Reducing unnecessary meetings with Soulaima Gourani
After seeing more than her fair share of low-quality meetings as an Enterprise executive, Soulaima decided to do something about it!
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This week, we spoke with Soulaima Gourani, founder of Happioh
What are you currently working on? (this can be job(s), projects, startups, etc)
I am the co-founder of Happioh, the world's first AI spam filter for meetings. Our tool integrates with Outlook to filter and flag all meeting invites, ensuring you have all the necessary information to excel in each meeting. It declines meetings that could just be emails, enhancing productivity and meeting quality..
What led you to work on this? What's the "origin story" behind your current job(s)?
My journey in B2B tech since 1999 has been plagued with low-quality meetings. The quest to solve this issue led to a pivotal conversation with the chairpersons of Volvo, IKEA, and C-suite executives at Hitachi, which sparked the breakthrough idea for Happioh.
Why are you interested in connecting with MENA's 'global startup community'?
Being born in Morocco and, to my knowledge, one of the few female entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to raise over $7.5M in seed funding, I am eager to connect with the MENA startup community.
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?
I'm on the lookout for talented developers and wish to inspire others in the region.
The Viaka Network has been instrumental in making me feel seen. The valuable investor introductions and your feature of Happioh are testaments to the network's effectiveness and support.
How can members of the Viaka Network (and beyond) be most helpful to you and your work right now?
Members of the Viaka Network can join our VIP beta list to try Happioh: happioh.com
We're currently running beta pilots and plan to expand our user base in 2024. Your feedback and usage would be invaluable.
Follow us on Twitter @jHappioh.
Bonus: favorite dish from the MENA world?
It has to be couscous ;-)
Recent Win!
Happioh has been selected as a WINNER in the AI & Data category at the 7th Annual Product Awards!
We are honored to be recognized alongside esteemed products such as Grammarly, and OpenAI ( ChatGPT).
Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gS2TZBDa
Below is a list of upcoming events from the Viaka Network & beyond over the next couple of weeks:
Viaka Events:
Network Mixer in Dubai - April 26th (In-Person - NEW DATE)
How to recruit (for non-recruiters) - April 25th (Virtual)
Viaka in Riyadh - April 27th (In-Person)
Viaka AI Demo Day - May 2nd (Virtual)
Broader Community:
Salmine Sassi: Testing your Value Proposition - April 24th (Virtual)
IMEU Benefit Dinner - April 25th (In-Person, NYC)
How to start a company on a visa - April 25th (In-Person NYC)
MENA Visionaries - April 26th (In-Person, SF)
Arabs at Amazon - Arab Heritage Conference - April 26th (In-Person, DC area)
Prosperity through Entrepreneurship Conference - April 30th (In-Person, Boston)
Dubai FinTech Summit 2024 - May 6th & 7th (In-Person, Dubai)
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 & beyond. If you apply, let me know so I can also make a personal introduction.
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!
Product-Market Fit is a concept that most are familiar with the in startup world, but Sequoia Arc’s Framework does a great job breaking down what they describe as “three distinct archetypes of PMF which help you understand your product’s place in the market and determine how your company operates.”
In an interesting overlaps of geopolitics, tech, and AI, Microsoft invested $1.5b into Emirati firm G42. Reporting (and statements by Microsoft itself) painted this as part of the U.S.’s broader efforts to steer leading AI companies across the world to using American software and infrastructure, rather than Chinese.
That’s it for this week. Thank you! 👋
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