Issue link: http://endeavor.uberflip.com/i/1252392
z Hassan Hamdan and Ahmed Hamdan, Co-founders, Unifonic (Saudi Arabia). 5 1 S P O T L I G H T scale, and inspiring others to think big in terms of what they can build. We believe their success is indicative of more growth to come," Endeavor Co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg said. Indeed, as more of these success stories emerge, international investors have increasingly turned to their attention to the region. Major exits such as Amazon's $580mm acquisition of UAE-based Souq in 2017, and the sale of CAREEM — which joined the Endeavor network in 2018 — to Uber, have also garnered excitement around the ecosystem's maturation. e diversifying investor landscape and growing influx of capital are helping the highest-growth companies in the region reach their potential. "Founders in MENAT are proving firsthand what we believe at Endeavor: that innovation and scale are not unique to the U.S. and China, and that the success of high-growth companies can have a truly exponential effect on an entrepreneurship ecosystem," says Linda Rottenberg. Encouraged by the quality of entrepreneurs in the region, and the increasing quality of local co-investment partners, Endeavor Catalyst Managing Director Allen Taylor believes there will be much more growth to come. "e future is bright," said Taylor, noting recent Endeavor Catalyst investments in companies like Property Finder, Kitopi, Unifonic, SWVL, Mawdoo3, TruKKer, Bayzat and others. "We are here to stay, and look forward to investing much more in great entrepreneurs in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and across the region in the years to come."