Viaka Newsletter: Global banking for the startup ecosystem with Sara Rona!
Disaster struck twice in the MENA region last week, with catastrophic flooding in Libya and a destructive earthquake in Morocco. Some recommended places to send donations include the International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent & Islamic Relief 🇲🇦 🇱🇾
This week, we sat down with Sara Rona!
What do you currently do?
I am Managing Director of Startup Banking for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the market lead for Middle East North Africa (Turkey, Egypt, UAE, and Jordan), UK/Europe and Australia/New Zealand (ANZ). I manage an expansive global portfolio of tech startups and venture capital firms who are expanding stateside and need cross-border banking services as they scale.
What prompted you to go down this career path and how did you get into this field?
I’ve been working in finance for 15 years at various financial institutions globally and have an MBA in International Business so I’ve always known that I wanted to have an international career. And then as cheesy as it sounds, I’ve probably seen every episode of Shark Tank over the last 15 seasons (multiple times) and I worked my way into the innovation ecosystem about 7 years ago (initially with some freelance consulting) because I love people solving problems and turning their ideas into businesses – and then you add the layer of immigrants doing that, it’s really amazing.
What originally got you interested in connecting with the MENA startup ecosystem and other like-minded folks?
For starters, my background being half Afghan and the time I’ve spent in the MENA region. There’s a certain hustle that foreigners have and if I can help in some small way increase their probabilities of success, it’s incredibly rewarding.
What types of connections are you looking to make through Viaka? This can be from the MENA side, as well as with other MENA-connected folks in the Viaka Network
I’m looking to connect with founders who are targeting US expansion, funds that invest in scale-up companies, and really any MENA ecosystem players/contributors.
Bonus: favorite dish from the MENA world?
Mantu – from Afghanistan – it’s a minced-beef/onion and spices dumpling dish. I also really love a good Fattoush Salad with some Shish Taouk from Beirut. It’s hard to choose one favorite -- so many different flavors!
Our Viaka Connect experts are now offering workshops and office hours for Viaka Network members.
Don’t miss this opportunity to benefit from free 1:1 consultations and expertise!
This week, we have the following sessions:
Office Hours - Building your tech team for growth with Fadi Boulos
Workshop - Gen AI in the world of startup growth with Javed Maqsood
Upcoming Events
Below is a list of upcoming events from the Viaka Network & beyond over the next couple of weeks!
Bits & Pretzels side event 🥨 We’re involved in a MENA gathering on the evening of Sept 24th. Sign up via this form.
eCommerce Demo Day 🛍 On September 26th, 5 Viaka Network commerce startups will present to a panel of 4 investors. Join the audience here.
Al-Kindi Club & Dr. Nadine Hacham-Haram On September 27th, Al-Kindi Club in London is hosting the founder & CEO of Proximie. RSVP here.
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!
Work Opportunities
Recent job openings from the Viaka Network & beyond. If you apply, let me know so I can also make a personal introduction.
Nelo is hiring a Sr. Credit Analyst in NYC - Apply here
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!
Reads of the Week
Viaka has launched a Network Reading List, where Network members are encouraged to submit media suggestions of their own.
Check out Viaka’s full reading list here.
That’s it for this week. Thank you! 👋
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