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“I’ve always been a strong believer in offering financial services to the unbanked.” Mounir Nakhla on turbo-charging growth at Egypt’s leading FinTech startup Halan
In this week’s episode we connect with Mounir Nakhla, CEO and Co-Founder of Egypt’s leading FinTech start-up ‘Halan’ which...
16th June 20220 -
“The issue with progress is that it’s seldom linear.” Nadia Wassef on narrative structure, trafficking in nostalgia and life after publishing a debut memoir.
This week, we reunite with a previous guest; author and friend of The Lighthouse, Nadia Wassef. Since our first...
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“I can figure out your personality by walking around your space.” Anoud Alzaben on the process of creating and immortalizing ephemeral tablescapes.
We are joined this week by multidisciplinary Jordanian designer Anoud Alzaben who we first met at The Lighthouse when...
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“I’m half woman, half to-do list!” Stasha Toncev on her improbable journey from Belgrade to Dubai and what it took to launch Balkan bistro 21 Grams
This week we sit with Stasha Toncev, founder of Dubai’s award-winning Balkan bistro, 21 Grams. Hailed in the media,...
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“The Michelin Guides are consistent; one star in Dubai equals one star in Paris” Michelin Guides’ Gwendal Poullennec debunks urban legends surrounding the iconic restaurant guide which just announced its Dubai chapter
Hashem and his co-host Samantha Wood aka FooDiva sit down with Gwendal Poullennec, the Guides’ International Director. Over coffee...
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MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants Behind the Scenes with Claudia de Brito and Samantha Wood “The fact that we have this list is a vote of confidence for the MENA region.”
To mark the occasion of the Middle East's recent inclusion in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, we catch up with...
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“If you want to employ more women, design your workplace around it.” Rania Masri El Khatib’s call to arms for female employees is loud and clear.
We sat with Rania Masri El Khatib, Founder of the RMK Collective, a transformation and experience design advisory. Rania...
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“You can’t force a talent to go into production.” Cyril Zammit on Dubai’s evolving design landscape, the role of government support and the future of NFTs.
This week we caught up with Cyril Zammit, design advisor and former director of the renowned fair for collectible...
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“Most of the time I’m right when it comes to food.” Bedouinfoodie Hani AlMalki on the multi-cultural cuisine of the Hijaz region, why Saudi’s culinary scene is about to pop and the real origins of Hummus
This week we met up with Hani AlMalki aka Bedouinfoodie, Dubai-based restaurant reviewer extraordinaire and food history buff. Hani...
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2021: A Podcast Odyssey
Yay, The Lighthouse turns five! To some this year might feel like “2020, Part Three” but to us it...
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“Food is an open ended problem, we’ll never perfect it.” Amir Allam, Founder of Egypt’s biggest food discovery platform Elmenus on his obsession with problem solving & how he will meet his biggest challenge yet – building Elmenus to scale.
On this week’s episode, Hashem caught up with Amir Allam, a fellow Egyptian and graduate of the infamous DEO,...
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“Investors look for traction and Founder’s pedigree.” Ramy Adeeb shares his journey from computer science to building his own venture capital firm, 1984 Ventures.
As fellow Egyptians and graduates of Harvard College in the 90s, Hashem and Ramy Adeeb initially shared a similar...
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“Success in design means finding a good recipe and dreaming big.” Design wunderkinder David & Nicolas on 10 years as a successful brand and what makes their partnership click.
Hashem is joined this week—via Zoom call from Milan—by David & Nicolas, the Milan/Beirut-based design duo whose retro-futurist work...
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“Investing is about proving a thesis.” Feras Jalbout on the nascent investing culture in the region, crypto currencies and launching his trading app Baraka
In today’s episode, Hashem caught up with Feras Jalbout, founder of fintech app Baraka. A UAE-based platform, Baraka’s motto...
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“Barbeque is an analogue experience.” Hattem Mattar on the subtle science of live fire cuisine and why he finally made the jump to a full time gig.
In our first episode post-summer, host Hashem Montasser caught up with Hattem Mattar, founder of The Mattar Farm for...
