Omar Christidis, founder & CEO of ArabNet — the leading Events & Media Company focusing on the Arab web and mobile industry, said ArabNet has been part of a very encouraging growth in the Saudi ecosystem. “We can see that through the multiplication of funding and support organizations such as Endeavor Saudi Arabia, CellA+, OQAL, Qotuf, YAL and others,” he said, adding the 4th edition of the exclusive ArabNet Riyadh 2015 on Dec. 14-16 is expected to see many industry leaders participating in the panel discussions. ArabNet also publishes news and analysis of the web and mobile industry on its online portal and print magazine, The ArabNet Quarterly, Christidis said. Before founding ArabNet, Omar worked in private wealth management at a family office in New York on a small team managing $1 billion in diverse assets. Prior to that, he was a consultant at Booz & Co. in the MENA, and worked on varied projects across industries, including energy, technology/media, and public sector. Christidis was selected as a high-impact Endeavor Entrepreneur, and was highlighted by Gulf News Magazine as one of its “30 under 30” list in 2012. Extracts of the interview with Saudi Gazette:
SG: Can you give us highlights about ArabNet Riyadh 2015?
OC: ArabNet Riyadh 2015 will include interesting features, some introduced for the first time at the event. Over 1,000 participants, 80 speakers and 50 exhibitors from the region, the world and Saudi Arabia will network in a setting dedicated to the KSA market. The event includes 15+ workshop hours on a Design+Code day dedicated to designers and entrepreneurs who wish to hone their skills and build better products. The TechFair will fit 1,200m? of corporate display and B2B meetings in the hundreds. Two initiatives are planned for this year: The MatchUp is an exclusive, invitation-only initiative to facilitate connections between business executives and ArabNet competitions’ finalists and runners-up. Women Mentoring Women is another initiative designed to engage female attendees with regional and international women leaders through 1-on-1 meetings.
SG: What can we expect in terms of content at the panel discussions?
OC: Firstly, the entrepreneurship panels include discussions about the entrepreneurship landscape in the Kingdom and its relationship with the international ecosystems, leading Investors in technology and their support in growing the startup landscape, as well as enterprises embracing innovation. On digital media, reputation & crisis management for brands and corporations will be discussed, alongside video’s exponential growth on mobile, influencers in the online world, local and international Instagram fashion, native advertising and user experience online, new trending platforms on social media, as well as edutainment and kids content. In the eBusiness world, online travel booking will be a major subject, as well as strategic online positioning through luxury commerce management and digital mobile banking. The power of eRetail, Islamic digital economy, solutions and apps serving Islam-conscious users will also be discussed and with respect to technology, panels will include the subject of industrial internet advancement and uses, the machine-to-machine and Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality, as well as gaming at the forefront.
SG: In what way has the Saudi entrepreneurial ecosystem developed since you started organizing ArabNet Riyadh?
OC: ArabNet has been part of a very encouraging growth in the Saudi ecosystem. We can see that through the multiplication of funding and support organizations such as Endeavor Saudi Arabia, CellA+, OQAL, Qotuf, YAL and others. STC has recently launched InspireU, an incubator/accelerator for startups, focused on Digital/ICT innovation in Saudi Arabia. STC Ventures empowers entrepreneurs to create market leading technology businesses. Mobily Ventures invests in early and growth stage companies across information and communication technology. Flat6labs is a regional startup accelerator program that invests in bright, cutting-edge ideas. AccMakk is a Saudi startup accelerator that is supported by UQU (Um Al Qurra University), and we can see an emergence of Saudi success stories such as UTURN, a Jeddah-based production company revolutionizing Saudi Arabian news and entertainment, as well as Sawerly that has lately announced reception of +210K in seed fund.
SG: Name some issues KSA entrepreneurs face?
OC: One key challenge we wish to highlight this year is the accessing of clients and decision makers. We have created initiatives at the event to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with corporate decision makers who can help them grow their business. The MatchUp is an exclusive initiative to facilitate connections between business executives and ArabNet competitions’ finalists and runners-up (a total of 30 entrepreneurs.) The StartUp Demo MatchUp will allow industry leaders to tap into the latest in digital innovation by meeting ArabNet’s Startup Demo finalists and runners-up and engage them as potential service providers or partners. The Ideathon MatchUp will allow investors and seed accelerators to tap into the region’s most creative ideas by meeting ArabNet’s Ideathon finalists and runners-up, and explore their growth potential by offering a seed fund, acceleration or other forms of partnerships.
Women Mentoring Women is another initiative designed to engage female attendees at ArabNet Riyadh with regional and international women leaders. This session will allow women leaders to explore a largely untapped source of entrepreneurial innovation and create a space for female entrepreneurs to actively discuss ways to enhance their career path. As I always say — you cannot win in the MENA region without winning in KSA! And so we act as curators and connectors to key figures in one of the most challenging markets in the Middle East, and offer the possibility for expansion within.
SG: Does ArabNet support other entities within the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem?
OC: ArabNet is the hub for Arab digital professionals and entrepreneurs, creating online and offline platforms for them to connect and learn. ArabNet’s vision is to grow the web and mobile sectors in the MENA region, with the aim to build bridges across the region to stimulate growth of the Arab knowledge economy. We support the creation of new businesses and job opportunities for youth through conferences, partnerships, and competitions. Growing the digital industry in the region is a bigger task than one entity’s reach, hence the need for us to work together in order to change the way people think and approach digital. The market is big, and we are always ready and willing to collaborate with any entity that aligns with our vision and objectives. These also include media institutions. —SG
