This week was all about looking outside to identify and adapt solutions to problems within local ecosystems. What are your thoughts about it? Where do you look for inspiration when faced with a challenge?

Pic of the Week

Throughout your entrepreneurial journey, you face challenges and opportunities that can make you so focused on your local surroundings that you forget to look outside for similarities and solutions. How can looking for internaitonal perspectives help you in your own ecosystem? Read our Features editor Glen's thoughts about it here.  

Upcoming Events

• 24 Nov - GEW Party 2012 - Lebanon Closing Event
• 26 Nov - Circumention Tech Summit in Tunis
• 26 Nov - rd C3 Consulting Program - Workshop 2 - Quick Start Your Social Enterprise
• 27 Nov - 3rd MYCONTENT Show in Dubai
• 27 Nov - The 5th Dubai World Game Expo

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

Entrepreneur of the Week

This week's 'Entrepreneur of the Week' is Hadeel Al Safadi of Newtoon in Gaza, the first Palestinian company specialized in cartoon animation. In her interview with Wamda, Hadeel explains that the secret to her success is a creative idea and a very dedicated team. In light of the recent events in Gaza we are featuring it here.

Articles you Might have Missed

Top 10 Tips from Wamda’s Mix n’ Mentor Events in Amman, Beirut & Dubai 

This month, we hosted 3 Mix N' Mentor events in Amman, Beirut, and Dubai where entrepreneurs got the chance to speak with mentors who shared experience and tips. Find out what the top 10 takeaways are here.

Nabbesh Wins du's The Entrepreneur, Looks to Expand Regionally

Nabbesh is a Dubai-based skills exchange community allowing job seekers to search for new opportunities by listing new talents and interests. And after two months of tough competition in du's reality TV competition The Entrepreneur, Nabbesh has finally won. Read more about Nabbesh and the prize here. 

Jordan's Hashdoc Goes for a Global Market

Hashdoc is the first online professional document storage and search site to launch in the Arab world. Founder Tarek Koudsi had already learned a lot from his family's hardware and software business in Jordan, but launching his own business took him out of his comfort home. So how did he manage to monetize in Jordan, and what are some tips he shares with other entrepreneurs? Find out here.

54 Hours Inside Bahrain’s Emerging Tech Startup Scene

Wamda contributor Leena AlOlaimy went to StartupWeekend Bahrain, where nine high-energy teams competed around the clock in the 54-hour challenge to win cash, get startup support, and earn a place among Bahrain’s leading techpreneurs. Who won what? Find out here.

Arabic Web Days Launches to Boost Arabic Web, Supported by Wamda and Partners

A new initiative to support Arabic content creation online has just launched with support from global and regional players including Wamda, Yamli, Vinelab, Taghreedat, and Google. Over the next month, Arabic Web Days will feature fun challenges in order to help create and share Arabic content. Read more about it here.

Tips from Silicon Valley for Entrepreneurs in the Arab World: MAKE Ignition Welcomes 500 Startups

"Whatever you do, don’t be an entrepreneur." was one of the tips Dave McClure, founder of seed fund 500Startups had to share at MAKE Ignition. What are the trends that are making entrepreneurial life easier? What are some hot customer segments to watch? Find out here.

Jordan's Snax Revolutionizes the Convenience Store

Serial entrepeneur Hazim Sarraf's Snax is not an ordinary neighborhood dukan. Not only is everything neatly stacked into organized rows, but Snax also offers healthy wraps, and even its own satellite radio station! Read more about what sets Snax apart here.

Can Kuwait Learn from Ghana? Lessons from the Second Startup Q8 Event

Attendee nationalities were very diverse for the second installment of StartupQ8, which brought an interesting mix of energy to the event where people from from Kuwait, India, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, and Poland discussed lean startups, and how Kuwait can learn from Ghana. To find out, read about it here. 

Why Jordan Looks More Like Kenya than Silicon Valley

With Kenya's Silicon Savannah and Jordan's Silicon Wadi so far apart and hailing from two different cultures, how are Kenya and Jordan's ecosystem similar? Find out here.

Planting an Eco-Friendly Coworking Space in Cairo

icehubs is an international coworking space brand with locations in Bauhaus, Germany and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and their latest installation is in Cairo with "icecairo". This new coworking space is different from others in that it focuses on environmental projects with the goal of building a “green community” in Cairo. Read more about it here.

Can Startappz Disrupt the Mobile Space in the Arab World?

How is N2V's newest investment vehicle encouraging the generation of new ideas from within a risk-free environment for experimentation? Read about Starappz here to find out more about how their smartest move was to focus on mobile.