Q&A WITH KARIM KOUATLY

Q What already successful start-up do you wish you had started?

A Online marketplaces have always been of interest and companies like Amazon have transformed the way people shop globally. The post-pandemic consumer behaviour of online shopping accelerated rapidly and this is here to stay for a very long time, if not for good. I was involved with Amazon, back in the 1990s.

What is your next big dream to make happen?

My biggest dream, professionally, is to diversify and work on other innovative start-up ideas in the coming years. Ogram will always be my priority, and my goal – along with Shafiq and our team – will be to make it the next unicorn in the Middle East.

What new skills have you learnt in the process of launching your start-up?

I believe that having a startup educates you more than any MBA, as you are learning everything pragmatically. I have gained an abundance of new skills over the past seven years in finance, investments, dealing with investors, company valuations, establishing objectives and key results, technology, people management, and how to analyse market trends and data to expand geographically on the supply and demand fronts.

If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?

Like most business owners, you may tend to look to the past and have regrets or wish you had done certain things differently. For me, everything was a learning curve that improved who I was professionally and personally. I wouldn’t do anything differently.

Who is your role model?

My role model is a childhood friend called Jad, who owns a successful domestic workers business in Dubai, which was built from scratch and addressed a market need. His persistence and resilience have given me a tremendous amount of inspiration.

Where do you see yourself after 10 years?

Professionally, I would continue to see myself as an entrepreneur discovering new spaces and capitalising on new opportunities.