When Willie Elamien first showed up in Cairo in 2014, the city’s startup scene was very different than it is now. There was hardly any government support. People rarely saw entrepreneurialism as…
Istanbul Continues to Grow as a Global Startup Hub – Despite its Sultan’s Power Grab
These are strange times in Turkey. In 2015 President Recep Tayyip Erdogan barely clung onto power in an unconvincing election victory, just two years after popular protesters swept through Turkey from Istanbul’s…
Rouhani’s Re-Election: A Victory for Moderate Iran, and its Entrepreneurs
It’s the economy, stupid. At least, that was the word on the streets of Tehran this Friday, as around 70% of Iran’s 80 million people elected their next President. The Middle Eastern…
SoftBank Tech Fund Becomes World’s Largest with $93bn War Chest
SoftBank has announced that it has raised $93 billion for a new tech investment fund, which will become the largest in history. The Japanese telecoms giant, currently valued at $78.6bn, raised capital for…
In Kabul, More Women Are Drawn to the Emerging Tech Sector
For Fakhria Ibrahimi Momtaz, finding clients for her tech company was just a tiny, first step. It was 2010 and Momtaz’ startup, Momtaz Host, had just registered with the government. Even that…