — then this week’s episode is for you. Lawyering is perhaps the world’s second-oldest profession — and the source of endless jokes, the vast majority of them (pleasantly?) tasteless. Today’s episode features a lawyer — and an awfully nice one, at that — but think of him as a stand-in for every business in the service industry, from ad agencies to engineering consultants, PR types and accountants. From attracting and retaining talent, to creating culture and monetization, Bahaa Alieldean discusses the similarities and universal challenges facing law firms as well as other service providers. We explore creating corporate structure and how micromanagement prevents founders from transitioning away from day-to-day operations into traditionally accepted CEO responsibilities. Bahaa is a law professor and practising corporate lawyer specializing in capital markets, banking transactions and dispute resolution. He established his law firm ALC Alieldean, Weshahi & Partners in 2003 favoring a model of collective practice with specialization groups over the traditional office of a solo practitioner. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.news. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt.You can check out Alieldean, Weshahi & Partners here: http://www.alc.law/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 14, 2020 · 42 min
Kickstarting an industry with Fawry CEO Ashraf Sabry
The majority of Egypt’s population are unbanked and have no access to financial services. Thanks to fintech players like Fawry, this is changing quickly — and for the better. When Ashraf Sabry founded Fawry in 2008, he knew he wanted to leverage his experience and technology in a business that had recurring revenue. Flash forward and, a decade later, Fawry is now a payments platform that connects over 29 mn customers through 166K service points across the country, and can be used for over 850 services ranging from utility bills and school tuition, to traffic fines and insurance. Ashraf talked to us about building the platform from the idea stage to becoming a major listed company on the EGX with international shareholders. He told us how the company was built with local talent, the company’s early stage challenges, and what’s next for Fawry. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.news. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories. The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. You can check out Fawry here: www.fawry.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 7, 2020 · 44 min
Breaking baladi bread with Zooba CEO Chris Khalifa
Zooba sells taamiya, not falafel. When Chris Khalifa launched Zooba in 2012, the goal was to elevate Egyptian street food from cheap, delicious, everyday sustenance to a global brand. By 2020, Zooba’s value proposition had already shaped a loyal following at home and abroad with branches in Egypt, a franchise agreement in the GCC, and a New York outpost — opened just before covid-19 hit. Chris talks to us about what it takes to change people’s perception on how much street food should cost through the power of a strong brand. We discuss introducing new food to foreign markets, teaching Westerners how to say Taamiya, and how Zooba survives economic crises. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.news. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. You can check out Zooba here: www.zoobaeats.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 24, 2020 · 42 min
A peek behind the curtain: How Trella is bringing supply chains into the digital age
Omar Hagrass, CEO of Trella On this week’s episode of Making It, we remotely sit down with Omar Hagrass, the CEO and co-founder of Trella, a digital trucking marketplace. The company’s application acts as a hub for shippers and carriers, eliminating the time-consuming and inefficient manual process of using brokers. Trella is a relatively new company, raising an impressive USD 600k pre-seed round led by Algebra Ventures in 2019. They joined and graduated the Y Combinator program shortly after, acquired their Egyptian rival Trukto to become the largest trucking marketplace in the country, before expanding to Saudi Arabia. As the Covid-19 pandemic presented challenges and disruptions to supply chains across the world, Trella’s technology allows shippers to gain valuable insight over their resources during a time when optimization is desperately needed. Hagrass offers advice to entrepreneurs on the intricacies of disruption and growth, and details why Trella has the potential to become the country’s first unicorn. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. ** Subscribe to Making it here https://bit.ly/35lugvb. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.press. You can check out Trella here: trella.app See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 10, 2020 · 37 min
Triple Digit Growth: How SAP created a digital safety net for businesses
Hoda Mansour, Managing Director of SAP Egypt and Frontier Markets Hoda Mansour was twice recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential businesswomen in the Middle East for her work in SAP in the UAE, Oman, and Egypt. SAP’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is among the most widely used across the world, at a time when the livelihood of many businesses hinges on establishing a digital presence. She details the reasons multinationals find Egypt attractive, and outlines how to prepare for the mass adoption of automation services and its impact on the workforce. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. ** Subscribe to Making it here https://kite.link/making-it. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.press. You can check out SAP here: www.sap.com/mena/index See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 3, 2020 · 40 min
Investing in digital disruption: How Algebra Ventures became synonymous with tech startups
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 region where basic services can often be major inconveniences. Established in 2015, Algebra Ventures is a USD 54 mn venture capital fund that invests in early stage tech startups in the MENA region. The fund is the largest of its kind in Egypt. Assaad and Hussein outline the most important features they look for in startups, including tackling big markets and possessing a strong management team, as well as the red flags they avoid at all costs. Our host, Patrick, sat down with Assaad and Hussein in December, before Covid-19 put us all on work from home. DISCLAIMER: Algebra Ventures Managing Partner Ziad Mokhtar could not join us for this interview. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. ** Subscribe to Making it here https://bit.ly/35lugvb. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.press. You can check out Algebra Ventures here: algebraventures.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 13, 2020 · 30 min
Where preparation meets opportunity: How TPay Mobile put Egypt on the Fintech map
Sahar Salama, Founder and CEO of TPay Mobile In a country with low banking penetration and high mobile adoption, Sahar Salama saw a business opportunity in creating a payment solution through telecom operators. She used her experience at Link Development to create a direct operator billing model and launched TPay Mobile in 2014. Launched in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE simultaneously, they now operate in over 18 markets across MENA covering almost 51 mn transactions a day. The company made headlines in 2017 by making the first wholesale acquisition of a fintech company in Egypt when they acquired their primary competitors DCBEgypt. In 2018, they became the region’s first Dragon, when A15 sold its 76% stake to Helios Investment. Salama talks to our host, Patrick, about conception, the challenges of scaling, the importance of finding the right partners, and her future plans to make TPay what she considers a great business. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. ** Subscribe to Making it here https://bit.ly/35lugvb. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.press. You can check out TPay at: tpaymobile.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 6, 2020 · 38 min
Amro Abouesh, CEO and Managing Director of Tanmeyah
Having served as Executive Advisor for Microsofinance at Banque du Caire and then as head of the microfinance and SMEs division at the Bank of Alexandria, Amro Abouesh believed in private sector financing as a means to enable social mobility within the low income sector of society. By founding Tanmeyah in 2009, Amro effectively launched private microfinance in Egypt and helped bring in Egypt’s leading private equity, commercial and investment banks. Today Tanmeyah sits at the top of the industry with over 270 branches across the country and an EGP 3.5 bn portfolio. Abouesh walks us through the risk assessment process and his experience navigating policy and legislation to establish Tanmeyah and private microfinance. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories. The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. ** Subscribe to Making it here https://bit.ly/35lugvb. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.press. You can check out Tanmeyah at tanmeyah.com/en See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 29, 2020 · 38 min
Surviving the end of a trend: going beyond cupcakes with NOLA
Laila Sedky and Adel Sedky, Founder and CEO of NOLA As Founder and CEO of one of the most recognizable brands in the confectionary business, Laila and Adel understand the business of selling happiness. Their tenure at Nola saw them grow the brand beyond the flagship store in Zamalek to a confectionary giant with 25 stores across 7 cities. From leading the local cupcake craze to making pivotal decisions on the sustainability of their brand and the subsequent reorienting of their customers, all while dishing out fresh and exciting takes on classic Egyptian desserts, Laila and Adel are experts at marketing and operations, looking beyond trends, and separating between work and family. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. ** Subscribe to Making it here https://bit.ly/35lugvb. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.news. You can check out NOLA’ extensive range of products on their website or instagram. www.nolabakery.com https://www.instagram.com/nolacupcakes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 22, 2020 · 47 min
We don't need no education...in the classroom
Mohamed El Kalla, CEO of Cairo for Investment and Real Estate (CIRA). As the head of one of the largest private sector education operators, El Kalla is someone who understands the business of education. He has seen the seismic shifts in the industry over the past few decades: from family-owned businesses to corporations, from Cairo and Alex to the other governorates, from the super wealthy to the middle class, from individual shareholders to IPOs and private equity, and from the classroom to your home. CIRA has even led the way on a number of these trends. His tenure saw him lead the company through a successful relisting on the EGX in 2018, which fueled a massive expansion. The company has 19 K-12 schools, one university, and over 30k students under their belt. Their lineup of brands now includes Futures, Maverick schools, British Columbia schools, and Badr University, among others. His active investment in education tech startups has kept him abreast of all the exciting new developments in e-learning and education platforms. And this was all before covid-19, where the millenia-old tradition of the classroom was rendered archaic in a span of a few months. The impact this transformation has had on our lives cannot be understated. School children now have to act like online grad school students and parents have had to become teaching assistants. Yet despite this transformation, the transition has appeared almost seamless. Having been on the frontline of that transformation, El Kalla gave us a first hand account of how hard it was to get us here. This is also the first podcast interview we’ve done entirely from home, making it the most appropriate episode to kick off what we hope is an exciting new season. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.news. Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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