Seven-cities childhood. This was my life growing up. My father’s career required moving around frequently. I moved from being the least excited kid to start a new school year to the most enticed as this meant discovering new places and making new friends. Besides flexibility, this taught me early on why and how people are different and to celebrate that diversity.

Driven by Curiosity. Anything that seemed complex and confusing attracted my attention, but physics and technology were the most fulfilling topics. I spent my teenage years reading science magazines, fixing broken phones and playing strategy games like Age of Empires. All of this was until the collapse of the stock market in 2014, which was the first time that finance piqued my interest.

I got hooked on financial markets. Markets were an endless stimulus for curiosity. 8 years later, I have even more questions than answers. It’s fascinating how every piece of information is perceived and simplified into one number that we call price. It’s almost impossible to draw linear relationships to predict price movement, a constant reminder to me that we live in a non-linear world.

Investment as a career. I knew from the days I started trading stocks that Investment was my path. Trying to approximate how much something is worth and portfolio allocation problems fueled me. The process started simple by researching companies that I liked, but quickly developed into trying to understand the macro picture, the different business models, accounting treatments, and all the valuation techniques and when & why to use them.

University years full of learning and ventures. My early interaction with the startup world was when I joined a fintech startup while at college. I saw first-hand how a young and small group of entrepreneurs was able to disrupt the industry. Also I was fortunate to help in creating a social startup, which grew from a small group of people meeting at university dorms to a sustainable, multi-university community, with an elite network of leaders and CEOs as mentors and advisors.

From price ticks to term sheets. A natural career progression for market enthusiasts is working in equity research and sure enough it didn't let me down. Initiating coverage on sectors and building financial models and recommendations were both fun and educating. However, when I first put my VC lenses on it showed another very interesting picture. I saw how new models and sectors emerge, how to deal with people beyond just financial models, as well as how to syndicate and close deals. 

Saudi and MENA Startup ecosystem is growing by all metrics. For me the most interesting dynamic is the massive inflow of talent recently. That wouldn't have been possible without a change in the social environment towards entrepreneurship, as well as a clear path to exit, which is materializing. This force will not only sustain the ecosystem growth but will accelerate it.

STV’s special environment. The diversity of the team’s backgrounds is fascinating, from tech and operations to strategy and financial market expertise. The mix is even amplified by the radically honest, flat and data-driven conversations. 

Disruption at scale. I’m excited about spaces that have seen the least disruption relative to their sizes, like the Financial, Insurance, and Real Estate markets. The potential is empowered and multiplied with the recent regulation-driven growth we are seeing in the local scene. 

Cultural empowerment I believe that a powerful tool to empower innovation and business growth is celebrating the actions. Whether building those engines led to failure or success, the action is what matters. We can’t, and shouldn't, intervene as a society to prevent financial loss, but we can reduce the social pressure of failure.  

Riyadh is full of wonders. Beside work, I enjoy discovering exciting places and activities around the city. Tasting new varieties of coffee is always on the top of that list and I love to give recommendations to visitors.

Hit me up if you are visiting or want to know more about the exciting places around!