If you were to learn one thing from our posts this week, it's that making that one decision to roll up your sleeves goes a long way. Wherever you are on your business journey, don't miss the following posts.

Pic of the Week

This week's Pic of the Week post by our Features Editor Glen is especially motivating. Find out why.

 

Upcoming Events

• 22 Sept - Build your Business Plan Workshop
• 24 Sept - GIST Tech-I Deadline Approaching for this year's competition
• 27 Sept - Startup Weekend Alexandria

Make sure to check wamda.com/events, or follow @WamdaME on Twitter to stay updated about more events you can attend!

Entrepreneur of the Week

This week's 'Entrepreneur of the Week' is Hassine Labaeid of Saphon Energy, a Tunisian startup focusing on research and development in wind energy. Hassine chats with Wamda about the Saphonian, a zero-blade wind turbine they are currently developing, which is both affordable and allows for storing energy. To learn more about the Saphonian, and how Saphon Energy are in the market for manufacturers and distributors, watch his interview here.

Articles you Might have Missed

MarkaVIP Hits 2 Million Registered Users, Continues to Solve E-Commerce Issues in MENA

Launched less than 2 years ago, Jordan-based MarkaVIP already has 2 million registered users. Read this post to find out what they're doing right, and how they deal with returns, a problem affecting all e-commerces in the region.

Game Cooks Hits #1 Around the Globe with New Mobile Game Deja Vu

Brothers Lebnan and Arz Nader hit another homerun with their newest game Deja Vu, which has already been downloaded more than 400,000 times. Read more about it here.  

Translating High Fashion for the Arabic-Speaking Consumer: Rasha Khouri of DIA-Style [Wamda TV]

Rasha Khouri, CEO of DIA-Style, discusses what sets the brand apart and makes it a success, including translating products into Arabic, selecting partners, and even creating the first Arab dictionary for fashion terms. Watch her interview here. 

Is Social Media important for Social Good in Arabia? 5 Examples from Jordan

Founder of Nakhweh and Wamda contributor Kamel Al-Asmar discusses how Jordan-based NGOs have shifted from reluctance to highlight their work online, to becoming rolemodels in the use of social media for social good. Check out the five examples he provides here.

Summer School Takes Controversial Decision to Exclude Lebanese Entrepreneur

This week, the Global Entrepreneurship Summer School (GESS) took a very controversial decision to exclude prominent young Lebanese entrepreneur Abdallah Absi from their program, for a political comment made two years ago, on Facebook. Read more about the decision and how Lebanon's entrepreneurship community came to his defense here.

A Startup Energy Unique to MENA: Mike Butcher of TechCrunch [Wamda TV]

Mike Butcher of TechCrunch sits with Wamda to discuss the vibrant MENA startup scene, and how clone ideas can also be beneficial to the ecosystem. Watch his interview here. 

Does “Class” Matter in Entrepreneurial Success? A Call by Eric Ries

How do class, diversity, and meritocracy affect productivity and creativity in the entrepreneurial world? Read college instructor and Wamda contributor Gulay Ozkan's post on Eric Ries' call for diversity to know more.

Cashing In on Business: The Enterprise Opportunity for MENA Telecom Operators [REPORT]

MENA telecom operators are at an advantage when it comes to expanding their business. Find out why and what challenges lie ahead
here. 

 

Investing in E-Commerce Series

This week, we’ve posted the second entry of our Investing in E-Commerce series, from the Show Me the Money: Part 2 panel discussion held by Angel Investor and Wamda advisor Christopher Schroeder at our CoE E-Commerce event last June.

Investing in E-Commerce: Part 1 features Hummingbird venture partner Pamir Gelenbe who discusses how he proceeds to find good entrepreneurs in the MENA, and how he connected with Ahmad Khatib, through ‘unobvious connections’, and came to invest in MarkaVIP. 

Investing in E-Commerce: Part 2 features James Chan of Neoteny Labs, and Elie Habib of Riyada Enterprise Development and Aureos Capital. Chan discusses how he watches for social cues in order to define new markets, and Habib shares his account of the evolution of e-commerce in the MENA.