Deni Hoxha

We are pleased to welcome two distinguished speakers to our EnterInvest - Investment Readiness Program this week🙌 Aylin Girgin Özbiliş - Vinci Venture Capital Aylin will share her expertise from the corporate VC perspective, covering how corporates structure their venture arms, assess strategic investments, and collaborate with startups for long-term value creation. Oktay Namver - Arz Portföy Extensive hands-on experience in GSYF structures and portfolio management, Oktay will deliver practical insights into fund mechanics, investment evaluation processes, and what institutional investors look for in investment-ready startups. This session will help founders understand the differences between Corporate VC and traditional venture investing and how professional funds evaluate startups before investing🙏 #EnterInvest #InvestmentReadiness #VentureCapital #CorporateVC #GSYF #PortfolioManagement #StartupInvesting

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I had the privilege of attending a conference led by Dr. Rafig Aliyev, a distinguished technology scientist and a student of the legendary Azerbaijani scholar Lotfi Zadeh. The entire event was fascinating, and his speech was truly breathtaking—rich in insight and deeply informative. One of the most compelling parts of his talk addressed the differences between artificial intelligence and human beings. Dr. Aliyev highlighted a few key capabilities of AI: 1. Deep learning – the ability to learn and improve from vast amounts of data. 2. Faster decision-making – AI systems can process and act on information at incredible speeds. 3. Multifeature analysis – AI can analyze hundreds of features simultaneously, such as processing 500 variables at once. Yet, despite these impressive abilities, he emphasized that AI will never replace human beings emotionally. Our feelings, values, and empathy remain beyond the reach of machines. So, to everyone concerned about the future of AI: there’s no need to worry. AI will assist us by handling routine tasks more efficiently, but it will not and cannot permanently replace!

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Our own Eric Baghdasaryan shows in his piece on how Artsakhi refugees in Armenia can offer powerful insights into entrepreneurship under pressure for startups and businesses all over the world. Fund For Armenian Relief #Entrepreneurs #Startups  #RefugeeEntrepreneurship #EconomicIntegration #Artsakh #SocialImpact #Resilience #WorkforceDevelopment #InclusiveGrowth #FAR 

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In this Episode: Dr. Walid Fayad — Former Minister of Energy & Water, Ex–Booz Allen Partner, MIT Pan Arab Leader ⚡🇱🇧 What happens when a man earning over $1M/year walks into the Lebanese public sector… for $200 a month? YouTube Link: https://lnkd.in/dBWisFYx In this episode of The Titans Podcast, Walid opens up about leadership, crisis management, and the reality of trying to fix Lebanon’s toughest problems from the inside. We dive into: ⚡ Did he really take EDL from broke… to millions? 😂 The truth behind his viral TikTok dance. 💼 His global consulting journey (McKinsey, Booz Allen & more). 💸 Why he left a million-dollar salary for public service. 🏛️ The real difference between running a business & running a ministry. 🔌 What Lebanon actually needs to reach 24/7 electricity. 🚀 His role at MIT Pan Arab empowering Arab innovators. 🤖 His new ventures in AI & Private Equity. Whether you care about Lebanon’s future, love consulting, or simply want to understand what leadership looks like under pressure, this conversation will change the way you see public service, business, and resilience.

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This Kurdish founder was weeks away from bankruptcy, but was saved by a local angel investor. Padash, his startup, fulfilled ~12,000 orders per month. Based in Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan), Padash brings a novel approach to quick commerce. Instead of using dark stores (which strain already thin margins), Padash works on a hyper-local scale. The company hires delivery drivers full-time (rather than on a contractor basis) and assigns them to one specific neighborhood. On the app, users can only order from stores in their own neighborhood. This model comes with some interesting quirks, as Ahmed explains: "We serve six neighbourhoods today, and each neighbourhood has its own P&L. A couple of elements go into that P&L: -> Driver salaries for that neighbourhood (we hire drivers full-time, not through an “Uber” model). -> Digital marketing costs from that neighbourhood. -> Number of orders and resulting revenue from that neighbourhood. One of our challenges is that we can’t use “traditional” marketing methods. Indeed, TV ads are too broad (TV stations rarely serve only one neighbourhood). Same goes for influencer marketing (influencers rarely have followers in one single neighborhood). Spending money on those channels would lead to wastage, as we’d pay for reaching tons of people who aren’t in our target neighbourhood. As a result, we focus on two main acquisition channels: hyper-specific, geo-targeted Meta ads and door to door, flyer distribution (which our delivery drivers do). We can also plug into a store’s WhatsApp channel and send promotional messages from there. Today, three of our neighborhoods are profitable, one is break-even and two are loss-making. It costs us between $5-6K to get a neighborhood into profitable territory." This week, The Realistic Optimist published an exclusive interview with Ahmed Jamal, co-founder & CEO of Padash. Some topics we covered: I) How Padash pivoted from a trivia game to a ultra-fast delivery app II) Why they shifted away from restaurants to serve bakeries, supermarkets, and grocery stores III) How Padash deals with cash-on-delivery, operationally IV) Padash's moat on fresh bread delivery V) Why they hire drivers full-time VI) Local & international expansion plans VII) What foreign VCs misunderstand about the Iraqi market Paid Realistic Optimist subscribers can read the whole interview here: https://lnkd.in/gwRP8Pfh If you'd like to buy a Realistic Optimist subscription for your team, message me! Prices can be adapted based on company size + seats requested.

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For students facing prolonged and systemic disruptions in Palestine, the risk isn't just lost school days but it's lost potential. That's why I'm so passionate and proud about the launch of Yalla Nodrus (Let's Study). This national pilot is more than just a platform with Arabic, English, Math, and Science content for grades 5, 7, and 9, it's a collaborative attempt to answer a critical question: How can we build a national digital learning ecosystem for Palestine that supports students, teachers, and parents today, and scales for tomorrow? This vision was only possible through a strategic partnership that brought together the deep expertise of Drosos Foundation, Alfanar Venture Philanthropy, AlNayzak Organization, Kamkalima, and Lebanese Alternative Learning - my sincere thanks to everyone involved in making this idea into a reality to truly transform the landscape of education in Palestine. We see Yalla Nodrus as a foundational piece. And we know real scale and impact require more allies. 🔗 Dive into our full story and vision here: https://nkd.in/eH8sgtiF If your organisation shares our commitment to the future of learning in Palestine, let's connect as I'd love to explore how we can work together. #FutureOfLearning #DigitalTransformation #Palestine #EdTechForGood #SocialImpact #Partnerships Riyam Kafri AbuLaban Aliaa Shejaeya Nisrine El Makkouk Dana El-khatib Simon Jarjoura Suha Hallab, CMA

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Who really benefits from government tax subsidies for food donations? This question sparked a research journey that started in 2013 when we partnered with the Burlington Food Bank on an MBA course project. Our next challenge is how can we design a system where individual service donations (such as volunteer time) are being recognized with tax subsidies. With the CrowdFeeding project at the DeGroote School of Business - McMaster University and lead by a research team at the Smart Freight Centre, we are building a blockchain-based authentication system to verify and timestamp volunteer hours. This creates a secure, transparent, and auditable record—similar to receipts for monetary donations—that could help resolve Canada Revenue Agency - Agence du revenu du Canada's concerns about evidence for service-based contributions. It’s a step toward enabling tax credits for time, not just money. #TaxJustice #BlockchainForGood #Crowdfeeding #VolunteerRecognition #SocialImpact #PublicPolicy #EconomicEquity #LinkedInInsights

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Building Bridges for the Diaspora: Addressing the Financial Gaps Khalid Ashmawy’s journey highlights a crucial need in the financial landscape for expatriates. His startup, Munify, which recently secured $3M, aims to simplify money transfers for the Egyptian diaspora. Such innovation not only tackles inefficiencies but also empowers communities. At ElevenX Capital, we believe in eliminating barriers and fostering financial inclusion. How can we further support solutions that bridge gaps for diasporas worldwide? #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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How can we cultivate authentic growth and connection through Torah and avodat Hashem? How do we help congregants and students feel more present — with Hashem, with Torah, and with each other? RCA rabbanim and mechanchim are invited to a daylong workshop with Rav Dov Singer and the Lifnai V’Lifnim team, designed to bring those questions to life through experiential learning and peer collaboration. Participants will gain tools to create greater presence and connection in their learning environments, facilitate more personal and authentic Torah learning and tefillah, and explore how one’s inner world and personal growth impact leadership and teaching. Over the past four years, Lifnai V’Lifnim has helped school-based educators build cultures of connection through va’adim, chaburot of avodah, and tefillah with genuine heart. Now, together with the RCA, we’re bringing this work to rabbis and community leaders — to support their own hitchadshus and give them practical frameworks to guide others. All participants will be invited into a pilot cohort experience, including: 🟣 virtual follow-up workshops 🟣 a personalized coaching session 🟣 an in-person learning experience in their own community If you’re ready to deepen your avodat Hashem and help others do the same, we’d love to learn with you. Register here https://lnkd.in/ggjKGjC7

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