About The WIn Fellowship
The WIn Fellowship is led by the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative in cooperation with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with support from US Embassy Riyadh, UPS, and PepsiCo. The American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia’s Women in Business Committee is the program’s in-person event partner.
The yearlong program from March 2022-March 2023 will enable thirty-three Saudi women entrepreneurs to enhance their networks, gain practical knowledge, and develop U.S.-Saudi people to people and business ties that will help them scale their business locally, regionally, and globally. As part of the program, the Atlantic Council will also produce publications with insights, case studies, and policy recommendations.
2023 Roadshow highlights
Event Recap: Saudi Arabia’s new economic force: Women entrepreneurs
2023 WIn Fellowship Roadshow Participants
Meyce Alauddin
Founder and CEO, The Giveaway Co.
Meyce Alauddin is the founder and CEO of The Giveaway Co., a customized luxury giveaway company that was founded seven years ago in Jordan. It has since grown to serve corporations and celebrate personal occasions around the world. The idea for the company was born during Meyce’s time as an owner of a multi-brand home boutique after she was repeatedly asked if large quantities of certain items could be purchased as giveaways.Thanks to her experience over the past seven years, she is now considered a packaging and product design specialist. Before devoting her time to The Giveaway Co., Meyce worked at several NGOs in Jordan such as The Jordan River Foundation, The Royal Health Awareness Society, and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah’s office, executing diverse local and international projects. Throughout those years, she gained skills in fundraising, marketing, development, communication, leadership, and critical thinking among many other important skillsets. Meyce holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from McGill University, a graduate certificate in event management and planning from George Washington University, and several entrepreneurship course certifications. She speaks five different languages and is continuously on the lookout for new opportunities from which to learn and gain experience.
Rawan Al-Kharboosh
Founder and CEO, AtPoint
Dr. Rawan Al-Kharboosh is the founder and CEO of AtPoint, a biotech and life-science company specialized in space-medicine and stem cell engineering for point-of care applications. She believes in the possibility of patients becoming self-repairing by using their own stem cells to replenish and restore cells that have undergone permanent damage. Her company aims to acquire and engineer cellular products using novel applications and devices at the point of care for same-day treatments. She received her PhD from the Mayo Clinic with dual concentrations in neuroscience and regenerative science and a master’s in tumor biology, graduating top of her class from Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Al-Kharboosh has extensive expertise in stem cell engineering, FDA regulatory policies, clinical trials, and cellular manufacturing. She is a co-investigator of a human clinical trial using adipose stem cells based on her thesis. Her findings are being applied in human patients bearing recurrent brain cancer in a phase I dose-escalation study at the Mayo Clinic. This investigational new drug (IND) from the FDA is based off her academic work using stem cells from adipose tissue (fat). She has further developed and optimized an FDA-approved protocol for stem cell acquisition using a table-top device for GI fistulas and knee arthritis to enhance regeneration and repair. Dr. Al-Kharboosh has also launched her stem cell products on the EXOS aerospace rocket to study the impact of microgravity on the cellular uptake of nanoparticles. Dr. Al-Kharboosh is a TEDx fellow and has authored numerous book chapters and scientific publications on brain cancer. In recognition of her work, she was invited to speak at notable conferences including the International Public Fund in partnership with UNESCO, the World Federation of Neurological Societies, the Society of Neuro-oncology, and the Congress of Neurosurgery, among others.
Renad Al-Jefri
CEO, Ad Astra
Renad Aljefri is the CEO of Ad Astra, a platform aimed at creating jobs in the special needs therapeutic industry. Ad Astra is also improving the quality of life for people with special needs and their families. Renad believes that every child deserves to have a good start in life as well as a chance to succeed and that every parent should have access to the support they need to raise their child with confidence. In Ad Astra’s first year, Renad along with her team have created sixty work opportunities (thus enabling more than forty women to work), developed the skills of over thirty new graduates, served clients with over ten different kinds of disabilities, facilitated thousands of sessions, and enabled over eighty families to support their children in the absence of a specialist. Renad holds a BS in electrical and computer engineering and a Google Project Management Professional Certificate. She is currently enrolled in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program for Scaling Up Enterprises at Stanford University. She is passionate about contributing to making Saudi Arabia one of the largest economies in the world.
Sumayah Alzamil
Co-Founder and CEO, Nugttah
Sumayah Alzamil is the founder of two tech startups in Saudi Arabia and is currently an MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management focusing on entrepreneurship. Her education and career have given her a diverse skill set that combines deep technical expertise with senior project management on major national programs as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda. After graduating with a computer science degree from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Sumayah went on to work for Saudi Arabia’s leading health services company, John Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, as an IT systems analyst and then as a team lead for Database and Linux group. She then took on a role as a program manager on Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development and Logistics Program. Sumayah’s two startups are IntelCodes, which has provided software development support services since 2017, and Nugttah, which offers customer engagement and data services to small- and medium-sized businesses in Saudi Arabia’s food and beverage sector. Sumayah and her team are now working to expand Nugttah across the Middle East and North Africa region.
Sara Binladen
CTO, Quantum Arabia for Marketing
Sara Binladen is a tech enthusiast, data analyst, and business leader who is passionate about startups, entrepreneurship, and having a lasting impact on the community. Driven by her love for business and technology, she takes pride in providing the best technology solutions possible. She started a web development company in 2012 and then co-founded an e-commerce business in 2016 called Azha Workshop to create Arabic jewelry. She then joined Quantum Platform as Chief Technology Officer to change the face of e-commerce media and marketing. Quantum is a technology company that helps e-commerce companies unlock their media potential by providing them with products and solutions to increase their marketing revenue. The company was founded in 2018 with the goal of disrupting traditional methods of sampling by utilizing existing ecommerce infrastructure. Quantum’s over three thousand clients include P&G, Unilever, Goody, PepsiCo, Nadec, and the Saudi Ministry of Health. Based in Jeddah with offices in Riyadh and Dubai, Quantum is a growing startup with over thirty employees. As CTO, Sara’s goals include building innovative products and leading a global tech team, and she has been recognized by Quantum for her extraordinary commitment to automation and getting things done. Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems from King Abdulaziz University and an MBA from Ryerson University.
Leadership
Amjad Ahmad
Agenda
WIn Fellows arrive in Washington, D.C.
Welcome brunch
Leadership Training at Georgetown University
Meeting at US Department of Commerce with Office of the Middle East and Africa Deputy Assistant Secretary Camille Richardson
10:00 a.m.
2:00 p.m.
Meetings with A/S Barbara Leaf, DAS Jennifer Gavito, and other State Department officials
Graduation ceremony at the Atlantic Council
10:00 a.m.
3:00 p.m.
Public Hybrid Panel Event: Saudi Arabia’s new economic force- Women entrepreneurs
Day trip to New York City
9:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
Roundtable luncheon hosted by ABANA
Meeting with Goldman Sachs Global Head of Sustainability and
Inclusive Growth Dina Powell McCormick
2:00 p.m.
WIn Fellows depart Washington, D.C.
Events
Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
The Atlantic Council’s work on social, economic and human development issues in the Middle East honors the legacy of Rafik Hariri and his life’s mission to unlock the human and economic potential of the Arab world.
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