Amal Dokhan is an entrepreneurship advocate, a venture capitalist and an ecosystem builder operating for more than a decade in the MENA region. Amal is the managing partner at 500 Global managing the Sanabil 500 MENA seed accelerator fund focusing on investing in early stage tech startups. She previously worked at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, managing accelerator programs and delivering corporate innovation programs with many large organizations. Amal also has worked on several government initiatives during her time in the Small and Medium enterprise Authority.

Amal has also angel invested in many startups as well as managing Babson college’s MENA entrepreneurial programs and has held many other technology supporting roles in the region. Amal sits on the board of the Venture Capital and Private Equity Association in Saudi as well as the board of the Middle East venture capital association in UAE. She’s a Kauffman fellow and has been featured two years in a row -2023 and 2024- as one of most powerful women in the Middle East by Forbes.

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The Startups Arabia Podcast connects you to the most prominent founders, investors, and operators of the Arab region. You will be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see.

Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch:

LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast

Twitter: @ArabiaStartups

Facebook: @startupsarabia

Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast

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Amal’s LinkedIn account: @Amal Dokhan

500 Global’s Website: https://500.co/

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SHOW NOTES:

00:00 Introduction of Amal Dokhan

03:13 Amal's Journey into Entrepreneurship

05:58 Joining King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

09:23 The growth of the MENA Startup Ecosystem

20:07 500 MENA and Investment Strategies

43:16 Personal Reflections on Resilience

49:26 Balancing Social and Alone Time

50:24 The Power of Teaching and Knowledge Sharing

52:05 From Kindergarten Teacher to Managing Partner

53:55 Navigating the Saudi Startup Ecosystem

55:43 Opportunities and Challenges in Saudi Arabia

01:03:16 Global Investors' Perspective on the Region

01:05:58 Impact of Global Trends on Regional Startups

01:11:35 The Rise of Venture Debt and New Financing Models

01:18:33 Promoting Diversity in Venture Capital

01:26:54 Future Trends and Sectors to Watch

01:31:09 The Role of VC Associations in the Region

01:34:56 Personal Reflections and Advice

01:37:49 Concluding Remarks and Quickfire Questions