Viaka Newsletter - Developers from Marginalized MENA Communities Building High-Quality Websites
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Hi everyone! This week, we’re shining the spotlight on CONCAT, a web development agency that builds high-quality sites and provides employment to talented women and refugee developers. I spoke with Laura Paterson, the founder and CEO of CONCAT.
CONCAT Quick Stats
Founded: 2020
Key Individuals: Laura Paterson, founder and CEO
Raison d’être: CONCAT is a web development agency connecting marginalised developers and their high-quality sites to companies looking for affordable development.
Ask: CONCAT is looking to connect with other socially led/driven communities in the region that align with their mission through Viaka’s network.
I got the chance to chat with Laura about CONCAT’s story, and their goals for the future. Here are some of the insights from our chat.
What is CONCAT and how/why did it come to life?
CONCAT is the first web development agency led by talented refugee and female developers. It came to life when I met Souad and Bob in Lebanon at a coding bootcamp, 2 very talented refugees who could not get access to sustainable employment because of their refugee status. Despite being unbelievably talented at coding, they didn't know how to find regular work or clients. So when they met me, I said I can get them the clients and altogether we launched CONCAT officially in 2021.
What is your personal story and relation to the problem (alongside your founders)
I was running a coding bootcamp in Lebanon for 3 years and I saw there the inequality of employment opportunities for our graduates. It was totally unfair, and it was not based on the talent or ambition of the graduate, it was based on their nationality and sadly, their gender. Channeling this inner frustration, I decided to start looking for clients in Europe who needed affordable web developers, and linking them to talented developers in Lebanon. As a woman in tech, I have seen firsthand the struggles that we face each day and the lack of other women around us, particularly in the Middle East and so I always try to employ women where I can!
What market are you attacking? Are you adding on or trying to replace current offerings?
We are attacking both the web development market, because development has become so expensive, particularly in Europe, that is becoming more and more unaffordable for start-ups and SME's to access top-quality web development. On the other side, we are trying to build a successful business that only hires from marginalized communities, we plan to then go and challenge the big corporate conglomerates to hire more from such communities because we have proved that there is no longer any excuse not to!
What are you looking for from the Viaka community?
We are always on the lookout to join other communities that are aligned with our socially led mission and impact and from the beginning, I got a sense of this from Viaka. Also, we are very aligned in our mission of connecting the East and the West so we are looking for some impactful partnerships to come out of this community.
Where will that take you?
Our goal is to become the go-to web development agency for companies that care, whether that's a start-up, SME, larger corporate, or international e-commerce, we want to be the development company to go to. There are 10 of us currently employed and we hope by the end of the year to be double that!
Promising Opportunities from Our MENA Partners
Below are a list of opportunities curated from the Viaka’s MENA partners.
For Founders
Plus.vc invests in early-stage founders (up to Series A) that have a MENA background or connection, but are founding their companies outside of MENA.
*I’m interested*
For Investors
Huupe, the world's first smart basketball hoop, is raising a seed round and connecting with SportTech and Entertainment investors. '
*I’m interested*
For Advisors
Klangoo, an AI-startup providing Natural Language Processing (NLP) to media and software companies, is looking for an advisor familiar with NLP use cases in the world of financial services, particularly in underwriting and risk management. This opportunity can be compensated.
*I’m interested*
If you would like to get involved with any of the opportunities above, please fill out the form below and indicate what opportunity you are interested in in the “Which of Viaka's startup and venture opportunities are you interested in?” section.
Exciting Announcements From Our Network
Below is a list of updates, wins, and asks emanating from members of the Viaka Network in the “West.”
Network member Kayser Georgi Raei has announced his new community, Blue Collar Tech Stack, which provides support while highlighting the next generation of under-appreciated entrepreneurs and founders. The community provides many resources for founders to level-up, build, launch, and grow their businesses. Best of luck to Kayser in this new venture! For more information, check out his LinkedIn post here.
ABANA announced the return of its in-person annual Tech Summits with this year’s summit topic being “Future of Work in the MENA Region”. The summit will take place on September 29th at 8:30 AM in New York. The event is being co-hosted by Gibson Dunn. According to ABANA’s announcement, the day full of expert panels will focus on “three areas through which technology is playing a key role in changing the MENA landscape and the future of work: the sustainability and energy industries, women’s entrepreneurship, and the role of VCs in the MENA region.” Sign up and find out more here!
If you’re a member of our Network and would like to share your own update next week, email info.viaka@gmail.com or submit an update via this form.
That’s it for this week. Thank you!
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