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This article is from a special edition of Entrepreneur Middle East, produced for the 2024 edition of the Women Empowerment Conference (WE Conference), organized by the WE Council. Please see the full text here.
For Emon Shakur, founder and CEO of Blossom Accelerator, Saudi Arabia’s first technology inclusion accelerator and ecosystem builder, the most rewarding aspect of entrepreneurship is knowing that change is coming. He says he’s not waiting any longer. “You make that difference every day,” she says. “It also means we can actually implement the vision we have been working on and see it benefit thousands of people and positively change their lives.”
Taking matters into his own hands seems to be Shakur’s personal trait. Growing up with epilepsy and daily seizures led her to study the brain, and she later became a neuroscience researcher involved in clinical drug trials. While going through this personal transformation of hers, she was in California, USA, which brought her new opportunities that she was eager to seize. “The Bay Area was full of innovation, and everyone around me was co-coding the next startup and raising money from venture capitalists,” Shakur recalls. “So it wasn’t long before I decided to start a company in California and use my scientific background to test and confirm or disprove the theories and questions behind the company itself. It was in that experience that I founded my first company, navigated the startup ecosystem in California, and then moved back to Saudi Arabia to build a startup ecosystem in my home country called Blossom Accelerator. Did. ”
Emon Shakur, founder and CEO of Blossom Accelerator.Source: Blossom Accelerator
Blossom Accelerator specializes in executing and operating all types of entrepreneurship and innovation programs that enable companies to start, expand and succeed. Currently, his alumni include his more than 3,000 startup companies in five countries. Additionally, Shakur’s entry into the ranks of startup investors comes from his work helping the founders of Blossom Accelerator raise capital. “As an angel investor, I invest in about five early-stage companies a year and work closely with them as an advisor in areas where I think they can add value,” she says, while also identifying opportunities. He added that he also serves on the committee. She works at Okal, Saudi Arabia’s largest angel investment group.
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Shakoor is also a venture partner at Oryx Fund, a London-based US$50 million fund aimed at investing in early-stage companies across the MENA region. “We primarily invest in five verticals of solutions: EdTech, HealthTech, FinTech, Logistics, B2B Enterprise Software and are actively investing in companies in our target verticals at pre-seed and seed stages. “We’re looking for a portfolio,” Shakur said.
Now, while Shakur has accomplished many things throughout her entrepreneurial journey, those who aspire to follow in her footsteps will almost certainly have a long, daunting, and lonely journey. He emphasizes that you should prepare for it. “There are always new obstacles that no one can prepare for. It is always her 100% responsibility as CEO to mitigate challenges and risks and ensure sustainability and continuity,” she concludes. I am. “And it’s not easy.”
Emon Shakur, founder and CEO of Blossom Accelerator.Source: Blossom Accelerator
Insider insights: Emon Shakoor’s Tips on Setting and Achieving Goals
Dream big with confidence “Don’t play small. Push yourself to achieve and achieve the highest standards of success, and remain intensely focused on that mission until it is achieved. You can only do so if you believe in yourself.” Is possible.”
have very clear goals “It should be an aspirational goal for three to five years, and you should constantly reflect on it and revise it. The biggest project you undertake is yourself. If you are always the best version of yourself, You will bring thought leadership and creativity to everything you do.”
always be true to yourself “Don’t let the world dictate to you what you should be or what you should do. You already know, but all you need to do is follow your own curiosity and intuition. And… Along the way, only surround yourself with people and friends who genuinely care about you.” About your success and growth. ”
Related: Big goals, bold choices: Mishal Ashmimly, founder of Mishal Aerospace
