Articles
Enterprising Female Angels & Founders
“F.A.I.L. means “First Attempt In Learning” and allows us to view failure in a new way” The Grid: Tell us about your successes so far with the Women’s Angel Investor Network (WAIN)? WAIN: Let’s go through some of our statistics. We have invested almost $500K since we...
It started with a Phish: Cyber Threat Types for Businesses
“Approximately 90% of cyber-attacks start with a phishing email” The Grid: As part of the InfoSec community detecting online vulnerabilities for clients, what are the most common cyber threats you see in the workplace today? Paul Harris: If someone is determined to...
Death of a Shareholder: Free Zone Company Wills
"It is for the shareholder to decide if they want to leave the share distribution to the local Shariah laws or want to choose the distribution themselves" The Grid: The DIFC Wills & Probate Registry (‘the Registry”) has recently launched the first Free Zone...
Diving into Yields
“Consistency of involvement is a big deal in shipping. It is very hard to dip in and dip out.” The Grid: Which sectors do you invest in and what is your methodology? Marcus Machin: Our business is solely focused on shipping and oil services. We have approximately...
Our Money Mindset and Other Truths
"Our beliefs came about because they supported us in one point in our lives" The Grid: Caroline, you talk about how our feelings towards money or our 'money mindset' may hinder us or set us free. Caroline Domanska: Your ‘money mindset’ or your ‘money why’ is the...
Capturing Legacy Values and Morality: Brand Identity for the Family Business
"Though blood is thicker than water, a brand needs the involvement and contribution of many to be successful" The Grid: Talking about creating a brand out of a family business and creating a family out of branding a business, could you share with us, what’s different...
Surviving a Psychopath Boss
"In reality, a psychopath boss is more likely to prey on submissive ‘yes’ people" The Grid: Top executives often lose sight of themselves and morph into monsters, who, depending on the culture of the organisation, can go unchecked and even rewarded. We recognise that...
The New Common Reporting Standard (CRS): Levelling the Playing Field?
"Banks still have to find a niche and stand out to win clients" The Grid: Do you think wealthy families have aligned their mindset to the new status quo globally i.e. the inevitable shift towards more disclosure of information? Pankaj Narain: The sense is that it is...
Breeding Entrepreneurship: Two Brother Startups
"We meet a lot of other start-ups launched by two brothers" The Grid: What inspired you to start HeyDoc!? Ahmad Al-Hidiq: My brother and I launched a digital marketing agency (WebMisc) three years ago and that got us thinking about the HeyDoc! concept. We did a lot of...
Guard Your Secrets in Chunks: Confidentiality Woes for Startups
"If they don’t read it before signing, that’s scary, and if they are too pedantic that is also a red flag" The Grid: At the Venture Café Talks event last week at The Cribb, you shared your experiences with confidentiality breaches as a startup, specifically focusing...
Customer Convenience before Apps
"If an organization is not ready for the change, or sold technology that is an overkill, they run into trouble" The Grid: We know that new technological innovation can be extremely well-received by consumers or just as equally rejected. As a Mobile App Publisher and...
Making Payments a Walk in the Park
"The future is governed by large corporates that are looking to innovate with digital experiences" The Grid: How can fintech businesses, particularly in the payment space, engage better with large corporates in a way that is mutually beneficial? Moussa Beidas: Bank...