Outliers Venture Capital

The last quarter of 2024 was a busy one at Outliers! We ended the year with our General Partners sharing insights on topics that remain highly relevant and top of mind in our ecosystem: ADFW 2024: Sarah AlSaleh participated as a panelist on “AI Startups: A VC Perspective”; sharing our perspective on AI, how startups are utilizing it to overcome key growth bottlenecks in the region, as well as its transformative role on execution and decision-making, deal flow, and portfolio support for VCs. SuperReturn Middle East 2024: Mohammed Almeshekah shared his perspectives on the evolving fundraising landscape in MENA, diving into shifts in valuations, growth opportunities, and the challenges of attracting and retaining talent. These discussions highlight the ongoing shifts in our ecosystem and the opportunities shaping the future of venture capital in MENA. 🚀

𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶 𝗣𝗗𝗣𝗟: 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) introduces significant changes to how organizations handle data privacy and compliance. To help founders, heads of data, and business leaders navigate these requirements, we are hosting a virtual session in collaboration with Eyad Latif, Omar Maayeh and Lucy Tucker from Latham & Watkins. 🗓️ Date: Thursday, January 22, 2025  ⏰ Time: 4:00–5:00 PM GST Agenda: 4:00–4:40 PM: Overview and practical guidance on PDPL compliance 4:40–5:00 PM: Open Q&A with the Latham & Watkins team  👉 Click to secure your spot:  https://lnkd.in/dfMU7fMT

Throwback to Outliers Builders Summit, where, for the first time, we brought the builders community together for a day of meaningful content and valuable relationship-building. Some of our session leaders explored:  💡 Building Products and Navigating Complex Trade-offs  👥 Scaling Teams with Purpose and Impact  💰 Managing Wealth as a Founder or Startup Employee  🤖 AI, Innovation, and What’s Next ... and more! What truly defined the day—and what we see as the hallmark of a great event—was the valuable connections it sparked. Bringing together founders, operators, and thought leaders, the summit was a powerful reminder that the strength of an ecosystem lies in its community. A huge thank you to everyone who made this day unforgettable. Want to stay in the loop for our next event? Add your name below to stay tuned! ➡️ https://shorturl.at/ESesQ 

Last month, Mohammed Almeshekah took the stage at BlackHat Saudi to speak on The State of VC in Cybersecurity. With threats evolving rapidly, venture capital plays a vital role in scaling innovative solutions. Mohammed shared insights on our investment strategy, the global cybersecurity landscape, and the significance of our US-MENA corridor in driving scalable cyber solutions.

We’re proud to share that Normalyze has been acquired by Proofpoint. Normalyze has been tackling critical challenges in data security. Their innovative approach to protecting sensitive data across cloud environments has set a new benchmark for proactive cybersecurity measures. This next chapter with Proofpoint is a testament to the team’s craft and vision. Congratulations to Amer Deeba, Ravi Ithal and the entire Normalyze team on this milestone! 🚀 🔗 Read more: https://shorturl.at/ZRU5M

Congrats to the the incredible team at Lean Technologies on their Series B funding led by General Catalyst - a first for Saudi Arabia and the region. We're proud to be early believers and backers of Hisham Al-Falih, Aditya Sarkar, Ashu Gupta & Mehdi Tazi, and we look forward to supporting their journey as they drive growth and innovation in MENA’s fintech landscape. Read more about Lean and the round here ➡ https://shorturl.at/yrNEr

We are thrilled to share that Bader Almubarak, CFA, Co-Founder and CEO of Soum, will participate in the upcoming session titled "𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐋𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡" at the Outliers Builders Summit. Hosted by Outliers: May Alsaleh, Sarah AlSaleh and Mohammed Almeshekah. Bader will engage in an insightful discussion with Mahmoud ElSharkawy, CMO of Kenzz, alongside Sakari Tamminen, Co-Founder of Gemic, and Justin Harnoss, a Partner at Gemic. Join us for this enlightening session that promises to inspire and equip you with valuable strategies for business growth. 📅 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Thursday, October 24 ⏰ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 10:30 AM  📍 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Jax District, Riyadh  📎 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://shorturl.at/ppWt6 يسرنا الإعلان عن مشاركة بدر المبارك، الشريك المؤسس لشركة سوم، كمتحدث في مؤتمر Outliers Builders Summit. سيتحدث بدر عن استراتيجيات الابتكار في ريادة الأعمال، مع التركيز على كيفية تحقيق النمو المستدام في الأسواق التنافسية. كما سيتناول أهمية بناء ثقافة عمل قائمة على الإبداع والتعاون، وكيف يمكن أن يسهم ذلك في تعزيز مكانة الشركة. #Growth #SoumMarketplace #Saudi_Arabia

Last sessions being announced before the Outliers Builders Summit 🎉 Join Rawad Khalife, Saubia Khan & Fawzi Harfouch as they explore AI applications in the session "𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗥𝗔𝗚) 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗪𝗦". We’re also excited to have Armineh Baghoomian and Ahmad A. discussing fundraising in the session: "𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔: 𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗠𝗔 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀." 🚨 Explore the full Summit program here https://lnkd.in/d8WZGEdw 🚀 Apply to attend here https://shorturl.at/ppWt6

Just 4 days left until the Outliers Builders Summit 🎉 Join Bader Almubarak, CFA, Mahmoud ElSharkawy, Sakari Tamminen, and Justin Harnoss as they dive into the power of branding in the session: "𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲: 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵." We’re also excited to have Josephine Koh and Charlie Pennington lead the session: "𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻." 🚨 Explore the full Summit program here https://lnkd.in/d8WZGEdw 🚀 Apply to attend here https://shorturl.at/ppWt6

More sessions getting announced as we get ready for the Outliers Builders Summit 🎉 Join Mohammed Islam as he discusses storytelling during the session "𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴". We’re pleased to also feature Eyad Latif, Mike Turner and Shing Yuin Lo to lead the "𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺" workshop. 🚨 Explore the full Summit program here https://lnkd.in/d8WZGEdw 🚀 Apply to attend here https://shorturl.at/ppWt6