New series will feature journeys of entrepreneurs from the MENA region DUBAI: Regional podcast network Hakawati has launched a new series “Startup Confessionals” featuring a host of entrepreneurs from the MENA region. Hakawati, which specializes in Arabic podcasts, caters to Arab listeners in the MENA region and the wider Arab diaspora. With its latest series, the network aims to shine a light on the entrepreneurial journey of regional startup founders focusing on the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them. The series is hosted by Yasmeen Turayhi, a marketing expert based in Silicon Valley. Turayhi is also a board member of TechWadi, the non-profit organization connecting Silicon Valley and the Arab world, and author of “Product Marketing Debunked”. “Creating a podcast takes a lot of collaboration between so many people and a lot of hard work, but we created this podcast because there are not enough platforms showcasing talented founder stories from the MENA region,” said Turayhi. Each episode will feature an interview with a guest entrepreneur from various industries including fintech, digital health, food tech, logistics and retail. The guests include Dana Baki from Munch:On, Emilian Popa from Ilara Health, Talal Tabaa from CoinMENA, Tarek Mounir from Enhance Fitness; and Islam Shawky from Paymob among others. Listeners can listen to “Startup Confessionals” on iTunes or Spotify. New episodes will be posted on a weekly basis throughout the summer.