Lessons From Two Decades in MENA Venture

Inside Araya Ventures’ Vision for Expanding Into MENA

In this Industry Voices episode, Kamyaar Butt [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamyaar/],, Investment Lead for GCC & US at Araya Ventures [https://araya.ventures/], shares Araya’s vision for expanding across MENA, what continues to attract the firm to the region, and why founder resilience, ambition, and local context are becoming defining advantages in emerging markets. From cross-border investing and ecosystem maturity to overlooked opportunities in logistics and the importance of global connectivity, Kamyaar unpacks what it takes to build and back startups across fast-evolving markets. To stay up to date with more stories like this, subscribe to our ⁠Newsletter⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]. An AI-narrated episode brought to you by ⁠Bayanat⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]—your front-row seat to MENA’s tech, startup, and investment ecosystem.

Telecom, the Internet, AI, and the Future of Humanity

In this Industry Voices episode, Osman Sultan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/osman-sultan/], founding CEO of du [https://www.du.ae/personal] and Mobinil, takes us across a career at the forefront of telecom, the internet, and now AI. From betting early on mass mobile adoption to rethinking telecom as a layer that “adds life to life,” Osman unpacks the strategic inflection points that shaped the industry. Today, as an AI investor and author exploring the existential questions of artificial intelligence, he shares a rare perspective on where technology is headed, and what it means for businesses, societies, and humanity itself. To stay up to date with more stories like this, subscribe to our ⁠Newsletter⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]. An AI-narrated episode brought to you by ⁠Bayanat⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]—your front-row seat to MENA’s tech, startup, and investment ecosystem.

Venture Capital Through an Operator’s Lens

In this Industry Voices episode, ⁠Waleed Abdel Shafy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/waleed-shafy/], investor at RAED Ventures [https://www.raed.vc/]⁠, shares his journey from operator to venture capitalist. From leading a retail turnaround and building ventures across healthcare and e-commerce to scaling tech platforms across markets, Waleed unpacks the lessons that shaped his approach to investing. He dives into evaluating founders through an operator’s lens, the importance of execution and team dynamics, and how VCs can truly support startups beyond capital. To stay up to date with more stories like this, subscribe to our ⁠Newsletter⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]. An AI-narrated episode brought to you by ⁠Bayanat⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]—your front-row seat to MENA’s tech, startup, and investment ecosystem.

Building the Intelligence System for Restaurants

In this Founder's Hustle episode, ⁠Dani El Zein [https://ae.linkedin.com/in/dani-el-zein-46494216]⁠, Co-founder & CEO at ⁠Supy⁠ [https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&pf=1&ai=DChsSEwixw_-M8aKTAxVzMQgFHW2YG8YYACICCAEQAhoCbWQ&co=1&ase=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsdnNBhC4ARIsAA_3hehywGPvs-GvPz7q6hVEJZZjnyX5WrdXz09Cp1dIy2Rx5ihe0yrF2PoaApetEALw_wcB&cid=CAASuwHkaGfxnTIcFq3FEoq8ijFqd--0VjQUML3Nctf8MQsLNfHS69z_JQrg-oJemcq3Aft-zMCfP3m5IyHnvu790By3zlors69yntjbSW_9l6xtp-IigEQ091H7ltA8mQ3NZWO6bEDy3CyFTJW7s81NFzDRN0xG9mNVX2SvgRZPExOXFsx7qVgyuJ_H3JNRil2kpPdgbc2qWosfUJFIllcV4XSiwtk3b-xmvkpZVI4Fe9NLAd5Pasjl6IoB41wS&cce=2&category=acrcp_v1_32&sig=AOD64_1W2fNH1EiX0Nz_bUPe6jPkRgyTBg&q&nis=4&adurl=https://supy.io/?utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_campaign%3Dbrand%26utm_term%3Dsupy%26utm_term%3Dsupy%26utm_campaign%3DBrand%26utm_source%3Dadwords%26utm_medium%3Dppc%26hsa_acc%3D6053872399%26hsa_cam%3D23345189469%26hsa_grp%3D196758035664%26hsa_ad%3D787702510932%26hsa_src%3Dg%26hsa_tgt%3Dkwd-328129777408%26hsa_kw%3Dsupy%26hsa_mt%3Dp%26hsa_net%3Dadwords%26hsa_ver%3D3%26gad_source%3D1%26gad_campaignid%3D23345189469%26gbraid%3D0AAAAA_X7ll3kBg1szFfjQ9A9RY2b0hhbb%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwsdnNBhC4ARIsAA_3hehywGPvs-GvPz7q6hVEJZZjnyX5WrdXz09Cp1dIy2Rx5ihe0yrF2PoaApetEALw_wcB&ved=2ahUKEwiz-PiM8aKTAxUfkYkEHW3NNloQ0Qx6BAgLEAE], takes us inside the journey of building a restaurant intelligence platform from scratch. From his pivot out of investment banking to launching Supy from a real problem he faced as a restaurant owner, Dani shares the unfiltered story behind the company’s near-reset, raising $9.5M with zero revenue, and scaling across global markets. From navigating product-market fit to building what he calls the “brain” for restaurant operations, Dani breaks down what it really takes to build, pivot, and win in one of the toughest industries. To stay up to date with more stories like this, subscribe to our ⁠Newsletter⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]. An AI-narrated episode brought to you by ⁠Bayanat⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]—your front-row seat to MENA’s tech, startup, and investment ecosystem.

Lessons From Two Decades in MENA Venture

In this Industry Voices episode, ⁠Issa Aghabi [https://ae.linkedin.com/in/iaghabi]⁠, Founding Partner at ⁠Access Bridge Ventures [https://access-bridge.com/]⁠, reflects on two decades in MENA venture capital. From stumbling into the industry before it took off to launching a $35M pre-Series A fund, Issa shares lessons on capital discipline, the realities behind venture returns, and why humility, execution, and long-term relationships matter more than chasing unicorns. To stay up to date with more stories like this, subscribe to our ⁠Newsletter⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]. An AI-narrated episode brought to you by ⁠Bayanat⁠ [https://www.bayanat.pro/]—your front-row seat to MENA’s tech, startup, and investment ecosystem.