Meet The 5 Global Thinkers Speaking at The First Ever Startups Without Borders Summit

Startups Without Borders is launching its inaugural summit inviting the world’s bravest pioneers and startup founders to attend the disruptive game-changing event. The summit aims to connect the most ambitious refugee and migrant entrepreneurs with necessary resources to grow their businesses.

Through combining international minds for a global market, the summit’s programme highlights three extensive tracks named 'Tech to Scale', 'Creative Economy', and 'Female Leadership'.

Headlined at the American University of Cairo (AUC) in Tahrir, the summit will also provide investors with an entry-point to under-the-radar startups with disruptive potential to inspire a movement to internationalise the startup ecosystem.

Between two stages, over 25+ speakers, 15 workshops and hundreds of like-minded entrepreneurs, the legends of tomorrow will gear up to create momentum in the region. The speakers at this year’s Startup Without Borders summit include:

Tim Docking

Tim Docking is the Managing Director for the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), the first impact investing and blended-finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions to global forced migration. He is Washington, D.C.-based and has around 20 years of private and public sector experience.

As an intrapreneur, he worked at the intersection of business, technology and international development building a $100 millionrevenue stream at IBM; as a public sector executive, he helped establish the Millennium Challenge Corporation (U.S. government agency); and as a scholar, he directed Africa’s research at D.C. think tank.

Hazami Barmada

Hazami is a thought leader, catalyst, social innovator, and impact strategist who is recognized by Forbes as an “inspirational agent of change.” She has consulted for dozens of leading global organisations including the United Nations, is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, Harvard Fellow and a serial founder including the People’s Summit and Humanity Lab.

A passionate humanist, Hazami’s interests lie at the intersection of change management, global governance, diplomacy, innovation, diversity and inclusion, social good and development. Her innovative work has received funding and support from institutions including Cisco, Qualcomm, Turkish Airlines, World Food Programme, United Nations Foundation, HSBC, Silatech, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, and many more.

Saddam Sayyaleh

Saddam Sayyalek is a Palestinian social entrepreneur who employs a community-based approach to empowering youth and children in disenfranchised communities in Jordan. Saddam, who grew up as an orphan in a refugee camp in Jerash himself, is the founder of ‘I-Learn,” a social startup that helps refugee youth take control of their future.

Saddam is an expert in community mobilisation and social innovation and has developed skills in training, project management, and community outreach activities. He is a Global Fellow at Laureate 2016, in addition to a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum, UNESCO youth fellow and State Department Alumni, and was recently appointed Board Member Unicef’s Generation Unlimited.

Souad Mohamed

Labelled as the ‘Syrian Tony Robbins of the Middle East,’ Souad is a certified Human Development Trainer with a portfolio of over 25,000 participants across universities and institutions for youth and women in Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and the Greater Middle East. The protagonist of a truly inspiring story, Souad aims to share her journey overcoming hardship and establishing her own training company. With 11 years of experience under her belt, Souad is frequently seen in TV shows and regional conferences.

Sami Al Ahmad

Sami is a Syrian entrepreneur living in Cairo, with an impressive line of accomplishments as the CEO and Founder of Khatwa, and CEO and co-founder of Marj3, the MENA’s largest digital platform for scholarships. The Flat6Labs graduate boasts 2.5 million visitors per month and was selected as startup of the year by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Egypt, the 3^rd place winner of the Jusoor startup competition.

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