Wamda

What did startups learn at Astrolabs' recent workshop in Amman?

After their first Scaling Online Startups (SOS) workshop in Dubai this past May, and subsequent workshops in Riyadh and Beirut,...

Astrolabs Workshops Marketing

Addy raises $320K in Silicon Valley, launches address system for Middle East e-commerce

When we last checked in with Addy last summer, the startup was generating buzz after debuting at Stanford’s StartX Demo Day for its...

Addressing Mobile E-commerce

Meet the 6 social startups joining virtual incubator i2i from across Pakistan

[Note:this photo is of i2i's first class of startups, which graduated this January]. When Plan9 began incubating its first class of...

Incubator Support Organizations Accelerators

Can new media site Beacon create good revenue streams for longform journalists?

Beacon, billing itself as a new kind of media outlet, launched last week to considerable fanfare. The site works on a subscription...

revenue streams Citizen Journalism

PayPal Insights e-commerce report reveals trends in mobile, travel in the Middle East

The idea that mobile is the future of e-commerce isn’t new, but it may surprise some to learn that shoppers in the Gulf already p...

Mobile Penetration Travel Mobile

6 people entrepreneurs should look for at a networking event

Dubai is an unusual place. The startup scene is small but growing rapidly, the majority of people are expats, and there are dozens...

Algerian and Egyptian startups help travelers sell products from abroad; is this model scalable?

The Arab world is no stranger to luggage that's filled to almost bursting. Many travelers return from trips abroad with kilos of purchases...

collaborative economy Sharing Economy Shipping

Jordan

Can e-commerce site Cazamoda overcome the challenges of family business?

As a market for e-commerce builds in the region, many offline retailers are considering going online to launch their own e-commerce...

Challenges Logistics Namshi

Why Bee Labs' new game is one of the hottest from the Arab world this year

Jordan’s Bee Labs is determined to crack the Arab gaming market. Of all of the games that have launched in the Arab world this year, they m...

Mobile Gaming Gaming

This Algerian woman needs your vote to win a Harvard competition today

Algerian college student Meriem Chehih wasn’t taught how to code in high school. “Here in Algeria, we don’t study computers in high ...

Healthcare Health Mobile

Weekly Wrap-Up: September 15-19

The 12 most emotional moments of launching a startup Creating a unique product and successfully navigating your startup through tough...

Weekly Wrap-Up

Startup in Palestine launches crowdfunding campaign for rooftop farming in refugee camps

During one of her stints conducting field research in the Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Lebanon in support of her...

The 12 most emotional moments of launching a startup

Launching your own company anywhere, let alone in the Arab world, is hardly a walk in the park; it's not easy to create a unique product,...

Fun GIFs

How to better understand your customers by creating personas

The success of any company directly hinges on how well it serves it customer base. One way to get a better handle on who, exactly, the...

personas Customer Acquisition

Startup news ticker: TA Telecom wins Mobile Merit Awards and Google acquires Bump

Welcome to Wamda's weekly startup news ticker, which will offer quick announcements and stories relevant to the region. If you have a quick...

news Facebook Investment

How is the Arab world using smartphones? [Infographic]

Two phones out of five in the Middle East are smartphones, according to new data from the International Data Corporation. But how...

Uber vs. Careem: as Goliath storms Dubai, can David own Saudi Arabia?

When Careem announced $1.7 million in investment from STC Ventures last week, it seemed like a timely response to the entrance of its...

Rivalries Car Service Transportation

Don't overthink your startup's social media strategy

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “I want our social media to be exactly like Just Falafel. I know we are not in the s...

Social Networks Social Media

What do employers look for on social media? [Infographic]

Global

Thought Leadership