The Entrepreneur's Wishlist (Part One): Changes We'd Like To See In The MENA Startup Ecosystem We asked entrepreneurs and investors on the key factors they'd like to see changed in the MENA ecosystem.

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

At this year's edition of STEP Conference, which gathered startup founders, investors and mentors from across the MENA startup ecosystem for the seventh time, Entrepreneur asked some of them about the key factors they'd like to see changed.

"The biggest change I'd like to see is more faith in the stories that we are building," says Walid Mansour, Partner and Chief Investment Officer of MEVP. "It's because we have a very valuable region, a big market, and lots of demand for technology companies. These companies have to believe in and build for this region which means [that their] solutions should fit this region and their teams should understand how to scale and how to build amazing companies."

In addition, Lee McMahon, co-founder and Principal of Support Legal, Vijay Tirathrai, Managing Director of Techstars, Fares Ghandour, Partner at Wamda, and Rana El Sakhawy, founder of Monkibox, all shared their thoughts- check out the video to hear their insights!

Related: Mumzworld's Mona Ataya On Overcoming Self-Doubt And Building A Successful Enterprise

Business News

How to Write a Business Plan

Learn the essential elements of writing a business plan, including advice and resources for how to write and conduct each section of your business plan.

Marketing

April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

The search giant is currently working on a major algorithm change that will revolutionize the way mobile friendliness is determined.

Leadership

Revolutionizing Proptech: Haider Ali Khan, CEO of Bayut and dubizzle, and CEO of Dubizzle Group MENA

Born from a mission to redefine real estate through technology, Bayut sparked a movement that evolved into the global proptech and classifieds leader, Dubizzle group — and today, we go back to understanding the homegrown powerhouse that started it all.

Marketing

The Quickest Way to Deliver Your Message? Make It Visual.

Infographics, dashboards and mobile apps provide a direct avenue to our brains. Use them to your advantage.

Starting a Business

College Startup Offers a Creative Approach to Banish Boring Presentations

Instead of boring slides with bullet points and clip art, Big Fish creates presentations that tell stories and resonate emotionally with viewers.

News and Trends

International Fashion Brand Maison D'AngelAnn Secures US$2 Million Investment From A Private Family Office In The UAE

The newest round of funds follows Maison D'AngelAnn's $7 million investment in November 2020 from The Gate Business Services, a UAE-based investment and real estate consultancy, which also saw it also acquire a majority stake in the business.