Ecosystem Arabia captures the perspectives, insights, and ideas of over 100 of the most influential international thought leaders and experts on developing thriving startup and tech ecosystems, as well as some of the most prominent public and private figures in the Arab world.
Through hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders—including global and local leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, accelerators, service providers, media professionals, educators, policy-makers, and ministers—it distills the key drivers of building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem anywhere.
Amir Hegazi uses the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as his research laboratory and case study of a thriving ecosystem in the making. His underlying findings, however, can be used in any environment to drive innovation and transformation. Overall, this book provides a principled, well-structured, and practical approach to seeing and navigating such a complex topic using a comprehensive, multi-lens perspective that is unlike common methods.
Ecosystem Arabia examines:
- the building blocks of a thriving ecosystem
- what is not working in ecosystem development globally
- the current state of the MENA startup and tech ecosystem, its evolution and outlook
- where are the gaps in such areas as funding, talent, cost, and regulations
- the main challenges entrepreneurs face in this region and what can be done to tackle them
- how to attract international talent, companies, and investment
- how to foster practical education and 21st century skills training
- how to create a more innovation-friendly culture and regulations
- the most exciting sectors and tech opportunities in this part of the world
- international best practices on ecosystem development
Ecosystem Arabia provides a comprehensive blueprint of how communities, cities, and countries can approach nurturing and growing their own new, knowledge-based economies. Whether you’re a global-minded entrepreneur or investor interested in tapping opportunities in MENA; an educator or policy-maker seeking a more holistic understanding of the inner workings of ecosystem development; or an ecosystem builder looking to be more impactful—this book is for you.
Amir Hegazi is a lifelong entrepreneur, with over 20 years of startup, tech, e-commerce, and digital media experience. He is the Managing Partner of intoMENA Group, a consulting firm that helps international companies do business into the MENA region. Amir was previously the Director of Marketplace at Souq.com, the region's largest e-commerce platform (recently acquired by Amazon.com). He helped build Souq. com's marketplace from the ground up to account for a sizable portion of overall sales volume. He is also one of the early pioneers of digital media in the region, having launched the largest online TV network in the Arab world at such companies as JumpTV and Talfazat. He is also an adviser on tech startups, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and go-to-market and e-commerce strategies for ministers, policy-makers, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. He is the Author of Amazon.com bestseller Startup Arabia, which was recognized as one of the top global startup books of 2019. Amir is Egyptian-American. He grew up in California and has been living and working in MENA since 2005.
