Meet our panelists
Ali Abulhasan - Co-founder & CEO, Tap Payments
Ali Abulhasan founded Tap Payments in 2014 to solve the long-standing challenges of online payments in the MENA region. His early career spanned banking, financial institutions, and telecom, where he developed a deep understanding of payment infrastructure, consumer behavior, and digital transactions.
Under his leadership, Tap Payments has transformed MENA’s fintech landscape, unifying the region’s fragmented payment ecosystem. The company’s single API integrates all locally and globally preferred payment methods, making online transactions fast, secure, and effortless for both merchants and consumers. Today, 120,000+ businesses rely on Tap Payments, ranging from small home-based entrepreneurs to large enterprises across marketplaces, retail, food, insurance, airlines, telecom, and more. Its automated merchant onboarding enables businesses of all sizes to start accepting payments instantly.
Talal Alawadhi - CEO, Ottu
Talal Alawadhi is the Founder and CEO of Ottu and the CEO of KUWAITNET, leading two platforms at the intersection of digital infrastructure and online payments in the Middle East. A London Business School alumnus, he brings over two decades of experience across technology, infrastructure, and fintech sectors.
He founded Ottu to address a gap in the region’s payments landscape, building it into a scalable payment infrastructure layer that enables businesses to connect with banks, payment providers, and financial systems through a unified platform. In parallel, under his leadership, KUWAITNET has become a key enabler of enterprise and internet infrastructure in Kuwait, supporting businesses and institutions at scale.
In 2026, Talal was recognized among Forbes Middle East’s Top Tech Leaders, reflecting his contribution to advancing the region’s digital economy. His work focuses on strengthening infrastructure, enabling more efficient financial ecosystems, and supporting businesses in scaling across markets.
Turki Aljoaib - Managing Partner, Rua Growth Fund
Turki Aljoaib is a Saudi venture capital investor and fund manager focused on backing technology companies across the MENA region. He is the founder and managing partner of Rua Growth Fund I. His investment work spans enterprise SaaS, AI, fintech, and other high-growth sectors, with experience across fund formation, investment execution, portfolio management, and board governance. He currently serves on the boards of several regional technology companies, supporting founders on strategy, scaling, and institutional development. Earlier in his career, he co-founded Sun Capture, a renewable energy venture, and Desert Agriculture, an agritech business focused on sustainable food production.
Youssef Shamoun - Co-Founder & CEO, ZenHR
Yousef Shamoun is the Co-founder and CEO of ZenHR, the cloud-first category leader in B2B HR SaaS solutions for the Middle East and North Africa. Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ZenHR is dedicated to automating and streamlining HR processes from 'Acquire' to 'Retire'.
Prior to founding ZenHR, Yousef co-founded Akhtaboot, MENA's leading online job board, in 2007. He also co-founded Jawaker in 2009, MENA's leading online social gaming platform, which was acquired by Stillfront Group in September 2021 for $205 million, the largest acquisition within the flourishing gaming sector of the Arab world.
Established in 2017, ZenHR has expanded across MENA with 5 regional offices in Riyadh, Jeddah, Amman, Dubai, and Cairo, boasting over 200 employees. Yousef directs the company's strategy, fostering innovation and scaling infrastructure. Yousef is part of the Endeavor network, Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), and Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and serves on ZenHR, Endeavor, and Bank of Jordan boards. A frequent speaker at SaaS and entrepreneurial events, he earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University and an MBA from Georgetown University, specializing in Entrepreneurship.