Session Leader Profiles:

Keynote Speaker: Noora Al-Mannai CEO Enterprise Qatar	As CEO of Enterprise Qatar, Ms. Noora Al Mannai is focused on promoting entrepreneurship and SME development. and the rollout of Enterprise Qatar’s extensive and innovative range of programs to build a thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurs to succeed and flourish in the country. Previously, Ms. Noora was the Vice-president of Amwal’s investment banking team, successfully executing transactions in banking service and retail sectors, and launching the first Equity fund registered in Qatar. She holds a BA in Physics from Qatar University.
Ossama Hassanein Chairman TechWadi	Ossama is an entrepreneur, mentor and venture capitalist. Over the last 40 years, he managed over $1 billion across 14 international technology funds in North America and Europe. In the 80′s, he spearheaded the mezzanine financing of 80+ IT companies that became notable successes. In the 90′s, he led or co-founded six successful startups in the US, UK, France and Switzerland He is chairman of the boards of the Rising Tide Fund and of BDNA in Silicon Valley, and vice-chairman of PSD in Palestine. He served on the Boards of Advisors of Harvard University, UC San Francisco, and the American University in Cairo.
Khaled Nasr Partner InterWest	Khaled joined InterWest’s IT group in 2005, focusing on investments in the communications, enterprise and data center infrastructure sectors, including systems, software and semiconductors. Prior to joining InterWest, Khaled invested in IT companies for Alta Partners. Prior to that, Khaled spent 16 years with startups in the networking and telecom industries. He was president and CEO of FlowWise Networks and general manager and VP at Ipsilon. Khaled received his B.A. and M.A. in mathematics and social and political sciences from Cambridge University.
Youssri Helmy GP Rising Tide	Currently general partner of the Rising Tide Fund, Youssri is an accomplished entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience bringing new technologies to market. As co-founder of ITWorx, Youssri grew the company to become the Middle East’s largest software outsourcing firm before its acquisition in 2007. After the NetCelera/Swan acquisition, Youssri was appointed CTO and VP of Business Development at SwanLabs. As the original inventor and co-founder of Swan Labs he capitalized on the then nascent network optimization segment, later engineering its sale to F5 in 2005. Prior to this, Youssri co-founded and was the Technical Director of Pie Practical Solutions, a graphics software development company and one of Egypt’s largest Macintosh dealerships.
Amr Awadallah CTO Cloudera	Before co-founding Cloudera in 2008, Amr was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Accel Partners. Prior to joining Accel he served as Vice President of Product Intelligence Engineering at Yahoo!, and ran one of the very first organizations to use Hadoop for data analysis and business intelligence. Amr joined Yahoo after they acquired his first startup, VivaSmart, in July of 2000. Amr holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University, Egypt, and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Amr Salahieh CEO ShifaMed	Amr is a seasoned medical device entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience. He is the founder and CEO of the med-tech incubator Shifamed, from which Apama Medical, Maya Medical, Kalila Medical, and three other stealth mode medical device companies have been formed. In April 2012, Maya Medical was acquired by Covidien for $230 million. Amr was also the founding President and CEO of Sadra Medical, a percutaneous aortic valve replacement company that was sold to Boston Scientific for $450 million in January of 2011. Previously, Amr and his team at Sobek Medical developed the FilterWire, which was sold to Boston Scientific/EPI and prior to that he was one of the first employees of Cardiothoracic Systems which was sold to Guidant Corporation. Amr is inventor/co-inventor of 64 US issued patents and 104 pending patent applications. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Case Western University where he is Adjunct Professor.
Al-Hassan Hleileh CEO Nudge	Al-Hassan is an MBA graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business – Class of 2012. Al-Hassan is the founder of Nudge Technology based in the Bay Area. Nudge was a Stanford engineering class project in the Lean Start-up course, and was featured at SXSW as a best practice case. Nudge won the Best Start-up Award in 2012, by Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs and Start-ups. He previously worked at Citigroup Investment Banking, and later project managed the raising of the West Bank’s first Growth Capital Fund, and was a member of the President’s/CEO office at the Palestine Investment Fund.
Khaled Naim CEO Addy	Khaled is a second-year MBA student at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He holds a BE in Computer Engineering from University of Michigan. Prior to attending Stanford GSB, Khaled worked as a data integration consultant with Informatica Corporation for four years. Khaled grew up in London (’85-’92), but spent most of his life in Dubai (’92-’03). His startup, Addy.co, aims to solve the problem of poor street addresses in the developing world.
Hassan Kassem Chairman Palestine IT Association	Hassan holds several positions within the IT sector; he is the Chairman of: the Palestinian IT Association of companies (PITA), the Palestine ICT Incubator (PICTI), and Young Scientist Club. He is also a Board Member of Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD). He is the Chairman of Dimensions Company, established in 2007 to provide exceptional business and health care consulting services. Prior to forming Dimensions, he worked as an IT instructor in Birzeit University from 1992 until 2000. In 1996, he established Arab Technology Systems (ATS) which was sold to Paltel Group in 2006. Hassan holds a Master degree in computer science from the American University – Washington D.C.
Abeer Hazboun Executive Director  Palestine IT Association	Abeer is currently the Executive Director of the Palestinian IT Association (PITA). Previously, she has assumed several roles related to economic and social development including working as a consultant for Alsiyadeh Development Program for Revenue & Border Management in the Palestinian Government, having previously worked as the General Manager of the Palestinian Shippers’ Council (PSC). She was Director of MIT affiliated organization, “MEET” (Middle East Education through Technology), where she’s currently a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a member of Palestine’s WTO National Task Force, has WCO (World Customs Organization) institutional capacity building and Change management certifications, and holds a B.Sc. from the Hebrew University.
Mohammad ElBibany Program Manager TechWadi	Mohammad joined TechWadi in 2011, helping design the organization’s expansion plans while working in Silicon Valley and on the ground in Egypt.  He holds a B.S. in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego.

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By Mariam Helmy

2005: Dr. Rana el Kaliouby is returning to Cairo, Egypt, having spent the last four years commuting back and forth between the Middle East and Cambridge. She arrives with a baby and a PhD in tow – and this is far from her last trip between the continents. Her journey, in fact, which will later include detours giving lectures in Dubai and London with little Janna and Adam at her side, has only just begun.

2009: After having spent days delicately asking for more funding from MIT, Drs. Rosalind Picard and Rana el Kaliouby decide to throw the journey another curveball. “It might be time to spin out.”

2012: The journey is well underway; Dr. el Kaliouby has just been named one of MIT’s “35 under 35”, and is taking a rare and brief vacation in the Bay Area. She is asked to sit down for an interview to explain her background, which, like the work she does now, is unique and eclectic. Originally Egyptian, Dr. el Kaliouby studied computer science as an undergraduate at the American University in Cairo while the more creative aspects of software engineering were beginning to blossom. She had an accurate feeling that it would later become an important part of modern society, and was especially intrigued by the basic daily applications of an amalgamation of psychology and computer sciences. A surprising amount of the research that created her thesis, and later her company, was based on the evaluation of the communication struggles of people in the autistic spectrum, who cannot really interpret the facial expressions of surrounding community members. The idea was to code the solutions to those issues in software, and introduce emotion into the world of computers.

Dr. el Kaliouby’s project was based on the belief that since computer technology is such an integral part of human progress and life, it should be more sensitive to human feeling. “I wanted to build a computer that can essentially look at your facial expressions,” she says, “and translate those to emotional states.” Her mission led her to a position as cofounder and Chief Technology Officer of Affectiva, an MIT startup and a company dedicated to building emotionally intelligent machines. “With cameras embedded in everything from mobile devices to TVs, my vision is to make face-reading technology ubiquitous. The sky is the limit in terms of the applications.” Having just received an investment from Kleiner Perkins, the venture capital firm best known for financing and helping kick-start Amazon and Google, not even the sky can limit Dr. el Kaliouby and Affectiva’s innovation and creativity.

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GIST Transformers visit Silicon Valley – November 2012 saw the group of 16 “GIST Transformers,” competitively chosen entrepreneurs from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, on tour in preparation for President Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Dubai.  In partnership with the US State Department, CRDF Global, and the Global Innovation through Science & Technology (GIST) programs, we hosted the group for an unforgettable night at new Silicon Valley incubator NestGSV. Three of the Middle East’s brightest young entrepreneurs – Perihan Abou Zeid, CoFounder, Qabila Media; Ziad Sankari, CEO, Cardio Diagnostics; and Hind Hobeika, Founder, CEO & Lead Engineer, Butterfleye – captivated the audience and engaged investors as they presented their pitches. Members can watch full video of the event above!  Not a member?  Join here!

Schedule:

Pitches By:

	Qabila Media produces Arabic content in the form engaging online civic education videos. CoFounder Perihan Abou Zeid was winner of the “Best Female Entrepreneur” Award at the 2012 MIT Arab Business Plan Competition.  Check out a video explaining Qabila here!
	CardioDiagnostics is the first supplier of mobile cardiac telemetry solutions in the MENA region. They provide patients with 24/7 cardiac monitoring. Check out Ziad explaining his company here!
	Butterfleye makes swim goggles that feature the first waterproof heart rate monitor with real-time visual feedback. Butterfleye was the winner of the 2012 MIT Arab Business Plan Competition. Check out a video of Hind’s TED Audition here!

Hesham Shawki, Senior Business Leader of Global Remote Payments at Visa, kicked things off with a dive into high-potential intrapreneurship by discussing Visa’s plans for leveraging mobile commerce in rapidly growing BRIC markets.

Next, Sarah Karam, Partnerships Manager at exciting Silicon Valley startup,  ShopKick, took the floor.   She gave an absorbing look into ShopKick’s system bridging the gap between the mobile world and retail world, and how partnerships with leading retailers like Target, Macy’s, and American Outfitters has been key to their growth strategy.

An engaging tour of the new NestGSV campus wrapped up a day of discovery, and the delegation of Saudi entrepreneurs left all excited about opportunities ahead:

“Our visit to Silicon Valley, was an eye-opening opportunity for us. We found ourselves full of ideas, hope and energy to get back and implement what we have seen here in our country.

We are keen to build a bridge with the US companies and entrepreneurs to exchange knowledge and help both parties in scaling businesses across the countries”

- Mazen AlDarrab, Saudi Arabian Entrepreneur

Dr. Dina Ibrahim, Associate Professor at San Francisco State University, and Dr. Ossama Hassanein, Chairman of TechWadi, led a sweeping discussion with the passionate volunteers at the heart of TechWadi initiatives transforming both Silicon Valley and the MENA region.  The diversity of leaders was on full display.  Entrepreneurs Tamer Hassanein, part of international expansion success story Zong, and Belal Hummadi, CEO and Founder of ExciteM, shared their accounts of how the TechWadi network helped them navigate the unpredictable waters of startup growth.  Alternatively, accomplished Silicon Valley professionals-turned-mentors Ahmed Badawi and Roham Gharegozlou, described the rewards of mentorship relationships and the successes they have reached – most notably the growth of Books.com.eg.

TechWadi’s reach within the academic world was evident as well.  Dr. Taghrid Samak, Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory delved into the limitless big data implications her cutting edge computer science research has for all scientists. Michel Habib, undergraduate at USC and intern at TechWadi offices testified to the educational benefit of having the opportunity to contribute to real, high-potential projects.   The leaders on display in San Francisco were a testament to the capacity for connection to inspire growth.  Relive the full event by downloading the full audio at the link below.

Download full audio here: [Audio] TechWadi at the Commonwealth Club.

The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum. Their mission is to be the leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. They bring over 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to 15,000 members.

]]> http://techwadi.org/events/techwadi-at-the-commonwealth-club/feed/ 0 http://techwadi.org/silicon-valley/global-mobile-internet-conference-silicon-valley/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=global-mobile-internet-conference-silicon-valley http://techwadi.org/silicon-valley/global-mobile-internet-conference-silicon-valley/#comments Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:18:18 +0000 mobibany http://techwadi.org/?p=2330 TechWadi is proud to represent the Arab World at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Silicon Valley this October 19-20 at the San Jose Convention Center. The Global Mobile Internet Conference is Asia’s most influential mobile internet conference. For the first time ever, the conference is coming to Silicon Valley.

The extraordinary list of world-class speakers will join 5,000+ entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and developers from Silicon Valley and around the world to discuss the shifts, challenges and opportunities in growing markets.  Themed “Connecting Global Innovators,” the conference will gather leaders from some of the world’s most prominent emerging epicenters of mobile innovation.

TechWadi is thrilled to represent the Arab World through a session centered on one of the region’s most promising and innovative spaces: mobile.   Join us October 19th from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM as we kick things off at the San Jose Convention Center with some remarkable speakers of our own. Get your FREE developer pass by clicking below.

THREE lucky TechWadi members, registered for GMIC by Oct 18 PST, will be randomly selected for an upgrade to a GMIC Executive Pass ($300 value)!  Become a TechWadi member to be entered and to continue to get access to great resources like GMIC!

The Middle East is already leaving its mark on the global conference!  Congratulations to Egyptian app Yadget for leading the GMIC global ‘appAttack‘ competition in voting and being selected as a finalist for the G-Startup SV competition!  The team will be flown out to Silicon Valley to pitch at GMIC!