Mr. Bettaieb holds a BS. in Physics, MS in Petroleum Engineering from the USC-Los Angeles. After practicing petroleum simulation engineering for 4 years, and obtaining a MS degree in Engineering Economics from Hiroshima University, he was nominated in 1992, advisor to the Minister of foreign investment in charge of promoting Asian Investment into Tunisia. In February 2000 he launched and managed Sodicab venture fund devoted for high value added technology start-ups. In May 2006, he created and chaired Sages Capital s.a. a fund management company in charge of introducing Corporate venture capital culture within Tunisia’s big public institutions and private groups, and to manage their early stage spin-off funds. He is behind several reforms in the VC sector in Tunisia and team leader of a US training program for the creation of a new generation of fund managers in Algeria. Passionate for science, innovative entrepreneurship and technology transfer, he is co-founder and active member of several local and regional associations operating in these fields.
Abdulaziz Jazzar is the Chairman of the Board of Malaz Group, a Riyadh based Venture Capital firm. He is also the Chairman of Royah Company a Golden Oracle Partner in Saudi Arabia. Between 2002 - 2004, he was the Managing Director of Saudi Research and Publishing Co (SRPC), the largest publishing house in the Middle East. Between 1993-2002 he was the President/CEO of International Systems Engineering Ltd (ISE) a company formed in partnership with The Boeing Compnay to develop and maintain strategic software.. As an investor he sits on the Board of Directors of 2Connect (a wirless broad band start up in Bahrain), of CIT (an IT services company headquartered in Cairo with offices in Canada, and USA), and of EJADA (an integration company with offices in Saudi, Jordan, Cairo, and Dubai). He graduated from Essex University in England with a Bachelors Degree in Computer & Communications Engineering. He received his Masters Degree in System Engineering from KFUPM University in Dhahran. In 1988 he received his Doctorate Degree in Computer Science from USC in California.
Dr. Helmut M. Schühsler is a Managing Partner of TVM Capital, where he has been responsible for more than 20 TVM Capital investments in life sciences companies in Europe and the U.S. He has also served on various committees since 1990, including as a member of the senate of the Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren (HGF). Dr. Schühsler currently serves on the Board of Directors of Curacyte AG, Develogen AG, Ingenium Pharmaceuticals AG, Intercell AG and SelectX Inc.. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Garching Innovation GmbH; the technology transfer institution of the Max Planck Society; Ascenion GmbH; the technology transfer organization of several HGF institutes; He was recently appointed as the Chairman European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA). Prior to TVM Capital, he was an Investment Manager at Horizonte Venture Management in Vienna. Dr. Schühsler wrote his doctoral thesis at the Vienna University of Economics.
Michael J. Martin has over 40 years of business and product development experience and has held positions at E.I. DuPont, PPG Industries, Ciba-Geigy, Michigan State University and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc; where he was responsible for the management and commercialization of intellectual property; formulation and execution of new business entry plans; financial and market evaluations of acquisitions; and growth of community economic development strategies. He has been elected as a Trustee of the Licensing Executive Society (LES); consults on technology transfer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); and a founder and President of the Capital Enterprise Forum. He has authored numerous papers and is an invited speaker on technology transfer and product development. Mike Martin has a Bachelor in Chemical Engineering from the University of Detroit, and a Masters in Business and Administration from the University of Delaware.
Steven C. Price has A.B. and M.S. degrees in Botany (1972) and Biology (1975) respectively from San Diego State University, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, in plant genetics (1980). From 1980-1988 he was at the Standard Oil Company, where he was Group Leader of the Biotechnology Program. From 1988 until 1994 he was first Biotechnology Industrial Liaison and then Director of Patenting and Licensing at Iowa State University. For the period 1994 to 2004 he was Director of University-Industry Relations at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. From 2004 to March of 2007 he was the CEO/President of a nonprofit foundation, Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors (www.piipa.org), headquartered in Washington D.C. Also in 2004 he joined Oklahoma State University as the Assistant Vice President for Technology Development. There he has responsibilities for patent and licensing, contract negotiation, new company formation, and other issues relating to technology transfer.
Ulrich Moser, certified German public auditor (Wirtschaftsprüfer), tax advisor (Steuerberater), and certified valuation analyst (CVA), is the International Director of TAGValuation and Vice-Chair of the Advisory Board of TAGValuation. He is currently professor of Accounting and Finance at Erfurt University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and acts as management consultant in the field of Intellectual Asset Management and IP Valuation. Until 2006 he was partner of a big four accounting firm. He has over 15 years of experience in the field of valuation with a strong focus on valuation of intellectual property rights and portfolios of them, valuation of early-stage technologies and valuations for purchase price allocation (FAS 141/142, IFRS 3). On national and international valuation and Intellectual Property conferences Ulrich Moser often acts as speaker. He regularly publishes articles on valuation and is editor of "Praxis der Unternehmensbewertung“ (Practioner´s Guide to Valuation).
Over the past 16 years Ennis has been a founder, investor, and/or CEO in 11 industrial and technology ventures ranging from energy to software & industrial companies, as well as his promotion of industrial technology development as a Founder of the MIT Arab Alumni Association. Currently Ennis is the Founder and Managing Partner of Catalyst Private Equity, the first Arab region Energy and Water technology fund. Before launching Catalyst, Ennis was CEO and a co-founder of Estarta Solutions, partially owned by Microsoft Corporation and Cisco Systems. Previously Ennis was the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of ONEWORLD Software Solutions. Ennis is a graduate of MIT’s Leaders for Manufacturing Fellows Program. BS in Eng. Systems (’91) MIT, a MS in Environmental Eng (’96) MIT, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management (’96). Ennis is Vice Chairman of Estarta Solutions, and Board Director of Omni Oil Technologies, Millennium Energy Industries, and X3M International.
Faisel Hoodbhoy joined DIFX as Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Listings in June 2007. Prior to joining DIFX, he was the partner in charge of Deloitte & Touche, Corporate Finance practice responsible for the Middle East region (including Pakistan) and provided financial, transaction and valuation advisory to several UAE companies going public including Deyaar, Air Arabia, Gulf Navigation & Arabtec. He has 25 years of experience (of which 14 years have been in the Gulf) in corporate and project finance, venture capital, direct/private equity investments, hospitality, real estate, audit and business advisory (including valuation) assignments with leading investment banks and big 4 international firms of accountants and consultants. Prior to coming to the Gulf, Faisel worked in the banking, capital markets and financial services industry in England and Canada. Mr Hoodbhoy has a BA (hons) in Economics from Leeds University, UK, Chartered Accountant from England & Wales (FCA), and holder of Corporate Finance Qualification (CFQ) from the UK.
Mr. Al-Hashemi has over 16 years of experience in various semi governmental companies within UAE, he is currently holding the position of Managing Director of the Techno Park-Dubai. Prior to that, he worked with Etisalat Corporation in UAE . Mr. Al-Hashemi holds a Masters of Science degree in Economics from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from UAE University.
Ihsan Jawad founded zawya.com in the year 2000 and has been overseeing its tremendous growth since then. Prior to founding the company, Mr Jawad was an investment banker in London first working with Merrill Lynch and later at Schroeders. Mr. Jawad graduated in 1993 from Imperial College where he also completed his masters in Physics in 1994. Mr Jawad is a board member of the GVCA.
Imad Ghandour has joined Gulf Capital in 2006 and is a Principal in the Private Equity Team. Prior to joining Gulf Capital, Imad was a consultant working with several regional and international organizations. Imad holds a BS in Computer and Communication Engineering from American University of Beirut and an MBA from University of Wisconsin – Madison. Imad is also a Board member in the Gulf Venture Capital Association chairing the Statistics and Information Committee and a member of Young Arab Leaders. He is a frequent presenter in conferences about the subject of private equity and venture capital, and has several publications in this area.
Khaldoon Tabaza is Chairman and Managing Director of Riyada Ventures. Starting his career as an entrepreneur, and subsequently as an investment professional, he has successfully established, managed and invested in many high-profile technology, communication and media ventures, and co-founded and managed one direct investment fund and one corporate venture operation. He was recently selected as a Young Global Leader by the Young Global Leaders Forum of the World Economic Forum. Khaldoon’s track record over the past 12 years includes involvement in the IDEAVELOPERS Technology Fund, iPARK Technology Business Incubator, National Technology Group, KFUPM Technology Business Incubator, M3 New Media, Mubasher, NetAdvantage, OneCard, XtraNet, Arab Advisors Group, Arabia Online, Arabian Communications and Publishing Company, BYTE Middle East Magazine, and the Arabic edition of Popular Science Magazine.
Laith Al-Qasem currently holds several positions: Chief Executive Officer of Arabian Business Consultants for Development, Vice-Chairman of RUBICON (Jordan Training Technology Group) and Vice Chairman of the Amman World Trade Center. Mr. Al-Qasem's career spans both technology and investment. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Jordan Technology Group (JTG) from 1990-2003 where he was intimately involved in 16 technology oriented start-up companies. In addition to technology and investment, Mr. Al-Qasem has also been involved in a variety of national economic initiatives. He is the recognized national champion of the Jordan Vision 2020 national economic development initiative, and currently serves on the board of several business associations and NGOs. Mr. Al Qasem is a Georgetown Fellow, where he received an M.B.A with a concentration in finance and investment management, he also graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he received a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering.
Mr. Laith Kassis is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and he has completed a post-graduate studies in IT Management from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Mr. Kassis has over 15 years of experience and he is currently the General Manager of the PICTI, which provides business services to entrepreneurs and ICT start-up companies in Palestine. He is also active in fundraising for seed and early stage financing for clients at the PICTI incubator. His role at PICTI includes the design and implementation of incubation activities and programs such as marketing the incubator services, selection of clients, pre-incubation business services, start-up company incorporation, product development services, mentoring and coaching entrepreneurs, securing seed funding for clients. Laith is active in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Palestine. He is responsible for launching the first business plan contest in Palestine; publishing position papers that promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and establishing small and medium enterprises.
Muhannad recently joined Jordan Dubai Capital primarily focusing on their ICT and non-core investments. He has over 12 years of working experience in technology, finance, media and entrepreneurship. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Imperial College. Prior to JDC, Muhannad headed a private family office investing in Private Equity and Venture Capital deals, which involved working with The Carlyle Group, SocGen Private Equity and various West Coast VC firms. He also founded the new media start-up Chatshow.net, which has grown to be one of the largest sources of video interviews on the internet. After earning his BSc, Muhannad started his career as an electronic systems designer for Augusta-Westland Helicopters. After gaining valuable insight in the technology industry, he moved into finance with BNP Paribas as a corporate analyst, primarily working with the subsidiaries of Fortune 500 companies.
Omar Hamarneh is Director of iPARK, Jordan’s Technology Incubator, a business incubator that at present focuses on supporting entrepreneurs and startups in ICT fields. Omar works regularly with entrepreneurs to help hone their business skills and ideas to compete in the regional and international market place, and sits on boards of various national and international bodies involved with entrepreneurship, innovation and technology commercialization. Prior to his current position, he managed the international cooperation sector of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, and in 1997 with a partner established an e-commerce company in the USA.
Robert Ayan is currently Managing Partner at Cambridge Advisors, a Cambridge based investment management and venture advisory firm bridging the US venture community with the Middle East North Africa region. Robert co-founded the first US technology venture capital firm to leverage the entrepreneurial and technical talent of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in North America and the MENA region. As Program Manager of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Robert helped innovators commercialize their emerging technologies and supported the launch of technology entrepreneurship initiatives across the MENA region. Prior to MIT, Robert worked in Product Management at LiveVault Corporation, a Boston area data storage startup recently acquired by Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM). Prior to LiveVault, Robert led a Technology Strategy team at MFS Investment Management. Robert earned his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Robert also earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Boston University School of Management.
Mr. Calis founded Tocali Games and has served as CEO and CTO since its inception in 2000. He has over 15 years of content strategy, game development, 3D simulation technology, publishing and production-related experience having successfully launched over 25 game titles on the Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox, GBA and Online platforms with Midway Games, MGM Interactive, Disney Online, Mattel and Vivendi Universal Games. Mr. Calis started his career in the Video Games Industry as a programmer on one of the first true Massively Multiplayer Online Games for America Online. Mr. Calis is an active member of the International Game Developers Association and is the first to bring multiplatform game development to the Middle East. Tocali Games now has established offices in the Middle East at the Royal Scientific Society under the leadership of HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan,as well as in the U.S.A. and India.
A law graduate from the University of Malaya and has been admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. Selvarany has been extensively involved in many areas of regulatory development and legal advisory such as the setting up of the central depository system, development of the regulatory framework for public listed companies, development of the rules for Bursa Malaysia, the amendments to securities legislation, amendments to the Companies Act, corporate governance initiatives and development of capital market framework. In the area of listings, Selvarany has considerable experience in the development of the listing requirements, issuer development and advisory on a wide range of regulatory issues affecting listed companies. Selvarany has also been significantly involved in the development of the corporate governance framework in Malaysia. She is presently the Chief Legal Officer of Bursa Malaysia Berhad. In her present position she is responsible for regulatory development, advisory on regulatory matters, legal advisory services for the Bursa Malaysia Group of Companies and issuer development.
Mr. Shihabi is an industrialist who has held, over the past 30 years, various executive and advisory positions with several major organizations in the Middle East. From initial training at the International Finance Corporation in Washington DC to his becoming an advisor to the Kuwait Investment Authority and beyond, Mr. Shihabi has leveraged his engineering background and management training into launching or turning around several industrial and technology projects around the Middle East. In his current position at NTEC he leads the activities of the investment team in this largest venture capital firm in the Middle East. NTEC invests in emerging technologies in ICT, Bio Sciences, Energy (Conventional and Alternative) and in Water technologies.
Walid Hanna was appointed by Dubai International Capital as CEO to its subsidiary ABAN LLC. ABAN is the Arab Business Angels Network and its goal is to channel investments into innovative early stage ventures. Walid has 10 years of diverse experience in corporate finance, start-up ventures and private equity. Following 3 years in corporate finance in Paris and Beirut, Walid founded, co-founded and managed several start-up ventures across a range of industries. His most recent position prior to joining the Arab Business Angels Network was in Abraaj Capital’s Private Equity team in Dubai. Walid holds a Bachelor degree with a major in Economics from McGill University in Canada and a Masters in Finance from HEC in France.
