Why Moghamra and who is that man with two mics?
“He, who has a why to live, can bear almost any how” -Friedrich Nietzsche
Why Moghamra?
Chances of social mobility across the world varies heavily and unfortunately in the MENA region it could be improved substantially. The prevailing wealth in the region is concentrated in the form of generational wealth. Generation after generation pass on their capital, assets, connections and knowledge.
Entrepreneurship is the ultimate disruptor and technology is the ultimate disruption enabler. In a region with little social mobility, entrepreneurship becomes a beacon of hope.
The question now becomes can a man with two mics plant the seed of the startup ecosystem for the masses in the MENA region. The first step is awareness and transfer of knowledge, and that’s the mission of Moghamra and the man with two mics.
But, who is he? That man with two mics?
I’m a passionate, impact driven and curious guy with a love for startups. A self-professed normal guy on a mission.
What’s special then about him you ask? I’m relatable. Not an expert and not claiming to be one. I’m always learning to ask the right questions that the audience would like to ask.
But Moghamra is not about me. It’s about the platform, currently in the form of a podcast that brings in the leading startup operators, investors, and experts that the audience can learn from.
What are the odds that Moghamra plants that seed of awareness?
Probably the same odds of entrepreneurship breaking the social mobility trap. Low but one has to have hope. The same hope of a founder dreaming to change the world.
Until next time.
To pause or not to pause
The case for and against releasing more Moghamra episodes in dark times.
Our mission at Moghamra is to become “The Voice of the MENA Startup Ecosystem”, but sometimes it is best to be silent when there are screams of loss and mourning from the bloodshed of innocent children, women and men. In the light or rather darkness of events that unfolded in Gaza, it just didn’t seem right to be releasing episodes on the MENA startup ecosystem while civilians in Gaza are massacred in the thousands. From day zero as a podcast we wanted to be apolitical and our stance is very much so now, then and in the future. We stand with Palestine and standing with Palestine is not political, it is humanitarian.
When we paused the release of the episodes, we thought it would be for a couple of weeks. More than a month later, very sadly, the bloodshed doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon and more children and innocent civilians will be dying under bombardments and rubbles of ruins. Moghamra now faces two options, we either continue to pause the release of the episodes (which could be for a couple of more months) or resume them again.
In reality our silence isn’t contributing much to the situation. On the other hand, it has become obvious that there is a real need for a space for startups/VCs in the MENA ecosystem to inspire and empower each other and the next generation of entrepreneurs. Accordingly, we have decided that we will continue to release our episodes once again and be true to our mission to become “The Voice of the MENA Startup Ecosystem”. A time when the region needs it the most.
See you soon and until next time.
I bought the equipment for Moghamra approximately 1825 days ago.
It all begins with an idea. (Not really)
Fun fact: The podcast equipment for Moghamra was purchased in 2018. It's safe to say that buying the equipment for the podcast has been the easiest part of the journey so far.
Now, onto (some of) the challenges of building Moghamra:
Finding the courage to press the record button
Solving the chicken and egg problem:
To get a lot of listeners, you need good speakers
To get good speakers, you need a lot of listeners
Monetizing Moghamra
Becoming a good host
Overcoming the fear of being on camera and the associated anxiety