Silicon Valley investor on MENA’s road to startup success

Investor Bern Shen is optimistic about the MENA region’s ability to foster greater entrepreneurship and innovation is at the heart of those efforts.

Shen splits his time between Silicon Valley and Abu Dhabi as an investor and entrepreneur in healthcare technology, he’s a board member at TechWadi which builds bridges between Silicon Valley and the Arab world, and a mentor at Astrolabs.

He says a desire to lead the world as an entrepreneurship hub coupled with the effort being put into developing a startup ecosystem are elements driving the sector forward.

Yet Shen cautions against being impatient for success.

The region still needs appropriate laws and regulations to allow technology and innovation-driven companies to thrive and lacks the experience and expertise that grew over decades in Silicon Valley.

Shen says Arab states, particularly the UAE, are on the right track, but still has plenty of room to build on today’s entrepreneurial foundations.

Original article by Pamela Kesrouani

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Silicon Valley investor on MENA’s road to startup success