Mubarak Al Suwaidi wasn’t always an entrepreneur, the young tech-savvy founder of Suwaidish Technologies (ST) is actually an engineer with a higher diploma in Aircraft Engineering and various Aviation Engineering licenses, formerly employed by Emirates Airlines. Al Suwaidi started up his company due to a niche need he found in the market- he was running a home-based operation that sold traditional Emirati women’s fashions including Shailah using social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, BBM, and a WordPress blog to encourage online clients. He decided on creating a portal to try his hand at e-commerce after having a physical store at Global Village between 2012 and 2013,and says that he encountered huge difficulties inthe process including receiving online payment, and online shipping logistics. “Nowadays, many local entrepreneurs have found the obvious and extraordinary benefits of marketing and selling online. Most of us dream to own our own online store where we have full control over our businesses,” explains Al Suwaidi about what factors pushed him to initiate ST. The road wasn’t as smooth as one would hope, the ‘trep explains that he encountered three primary difficulties: “Finding local mentors for SaaS [Software as a Service]business, dealing-with and speaking-to decision makers, and finding affordable talent with the right skills to hire.” Thus far, he hasn’t been seeded and hopes to launch his startup publically in September of this year.
“I’m seeking funds to fuel the project’s operations with employees and a marketing budget to speed up the process. I can’t measure the ROI without clear look on how much -and when- I will be funded.” With an investment of “around 500K from my personal savings up until now, I didn’t acquire personal loans for the business yet.” In addition to his financial commitment, Al Suwaidi admits that he has little time for a social life, and daily dedicates “four to five hours during the week,” on top of his full-time job, and “weekends a minimum of six to ten hours. Add to that meetings, conference calls…” This Emirati’s goal? To see technology in general, and that of his startup, “reflect his visions and goals”.
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