Saeed Al-Ansari, Founder and CEO of Tawaref, a Saudi Arabia-based tech investment community that also provides startup advisory, legal consultancy and due diligence support joins Richard Wilson on The 966 to discuss what is needed to establish a business in Saudi Arabia. Saeed and Tawaref bring an extraordinary amount of experience to this challenge. In addition, Tawaref has published a series of invaluable articles in Wamda, a well-known platform, media site and venture capital firm, on how to establish a business in KSA.

The series currently includes 8 articles that, “provide a one-stop resource to answer all the repetitive queries that we see throughout our work. Through insightful articles, Tawaref provides valuable insights and guidance on various topics, such as legal and regulatory requirements, key challenges, tips and tricks, how-to manuals, sector-specific information, and opportunities for growth. Showcasing the key hubs, dos and don’ts, common missteps, incorporation detail, facts that save money. “

The articles include:

Tawaref Series: navigating Saudi expansion

Tawaref Series: an entrepreneur’s journey in Saudi Arabia, from bootstrapping to big bucks

Tawaref Series: A blueprint for foreign investment success in Saudi Arabia

Tawaref Series: The truth behind Saudi landing hard costs

Tawaref series: Categorising Saudi setup partners by soft costs

Tawaref Series: Saudi corporate annual operating costs explained

Tawaref Series: Understanding annual operating cost in Saudi Arabia

“The Saudi Arabian investment landscape has been thriving in recent years, attracting investors from around the globe. With the introduction of business-friendly reforms and attractive incentives by the Saudi Government, the country has become an increasingly potent and vibrant market for entrepreneurs and investors alike. However, navigating the market can be challenging without access to authentic and authoritative content that provides useful and concise information.”

The Saudi-US Trade Group and The 966 strongly recommends the series for anyone looking to establish a presence in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi cinema re-opened six years ago in April 2018 after a 35-year hiatus. The sector has exploded with revenue during that period close to $1b, over 61 million tickets sold, 1,971 films screened including 45 local productions. Saudi-based director, producer and actor Todd Albert Nims joins The 966 to discuss the origins of the Saudi film sector, how it has transformed and what remains to be done. In addition to the recent 10th showing of the Saudi Film Festival, Todd examines other ongoing events (Cannes Film Festival, Red Sea International Film Festival, etc.) including the 2nd U.S.-Saudi Film Forum happening later this month. The 2023 US-Saudi Film Forum Industry Report, is available here https://www.amchamksa.com/us-saudi-industry-film-forum-report.

William Greene, MD, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the Hevolution Foundation, joins The 966 to talk about Hevolution's investment strategy and role as an investor in the emerging field of Healthspan Science. As CIO, Dr. Greene oversees all aspects of Hevolution Foundation’s investment strategy, planning, analysis, and execution.

The Hevolution Foundation, based in Riyadh, is a non-profit organization that provides grants and early-stage investments to incentivize research and entrepreneurship in healthspan science.

Last month, Hevolution announced its first ever impact investment to catalyze the healthspan and geroscience ecosystem and drive transformative breakthroughs in healthy aging.

Dr. William Greene’s leadership positions have included founder, biotechnology executive, investor, and clinician. As CEO, he built Iconic Therapeutics through discovery, clinical development and venture financing, leading to a successful sale of the company. He later helmed longevity biotech company Fountain Therapeutics and co-founded digital therapeutics startup Pear Therapeutics.

Dr. Greene spent 12 years at MPM Capital where he was a Managing Director and member of its Investment Committee, responsible for biotechnology and medical technology investments worldwide. He was also founding Chairman and head of the Investment Committee at the Global Health Investment Fund, a groundbreaking impact-oriented venture fund in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, which successfully scaled both investment returns and health impact simultaneously.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Greene was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and led clinical trials and strategy for a variety of therapeutic areas at Genentech.

Dr. Greene earned his BA from Wesleyan University and his MD from UCSF. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Yale and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).