The Arab Women in Computing Association is working on a research for the region. This presentation stated the challenges and showcased solutions happening on the ground.

1. Women
Entrepreneurs
in
the
Arab
World
Experience
by
@rchakaki
May
25
2013
at
NYUAD
1
Monday, May 27, 13
I use a new version of Presentations .. in an age of shrinking
attention spans.. pictures speak a thousand words.. so here it is..
in pictures..
for all the reasons Rhoda, Sana and Nadereh listed.. I will start
with my role model.. but first..

2. Contributions
• Egypt -Reham Nasser - HP Enterprise Services
• Jordan - Salwa Katkhuda - Oasis 500
• Marianne A. Azer, - Assistant Professor, School of Communications and IT
- Nile University Egypt
• Palestine - Abeer D. Abu Ghaith - Stay Linked
• Saudi -Badir Program - Noor A. Al-Abdulkarim
• UAE - Zayed University - Dr. Manar Abu Talib & Dr. Muna Barachi
Monday, May 27, 13
Thank you to all who contributed.. Their perspectives on challenges helped formulate the
presentation.

3. Monday, May 27, 13
This was my role model.. my grandmother was the one of the first female glider
pilots in the Arab World. Her plane crashed, and after her recovery she flew
again.
Therefore I have a genetic bias towards seeing the positive. Consider this a
disclaimer..
On Sana’s recommendations, I have presented the collective sighted challenges.
But I will state up front that I see them as opportunities and will present
examples of how entrepreneurs in the region have tackled these challenges.
For every one example there are 5-10 others that I haven’t presented..

4. Examine the narrative - the challenge
change the way you look at things and the things you look at change
Monday, May 27, 13
I’d like to suggest that our primary challenge is in our resistance to change our
perspective. I’m betting my career on it! There are challenges.. but there are
solutions to every challenge.
My experience summarized by the next photo further solidifies my commitment
to intelligent optimism.

5. Monday, May 27, 13
1 million dollars in a year in online fundraising, a 2 fold growth in the
endowment while spending on treatment of hundreds of children and building a
cancer treatment center and a cardiac treatment center. Tech-enabled
organization & campaigning.

6. Monday, May 27, 13
1. Last year, at the conference, a speaker from AUB Opened my eyes to this
fact. The Killer of innovation in our world = CONSUMER CULTURE - we are
raising consumers instead of producers with management experience..

7. Monday, May 27, 13
You learn to manage if you start early and practice.. Management Experience.. in the
US, they are starting businesses as early as age 7.
Here’s a business I learned about recently in the US.

8. Monday, May 27, 13
This was started by a 7-year old.
Started barakabits an online news source that enables youth to contribute content and
be creators rather than content consumers.

9. Intelligent Optimism - The other narrative - Good News from the Middle East
baraka
bits
hopeful
aspirational
inspirations
intelligent
spirited
sustainable
traditional
fun
creative
healthy
collaborative
GOOD
inspirations
clean
Monday, May 27, 13
Reaching out to schools and universities to get contributions from students.
before they get jaded, become negative and demoralized.

10. Monday, May 27, 13
2. Financial Acumen of Entrepreneurs was another reason sighted by researchers - A
general lack of understanding of investment.. Nima saw it as an opportunity

11. Monday, May 27, 13
She educates people of all ages and social groups on managing their finance
through a web platform and off line events. By engaging mainstream business
with UAE Save Week and other activities on cashy, Nima created a “different”
sustainability model for her company.. NO investors.. All sponsors.

12. Monday, May 27, 13
3. Access to finance is another challenge - only 5% successfully attained funding. Most
do financial Management by crisis, paying from their own pockets till they’re dry.
Women Entrepreneurs don’t know how to ask without feeling shy about it

13. Monday, May 27, 13
A network of women (some featured above) collaborate and created a WOMEN
CENTRIC INVESTMENT Network - The women entrepreneurs adopt and
encourage a collaborative culture as well as finance others.

14. Monday, May 27, 13
4. GOVERNMENT & LEGAL - Navigating the legal system to license a business

15. Monday, May 27, 13
Take the path of least resistance.. You are not breaking the law by starting your
prototype before you register. You only need the law when you start making money.
The little Engineer founder - Rana El Chamaitelly showed us how to build first
then structure. When she presented at the 4site forum in 2009, she didn’t have
a business, but had already done a few competitions with schools. - LEGAL..
To do that.. you need Gumption, perseverance, communication skills, relations with the media..

16. Monday, May 27, 13
6. MOUNTING SOCIAL CHALLENGES - inadequately addressed by society and
government. Social entrepreneurs.. trying to solve them with technology.
They either view you as competition or don’t understand the sector.. eEducation,
crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, gaming .. let alone any innovative devices are unheard
of and don’t have licenses.

17. Monday, May 27, 13
Ingy Ghuzlan is one of the co-founders of Harras Map.. like many other young
ladies throughout the region, she is taking advantage of the perceived
“Disadvantage”. She’s changing the narrative and using technology to do so..

18. Monday, May 27, 13
7, COMPETITION & Unattractive market for women - View that the market is Highly
competitive.. when in fact there’s tremendous opportunity in green field spaces

19. Monday, May 27, 13
1. Understand the competition.. WAMDA RESEARCH - why are girls opting out of
computing?
2. if it’s staying at home.. then give them alternatives of working part-time, examples of
women who started computer business, worked from home..
3. Who are their role models in the field?

20. Monday, May 27, 13
Dropouts are at the top of the field! Great business role models.. they had valid reasons for leaving
school, our youth don’t know the reasons and circumstances.

21. Monday, May 27, 13
Bring the private sector to universities - THE SMEs & new sector companies - Cross
pollenate incubators - engage mainstream business with university with social
entrepreneurs and government in one go. Reaching out and connecting with Uni
students to solve problems in hiring.. and build capacity at a younger age.

22. Monday, May 27, 13
Showcase workspaces.. this is GOOGLE’s space.. make it fun, and make it
simple.. and attainable.. this isn’t just for companies in high income places..
this applies to palestinian territories and Irbil..

23. Monday, May 27, 13
Glam sells! Not advocating that all CS women & entrepreneurs look like this,
but these are people they aspire to be emulate. Make it look good for aspiring
teenagers. Marissa Mayer. These are not the images of CEOs of tech companies
in the arab world, but some should be.

24. Monday, May 27, 13
8. COMPETITION & women not supporting each other.. - Unfortunately women
aren’t always supportive of each other in the work place, it all depends on the
personality. says Marianne Azer Assistant Prof. IT & Comm. - Nile University -
Egypt this was paralleled by research from the UAE (Anonymous respondent).
Fact in some places, but can be influenced to change.. more importantly..

25. Monday, May 27, 13
evident by the success of the online campaign for “intifadat almar’ah” a viral
network that is strong among arab women and their supporters..
That’s one small example of a huge collaborative movement in the tech / web
space. We are connectors.

26. Monday, May 27, 13
Other examples exist in SA, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain. We collaborate with women
across the region who support us in proposals, grant requests, training and
countless other activities.. Grow the pie, and show how collaboration helps all.

27. Monday, May 27, 13
9. Language is a barrier for most of the population.. whether they speak arabic
OR english and target an arab audience.

28. Monday, May 27, 13
This time last year, we met one example of a solution for language barrier,
there are many others relevant to the problems identified.

29. Monday, May 27, 13
11. Salwa Katkhuda of Oasis500 sighted the following challenges in her
research..
Long working hours
Transportation
Being taken seriously
Working side-by-side with men
Stereotyping “weaker gender”
Social restrictions “family roles” - is an issue imposed by families and witnessed
by employees as noted by a participant in the UAE Research
Working outside the home.. this was paralleled by views from the UAE.. Fatima
Al Dhaheri a network engineer from AD Marine Operating company.. “can’t go to
oil drilling sites to do work”

30. Monday, May 27, 13
Again an opportunity! for Jordan.. If lady-driven taxis exist in the UAE and
solve the transport issue for young college females, then the same can work in
Jordan.. doesn’t solve all the problems, but you see where I’m going.. there are
solutions to any problem. It’s a matter of perspective.
Saudi and Palestine’s transportation issues are another story...

31. Monday, May 27, 13
It is just not happening in Saudi.. Women’s mobility is limited. SO WHAT?

32. Monday, May 27, 13
The book states that being isolated from their neighbors, economic sanctions
and immobility as the reason why their telecom, mobile and distance learning
sectors have thrived.

33. highest consumption of youtube in the world is SAUDI - arabnet
Monday, May 27, 13
78% of the population penetration - saudi satire programs are all over
youtube.. started by women, funded by women, hosted by women. more can be
done..
building channels
building video related products
building video related mobile apps

34. Monday, May 27, 13
In Palestine the issue of transportation is huge. Entrepreneurs can spend
hours a day on Qalandia and other checkpoints. They live in Isolation
from Role Models, Mentors and sponsors. But also their business!
67 women gave birth at the checkpoint in 5 years! Someone saw this as
an opportunity..

35. Monday, May 27, 13
Visualizing Palestine co-founder Joumana Jabri creates infographics from big-data
about palestine social challenges and spreads them on the web using social networks.
There are many like her.. so .. Support social entrepreneurs with technology. Help them
solve or shed light on our social and environmental challenges.

36. Monday, May 27, 13
On the same issue of “hanging out at checkpoints” a conversation with the
Welfare Association’s Youth Employment Services The Audibale Idea came up. -
Masmoo3.com is out there.. If you’re stuck at a checkpoint, listen to a book on
audio. Get an education in the car. It’s not the ideal situation, but it is a
creative solution.

37. Monday, May 27, 13
Odeh Quraan who’s supported by the Welfare Association's Investment in
Entrepreneurs didn’t find information locally, and couldn’t travel.. online universities
and open source forums. SELF Taught.. now teaching others.. because we have him in
the media spotlight.. team is 50% female

38. Monday, May 27, 13
12. A “brick and mortar” investment ecosystem favoring tangible easily understood,
and well packaged investments That coupled with A push to invest abroad - banks
securing their investments in silicon valley rather than silicon oasis

39. Monday, May 27, 13
• We must showcase the “Geek” community & culture - Arabnet is starting it.. but we
need more of it, a school levels, and more.. make it tangible.. Convince friends and
family before seeking outside funding. use the media to reach a broader audience..

40. featured 120 tech entrepreneurs on radio
Monday, May 27, 13
This time last year I recommended we engage the media.. since then, we have
used our platform on the radio to feature nearly 120 tech & IT entrepreneurs

41. Monday, May 27, 13
There’s a wealth of untapped stories.. and a starved media.. within 2 years we
had our stories on CNN, BBC, TED, Forbes, Grazia, MBC, The National, WSJ and
others.. fill channels with

42. Monday, May 27, 13
• Communication skills training, support & media platforms

43. GROWING
THE PIE
Monday, May 27, 13
We have Startup nations and we have a wealth of opportunity
to create companies in education, social, economical,
environmental
There’s a global trend to look at women different.. BCG sponsored a book
We are not men who wear skirts! its a huge market... creating products by
women for women..

44. Monday, May 27, 13
Alexandra Tohmeh - founder of The Perfect fit is tapping into the largest
purchasing market in the region with her eCommerce site after finding out that
Victoria’s Secrete success in the Saudi market.

45. Monday, May 27, 13
Founders of Super Mama Yasmine. Mehairy and Zeinab Samir are taking
advantage of untapped markets and using their strength in numbers as a
competitive advantage

46. a global competitive disadvantage
Arab . Female . Scientist . Entrepreneur . Emerging Market
Monday, May 27, 13
Change the narrative means looking at our “labels and challenges as
strengths”.. The media loves Buzzwords, labels, stereotypes.. use them to our
advantage to gain traction..

47. Monday, May 27, 13
This woman knows how to do it. She’s Arab - Female - Scientist - Entrepreneur - in a Green-field
There’s a buzz around entrepreneurship globally... tap into it.
Entrants into science are on the decline globally.. conservation and affirmative action efforts.
Women + Arab and you got the media’s attention..
The web is virtually unexplored.. as are opportunities for women businesses on it. Example Glambox,
Dia,

48. developments & recommendations
It is in the contemplation of power that you manifest this power.
Monday, May 27, 13
Focus on what’s going right and expand that rather than tackle the barriers. Examine success stories
and grow them..

49. Monday, May 27, 13
• collaborate with Wamda and others - They’re helping women network across the
region..
• SME funds across the region (MBC, Khalifa Fund, Others in BA, SA, QA)
• Tap into business plan competitions - Dubai University, Dubai4Acumen, MIT, NYUAD
Hackathon
• incubators (SA, Egypt, LB, Jo)

50. Monday, May 27, 13
• coaching & mentoring (mowgli, C3, Dulani, iConsult)
Focus on Building RIGHT skills - Capacity Building - work/life balance..
speaking in the board room, climbing the corporate ladder.. applying for
research grants, networking, communicating in the media.. collaborating on
research, Self-esteem & self-confidence development..
you can’t do it alone.. and without money..

51. Miracles come in moments.
Be ready and willing.
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
Monday, May 27, 13
Social Enterprise Opportunity - GREEN FIELDS
See opportunity = not competition - Help existing organizations scale. Scaling the organization with a
robust IT infrastructure in Palestine, using web tools, connecting to donors, building in-house
competencies, big data analysis we see over 200 children a week in our medical field work. we have
huge amounts of data on them.... medical research transformation to identify source and fix root of
the problem.

52. Monday, May 27, 13
Welfare30 - Envisioned and implemented a campaign to celebrate 30 years of achievement creates a
storytelling platform featuring hundreds of stories from Palestine and launching the association into
the digital age.
The change in narrative and positive focus yielded the organization 1.8 million USD in an event where
expected returns were 300k USD. The Key difference, the way they communicated. POSITIVE. Now
we’re working with them to grow that success through online fundraising and an angel investment
network for entrepreneurs in Palestine.

53. Intelligent Optimism - The other narrative - Good News from the Middle East
baraka
bits
hopeful
aspirational
inspirations
intelligent
spirited
sustainable
traditional
fun
creative
healthy
collaborative
GOOD
inspirations
clean
Monday, May 27, 13
For the research, I ask you to simplify it, look for the
positive and highlight it, couple all challenges with
solutions. Thank you!

54. References
• What
the
Arab
Spring
has
done
for
women’s
equality,
in
one
chart
-­‐
h=p://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/
worldviews/wp/2012/10/25/what-­‐the-­‐arab-­‐spring-­‐has-­‐done-­‐for-­‐womens-­‐equality-­‐in-­‐one-­‐chart/
• Constraints
and
opportuniGes
facing
women
entrepreneurs
in
developing
countries:
A
relaGonal
perspecGve
-­‐
by
Dima
Jamali
-­‐
Olayan
School
of
Bussiness,
American
University
of
Beirut,
Beirut,
Lebanon
-­‐
h=p://
eprints.soton.ac.uk/176955/1/ConstraintsandOpportuniGesFacingWomenEntrepreneurs.pdf
• Women
Entrepreneurs
in
the
Middle
East
and
North
Africa:
CharacterisGcs,
ContribuGons
and
Challenges
-­‐
h=p://
www.cawtar.org/Assets/Documents/pdf/Women_Entrepreneurs_in_the_ME_Jun07.pdf
•
MoGvaGonal
Factors
for
Female
Entrepreneurs
in
the
United
Arab
Emirates
-­‐
h=p://
www.europeanbusinessreview.com/?p=7797
• h=p://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/07/10/arab-­‐women/
•
40%
of
entrepreneur
companies
in
Jordan
in
the
last
two
years
are
women
-­‐
h=p://www.alhurra.com/content/
itech-­‐techwomen-­‐usa-­‐arab-­‐women/222114.html
• Empowering
Women
Entrepreneurs
in
the
Middle
East:
Sowing
the
Seeds
for
Democracy
Development
post-­‐Arab
Spring
-­‐
h=p://heyitsamyontumblr.tumblr.com/post/33980681556/arabwomeninvestment
• 3
Arab
Women
Taking
over
the
InternaGonal
Tech
Scene
-­‐
h=p://www.entrepreneurlevant.com/3-­‐arab-­‐women-­‐
taking-­‐over-­‐the-­‐internaGonal-­‐tech-­‐scene/
• Other
references:
Good
Magazine,
Utne,
Intelligent
OpGmism
&
Barakabits
• (AN
photo)
-­‐h=p://www.arabnews.com/node/449664
• BCG
-­‐
What
women
want
• Booz
&
Co.
-­‐
Empowering
the
third
billion
54
Monday, May 27, 13