Feb 19-20, 2025
Dubai Internet City

Step Dubai | The Heartbeat of Tech in MENA

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H.E. Alia Bint Abdulla Al Mazrouei has been announced as Minister of State for Entrepreneurship during the new UAE cabinet formation in July 2024. H.E. Alia Al Mazrouei is a highly accomplished entrepreneur with a diverse career spanning entrepreneurship, the private and government sectors. H.E. Al Mazrouei has held a several high-level positions in leading government institutions. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, she was responsible for overseeing the organization’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship and support small and medium-sized businesses in the UAE. She also served as an Advisor to the Chairman at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, and the Director General of the Human Resources Authority (HRA) in Abu Dhabi. Prior to that, she was the Director General of the Abu Dhabi School of Government (ADSG). Prior to joining the Government, she was Group Chief Operating Officer of Mazrui International LLC, established by her family 50 years ago and which today is an Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate with a highly diversified business portfolio. In 2013 she was awarded the Arab Women’s Award for Entrepreneurship and in 2014 was voted the twenty sixth most powerful Arab woman in the Forbes Middle East list of the world’s 200 most powerful Arab women. In 2017, she was included in the Forbes list of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab business women. HE AlMazrouei is highly respected for her business acumen, creativity, and her flair for mentoring and nurturing new Emirati talent. H.E. Alia Al Mazrouei received her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in Management Information Systems from the United Arab Emirates University in 2001. After completing her undergraduate studies, she went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Leadership at the same institution, which she received in 2005. Throughout her academic career, Al Mazrouei has demonstrated a strong commitment to her studies and a passion for leadership and management.

Allen brings 20+ years of experience in economic development and venture capital with a focus on emerging markets to his leadership roles at Endeavor, a mission-driven organization focused on supporting high-growth companies in emerging and underserved markets. As the Managing Partner of Endeavor Catalyst, Allen leads Endeavor’s innovative co-investment fund that has been recognized as one of the most active global venture investors in markets like Latin America and the Middle East. Since launching in 2012, Endeavor Catalyst has raised over $500M+ across four funds and made 300+ investments in 30+ different countries, including more than 50 companies now valued at $1B+. Allen is a frequent guest lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and serves on the boards of several entrepreneurship and venture capital-focused organizations, including Kauffman Fellows (Class 16), Alter Global, STV (Saudi Arabia) and Scale-Up Ventures (Brazil). A graduate of Princeton University, he lives with his wife and two children in Northern California.

Blake Beltram is the founder of MindBody, the global leader in wellness business management software that transformed the fitness and wellness industry. Among other innovations, he pioneered the concept of booking wellness services online. Blake is an author, mentor, podcaster, and zero-to-one startup creative. Skilled at blending big-picture vision with pragmatic execution, his work reflects a commitment to the Human Experience. His entrepreneurial memoir (editing phase) shares lessons from his roller-coaster journey as a Fit-Tech pioneer, and he has met with and inspired countless entrepreneurs. Having recently launched his daughter into college as a single father, Blake is now exploring opportunities to commit this next chapter to a meaningful pursuit.

Dany Farha is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BECO Capital, one of the first and largest non-governmental VC firms, currently managing $495M in AUM. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial and investment experience, Dany founded and exited ventures like Bayt.com, Butlers, and Intercat. Since establishing BECO in 2012, he has led investments in some of the region’s biggest success stories, including three unicorns: Careem, Property Finder, and Kitopi.

Elie Khouri is a seasoned marketing expert, businessman, and investor. In 2017, he founded Vivium, a single-family-oBice managing a curated portfolio of investments in real estate, design, ventures, and collectibles. By forming strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Sotheby’s International Realty, Elie has expanded Vivium’s influence across the UAE, KSA, UK, and Spain. Prior to that, Elie had a 30+ year career in marketing and still serves as Chairman of Omnicom Media Group MENA, part of the global marketing communications company Omnicom Group. A recognized and influential leader, Elie is frequently sought after for his industry and investing insights. His contributions have earned him multiple recognitions, including being featured among the most influential leaders in the region. Under his leadership, Omnicom Media Group MENA was consistently recognized as one of the top employers in the UAE. Elie is dedicated to nurturing entrepreneurship and startups. As a core judge on Shark Tank Dubai, he is passionate about mentoring founders and helping them scale their businesses. Beyond his business endeavors, Elie is a renowned collector and patron of the arts. He currently sits on the board and investment committees of globally recognized museums, contributing to various initiatives that advance art and culture. He is also celebrated in ARTNEWS’ top 200 collectors.

Michael Lints has 20+ years of experience as an operator and investor. He is a partner at Golden Gate Ventures and leads the firm’s first venture capital fund in the MENA region, focusing on investing in early-stage startups in the Middle East and connecting Southeast Asia to the region. Previously, Michael co-founded an IT-managed services startup, was a vice-chairman of the Economic Development Board Rotterdam, and was chairman of the Young Economic Development Board. Michael is co-director of the award-winning social impact documentary Broken Chains. Michael collaborates with world-renowned players in the sports entertainment industry, bridging sports and venture capital.

Office of the CEO, President of International at Groq, Inc. Senior advisor to Blackstone and Siguler Guff ($20 Bil AUM) Operating partner at Kestrel Partners in London ( https://kestrelpartners.com/ ) Previously roles include: Founder and Managing Partner of Seif Capital, Chairman of Astrea Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: ASAX). Board member or a Sr. advisor to: X-Energy, Axiom Space, Vcinity, Edgecloud Link (ECL), Ethernovia Founder and CEO of Stanford Business Systems (SBS – acquired by Accenture), Emerging Markets division leader at Cisco Co-founder of CNTP, a global, multi-stage, technology investment firm with $300 mil AUM Board Member of Global Capacity Mr. Moazami holds a Masters of Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and Bachelors of Science in Engineering Sciences and a Minor in Economics from University of California, San Diego.

James Wang is the General Manager of UAE at Alibaba Cloud. James leads the regional sales, marketing, solution and operations for one of the world’s largest cloud computing platforms. With over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry and 7 years with Alibaba Cloud, James have developed and executed key accounts and channel strategies, built strong partnerships with technology and service providers, and helped many companies across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Middle East to transform their businesses through the power of AI and Cloud Computing.

Dr. Aseel Addawood is the Head ofAI in Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Oracle. She is an experienced data scientist with a remarkable track record in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence/machine learning. She has made valuable contributions to research, training, coaching, and mentoring. She has also established many tech startups and is an advocate for women entrepreneurs. Aseel has a Doctorate in Informatics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s degree in Engineering from Cornell University in the USA. She was an Assistant Professor before joining the public sector.

Amal Dokhan is a Managing Partner at 500 Global, a seasoned professional with experience in startup investments, corporate innovation, and consulting in the MENA region. Previous to joining 500 Global, Ms. Dokhan was the Managing Director of Babson Global for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Previously, she was the Manager of Learning and Design at the Entrepreneurship Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology where she led the New Ventures Acceleration and Corporate Innovation programs. Prior to that engagement she worked in the KAUST Seed Fund developing marketing and events, while also providing a range of services to startup clients. Ms. Dokhan sits on the board of several organizations such as Wayakit Company, Cranfield University UK, King Abdulaziz University. She contributes to a monthly column at Leaders Magazine on Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and has been a speaker at Davos World Economic Forum, TEDx at Kaust, the Annual Conference of the Islamic Development Bank, among others. Ms. Dokhan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, English Language & Literature from the King AbdulAziz University, and a Masters of Strategic Marketing and Marketing Management from the University of Wollongong.