Category: News

Yamli’s Habib Haddad On World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders 2009 List

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World Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum has announced the Young Global Leaders (YGL) 2009. The honour, bestowed each year by the Forum, recognizes and acknowledges between 200 and 300 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

The Forum has nominated Young Global Leaders from 71 countries, including business leaders, as well as leaders from government, academia, non-profit organizations, media and society. The new class represents all regions: East Asia (54), Europe (58), the Middle East and North Africa (12), North America (45), South Asia (24), sub-Saharan Africa (20) and Latin America (17). For a list of YGLs honoured in 2009, click here.

Habib HaddadOn this list we find one of our very own: Habib Haddad, co-founder of Yamli. Habib is behind the original idea behind Yamli, and today drives Yamli’s vision of empowering the Arabic language and users on the web. His responsibilities span from product strategy and design to business development.

Habib often speaks about early stage development and entrepreneurship, and has spoken at venues such as the Harvard Business School, Boston College and the American University of Beirut. He currently sits on the advisory board of Meedan, a non-profit startup that aims to enable cross-cultural dialogs online.

Commenting on the nomination, Habib said: “I am honored to be selected as a Young Global Leader and I am eager to engage with the YGL community. I have always been passionate about entrepreneurship and hope that along with fellow YGLs, we will be able to help foster entrepreneurship activities in the Middle East and North Africa. I am also excited to continue to promote the Arabic web, which I believe has a bright future lying ahead.”

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2009 were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, comprising 31 eminent international media leaders. 

The 2009 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders that currently comprises 480 outstanding individuals. The YGLs convene at biannual summits, as well as Forum events and meetings throughout the year, and collaborate on initiatives to tackle some of the key challenges of our generation.

Big congratulations to Habib Haddad for this honour; it’s very well deserved.

Intel To Invest In Three UAE Based Technology Companies

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IntelIntel, the world’s largest maker of computer chips, announced it will be investing in three UAE-based technology companies.

The funding will come from the $50 million Intel Capital Middle East and Turkey Fund, and is aimed to assist the companies in pursuing regional growth and development plans in addition to extending their product offerings. 

The three companies that will be benefiting from Intel Capital’s investment are as follows:

  • Conservus International FZ-LLC: An IT/Media marketing company that is responsible for the conceptualization, design and development of a revolutionary digital targeted advertising medium known as MyConservus Portal. (Conservus is also an IV Holdings portfolio company)
  • Pulse Technologies FZ-LLC: A leading manufacturer of building automation systems, specifically catering to property and hotel developers across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe.
  • Vertex Animation Studio FZ-LLC: A cutting edge technology firm focused on providing world-class services in the field of animation, virtual reality applications and 3D multiplatform games via a multitude of technological platforms.

The size of the investments was not disclosed.

Under the Intel Capital program, Intel plans to continue supporting local entrepreneurship in the Middle East through its investments in education, digital accessibility and specialized technical competencies.

“We have a strong pipeline for future investments in the region,” Feroz Sanaulla, director of Intel Capital’s Middle East, Turkey and Africa division, said during a press conference. “Several hundred million dollars have been deployed in the region, and you will see more in the next few months.”

Viva To Launch Mobile Payment Solution In Kuwait

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VivaSTC’s Kuwaiti subsidiary Viva announced that it will be launching a new mobile payment solution in Kuwait, using a platform provided by Irish firm Macalla.

Viva, the third mobile operator in Kuwait, which launched services in December of last year, will provide payment services in Arabic and English directly to Viva subscribers and also via its dealer and agent network.

Rollout of the project will be done through a number of phases, and service channels will include mobile, kiosks and online, with supporting payments done by mobile wallet, cash, debit or credit card.

STC operates telecom networks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Africa and Malaysia, and will launch a mobile network in Bahrain, but has not stated yet whether it will extend the same mobile commerce service to its other subsidiaries.

[Source: Comm.]

Du Launches Full Track ‘Music on Demand’ Service In The UAE

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duDu, the integrated telecom operator in the UAE, just announced the availability of Music on Demand, an online music service which allows du customers to download full track music content.

The initial launch of Music on Demand features over 2000 songs from Rotana’s leading Arabic artists, such as Husain Al Jassmi, Amr Diab, Elissa, Najwa Karam, Shireen and many more, made available for du customers to download on their mobile handsets or personal computers. All du customers who register for Music on Demand will receive free full track music downloads worth AED18.

du plan to grow their full track music library soon, to allow customers to download music from other genres and regions of the world through partnering with leading content providers.

Rotana, the leading provider of Arabic entertainment content in the region, signed an exclusive agreement with du in 2008 to offer all content from its library to du’s customers in the UAE. For as little as AED 6, du customers can purchase full music tracks via 3 new exciting channels – a web portal, a Mobile client, or a PC application. Once songs are purchased, customers can download the same song on any of these 3 channels mentioned above, making this an industry leading “Music on Demand” offering.

All the customer needs to do is to register at the website to get access to the service and start downloading music, streaming audio and video from Rotana channels and have access to the latest buzz and gossip in the Arabic entertainment world.

IV Holdings Invests In Media & Advertising Company MediaScope

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MediaScopeInteractive Ventures Holding Company (“IV Holdings”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Accelerator Technology Holdings (“ATH”), has become a strategic financial investor in MediaScope Ltd, a pioneering digital marketing and publishing company based in Jordan with operations across the Middle East.

Founded in 1994 by Jordanian entrepreneur Zeid Nasser, MediaScope holds a leadership position in media and advertising consultancy and publishing in its home market, and has recently expanded its business model to cater to online publishing, digital marketing and sales services.

“With global online adspend expected to reach over US$60 billion in 2011, MediaScope holds the potential of driving the growth of this industry within our region, especially as Internet penetration, entrepreneurial start-ups, and market confidence in online communications continue to grow across the Arab World”, said Fawaz H. Zu’bi, Chairman of IV Holdings. “With this investment, MediaScope will be able to leverage its acquired digital sales and marketing expertise to emerge as a leading regional digital media network.“

One of MediaScope’s most prominent products is mediaME.com, the Middle East’s first and leading user-generated portal for advertising and media professionals, which boasts over 4,500 registered professionals, with influence in key advertising markets in the Arabian Gulf and Levant.

Commenting on the partnership, Zeid Nasser, Founder and CEO of MediaScope, added that “We are proud to join this fraternity of forward-looking media and technology businesses, under the IV Holdings banner. We were looking for more than just funding, and we have found the industry-specific understanding and daily involvement we were seeking.”

“This year could be a defining one for the online advertising industry across the world, but particularly in the Middle East, as digital media could flourish through its cost effectiveness and unparalleled reach, amidst a slowdown in other forms of media expenditure. We at MediaScope, through our digital media products and services, will be championing an industry shift towards digital and serving the market from a new base in the Gulf, in addition to our home base in the Levant,” concluded Mr. Nasser.

Social Entrepreneur of the Year Competition 2009 – Middle East & North Africa

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Schwab Foundation for Social EntrepreneurshipThe Schwab Foundation is running a competition, looking for the Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2009 from the different regions of the world.

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a not-for-profit, independent and neutral organization, founded in 1998, with the purpose to advance social entrepreneurship and to foster social entrepreneurs as an important catalyst for societal innovation and progress.

The most important criteria to be considered a finalist are:

  • An innovative product or service
  • An idea that has been sustained through a successful infrastructure
  • The implemented idea has a direct social impact
  • You were able to reach beyond the initial context
  • Your idea is applicable to other situations, regions and countries

The winners will be included in the Schwab Foundation network of social entrepreneurs. This includes access to a peer network of social entrepreneurs, special benefits such as pro-bono consulting services and scholarships to executive education courses at world-class institutions such as Harvard Business School, Stanford University and INSEAD.

The winners will also be invited to one regional meeting of the World Economic Forum.

Excellent finalists or winners under 40 will also be nominated to the Young Global Leaders network of the World Economic Forum. Worldclass social entrepreneurs will be invited to join the global social entrepreneur community, which includes the possibility to be invited to the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos and to contribute to the Global Agenda Councils of the Forum.

For more information on the competition and the detailed criteria to join, you can check out the competition site.

The deadline for submissions from the Middle East and North Africa is February 16th 2009, and you can apply online here.

RIP Fadi Francis Dababneh, Founder & CEO of SouqElArab.com

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Fadi Francis DababnehFadi Francis Dababneh, founder & CEO of SouqElArab, has passed away.

I only met Fadi a couple of times in person, but we got to talk many times and know each other over the internet, and something I admired about him was that he was a true entrepreneur; very passionate about his work, a hard worker, a true believer, a risk taker and strongly determined to succeed, sticking to his objectives through the hard and good times.

Fadi, as you can read in this profile that he wrote himself, was an academic lecturer at the German-Jordanian University, an entrepreneur behind businesses like Fast Print and SouqElArab.com, and a highly qualified e-commerce professional. 

The Arab entrepreneur community has lost a great entrepreneur and a very helpful and kind person.

Fadi, God bless you and may you rest in peace.

My deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences go out to Fadi’s wife, family and loved ones.

Tunisia: Number Of Internet Users Reaches 2.8 Million

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TunisiaThe number of internet users has reached nearly 2,8 Million and the ADSL networking rate stands at 11,1 Gigabits per second, said Mrs Lamia Chaffai Sghaier, the Secretary of State in charge of computers and free software at the opening of the first edition of “2009 Technology Days on information systems” (JTSI 2009), which began at the El Ghazala technological park a couple of days ago.

The aim of the event is to offer a space of exchange and reflection to the many economic stakeholders involved in ICT. JTSI 2009 presents a number of case studies, discussion panels and workshops.

The Secretary of State talked about the government’s push to boost ICT among industrial units with a view of increasing their competitiveness and creating employment opportunities; as well as the development of the ADSL basic infrastructure services, through the use of optic fibres, to cover 300 industrial areas.

She also said that the government has launched a program aimed at generalizing the use of the internet within the administration through the creation of specialized computer centres.
The setup of an integrated administrative network is currently underway, she said.

[Source: Tunisia Online News]

ABAN Signs MoUs To Set Up Three New Business Angel Networks In MENA Region

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ABANThe Arab Business Angels Network (ABAN), established by the Young Arab Leaders (YAL) with Dubai International Capital as its founder and lead investor, recently announced the signing of three strategic memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with companies in the MENA region to collaboratively work towards establishing three new business angel networks in the region.

ABAN’s agreement with the Saudi-based Siraj Capital in Jeddah and the National Enterprise Centre (NEC-Centennial Fund) in Riyadh, as well as the Beirut-based Bader Lebanon will facilitate the creation of the Jeddah Business Angels Network, Riyadh Business Angels Network, and the Lebanese Business Angels Network respectively.

ABAN will counsel the three partner companies on various aspects of establishing and maintaining a local Business Angels Network in their respective cities. The key components of their knowledge transfer will include full technical support and skill-set training, extensive onsite training on global best practices for recruiting angel investors, screening investment opportunities, and nurturing a spirit of entrepreneurialism within the organizational structure. ABAN will also equip each of the three partner networks with a training manual on effective practices to maintain day-to-day operations.

Other than sharing the responsibility of due diligence activities such as screening potential angel investors and seeding ventures, ABAN will be invited to participate in the three new networks’ future matchmaking events, opening up a new pool of seed capital for ABAN’s network. The events will help provide an organized and professional platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their companies to potential angel investors.

Al Jazeera Goes Mobile In Both English And Arabic

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Al JazeeraAl Jazeera today announced the beta launch of its Arabic and English Mobile websites.  The websites will work on any mobile handset that has web browsing capabilities.  

Users can access the websites through their mobile phones and devices at the following addresses: for English news http://m.aljazeera.net and for Arabic news http://ma.aljazeera.net.

The mobile websites will provide Al Jazeera headline news, business reports, sports coverage and more.

This is yet another push by Al Jazeera to make their content more accessible and to get it out there through all existing channels, in order to broaden their reach and pass the information to as many people around the world as possible.

This move is also part of the ongoing Al Jazeera New Media initiative, which includes delivering video and other content over interactive platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and iTunes as well as other popular services.

Just a few days ago, Al Jazeera launched their Creative Commons Repository for video footage of ongoing events around the world, and only days earlier a service mapping the war on Gaza.

For more details about Al Jazeera’s other new media projects, you can check Al Jazeera Labs.