Startups Arabia

Ameer Sherif is the founder and chairman of Basharsoft, the company behind Wuzzuf and Forasna, Egypt's leading online employment platforms for both white collar and blue collar workers, respectively. Collectively, both platforms impacted the lives of over seven million job seekers in Egypt and helped 70,000+ companies hire more than one million people over the past years.

They've had significant growth and impact on the local online employment market, and they have been one of Egypt's fastest growing local tech companies. He's raised a total of 12 million in VC funding along the way, and he's built a team of over 300 employees. And many of his investors, as we will tell the story, were investing in the region for the first time when they invested in Basharsoft. Today, he leads the company's expansion into Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and Africa.

In 2019, he was selected as an endeavor entrepreneur and named a young global leader by the World Economic Forum. He also sits on the board of Egytrans, a publicly listed logistics company, and ITIDA, the executive arm of the Egyptian Ministry of ICT. Helping set strategies for Egypt on digitization, innovation, entrepreneurship. Ameer is also a venture partner with Khwarizmi Ventures, a 70 million dollar MENA focused VC fund based in KSA, where he spent two years as a partner and continues to advise portfolio founders. He holds a master's degree in computer engineering, and a bachelor's in electrical and communications engineering from Cairo University.

He's also completed a master's in Executive programs on public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and business leadership executive programs at MIT, Stanford, INSEAD, and HBS.

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The Startups Arabia Podcast connects you to the most prominent founders, investors, and operators of the Arab region. You will be inspired by their success, the challenges they overcame and the opportunities they see.

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Hasan’s LinkedIn account: @Ameer Sherif

Wuzzuf’s Website: https://wuzzuf.net/jobs/egypt

Forasna’s Website: https://forasna.com/

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SHOW NOTES:

00:00 Introduction to Ameer Sherif and Basharsoft

03:26 Ameer’s Journey into Entrepreneurship

06:58 Overcoming Early Challenges

10:06 Innovative Solutions and Growth

17:56 Securing Funding and Expansion

26:32 Impact and Future Plans

42:18 Insights from the VC World

50:16 Insights on Founder Management and Success

50:59 Expanding to New Markets and Company Vision

52:53 Experience in Public Policy and Board Certification

53:50 Introduction to Khwarizmi Ventures

54:49 Investment Decision-Making Process

56:18 Promising Verticals and Team Focus

58:11 Co-Founder Relationships and Best Practices

01:01:16 Mental Health and Burnout in Founders

01:04:27 Balancing Work and Life as a Founder

01:06:31 Joining the Board of ITIDA

01:10:58 Advice to Younger Self and Definition of Success

01:15:58 Second-Time Founders and Market Maturity

01:19:07 Exit Options for Startups in the Region

01:22:08 Characteristics of Effective Board Directors

01:24:21 Choosing the Right Investors

01:25:56 Investing in the HR Space

01:29:16 Future Vision for Basharsoft

01:29:51 Concluding Remarks and Quickfire Questions