| 8:30 - 9:00 | Coffee and networking |
| 9:00 – 9:10 | Recap of Day One and Day Ahead: Ms. Nabila Assaf, Practice Manager, World Bank |
| 9:10 – 9:20 | Ignite Talk - Mr. Ahmed Alfi, Chairman, Sawari Ventures |
| 9:20- 10:20 | Deep Dive 1: Skilling up Mashreq Initiative: Digital skills for tomorrow’s jobs |
| Moderated by Ms. Zeina Saab, Co-Founder, SE Factory |
| Launch the World Bank’s Skilling Up Mashreq Initiative (SUM), followed by a presentation of successful global practices in building India’s skills development ecosystem by Ms. Nidhi Batra, Head of International Collaboration at the Indian National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC). The session will host a panel to discuss regional experiences in Mashreq. Panelists: |
| - Ms. Stephanie Abi Abdallah, Programs Director, BDD Lebanon |
| - Mr. Alaa Ensheiwat, Chairman, ICT Skills Council - Jordan |
| - Mr. Zaid Aridah, ICT Director, Hussein Technical University (HTU) - Jordan |
| - Ms. Ali Tareq, Co-Founder, The Station Baghdad |
| - Mr. Zain Awan, Growth and Operations Manager, Re:Coded House - Iraq |
| - Ms. Nidhi Batra, Head of International Collaboration, NSDC - India |
| 10:20 – 10:30 | Ignite Talk - Mr. Sharif El Badawi, Chairman of TechWadi & Partner at 500 Startups |
| 10:30 – 11:20 | Deep Dive 2: FinTech - Digital Payment Regulations and Solutions |
| Moderated by Mr. Harish Natarajan, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank |
| Potential interventions to achieve a universal digital payment system in Mashreq |
| Discuss with government players and private sector companies’ innovative approaches to increase access to financial services in Mashreq countries at a lower cost. The session will also highlight the needed legal and regulatory reforms to enable FinTech activities. Panelists: |
| - Mr. Najib Choucair, Director, Banking Department, Banque du Liban |
| - Ms. Maha Al Bahou, CEO - Jordan Payments & Clearing Company (JoPACC) |
| - Ms. Eman Adnan, Deputy Director of Payments Department, Central Bank of Iraq |
| - Mr. Samir Satchu, Sr. Director, Careem Pay |
| - Mr. Ahmad Hanandeh, CEO, SWITCH Iraq |
| 11:20- 11:50 | Panel: “Why Silicon Valley is looking at MENA? |
| Moderated by Mr. Ahmed Muhaisen, Chief of Staff, TechWadi |
| Panelists: |
| - Mr. Andrew Zalasin, GP, Valve VC |
| - Mr. Chris Rogers, Partner, Lumia Capital |
| 11:50 – 12:10 | Break |
| 12:10 – 12:40 | Ignite Talk by Investors: |
| - Mr. Raed Masri, Partner, Transform VC |
| - Mr. Jad Salame, CEO, Phoenician Funds |
| - Ms. Noor Sweid, Partner, Global Ventures |
| 12:40 – 13:30 | Deep Dive 3: Models for IT and Business Process Outsourcing |
| Moderated by Ali Abukumail, Sr. Private Sector Specialist, World Bank |
| Discuss the growing global demand for ITO/BPO, the state of Mashreq countries, and potential global models/ platforms for engaging labor force in the digital economy. The session will also discuss potential models for connecting underserved communities to global virtual value chains. Panelists: |
| - Mr. Amit Aggarwal, CEO, NASSCOM |
| - Mr. Phillip Chikwiramakomo, Senior Director, Samasource |
| - Ms. Sudha G. Narayan, Asst. General Manager, Aspire |
| - Ms. Zeena Majali, Co-Founder, Crystel |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Lunch |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Panel: “Mashreq’s Entrepreneurs’ Access to Saudi Market”, tapping into regional opportunities. |
| Moderated by Mr. Justin Hill, Senior Private Sector Specialist, The World Bank. Panelists: |
| - Dr. Ayedh H. Alotaibi, Deputy Governor for Investment Climate, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). |
| - Mr. Esam Al-Thukair, Vice Governor of Entrepreneurship, Saudi General Authority for SMEs (Monsha’at). |
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Breakout sessions (1) |
| Main Auditorium | Press Conference Room, Bldg. 16 |
From start to scale: Setting up your business is one thing, successfully scaling is another. (powered by AmCham/ TechWadi) Speakers: - Mr. Sami Ghoche, Co-Founder, Forethought - Mr. Amr Shady, CEO, Tribal Credit - Mr. Zafer Younis, CEO, Caas Technologies Inc. - Mr. Hisham Jazzar, Partner, Rising Tide - Ms. Noor Sweid, Partner, Global Ventures) - Mr. Sharif El Badawi, Partner, 500 Startups Followed by a 30 min session on: Developing a Successful Funding Strategy by Mr. Riley Rodgers, Principal, Valia VC | Digital Skills Development in India: Experiences of NASSCOM and NSDC. (powered by NASSCOM and NSDC) Present the case of NASSCOM in supporting the development of the ITO/BPO industry in India, including trends and market positioning, then focus on the development of digital skills by both NASSCOM and NSDC. Speakers: Mr. Amit Aggarwal, CEO of NASSCOM Ms. Nidhi Batra, Head of International Collaboration, NSDC Ms. Sabeena Mathayas, Technical Lead – Standards, NSDC |
| | | |
| 16:30 – 18:00 | Breakout sessions (2) |
VC Fundraising: What LPs look for? (powered by ISSF) Session Summary: What do LPs look for? What are their key diligence questions? And what makes them write a check? Explaining the points of view of impact LPs, institutional LPs and family offices. Speakers: - Mr. Laith Al Qasem, Acting CEO, ISSF - Ms. Noor Sweid, Partner, Global Ventures) - Mr. Sharif El Badawi, Partner, 500 Startups - Mr. Riley Rodgers, Principle, Valia Capital | Pursuing Excellence in Your Startup/ Enterprise Pitch: (powered by Pitchworthy) Drawing lessons from leading research, global best practices, and high-performance athletic training to help you pitch at a world-class level. Speakers: - Mr. David Munir Nabti, Founder and CEO of Pitchworthy - Mr. Bilal Ghalib, Co-Founder of Pitchworthy |
