Let's Talk Product Propeller

Waleed is one of Jawaker's founding engineers. He joined in 2009 to help build and launch the product and has since then grown to manage and lead the entire product and tech team at the company. On the episode, we walk through the journey of Jawaker, reflecting on how they built things back in 2009 and how they steadily and organically grew their user base throughout the years. We also chat about their progressive product development process, the impact of cool-down periods, and how they were able to recreate the social experience of playing cards in the app. Finally, Waleed highlights the big role culture and leadership has played in retaining and developing their team all throughout the years.

Iyad Aldalooj is the co-founder and CEO of Penny software, a SaaS procurement solution. Prior to founding Penny in 2020, Iyad was the General Manager & Marketing Director at Careem in Saudi Arabia. On the episode we learn about Iyad's journey and delve into the steps they're taking in building a global SaaS product from day 1.

Walid Daniel Dib is the co-founder and CEO of Hala (previously Addenda), a startup that is transforming insurance to a simple and pleasant experience. In 2018, him and his brother started off by building a blockchain solution for insurance companies. After over a year of pivoting, they were still in search of product-market fit. Soon after, they made a final pivot to B2C and have only been growing since. On the episode, Walid shares the lessons they’ve learnt along this journey and talks to us about how they’re reinventing insurance for consumers in the Middle East.

Jonathan Steingiesser is Head of Design at Property Finder, the largest real estate platform in the UAE. With over 17 years of design experience at startups across various sectors including retail and education, Jonathan has fostered a deep passion for design innovation and continuous improvement. On the episode, we cover the foundations of product design — from what to look for when hiring your first product designer, to the research processes and methods that enable continuous product innovation.

We talk to Yousef Wadi, founder and CEO of Nestrom about his early pivot and how he built a must-have solution for enterprise customers in the Middle East. Today Nestrom serves enterprises including Al-Futtaim Group, Nabil and Fine Hygienic Holding. He shares a ton of learnings around value proposition, pricing, sales, target persona, and more.

Nabil Mohamed, VP of Product at Instabug, shares the decision making framework that helps him balance the need of speed vs. quality when developing tech products. He also shares what he looks for when hiring exceptional talent.