Aya Bdeir
Passionate, determined, and strong, Arab women are truly inspirational and it comes as no surprise that this region has produced, and continues to produce, inspirational and influential women entrepreneurs despite the myriad of challenges they face every single day. Here are 4 businesswomen who are changing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through their vision and drive:
1. Ghazael Al Dossary (Saudi Arabia)
Coming from the petrochemical industry, Al Dossary is known as the first female Saudi entrepreneur operating in the recycled industrial waste sector. She founded Oriental Promises Trading, a company that delivers waste material to large manufacturers who then repurpose them to fit their needs, reducing the amount of industrial waste that goes into landfills. Last year, Al Dossary was awarded the Merit Prize at Shell LiveWIRE’s “Top Ten Innovators” global competition, making her the only winner from the MENA region.
2. Joy Ajlouny (Palestine)
Ajlouny is the co-founder and creative director of an Uber-like GPS-tracked parcel delivery app called Fetchr. Dubai-based, Fetchr allows both the community and businesses to send or receive anything, anywhere, in the Middle East. Ajlouny raised an impressive 11 million US dollars to start up her now successful venture. Before Fetchr, she worked in retail, first in the changing room of a clothing store, then working her way up to head buyer. According to Emirates Woman, Ajlouny went on from there “to open her own New York fashion store before founding e-commerce company Bonfaie, a platform for undiscovered brands.”
3. Aya Bdeir (Lebanon)
An inventor, interactive artist, and successful businesswoman, Bdeir is known as the founder and CEO of littleBits, an open source library of modular electronics. Speaking to CNN in 2012, the MIT grad explained that each littleBit is a “pre-assembled, pre-engineered electronic module that has one specific function. It is to enable kids and adults even to play with lights, sounds and sensors without having any experience whatsoever and without any background in engineering.” According to StepFeed, her company has sold millions of products and now develops curricula that is used in thousands of schools across the globe.
4. Dina El Mofty (Egypt)
El-Mofty is the founder and executive director of Injaz, an organization with a strong educational focus on entrepreneurship and work readiness. Part of the Junior Achievement worldwide network, Injaz partners with schools and universities across Egypt, impacting over half a million students and helping train them to become future entrepreneurs. Injaz also works on supporting young entrepreneurs through its startup incubator. Over the last few years, the organization has provided seed funds for over 60 successful startup businesses.
