Fueling Innovation: Waseem Abou-Ezze’s Impact on High-Growth Companies
This week, we spoke with Waseem Abou-Ezze, whose career spans private equity, M&A advisory, and capital advisory. Learn how he contributes to the Viaka Network and supports innovative startups!
Our weekly newsletter shines a spotlight on members of our Viaka Network. Plus, you'll find relevant job postings, upcoming events, and reading materials. Subscribe below!
We spoke with Waseem Abou-Ezze, Fractional CFO and Fundraising Advisor
How was your experience at the Viaka City Mixer in Toronto on the 13th, and what was the highlight of your time there?
The Viaka City Mixer in Toronto was great! It was awesome to see the Viaka community here continue to grow and to meet so many passionate people with shared interests.
What are you currently working on? (this can be job(s), projects, startups, etc)
I'm in a privileged position to help leaders of exciting companies across various innovative sectors turn their ideas and dreams into actionable plans and navigate the complex world of raising capital to fuel their businesses. I recently helped a company in the E-Commerce Fashion space close an equity round on favorable terms as we reached their first profitable quarter after building an ambitious plan over a year ago, which was very rewarding. I work with a diverse and exciting range of companies that keep me on my toes!
What led you to work on this? What's the "origin story" behind your current job?
I started my career in private equity and then moved into M&A advisory in the mid-market space. Eventually, I found my sweet spot working with high-growth companies in innovative sectors as a fractional CFO and capital advisor. I love working in this space because there's so much passion and creativity—there's never a dull moment!
Why are you interested in connecting with MENA's 'global startup community'?
I'm originally from Lebanon, I've lived and worked in Dubai and am now based in Toronto with my family. I have a strong connection to both North America and the MENA region, and I'm passionate about supporting the growth and innovation in and from the MENA region because it's close to my heart and keeps me closer to home when I'm so physically far away.
What's your favorite part of the Viaka Network thus far? Do you have any memorable experiences or helpful connections made that you can share with me?
What I love most about the Viaka Network is the chance to connect with others who share the same passion for tech and startups, all while maintaining a strong connection to the Middle East and contributing to its prosperity. One memorable experience was working on a project with other Viaka members to support a Lebanese-founded startup. The shared enthusiasm and collaborative spirit around tech and innovation made it an incredibly uplifting experience.
How can members of the Viaka Network (and beyond) be most helpful to you and your work right now?
Keep doing what you're doing! By growing the community and providing a platform for sharing ambitions and needs, you make it seamless and fun for people seeking guidance and those with expertise to find each other. This enables both sides to achieve what they’re after, whether it's support for their ventures or sharing their knowledge and experience.
Bonus: favorite dish from the MENA world?
Mezza! Why have one when you can have a combination of delicious and diverse flavors?
Below is a list of upcoming events from beyond the Viaka Network over the next couple of weeks:
STARTING TODAY! - Join North-America's fastest growing tech conference of the year: Collision with over 40,000 attendees annually. The acclaimed conference welcomes innovators, technology professionals, companies and visitors from around the world - June 17th- 20th (In- Person, Toronto, Canada)
Djerba Slush'D: a two-day event, organized by the Westerwelle Foundation in Tunisia, supported by GIZ Tunisia. This event is focused on fostering the growth and expansion of Tunisian startups into the African market - June 21st + 22nd (In-Person, Tunisia)
DLA Piper's Washington, DC office for Middle East-US investment reception with U.S. Commercial Service & SelectUSA Investment Summit - June 23th (In- Person, DC, US)
How to Turn your Value Proposition into Product Market Fit- June 24th (Virtual)
FoodHack Dubai: Meetup - Fundraising for Food & Climate Tech: Opportunities & Challenges- June 24th (In- Person, Dubai, UAE)
Productivity Workshop for Entrepreneurs- June 25th (In-Person, Doha, Qatar)
Dubai AI Campus Demo Day- June 26th (In- Person, Dubai, UAE)
AngelSpark - Live startup pitch event- July 1st (In- Person, Dubai, UAE)
If you’d like to share an event in this newsletter, we encourage you to join the Viaka Network and share the event with info@viaka.net!
Recent job openings from the Viaka Network. If you apply, let us know so we can also make a personal introduction!
⚕️ Healthcare start up Anterior (Backed by Sequoia and Neo) is recruiting for various roles. Positions are in New York / London:
- Growth & Strategy Lead (FT) - (NY, US)
- Senior Product Engineer (FT) - (NY, US)
- Senior QA Automation Engineer (FT) - (NY, US)
- Senior AI Engineer (FT) - (NY, US & LDN, UK)
- Site Reliability Engineer (FT) - (NY, US & LDN, UK)
- Engineering Manager (FT) - (NY, US & LDN, UK)
- Technical Writer (PT) - (NY, US & LDN, UK)
- Founder’s Associate / Chief of Staff (FT) - (NY, US & LDN, UK)
If you’d like to share a job posting in this newsletter, we encourage you to join the Viaka Network and share the event with info@viaka.net!
📚 We would love for you to check out our Viaka Network Reading List! 📚
💡 Learn more about startups, venture capital, fellow Network members, emerging ecosystems, and more!
🏗️ We’re building a dashboard to help Viaka members share and track books, articles, podcasts, and videos about the topics we love (emerging ecosystems, diaspora communities, global innovation, etc)
That’s it for this week. Thank you! 👋
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