Yasmine El-Mehairy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dija, a platform helping Muslim women invest with confidence in a way aligned with their faith and values. Yasmine is a serial entrepreneur, passionate about startups with purpose. Before launching Dija, she worked in global financial service organizations like City Ventures and Deloitte Digital, as well as founding and managing other startups in various fields, like digital media and e-commerce. She previously Co-Founded SuperMama, the one-stop shop for mothers in the Arab world, which was acquired by Mawdoo3. She's also an expert in entrepreneurship, serving as a lecturer and tutor at Oxford University. Yasmine holds an executive MBA from London Business School, a master's in online media from the University of Westminster, and a bachelor's in computer Science from Egypt's Aisha's University, and has been strongly committed to creating the change she wants to see in the world by starting purposeful startups that contribute to the growing ecosystem.

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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.

Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch:

LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast

Twitter: @ArabiaStartups

Facebook: @startupsarabia

Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast

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Yasmine’s LinkedIn account: @Yamine El-Mehairy

Dija Money’s Website: https://www.dija.money/

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SHOW NOTES:

00:00 Introduction to the Startups Arabia Podcast

00:25 Meet Yasmine El-Mehairy: A Serial Entrepreneur

02:17 Yasmine's Early Career and First Startup

03:01 The Turning Point: From Corporate to Startup

07:28 The Birth of SuperMama

09:11 Challenges and Pivots in SuperMama's Journey

19:46 SuperMama's Growth and Traction

34:31 Navigating Investor Relations and Board Dynamics

38:37 The Acquisition of SuperMama

45:07 Transition to Dija Money and Financial Empowerment

45:30 The Origin of Dija Money

46:29 Financial Mistakes and Lessons Learned

49:32 Gender and Financial Literacy

54:18 Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Factors

01:00:45 The Dija App: Vision and Development

01:06:23 Building a Startup: Strategies and Challenges

01:10:51 Personal and Professional Reflections

01:20:53 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts

Ramez El-Serafy is the General Partner and Co-Founder of F6 Ventures, bringing over 18 years of experience in technology, investments, entrepreneurship, and management. Before launching F6 Ventures, Ramez served as CEO of Flat6Labs from 2011 to 2025, where he led its transformation into one of the most active innovation platforms in the Middle East and Africa, expanding its footprint, scaling its operations, and investing in hundreds of high-growth startups.

Earlier in his career, Ramez was responsible for building and managing the mobile applications business at Sarmady – a Vodafone company – and served as a board member of the Global Accelerator Network from 2014 to 2016. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Alexandria University and is deeply committed to fostering innovation, empowering entrepreneurs, and building impactful businesses that shape the future of emerging markets.

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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.

Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch:

LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast

Twitter: @ArabiaStartups

Facebook: @startupsarabia

Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast

—--- Resources—--------:

Ramez’s LinkedIn account: @Ramez El-Serafy

F6 Ventures’ Website: https://f6.vc/

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SHOW NOTES:

00:00 Introduction to Ramez El-Serafy and the Podcast

02:41 The Birth of Flat6Labs

07:14 Challenges and Growth of Flat6Labs

24:00 Expanding Beyond Egypt

30:36 The Evolution into F6 Ventures

38:59 Introduction to F6 Ventures

39:30 Launching F6 Ventures and Portfolio Management

40:33 Regional Strategies and Consolidation

41:54 Investment Programs and Mandates

43:00 Focus on Africa, Levant, and GCC

52:07 Personal Transformation and Health Journey

57:11 Fundraising Advice for Founders

01:03:51 Investment Decision-Making Process

01:10:22 Challenges in the Regional Ecosystem

01:13:04 Navigating Market Challenges

01:14:00 Geographical Diversification Strategy

01:15:07 Startup Exit Options

01:15:51 Investor Exit Strategies

01:18:33 Impact of Exits on Ecosystems

01:22:33 Key Questions for Founders

01:25:36 Challenges in Fundraising

01:28:38 Emerging Sectors and Technologies

01:35:19 Building a Sustainable Ecosystem

01:40:12 Future Goals and Expansion

01:41:43 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts

Born in Tunisia and “well-travelled”.

Geek, started my first software company at the age of 16.

Studied Software Engineering and AI at INSA Toulouse and University of Western Ontario.

Joined Microsoft, where I spent 7 years — from Software Engineer to Engineering Manager — and truly fell in love with testing and quality.

Then co-founded Expensya, an AI-powered expense management scale-up that grew across Europe and was acquired for over $100M.

Now building Thunders: a no-code, agentic AI testing solution that empowers both developers and non-technical teams to automate end-to-end testing at scale — without writing a single line of code. Passionate about shipping faster, with confidence.

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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.

Follow us on our social media platforms to stay updated and get in touch:

LinkedIn: Startups Arabia Podcast

Twitter: @ArabiaStartups

Facebook: @startupsarabia

Youtube: Startups Arabia Podcast

—--- Resources—--------:

Karim’s LinkedIn account: @Karim Jouini

Thunders’ Website: https://www.thunders.ai/

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SHOW NOTES:

00:00 Introduction to Karim Jouini and the Podcast

03:10 Karim's Journey in Tech and Early Ventures

05:00 The Importance of Hard and Soft Skills

07:29 Challenges and Lessons from Building Expensya

10:16 Founding Thunders and Its Vision

25:56 Thunders’ Progress and Future Plans

30:38 AI in Testing and Overcoming Regional Challenges

47:55 Handling Customer Feedback

50:16 Go-to-Market Strategy

53:34 Team Size and Structure

55:56 Remote Work Policy

56:53 Leadership Principles

59:37 Identity and Global Citizenship

01:01:55 Impact of Global Events

01:08:54 Fundraising Strategy

01:13:05 Acquisition Decision

01:17:32 Co-Founder Dynamics

01:22:21 Regional Startup Ecosystem

01:25:13 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts