BUILDERS SUMMIT
24 OCTOBER 2024
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

It has been powerfully proven, time and again, that the future belongs to those who build it. Inspired by this, the Outliers Builder Summit caters to the curators of MENA’s tomorrow.


This exclusive full-day event is thoughtfully crafted to deliver high-impact content and tailored workshops while also fostering meaningful connections. With this vision in mind, our aim is for the Summit to bend the odds a little more in favor of bold builders who are built different.

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Speakers
  • Ahmad AlShammari
    Sanabil Investments
    Ahmad is a digital builder and engineer turned technology investor. He's currently at Sanabil Investments, a financial investment company that focuses on global private investments, including venture and growth capital.
  • Anfal Alatawi
    Zmrud
    Anfal is a data scientist and entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Zmrud. Anfal’s experience spans corporate settings, governmental projects, and dynamic startups. Previously she was a founding engineer at Drahim, prior to that a consultant at IBM.
  • Armineh Baghoomian
    Partners for Growth
    Armineh is a Managing Director and head of Europe and MENA at Partners for Growth. She also co-leads PFG’s global Fintech and Asset Backed Structured Credit activities. She has prior experience as CFO/COO at Solinea, CFO at Treq Labs, and Co-Founder/CFO of Vello Systems. Armineh holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University.
  • Asma Alyamani
    Mamo Pay
    Asma Alyamani is the Chief Product Officer at Mamo, leading product strategy and development. Previously, she was a Product Lead at Careem and held roles at Zendesk, Saudi Aramco, and Bupa Arabia. She holds an MBA from Stanford University.
  • Bader AlMubarak
    Soum
    Bader Almubarak is the Co-founder and CEO of Soum, a leading MENA marketplace. Starting with second-hand electronics in KSA, Soum expanded to autos and collectibles, facilitating hundreds of thousands of transactions. Bader holds an MBA from MIT and is a CFA Charterholder.
  • Bilal Abou-Diab
    Vault
    Bilal, co-founder and CEO of Vault, merges fintech with wealth management, offering a digital platform with personalized advisory services. A CFA Charterholder since 2018, he has over a decade of experience in financial planning and investment strategy development.
  • Charlie Pennington
    Carta
    Charlie Pennington, head of Go-To-Market & Sales at Carta, leads equity management and fundraising efforts in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and ANZ. Previously at HubSpot, he grew Asia operations and advised startups across numerous countries.
  • Duncan Davidson
    Bullpen Capital
    Duncan Davidson, Co-founder and Partner at Bullpen Capital, is a seasoned venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur. He founded Covad Communications ($9B market value) and led InterTrust Technologies’ IPO ($8B market value), working with top companies like Apple, Intel, and Disney.
  • Eyad Latif
    Latham & Watkins
    Eyad is the Middle East Co-Deputy Managing Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, specializing in venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and corporate matters. He has previously worked in the firm's San Francisco and New York offices, representing US and international clients.
  • Fawzi Harfouch
    AWS
    Fawzi, a Startup Solutions Architect at AWS, empowers startups across MENA to innovate and scale using AWS technologies. With over a decade of experience, he guides organizations in architecting scalable solutions, accelerating cloud journeys, and achieving transformative results.
  • Ibrahim Aldaigan
    Streampay
    Ibrahim Aldlaigan is the Founder of Stream, a fintech revolutionizing how businesses handle future-dated payments. Previously an investor at STV, he gained expertise in venture capital and technology through roles at the Saudi Industrial Development Fund and KAUST, offering a unique builder-backer perspective.
  • Jad Antoun
    Huspy
    Jad Antoun is the CEO and Co-founder of Huspy, a proptech startup on a mission to improve the home buying ecosystem in EMEA backed by Sequoia, Founders Fund, Fifth Wall, Breyer Capital, and others. Prior to this, Jad worked at BECO Capital, a Seed to Series C VC fund that invested early in some of the largest companies in the region such as Careem, PropertyFinder and Kitopi.
  • Jay Alammar
    Cohere, Outliers VC
    Jay Alammar is Director and Engineering Fellow at Cohere and Venture Partner at Outliers VC. He educates enterprises on language models and has a popular AI/ML blog that simplifies complex concepts. Jay also co-created machine learning courses for Deeplearning.ai and Udacity.
  • Josephine Koh
    Carta
    Josephine Koh is the Director of Fund Administration for Asia Pacific & Middle East at Carta and played a key role in its international expansion. Previously, she co-founded and served as COO at Insignia Venture Partners, raising over US$300M for the firm.
  • Justin Harnoss
    Gemic
    Justin, with over 15 years of experience, drives innovation and brand projects for top companies like BMW, Netflix, and Samsung. Previously COO at McKinsey Digital Labs, he holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and an MSc from Instituto de Empresa.
  • Mahmoud ElSharkawy
    Kenzz
    Mahmoud ElSharkawy, Chief Marketing Officer of Kenzz, has 13 years of multi-industry experience leading global brands like Ariel, Uber, and Swvl. He specializes in marketing, growth strategies, and brand building, driving sales, customer acquisition, and market insights across MENA.
  • Mike Turner
    Latham & Watkins
    Mike Turner is a partner in Latham & Watkins' London office, specializing in venture capital, growth equity, and M&A transactions in the TMT sector. His focus includes software, fintech, video games, e-commerce, and digital health. Previously, he was a general partner in a tech-focused venture capital fund.
  • Moayed Almoayed
    Pinnacle Capital
    Moayed Almoayed, Partner at Pinnacle Capital, leads Venture Capital and manages a $200M growth-stage fund. As Co-Founder and early investor in food-tech startup Calo, he brings expertise in scaling businesses across Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC region.
  • Omar Khalil
    BTS
    With over 10 years of experience in Team, Culture, and Leadership, Omar specializes in helping teams build strong, cohesive units for effective strategy execution. Currently, he serves as COO of BTS IMEA, a global leader in people-focused strategy, with a background in M&A advisory for MENA clients.
  • Rawad Khalife
    AWS
    Rawad is the Startup & VC Ecosystem lead in MENA at AWS, helping VC funds identify and support high-potential startups. Previously, he was an Executive Director at MEVP, leading deals and advising startups. He also led product teams at Dubizzle, Careem, and Realspace.
  • Sakari Tamminen
    Gemic
    As co-founder of Gemic, Sakari drives innovation by merging brand strategy, experience design, and business model development. He advises teams working with global leaders like Meta and Microsoft, blending anthropology and design to deliver future-shaping, human-centered solutions.
  • Saubia Khan
    AWS
    Saubia is a Startup Solutions Architect at AWS, with three years of experience supporting startups in the MENA and Turkey region. She focuses on onboarding and accelerating AI-driven startups, creating innovative accessibility solutions, and guiding companies through the evolving tech landscape.
  • Shing Lo
    Latham & Watkins
    Shing Lo, a partner at Latham & Watkins in London, advises VC funds and tech companies on financings and M&A transactions. She counsels founders and investors on company formation, financing strategy, global expansion, and corporate matters, with a hands-on approach.
Learn More About the Speakers
Program
24 OCTOBER 2024
Download the Full Agenda
Private Session
Unlocking Wealth: Strategic Insights for ESOP Holders and Cash Investors
Breakfast
09:30 - 10:30 AM
10:30 - 11:10 AM
Led By Bilal Abou-Diab
Led By Asma Alyamani
Private Session
Product Workshop: Mastering the Craft of High Stake Tradeoffs
11:15 - 12:00 PM
Led by Jay Alammar & Anfal Alatawi
The Building Blocks of AI Applications
11:15 - 12:00 PM

Part 1 | Led by Sakari Tamminen
Part 2 | Justin Harnoss in conversation with Mahmoud ElSharkawy & Bader AlMubarak
Product-Market Fit to Cultural Desire: Accelerating Growth with a Brand-Led Approach
10:30 - 11:10 AM
Lunch
12:45 - 2:00 PM
Led by Fawzi Harfouch, Saubia Khan & Rawad Khalife
Applying Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Patterns on AWS
12:05 - 12:45 PM
Unlocking Global Insights, Trends, Fund Performance and Global Expansion
02:00 - 02:40 PM
Led by Josephine Koh & Charlie Pennington
Raising Beyond Series A:
An AMA with Growth Investors
Riding the Waves: Mastering Tech and VC Cycles

Private Session
Cross-Border Insights: Legal Trends and Opportunities for the Middle East Ecosystem
02:00 - 02:40 PM
Led by Eyad Latif, Mike Turner & Shing Lo
04:45 - 05:25 PM
Mohammed Almeshekah in conversation with Duncan Davidson
04:00 - 04:40 PM
Sarah Alsaleh in conversation with Ahmed Alshammari &
Armineh Baghoomian
Switching Seats:
From Investor to Founder (and Back)
02:45 - 03:25 PM
Ibrahim Aldlaigan in conversation with Jad Antoun & Moayed Almoayed
Canapés Break
03:30 - 4:00 PM
Social & Light Bites
5:30 PM Onwards
Private Session
The Uncommon Sense of Effective Teams
12:05 - 12:45 PM
Led By Omar Khalil
09:30 - 10:30 AM
Breakfast
10:30 - 11:10 AM
From Product-Market Fit to Building Cultural Desire: Accelerating Growth with a Brand-Led Approach
Part 1 | Led by Sakari Tamminen
Part 2 | Justin Harnoss in conversation with Mahmoud ElSharkawy & Bader AlMubarak
10:30 – 11:10 AM
Private Session
Unlocking Wealth: Strategic Insights for ESOP Holders and Cash Investors
Led By Bilal Abou-Diab
11:15 – 12:00 PM
The Building Blocks of AI Applications
Led by Jay Alammar & Anfal Alatawi
11:15 – 12:00 PM
Private Session
Product Workshop: Mastering the Craft of High Stake Tradeoffs
Led By Asma Alyamani
12:05 - 12:45 PM
Applying Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Patterns on AWS
Led by Fawzi Harfouch, Saubia Khan & Rawad Khalife
12:05 - 12:45 PM
Private Session
The Uncommon Sense of Effective Teams
Led by Omar Khalil
12:45 - 02:00 PM
Lunch
02:00 - 02:40 PM
Unlocking Global Insights: Trends, Fund Performance, and Global Expansion
Led by Josephine Koh & Charlie Pennington
02:00 - 02:40 PM
Private Session
Cross-Border Insights: Legal Trends and Opportunities for the Middle East Ecosystem

Led by Eyad Latif, Mike Turner & Shing Lo

02:45 - 03:25 PM
Switching Seats: From Investor to Founder (and Back)
Ibrahim Aldlaigan in conversation with Jad Antoun & Moayed Almoayed
03:30 - 04:00 PM
Canapés Break
04:00 - 04:40 PM
Raising Beyond Series A: An AMA with Growth Investors
Sarah Alsaleh in conversation with Ahmed Alshammari & Armineh Baghoomian
04:45 - 05:25 PM
Riding the Waves: Mastering Tech and VC Cycles

Mohammed Almeshekah in conversation with Duncan Davidson
05:30 PM Onwards
Social & Light Bites
Venue
JAX District, Al Diriyah
Partners
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