Emerge

What does it take to build a licensed fintech in one of Africa's most cash-dependent markets? Ismael Belkhayat, Founder & CEO of Chari, didn't start there. He started with BCG slides, a ride hailing app and a property portal before co-founding Chari in 2020 - a B2B e-commerce and fintech platform built specifically for merchants in Morocco. The path wasn't straight. Chari launch...

What does it take to become the #1 payment method in every restaurant? Qlub's Co-founder reveals the unconventional strategy that made them one of the fastest-growing fintech startups in the region. From spending a year working out of Dubai Mall restaurants to keeping the entire team on the ground with clients, this is what customer proximity actually looks like in action.

Belal El-Megharbel, Co-founder and CEO of MaxAB, shares the unfiltered journey of building one of MENA's largest B2B e-commerce and fintech platforms—from spending nights at shisha cafes observing inefficiencies to navigating the brutal market shift after 2022.  "What works in other parts of the world will not work here. You cannot force technology everywhere." - Belal El-Megharbel,...

What happens when your restaurant flops, your first software product misses the mark, and a competitor gets you banned from Google Ads? You pivot. You get creative. And apparently, you rank for 2,000+ keywords globally. Dani El-Zein, Co-founder of Supy, joins the CEO of MoneyHash, Nader on the Emerge Podcast for one of the most honest founder conversations we've had. From investment banking t...

Real conversations with founders building in emerging markets. The pivots, the fundraising truths and the ambitions.