Insights Into Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and the Gulf Regions Tech and Innovation Ecosystems

For this podcast, Andrew Berkowitz sat down with Omar Christidis, the Founder and CEO at ArabNet, a digital media venture with the goal of spearheading the Arab Web and Mobile movement, and encouraging its expansion worldwide. Having played an essential role in driving the growth of multiple young companies throughout the middle east, ArabNet enjoys a loyal network of fans in the region.This episode features insight into the development of the startup ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, UAE, and the rest of the gulf region. Listen in to learn the following:1) How Omar expanded his tech conference business across the middle east through Tweetups, [9:18]2) What nearing peak oil means for the gulf coast’s sovereign wealth funds, [15:01]3) A deep dive on the Saudi Arabia tech and innovation landscape, [20:09]4) Smart cities and special economic zones being utilized in the gulf region, [24:30]