Bayt Cast: Big Ideas, Bigger Opportunities!
Welcome to Bayt Cast, where big ideas spark even bigger opportunities! Join Bayt.com CEO Rabea Ataya for candid conversations with top founders, visionaries, athletes, and cultural leaders from across the MENA region, uncovering the real career stories, unexpected strategies, and game-changing insights that shape successful careers.
Episodes
Imagine spending your career mastering sales… only to build a business that needs almost no salespeople.
That's Rami Tabbara's story.
From leading a 500-person sales team to co-founding Stake, a platform that's facilitated over $1 billion in property transactions, Rami has seen both sides of the sales revolution.
He joins Bayt.com CEO Rabea Ataya on Bayt Cast to challenge the old rules of selling, unpack the realities of buildi...
What happens when you strip away the job title, achievements, expectations, and other people’s approval and ask, "Who am I without all of it?"In this episode of Bayt Cast, Dr. Fatima Alloghani sits down with Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com, to share the story behind one of the biggest decisions of her life: stepping away from a successful corporate career, getting on a motorcycle, and riding solo from the UAE across borders and ...
Nearly 200 investor rejections. Deals that disappeared. Personal money on the line.
Walid Shihabi’s founder journey wasn’t built on one lucky break.
In this episode of Bayt Cast, he joins Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com, to talk about what entrepreneurship really demands — from raising capital and surviving rejection to challenging an established industry and knowing when a risk is worth taking. They also explore finte...
What separates founders who build billion-dollar companies from those who never get funded?
In this episode of BaytCast, Amir Farha, Founder and Managing Partner of COTU Ventures, sits down with Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com, for a conversation that goes far beyond venture capital. He shares the lessons he's learned after backing some of the region's most promising startups, and explains why the best founders don't need constant advi...
Want to know how reading books can change your life or how to become CEO of a major company? Most people think books are about information, but Isobel Abulhoul believes they're about something far more important.In this episode of BaytCast, Isobel sits down with Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com, for a talk about leadership, career progression, and how reading shapes who we become. From imagination and empathy to resilience, she argues ...
In this episode of Bayt Cast, Ammar Shams shares an extraordinary journey of reinvention—from a long and successful corporate career to driving a taxi as a life experiment, and later pursuing a PhD in his 50s. What began with a simple question—“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” became a turning point that reshaped his outlook on success, purpose, and fulfillment.In conversation wi...
In this episode of BaytCast, Safwan Masri — Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar and former Vice Dean of Columbia Business School — reflects on a life shaped by reinvention, identity, and education. In conversation with Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com, he traces his journey from Jordan to Purdue and Stanford, and on to leadership roles at Columbia, King’s Academy, and Georgetown. Along the way, he shares candid ins...
In conversation with Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com, Fadi Ghandour — Founder of Aramex and Executive Chairman of Wamda — shares a candid and deeply personal conversation about resilience, responsibility, and why real leaders do not leave when things get difficult. From building Aramex during civil wars and regional instability, to listing on NASDAQ, to investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs, Fadi reflects on wh...
In this unmissable BaytCast episode, Palestinian-American comedian Amer Zahr takes center stage, blending humor and activism to dismantle power and amplify the Palestinian voice. Joining Rabea Ataya, Amer takes us on a journey from law school to the comedy stage, where his sharp wit and deep-rooted Palestinian identity fuel a unique comedic style that confronts power, challenges injustice, and reclaims narratives through humor.Amer...
Cinema isn’t just entertainment; it’s an infrastructure for identity. In this BaytCast episode, Butheina Kazim, the visionary behind Cinema Akil and Reel Palestine, joins Rabea Ataya for an unfiltered conversation on the art (and hustle) of building cultural spaces that outlast trends. They dive into memory, identity, and cultural entrepreneurship—from repurposing a single screen into a movement, to shaping polici...
هل جرّبت يومًا أن تبدأ من الصفر؟ طارق بوجسيم لم يكن يعرف كلمة عربية واحدة، نشأ في مدارس بريطانية، وتخرّج من جامعة ستانفورد في أمريكا. لكن رحلة بسيطة لتعلّم العربية تحوّلت إلى نقطة تغيّر حياته بالكامل!في هذه الحلقة، يحكي طارق قصته من البداية: من عالم التقنية إلى طريق الإيمان. كيف بدأ من الصفر ليتقن الفصحى ولهجات عربية متعددة، وكيف قادته اللغة إلى التعمق في الدين، فصار شيخًا وعضوًا في دائرة الفتوى ومستشارًا في التمويل الإسلامي.استمع ...
Discover the incredible life story of Mohan Valrani, the visionary co-founder of the Al Shirawi Group. In this powerful episode, Valrani shares his remarkable journey from an 8-year-old refugee who lost everything during the partition of India and Pakistan, to building a multi-billion dollar empire from scratch—not once, but twice.Learn about the importance of radical transparency, the art of reverse mentoring, and why he bel...
In this BaytCast episode, Nelly Attar, extreme athlete, entrepreneur, and the first Arab woman to summit K2, joins Rabea Ataya to share the lessons that shaped her journey from psychology graduate to Guinness World Record holder!From launching Saudi Arabia’s first dance studio to scaling some of the world’s toughest mountains, Nelly reveals how to act before you “know your why,” why risk is a skill you can t...
In this BaytCast episode, Dean of Engineering and Architecture Alan Shihadeh joins Rabea Ataya to share how AUB “punches above its weight” and why it has produced more wealth and talent in the region than almost any other institution.From AUB’s bold push into entrepreneurship and real-world innovation to tackling Lebanon’s toughest job market challenges, Dean Shihadeh shares candid insights on grit, opportun...
How do you challenge an industry that hasn’t changed in a century, and still come out stronger after every setback? In this episode of BaytCast, Rabea Ataya sits down in Beirut with Roger Zaccar, a third-generation insurance entrepreneur. From turning down early investors and building a team of dreamers, to expanding into Egypt and Europe, navigating Lebanon’s financial freefall, and now harnessing AI to reshape insuran...
What does it take to set someone up for lifelong success? In this episode of BaytCast, Rabea Ataya sits down with Navin Valrani—entrepreneur, educator, and lifelong learner— to answer that very question. Together, they journey through every stage of learning, from nursery playrooms to corporate boardrooms, unpacking how to make smarter school choices, the value of happiness in education, building entrepreneurial mindset...
This special episode of BaytCast features a thought-provoking conversation with Lawrence Abu Hamdan, a pioneering artist, researcher, and activist often described as a “private ear” for his groundbreaking work in acoustic investigation.Join Rabea Ataya as he explores how Lawrence’s interdisciplinary practice, merging audio forensics and the subtle nuances of earwitness testimony, has helped surface evidence in som...
Salary myths, CV overcrowding, and an AI takeover! In this episode, Rabea Ataya sits down with Filip Rideau for an unfiltered deep dive into the Middle East job market’s hottest and most misunderstood trends. Discover why the “tax-free miracle” packages aren’t what they used to be, learn proven strategies for mid-career professionals eyeing a move to the GCC, and pick up insider hacks for cutting through the...
Join Ahmed Rajab on a captivating journey through his career evolution, from a budding engineer to a visionary HR leader in some of Kuwait’s top brands. In this episode, he shares his valuable insights on making bold career pivots, the realities of working in Kuwait’s private and public sectors, and how AI is transforming the HR landscape. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone navigating career transitions or se...
From launching ventures in Lebanon to leading talent and education initiatives across the GCC, Paul Bassil’s journey is one of bold pivots and lasting impact. In this episode, he shares hard-won lessons on career growth, resilience, and the power of continuous learning. Hear his take on what today’s job market demands, how nationalization is reshaping opportunities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and what young professional...
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