with Loulou

Episode

• Ahmad AlZaini on Building a $13B Restaurant Operating System From Al Khobar 16.07.2026 56mnt

  Is the software business dying? Loulou sits down with Ahmad Al Zaini, co-founder and CEO of Foodics, at the 11-year mark of the company for the operator's read on the biggest question in tech this year: what happens to software when AI agents replace the human at the login screen. Foodics is the restaurant operating system for the region: 40,000+ locations across the GCC, Egypt and Jordan, $13B in payments processed to date, on track for $14B by end of year, 700 people, licensed by the Saudi Central Bank, backed by a $198M capital raise including a record $170M Series C. Ahmad is a Forbes-recognized entrepreneur with executive credentials from Harvard, Stanford and MIT, and was appointed to the Endeavor Saudi board of directors in 2026.
• Peter Middlebrook on Dubai as the New New York and the Return of the Golden Age 30.06.2026 51mnt

  Loulou sits down with one of the most well-connected geopolitical economists working today for a structural read on the region recorded as the US-Iran 60-day MOU process opened, Strait of Hormuz traffic restarted, the IMEC corridor returned to the working-group table and Saudi Arabia pivoted NEOM capital into AI infrastructure. The episode is built to hold whether the ceasefire holds or slips: Middlebrook's read is 10 to 20 years out, not week to week. Dr. Peter Middlebrook is the CEO of Geopolicity and has advised the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations, the British Government, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office, and governments across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. He is the author of two new books in 2026: "How to Make Britain Great Again" and "Rich Student, Poor Student."
• AI, Jobs and the Side Door: A Top MENA Recruiter on Surviving 2026 23.06.2026 1j 2mnt

  What happens to your job when the most powerful companies in the world are laying off thousands of people not because they are failing, but because they are betting on AI instead, and your region is also in a war that is reshaping who can hire and who has to cut? In this episode of With Loulou, Loulou Khazen Baz sits down with Justin McGuire, Founder and CEO of MCG Talent, the Middle East's leading recruitment firm for marketing, communications, creative, product, data and digital talent.
• HE Faisal Belhoul on the UAE That Came Out of the War: Capital, the World Cup and the IPO 16.06.2026 48mnt

  Where do you put your money in the Gulf right now? Loulou sits down with one of the UAE's most experienced investors to read the region as it actually is in June 2026: the regional war still the dominant story, the World Cup just under way and more. HE Faisal Belhoul is a veteran Emirati investor and entrepreneur, former Vice Chair of Dubai Chambers, and chairman of UAE second-division football club Fursan Hispania (co-built with Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado). He has been one of the most consistent backers of operators building global businesses out of Dubai for two decades. For students, fresh graduates and aspiring founders, Belhoul closes with the single quality he backs in founders, the apprentice model he believes in, and the line he was given by a founder he is mentoring: "I eat 'no' for breakfast."
• Two top angel investors are DOUBLING down on the GCC, but what are they investing in? 02.06.2026 1j 2mnt

  Abdullah Mutawi, Partner & Head of Corporate MENA at Taylor Wessing, and Kushal Shah, Private Markets Investor, join Loulou for a conversation (episode 102) on where opportunity really sits in the GCC today. They unpack angel investing, founder red flags, why many startups fail despite strong products, and the lessons that come from writing early-stage checks.
• The $240M startup trying to fix trade in the Strait of Hormuz 19.05.2026 52mnt

  Gaurav Biswas, Founder & CEO of Trukker, joins Loulou for a timely conversation on what happens to GCC supply chains when the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. They unpack how cargo was rerouted through alternate ports, land bridges, and trucking networks while food security, industrial supply, and construction materials came under pressure.
• 9 of 14 MENA Tech IPOs Are Underwater. Now What? 12.05.2026 55mnt

  Philip Bahoshy, Founder & CEO of Magnitt, and Ziad Awad, Founder & CEO of Awad Capital, join Loulou for episode 100 of With Loulou.
• Here's why the UAE didn't collapse in the face of US/ Iran war 05.05.2026 44mnt

  Day 56 of the Iran war. Most international press wrote Dubai's obituary in March. Predictions of a mass exodus, the end of the UAE story, a 15 year setback. None of it happened. 2,800 strikes were fired at this region. Almost nobody left. Trevor McFarlane, Founder and CEO of EMIR, advisor to GCC CEOs and government leaders, explains why. Recorded in Dubai, April 22, 2026. Day 56 of the Iran war.
• $212M Gone. Inside the Nana collapse with a Gulf VC 28.04.2026 58mnt

  Khaled Talhouni of Nuwa Capital joins Loulou Khazen to unpack how geopolitical uncertainty is shaping startups, capital, and investor sentiment across MENA. They discuss what 53 portfolio companies saw through the conflict, the slowdown in funding, the Nana collapse, AI opportunities, and where liquidity may emerge next. It’s a grounded conversation on venture risk, resilience, and what founders and investors should be watching now.
• Special Episode: When War Stops Feeling Far Away | Mo Gawdat 14.03.2026 1j 3mnt

  In this special episode, Loulou Khazen speaks with Mo Gawdat about fear, uncertainty, and how the human mind reacts during times of crisis. They explore how media overload, anxiety, and constant information affect the way we think and make decisions. The conversation focuses on how individuals and families can stay calm, think clearly, and hold on to their humanity during uncertain moments.
• E97: This Dubai Expat Risked Everything—Then Raised $30M to Build a Global Brand 30.07.2025 1j 2mnt
• E96: أن تكون معروفاً أو أن تُمحى: عن المال والكرامة في عالمٍ تضيق فيه الخيارات | مع خبيرة التواصل والإعلامية نعمة أبو وردة 16.07.2025 1j 15mnt
• E95: From Refugee Roots to Snapchat VP: Hussein Freijeh on Love, Progress and Authentic Leadership 17.06.2025 1j 28mnt
• E94: محمد جودت: لأول مرة، ما لم يُقَل عن النجاح والحياة 29.05.2025 1j 52mnt
• E93: "زينة خوري تتحدث عن الاستثمار بالنفس، العقارات، و"الدراما 10.05.2025 1j 7mnt
• E92: How to Think Big, Start Small, and Succeed at Anything — Lessons from the Founder of the world’s largest tech event! 19.03.2025 28mnt
• E91 Special Arabic Episode: عن الشهرة، الفشل، الذكاء الاصطناعي وعظمة المرأة المصرية: حوار بالعربي مع رائد الأعمال المصري محمد أبو النجا 14.02.2025 1j 21mnt
• E90: The deal maker: Ziad Awad on compromise, deal killers, negotiation, and Trump’s ‘drill baby drill’ impact on GCC economies 26.01.2025 50mnt

  I sat down with Ziad Awad, the Founder and CEO of Awad Capital, a boutique investment bank, specializing in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
• E89: Philip Bahoshy-the startup valley of death, founder burnout, UAE-Saudi ecosystems, M&A drought and venture capital predictions! 13.01.2025 1j 54mnt

  I sat down with Philip Bahoshy, founder of MAGNiTT, for a no-holds-barred conversation on the realities of the startup world. We unpack the "Startup Valley of Death," exploring why founders fail, when to quit, and how to navigate burnout.
• E88: Sky Kurtz: the $300M agri-tech giant, avoiding down round disasters, founder self-sabotage, the hard truth about MENA exits, tariffs, and bad actors ruining a multi-billion dollar industry 30.12.2024 1j 57mnt

  I sat down with Sky Kurtz, Co-founder and CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms, to explore the $300M journey of building an agri-tech giant in the Middle East. In this episode, Sky shares his hard-earned lessons on avoiding down round disasters, the pitfalls of founder self-sabotage, and why a high valuation isn’t always a good thing.