Khaleej Times presents The Startups

STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH.
Steve Jobs could not have coded it better. They are the world's best lines depicting the DNA of the startup and the founder.
Hungry describes the drive, the effort, the inspiration, and the desire to differentiate. Foolish portrays the maverick yearning, the mad quest, the raving genius. It symbolises the glorious life of an idea and the cycle of innovation.
It explains the reason to create. Khaleej Times pays tribute today to the spirit of entrepreneurship in The Startups, a special double-spread. Our initiative is a compliment to Dubai which constantly reinvents itself to be in the vanguard of knowledge.
Thanks to the government's foresight, Dubai is poised to be a springboard for tech entrepreneurs, VCs, accelerators, suppliers, programmers.
KT is proud to launch a special page every week to chronicle the rise of this unique movement which informs how the future is changing. Brave young entrepreneurs are taking the risk to gauge latent demand and create products for a market that is just being born. We celebrate these heroics and the environment that Dubai has created to nurture and realise dreams. We salute innovators' patience.
Mix risk with luck, perseverance and passion, and you have a surefire formula for success. "Innovative technology, evolving product ranges, determination, a bit of luck and strong passion towards the brand and consumers are some of the key driving forces," Ronaldo Mouchawar, CEO and co-founder of e-commerce company Souq, tells KT. (See story, in The Startups)
The world of startups is of deep significance to KT simply because it is creating a new future; it is changing the lives of readers. As Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder of Careem, an online transportation network company, explains to KT: "Our mission is to simplify people's lives." That is possible today because of the pivotal role played by technology. It also gives business a (social) purpose. It makes entrepreneurship evangelical.
Paul Graham, VC and co-founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator, put it brilliantly when he told TechCrunch: "I get a lot of criticism for telling founders to focus first on making something great, instead of worrying about how to make money."
Great ideas come from great stories. KT will bring you the exciting phases of the startup universe, from bootstrapping (early stages) to pivoting (re-strategising), and brand creation to scaling up. It is a journey that has inspiring tales, case studies, and slo-mo glimpses into the future.
Entrepreneurs often boast it's they who take the risk to find the future. By doing so, they end up defining it. Dubai has definitive advantages for startup founders. Its fabric is cosmopolitan; its goal is visionary; its soil is fertile for an entrepreneurial garden. It is as determined as an entrepreneur to change people's lives. It is a city that beckons ideas. Watch out for The Startups every week. You will start sharing our belief that entrepreneurship is the most-coveted individual trait. It does not belong to business alone, it belongs to you and me. It makes us hungry and foolish.
Read:
Success is driven by strong passion... and a bit of luck
Mission: Simplify the lives of people
Want to have value? Be creative in your business!
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