Embracing a Day in the Life of Shorooq Partners – I Felt Good Today Part ll

By Shane Shin, Founding Partner

At Shorooq Partners, we come from diverse backgrounds - musicians, entrepreneurs, financiers, consultants, athletes, bankers, and more. Representing 15 countries, we share a unified purpose and mission of being Founders' Partners, Value Investors, and Company Builders. What unites us is the fulfillment of spending our days empowered and surrounded by our portfolio companies. We recognize that the teams behind these companies work tirelessly to create real and tangible value for their customers, which includes us, the Shorooq Partners team. As venture capitalists, our job is to support companies that offer what we, as customers, need and want. It's that simple.

With this ethos in mind, join me as I navigate a day in Riyadh, filled with moments of growth, collaboration, and curiosity –

I woke up at 6:10AM and started my morning with meditation while listening to a concise Wajeez audiobook, all in Arabic. On my way to the office, I stopped by a local grocery store supplied by Retailo to pick up some essentials like coke and cookies, along with my favorite fruits from Pure Harvest – tomatoes and soon-to-arrive strawberries, insha'Allah. Next time, I plan to explore Tazah's other agricultural products imported from Pakistan.

Later, I made a quick visit to a nearby pharmacy powered by Aumet, but unfortunately, they didn't have the supplements I needed. Nevertheless, I hold hope that Valeo will provide prompt delivery services soon.

During my morning work, my laptop started malfunctioning, which led me to buy a replacement at Jarir store online through the convenient Tamara BNPL checkout. I'm looking forward to the possibility of using TripleA crypto payments or Amwal for such purchases in the near future. I also wondered if the laptop's processor chips might be affiliated with our semiconductor startup, Pearl Semiconductor, and if Averroes contributed to the manufacturing process with their advanced AI visual inspection technology.

Around 12:45PM, TruKKer contacted me about moving some of my belongings to a warehouse managed by Khazenly's WMS, as my apartment seemed to be bursting with stuff. “OK,” I agreed.

I invited a few founders for lunch and paid using the Qlub QR code, thanks to the convenient Pemo card that allows me to easily manage receipts and categorize expenses. Pemo is empowered by NymCard, a fintech company providing banking-as-a-service infrastructure that has issued tens of thousands of cards in the region. I love and appreciate Pemo because it generates revenue for both Pemo and NymCard.

Upon returning to the office, Mohammed Alyahya, our Finance Manager, reminded me to start preparing for our AGM next year. I immediately contacted Hafla, our trusted event planner, who has helped us successfully organize events for the past three years. At this point, I was craving some orange juice and local Egyptian bread, anticipating the day when Breadfast will deliver these treats to our office. Mohammed and I also worked on ordering office supplies through Penny, the procurement platform.

After a busy day, I reviewed my investment portfolios in Lendo, Sarwa, SmartCrowd, and KTrade, and I felt a sense of accomplishment as my wealth continued to grow automatically. These platforms are reliable as clients are reviewed by Mozn. With Lean's open banking infrastructure, these platforms are quite tempting for additional capital investment, which I resist as best as I can. Investing in them also benefits our portfolio companies, essentially hitting five birds with one stone.

It was only 5PM, and I realized I had forgotten to call a call center for an inquiry. So, I messaged them on WhatsApp, and they promptly provided me with real-time answers, thanks to DXWand, an AI Natural language processing (NLP) startup we recently backed.

I caught up with Omer Zabit, who is now working at Colabs in Lahore. It seemed like a vibrant community there, and I encouraged Omer to try out local services from our portfolio companies. I was particularly fond of DealCart for volume discounted shopping and PostEx for efficient delivery during my last visit to Karachi. I'm also confident that DigiKhata helps merchants manage their finances and ledgers effectively.

By 8PM, I prepared for a dinner meeting with our portfolio companies. I reminded myself not to overindulge too late, a common challenge in our busy schedules. Fortunately, I haven't fallen ill in Riyadh thus far. But I am not too worried, thanks in part to Santechture's seamless revenue cycle management solution ensuring smooth billing.

Back at home, while watching short immersive videos on VUZ, another founder reached out to me for advice on managing a complex cap table. I recommended Clara's dynamic cap table solution and, if the founder were in Korea, Quotabook, a leader in the space. Soon enough, I'll have the opportunity to play Xociety's MMORPG shooting game or immerse myself in creating unique NFTs at Virtualness and Nuqtah. I have exciting plans to design some NFTs and generate income. Fingers crossed!

Around 11PM, I faced a dilemma - should I order late-night snacks? Instead, I booked a meditation trip to India organized by Dharma. I can't wait for this experience.

And I went to bed, grateful for having had another great day immersed in the world of our portfolio companies. From meditative mornings to innovative technologies, from business lunches to strategic planning, our journey at Shorooq Partners is a testament to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. I look forward to continuing this adventure, building lasting partnerships, and shaping the future together. Here's to many more fulfilling days and prosperous ventures on the horizon!