WOMENA provides Gulf-based high-net-worth women a supportive, professional network and dependable guidance to invest in new companies together where we facilitate the investment process from sourcing to close
On May 23rd we held our sixth Pitch Meeting at the in5 Innovation Center in Dubai. Amazing to think that it’s been six months since our first Pitch Meeting!
The evening started with Ramy Assaf, Senior Associate at our partners Middle East Venture Partners, leading the workshop. The workshop was titled “What is Due Diligence” and was very informative for the assembled members.
FalconViz and Party Camel were the two companies to present this month.
FalconViz is a 3D aerial scanning and modeling system utilizing multi-rotor copters with AerialSfM, a proprietary 3D modelling software
Party Camel is an online party store, specializing in stylish, on-trend partyware
We were lucky to have Dior providing the event goodie bags and Dish supplying the catering. All in all it was a great event and both FalconViz and Party Camel received enough interest to go through to the next stages of due diligence.
In May, Tenmou hosted the second MENA Angel Investment Summit, which WOMENA attended. The event hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama brought together various startups and entrepreneurs from around the Middle East for a two day summit.
WOMENA Cofounder Chantalle joined Tenmou, Oqal and Cairo Angels, fellow angel groups in the Middle East, on a panel at the Summit where they discussed the various difficulties facing startups and investors in the region.
The launch of the MENA Angel Investment Network (MAIN) was also announced, of which WOMENA is a member. Members of MAIN will get access to deal flow and share best practices and experiences with investment in the region.
It was exciting to see the passion of various entrepreneurs and investors in the Middle East. We are continually reminded at events like these how much is going on in the region and how far the startup and investor communities have developed in such a short space of time. Who would have thought 10 years ago there would be enough people to bring together from the Middle East for a two day summit on angel investment?!
You can catch up on the Summit’s activities by watching this stream.
The event was fantastic and thank you to Tenmou for organising the Summit! We are already looking forward to next year!
We are excited to announce our second investment: AlemHealth! AlemHealth is a cutting edge telemedicine company that is already transforming lives in the developing world. We hope with our members’ investment they can continue to grown and help many more people.
We spoke to Aschkan Abdul Malek, the CEO of AlemHealth, about his company and WOMENA.
What was the inspiration behind Alem Health?
During my time in Afghanistan and Iraq, many of my local colleagues and employees would regularly travel abroad for all their healthcare needs, spending ruinous amounts of money for what was oftentimes unnecessary had they the right diagnosis before they left. We looked at this problem and thought there had to be a better way to get a proper diagnosis than getting on a plane. A few months later we started working on building a diagnostic telemedicine platform that can work in resource-limited environments, and a year later here we are.
Why is Alem Health important?
We make high quality medical diagnosis accessible globally at a fraction of the cost of medical tourism. Our technology addresses a market segment, developing countries, that has been ignored by large healthcare providers, and provides diagnosis at a global standard. In particular, our work has been instrumental in expanding access to high quality women’s healthcare, with nearly 80% of our current patient population female.
Where is the company now (in terms of impact, customer penetration) and how do you plan to keep this up?
We launched our MVP in January and had our first paying patients by the end of the month. Since then, we’ve grown to 8 hospitals and hundreds of patients diagnosed, and are looking to expand into multiple countries in the coming months. We’re currently rolling out our next iteration of the service, which is built for global scale and will be announced soon. In terms of impact, we’re saving lives through our diagnoses, as our urgent service is regularly used for emergency issues like stroke and trauma cases, and our routine service diagnoses no shortage of cancer cases and serious diseases. The earlier we find those, the faster we can start treating them.
How has your experience with WOMENA been? Have we helped you?
WOMENA has been instrumental to our growth, allowing us to access capital in a region where angel investment is far from established and difficult to source. They have a professional due diligence process, move quickly, and allowed us to get back to what we do best, pushing the boundaries of where high quality healthcare is available. The investment helped us go from an MVP to a polished, scalable product that we could take global.
On April 25th, WOMENA members gathered to see pixelbug and Guiddoo present. Our Chief Content Creator, Nichole Bates, led the workshop entitled "The Startup and Funding Lifecycle".
Guiddoo creates personalized audio and video tours of world famous monuments and tourist attractions
pixelbug creates awesome augmented reality apps that fuse art with technology and have developed colorbug.
Check out all of the pictures from the Pitch Meeting on our Facebook page, in addition to the selected ones below!
Melltoo’s “Instagram Entrepreneurship - The Key to Succeeding in Style”
Since investing in Melltoo, we’ve continually been proud with their progress and growth, none more so than when they announced they were hosting the event “Instagram Entrepreneurship - The Key to Succeeding in Style”. This event will bring together female entrepreneurs who use Instagram as their primary sales and marketing platform and explore best methods and practices. It will be an exciting event and we hope as many of you can make it as possible.
Three local female entrepreneurs will be speaking at the event: Fatma Mohammed Obaid AlMulla; Ayesha Siddiqua; and Latifa Al Shamsi.
Fatma (@FMMbyFatmaAlMulla) has an extraordinary 101,000 followers on Instagram where recently created her own khaleeji pop-culture brand named “FMM” (the 3 initials of her name, Fatma Mohammed AlMulla). She observes social and cultural problems, stereotypes and misconceptions and addresses them via detailed illustrations and tongue and cheek Arabic captions and her business has grown across the Gulf. A Visual Communication graduate from the American University of Sharjah, Fatma has fast become one of the most promising designers in the region.
Ayesha (@ayeshasiddequa) originally hails from India but has spent most of her life in Dubai. Ayesha spent 12 years in the corporate world before starting her own label Ayesha Siddequa, a collection of a collections of Abaya’s and Women’s ready-to-wear for her customers who are chic and glamorous with an edge. Ayesha is also the Creative Director of Future Fashion, an online marketplace that brings together sustainable fashion brands from around the world.
Latifa (@bylatifalshamsi) started blogging five years ago, quickly building up a large following. Three years later she launched the clothing line Queen L with her sisters and, this month, she is launching her own line of fashion ready-to-wear and accessories.
Make sure you check out the event page and email [email protected] to get an invite. The event is at 6:00pm on 20th May at the in5 Innovation Center. If you can’t attend, then make sure you check out both the Melltoo and WOMENA Instagram pages!
Following on from our earlier blog post, below is the second post in introducing our partners in the Middle East.
Progress in Technology Middle East - connecting entrepreneurs with Silicon Valley resources, PITME has developed the best network of Silicon Valley insiders to support Middle East startups
Startup MENA - Startups MENA runs a series of networking events and workshops for startups across the Middle East
TechWadi - TechWadi is the leading non-profit organisation dedicated to building bridges between Silicon Valley and the Middle East
Turn8 - a collaboration between DP World and i360 Accelerator, Turn8 is a startup accelerator based in Dubai
Venture Capital 4 Africa - VC4Africa is an online community of entrepreneurs and investors dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in Africa
Wamda - a platform of programs and networks across the Middle East, Wamda is the leading organisation dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the region
Weyakum - led by our fantastic advisor Ameera Horriyat, Weyakum is dedicated to empowering young Emiratis with critical work skills to further their professional development
Over the next few months, we will be highlighting some of our partnerships with excellent organisations dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in the Middle East. Our first partner feature will be on TechWadi, a organisation on the other side of the world in Silicon Valley but a partner that has done so much for entrepreneurship in the Middle East. Chaired by Dr. Ossama Hassanein, Chairman of Rising Tide Fund, TechWadi is the Arab Diaspora network of Silicon Valley, bringing together the experts and leaders in Tech to help entrepreneurs in MENA thrive and grow in Silicon Valley.
TechWadi has built a network of strategic mentors, experts and investors from numerous backgrounds to support Middle East-based entrepreneurs. Assigned mentors coach entrepreneurs in business practices; counsel on business expansion opportunities; provide access to strategic partners, investors, or clients; and act as a sounding-board for new ideas and challenges. TechWadi is hoping to double their number of members in 2015, focusing on the untapped resource of GCC female angel investors, an area where WOMENA is supporting TechWadi.
TechWadi launched their Sprint Acceleration Program this year which is a 3 month acceleration program that targets tech companies in the Middle East looking for growth in the US. Coaches work with companies on setting milestones that they aim to achieve in the US and customize a program to help them achieve these milestones. As well as all the benefits that come with being in the global heart of entrepreneurship, TechWadi provides the startups with coaching, mentorship, positioning for fundraising and cloud services to the tune of $100,000.
The program aims at bringing 8-10 startups to Silicon Valley in 2015. It truly is an extraordinary opportunity for Middle East-based startups and WOMENA would certainly encourage any entrepreneurs to consider applying for this year’s program. You can access the application here.
We are thrilled to be partnered with TechWadi and are excited for future collaboration with them. If you’re interested in becoming involved with TechWadi, make sure you apply for membership or sponsorship! Our two co-founders - Chantalle Dumonceaux and Elissa Freiha - are both TechWadi members and can speak to the value of a TechWadi membership.
Women Empowered Through Business in the Middle East
On February 26, Al Iktissad Wal Aamal Group and Al Hasnaa Magazine hosted the 7th New Arab Women Forum (NAWF) in Beirut, Lebanon. Themed “Empowerment through Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” the event focused on women entrepreneurs and how they can help foster economic growth and employment in the region.
The event brought together regional leaders to discuss such topics as challenges faced by women, personal experiences and advice, which proved to be an insightful and motivational discussion for attendees.
For us here at WOMENA, some of the biggest takeaways from this event were the following statistics revealed by panelists:
60% of Zoomal’s projects are started by women, because “in my opinion women have better communication skills and determination”- Abdalla Absi, Lebanon, Zoomal
30% of startups founded by women have more than 50 employees, and 15% have less than 10 employees. - Rana Salhab, Lebanon, Deloitte.
100 billion dollars in Saudi banks [are] owned by women - Rana Salhab, Deloitte
Around 1700 entrepreneurs applied to Oasis500 programs, an equal percentage of which were men and women. - Youssef Hamidaddin, CEO Oasis500 Jordan
38% of women are researchers in science and tech in MENA, versus 30% in Europe. - Bettina Bastian, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, American University of Beirut
For more information about how you can contribute to economic growth and employment as a woman angel investor, please contact us and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to keep up-to-date with WOMENA!
April 29th marks the finale of the GCC Pitch Challenge Final, organised by our fantastic partner Startup MENA. 12 Gulf-based startups will be pitching to the judges with two from each GCC country. The final follows an extensive search across the region to find the top up-and-coming startups. 200 applications were received and Startup MENA held a mammoth 18 events in 2 months! It’s further evidence that the GCC startup ecosystem is rapidly evolving and expanding, which only makes WOMENA more excited to be working in this space.
The prizes are very valuable too and will be very important to any startup at this stage. The winner will receive €20,000, as well as two tickets to the Pioneers Festival in Austria and a pitching spot at the MENA Angel Summit in Bahrain. This is on top of €300,000 worth of deals at Podio and f6s and being fast tracked to a Startupbootcamp accelerator in Europe. All in all a substantial prize!
The EU-GCC Initiative is funded by the European Commission and run by a consortium of partners consisting of the Confederation of Danish Industry, the Federation of GCC Chambers, Business Europe, and VentureScout. Abdulrahim Naqi, Secretary General of the Federation of GCC Chambers said, “The GCC Pitch Finals will open doors for the young entrepreneurs from the GCC to make know their inventions and have the chance to be mentored from elite Companies from Europe, and win considerable amount of funds to kick off start their dream Business in the GCC region”.
To check out the 12 startups presenting, check them out here and if you’re interested in attending, make sure you register in advance here.
We at WOMENA see fragmentation and imperfect information as hindrances to the success of the MENA startup ecosystem and the players in it. There are so many wonderful entrepreneurial support organizations and startup financing entities in the region that can collaborate to make wise and informed investment decisions.
To help develop this startup ecosystem, we have established a network of partners across the Middle East. Each partner brings a whole range of benefits and collaboration opportunities and we are very excited to work with each and every one of them. Below are short introductions to the first half of our partners:
Able & Baker - Based in Abu Dhabi, Able & Baker provides consulting and investment services for local and international companies
Cairo Angels - Cairo Angels is the leading angel group in Egypt with investments in 8 Egyptian starts since 2012
C3 - C3 enables Middle East emerging social entrepreneurs to become active agents of positive social change by leveraging experienced business professionals seeking meaningful ways to give back
Envestors - based out of Dubai, Envestors supports an international network of investors for MENA startups
Eureeca - the first crowdfunding platform in the Middle East, Eureeca has added a new and exciting investment opportunity for MENA based startups
Middle East Venture Partners - MEVP is one of the largest venture capital firms in the Middle East primarily investing in Middle East startups
Mompreneurs - Mompreneurs supports female entrepreneurs across the Middle East develop their businesses and their business acumen
On March 25th, we had our fourth Pitch Meeting, which was also our last Pitch Meeting. All future Pitch Meetings will be restricted to members and pitching entrepreneurs. Two excellent companies - Mini Exchange and mrUsta - presented and both got positive feedback.
Mini Exchange is the Middle East's online outlet for kids' fashion for children aged 0-12.
mrUsta is an online marketplace for UAE residents to find quality service providers based on trusted customer reviews and ratings.
We also launched education program where our partner TechWadi gave a workshop. The inspirational Mona Al-Mukhaizeem, cofounder and Managing Partner of Sirdab Lab, led the workshop and gave an excellent insight into "How to Assess an Investment Opportunity" for our members.
To see pictures from the event, check out our Facebook page here!
Elissa Featured in Arabian Business’ 100 Most Powerful Arab Women
Earlier in March, Arabian Business released the highly anticipated “100 Most Powerful Arab Women 2015”. This is an annual publication and really shows the excellent female talent across the Middle East. We were honoured for cofounder Elissa Freiha to be selected as number 77 on this year’s list amidst so many incredible women.
It’s hard to know where to begin at extolling the achievements of so many incredible women. From Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi to the Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan, their achievements are endless and have had a huge and lasting impact on the region. It is exciting to see so many women involved in such a broad range of industries in the Middle East and we are looking forward to seeing what these women, and the millions of other women in the region, do over the next year.
To see the full list, click here or alternatively read Elissa’s profile here.
Every entrepreneur aroundthe globe is thinking about where they can get funding and every angel investor is wondering if the ventures they see will succeed.
Angel investing has come into the spotlight with TV shows like Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank bringing both the pressures and very real risks of what it means to be an angel to life for viewers around the world. Our investors in MENA are faced with the same dilemmas on how to maximize their chances for success and mitigate risk.
At WOMENA, we believe dealflow, diversification and diligence are the core principals for healthy angel investing. We also understand that making sure you have a broad spectrum of potential deals is both time consuming and requires some serious knowledge. Our aim is to support our angels by sourcing and conducting due diligence to screen and provide a varied pool of suitable start-up projects.
Keeping investments diverse and staying on plan is key – the majority of all start-ups fail so an angel should never have all their eggs in one basket. While returns on angel investments vary hugely, our policy is to work to provide start-up options with strong potential for co-investment in the MENA market.
It helps to remember that entrepreneurs are caught up in the excitement. They are in the honeymoon phase and will sweet-talk you if you let them. We work to help our angels avoid unnecessary risk by sharing industry knowledge, contacts, personalized access to a pool of pre-screened entrepreneurs and due diligence so investors can fund the right opportunities in the market.
How WOMENA can help you get started
While we work to provide investors with the best deal flow, a network of co-investors sharing knowledge, and take on due diligence and provide support throughout the deal lifecycle, angel investor should consider what they want to invest in, ensure they have enough capital, and cast a wide but strategic net to avoid unnecessary risk.
Many angels underestimate the value of angel groups. It is not just about launching with an exciting one-time investment. An angel is on board with all the companies they invest in for the medium if not the long term.
Working with WOMENA means that our investors have access to pre-screened up-and-coming opportunities that have the fundamentals to take off in the region. We work to pair angels with companies they can support to mitigate risk and ensure well-matched diversity in their portfolios. We make sure our angels know they are giving more than simply a lump sum but that to succeed they need to provide guidance and contacts to build a long-term relationship.
We also are convinced that believing in the company is key but it needs to be based on domain knowledge and ultimately the right amount of due diligence so the facts are all there. Angels can best support start-ups by coming in with smart money, commitment to an ongoing relationship with the entrepreneur and with the readiness to give and share knowledge. They can best mitigate risk with a strong deal flow, a diversified portfolio, and a strong community to invest with.
In January, Elissa was interviewed for Arabian Business and spoke about the role of women in entrepreneurship and the barriers they face. Below is a translation of the article and the original Arabic can be seen on our website here.
Women play the most important role in entrepreneurship
The Emirati businesswoman Ms. Elissa Bassam Freiha has risen in business day-after-day since shegraduated from the American University in Paris with top grades in Public Relations and Marketing.
Elissa Freiha believes that the journey of one thousand miles starts with a step. She also believes that the real secret behind success is trust, optimism, perseverance and personality. So, she took the lead and founded WOMENA, an angel group, with her American partner Chantalle. She wants to create a bridge between women who are working in investment and women business leaders. Elissa grew up in Paris and studied there in addition to studying in Madrid, Spain. She concentrated on international communications, political communications and marketing.
Arabian Business met Elissa Freiha and interviewed her about her personality, her business and her support of women, in particular Emirati women.
Elissa Freiha considers herself very lucky due to her family. She has the full support of her father Mr. Bassam Freiha, the CEO of Dar Assayad since 1943, the veteran diplomat and the philanthropist through The Said and Hassiba Freiha & Sons Foundation. She says that she is her father’s daughter when it comes to diplomacy, success and creativity in life and business.
The conversation with Elissa seemed to be transparent and disclosed her tactful, courteous, good and honest personality. She reinforced an important point: she’s always seeking to discover new things otherwise she feels bored. She likes being practical and is full of enthusiasm about converting ideas to tangible reality. The following is the interview text with Elissa Freiha.
How do you see the UAE government’s support of working women and in particular businesswomen?
I can say that supporting and encouraging women to work in the UAE is an awesome and great thing. It has a clear effect, promotes business and makes business more successful. Women have been key to the government’s strategy of development and distinction because of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, God Bless Him, as well as the president, His Royal Highness Sheikh Khalifa Zayed Al-Nahyan and the mother of the UAE, Her Royal Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak. The UAE is the first Arab country where women have reached the highest positions. Actually, this extensive support has been a great contribution to founding many companies and businesses.
She added that Her Royal Highness Sheikha Fatima exerted great efforts to position women as full partners in building the UAE, the society and the country’s renaissance. This started through her efforts to persuade men and every sheikh of the tribes of the importance of women’s education, leading a great campaign for literacy, securing women’s enrollment at all levels of education, science and knowledge.
Elissa Freiha also believes the initiatives and generosity of Her Royal Highness Sheikha Salama Bint Hamdan the wife of His Royal Highness Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, have had a great impact on what women in the UAE can do now and the development in their lives.
Why did you choose to study public relations and marketing over other academic possibilities?
I was sure that I would found my own company one day. I knew that to achieve this goal I had to learn, research and develop. I started learning the principles of marketing and persuasion, their role in creating job opportunities and how to sell new ideas and marketing it to persuade customers to buy your product. I started by studying the principles of international communication, political communication and combining this with marketing and public relations until I reached a point where I could achieve my goals. From the beginning, I was thinking of my future but I did not know which academic specialization I was going to choose at the start. I have always travelled to many different countries, specifically the USA, Spain, Britain, France and all the Arab and Golf countries. I believe Arab women can’t prove herself without culture and education.
What are the fundamentals you based your company on to serve and assist women?
Our work mainly concentrates on creating strategic plans to enhance the participation of women in the labour market and on encouraging them to capitalize, manage and drive businesses to success. We also assist women in controlling their financial resources, taking the right business decisions and developing their financial skills.
The role of women will remain indispensable in the private sector and entrepreneurship. So, we are working to support women overcome whatever difficulties they may face in her professional development. In our region, there are a large number of women who have substantial financial resources. However, they invest it through their father, husband or brother, that is to say, the support of men. What I want to say here is that it’s essential to keep control of your own finances by expressing your own ideas. With this approach, the investing process is not only about money but also investing the potential energy and ideas of women.
What is your advice to woman who wants to get into business and entrepreneurship world?
My advice is dependent on their preferred approach to business and investing. I would also advise them to get specialized training and education in the UAE and the Middle East. There are plenty of such programs. Woman in the UAE have received a tremendous cultural boost, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and the UAE government has impressed the world with its support in all areas of women. Women have opened doors in all fields and can hold any decision-making position.
What are your perceptions of modern investment and the work of women in managing substantial projects?
In terms of financial growth and investment, I think we need to care more about education and development and to encourage women to manage more projects than now. In my opinion, I think large businesses are not investing enough resources in women. The UAE government has done a great job at supporting and encouraging women and, for this reason, it is crucial for women to take initiative and explore investment opportunities and managing large projects.
Can you describe the beginnings of WOMENA with your business partner?
I worked in many sectors, UNESCO being one of them. Currently, I work with my business partner, Chantalle, who supervises all logistics and creates investment strategies. She already has good experience and worked in Zurich and New York at investment frms. She holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from Colombia University. She speaks English and French fluently and this helps us reach more women.
And what was the moment you realised the potential of WOMENA?
We realised the potential to start and found our own company when Chantalle and I were on a summer vacation with my family. We had been thinking of a way to contribute to supporting women’s projects and launching our own business, as the government has many programs to assist businesswomen and female leaders with their own projects. At the time, I was already planning to return to the UAE and be near my father and sister. This is why WOMENA was founded and we wanted to support women who did not have the time to be angel investors. There are many different fields we invest in, such as healthcare, aviation and many others. Our relationships with our clients are very important so when I wake up every day, I am more enthusiastic that the day before to attract further investments.
How do you describe your relationship with your family in general and your father in particular?
I consider myself very fortunate to be part of this family because of the relationship with all my family members who gave me a strong and righteous upbringing. This has helped me in determining my priorities and choosing the course that best suits me and fulfills my ambitions with confidence, rationally and emotion, as well as making me self-reliant and giving me a sense of responsibility. My father is a big supporter of women working, contributing to economic development for future generations and building nations. He encourages me, my brother and my sister and further empowers us to improve ourselves in all fields and activities.
My father is my role model and he is very patient and diligent. He has been instrumental in my educational and business development. He is my main source of inspiration and his advice is very precious to me. My aunt, Mrs. Elham Freiha, through her work as General Manager at Dar Assayad and her political column in the Al Anwar newspaper, stimulates and pushes me to do better and preserve in business and develop continuously.
What are your favorite hobbies? How do you practice it?
By nature, I love moving and learning new things. For example, I like to try other cultures’ food. I also enjoy watching movies as well as painting wooden furniture and sometimes the walls of my home. It gives me energy and forces me to find solutions for different problems. I do my hobbies at home, where I can change the place of objects, like furniture, and sometimes disassemble and reassemble them using new pieces. I just enjoy reassembling them with high precision. I like as well rock climbing and hiking outdoors away from closed rooms.
What are your future personal ambitions?
I’d like to see our company, WOMENA, be self-sufficient and expand to various countries around the world. I would also like to work to support amibitious women capable of working alongside their male counterparts in finance and investment and push them further and develop their strengths. Likewise, I look forward to increasing awareness and promoting women’s initiatives while providing various services in the areas of investment, finance and business. I feel women have the chance to take responsibility in investing and finance and go far.
While WOMENA only launched late last year, we have continually been impressed at the growth of the entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem. Only a few years ago, there was very little investment in innovation and entrepreneurship but in the last couple of years, this growth has begun to explode.
We created the infographic above to highlight the growth in the region but also the barriers for both investors and entrepreneurs. Possible investment funds are much more limited in size and there is a large funding gap past an investment round of $500,000 that needs to be addressed.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. As the infographic shows, the number of investments more than tripled between 2009 and 2012 and the vast majority of investors expect to invest in the region in the next couple of years.
Women have an important role to play in the MENA investment landscape and we want WOMENA to be a great avenue for women to be involved. With case studies like Springbroad and Ellevate, there is consistent evidence that women can made a significant impact on the landscape.
WOMENA Featured on BBC Middle East Business Report
We were honoured to be featured by the BBC in their Middle East Business Report. The BBC team filmed our third Pitch Meeting, where Crowd Analyzer and MediaWave presented, and got to meet some of our members and see the work we are doing. The report was looking at various women’s initiatives in the UAE, including WOMENA. The report looked at Emirati women starting their own businesses, the various government initiatives to support women in the workforce but also some of the institutional barriers women face, particularly legal issues.
WOMENA had its third Pitch Meeting on February 21st and despite the awful sandstorm, we had our best turnout yet. The Pitch Meeting was again held at Art Sawa Gallery in Al Quoz in Dubai as it’s such an interactive and interesting space. Crowd Analyzer and MediaWave were the two companies presenting and were well received.
Crowd Analyzer is a tool that helps companies monitor consumer trends and sentiment on social media.
MediaWave is a platform that enables consumers to download real-time digital content.
The afternoon started with a fantastic talk by Heather Henyon on how to assess a presenting entrepreneur, providing members with a ranking tool to use as they hear the pitches. Heather is the cofounder of the Women’s Angel Investment Network (WAIN), the first angel network for female investors in the Middle East, and Managing Partner of Balthazar Capital, a local microfinance investment advisory firm serving the Arab world.
The event was very special though because the BBC was there to film the BBC Middle East Business Report. The piece looked at various women’s initiatives in the UAE, including WOMENA. To see the full report, click here. We were honoured to be part of the programme.
Again, the Pitch Meeting went very well and we are very pleased with the progress of our WOMENA community. Check out pictures from the event on our Facebook page!
