Snoonu, in collaboration with the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Qatar, hosted Issam Hijazi, Founder and CEO of UpScrolled, for a founder-to-founder conversation with Hamad Mubarak Al-Hajri, Founder and CEO of Snoonu.

Moderated by Nayef Al Ibrahim, Founding President of EO Qatar, the session brought together entrepreneurs, members of the EO Qatar community and the Snoonu team for an open discussion on entrepreneurship, technology and the opportunity to build ambitious digital products from the Middle East with global relevance.

Hijazi shared insights from his career, including leadership roles at IBM, Oracle and Hitachi, before founding UpScrolled, which has grown to more than 5 million users. The conversation also explored user control, transparency, technology ethics and the importance of developing independent digital products that respond to the realities and needs of communities across the region.

The session followed the second edition of Qatar Foundation’s BilAraby Annual Gathering, held in Doha on 19-20 September under the theme “With Our Ideas, We Build.” The gathering continued broader discussions around ideas, technology, entrepreneurship and the potential to build innovative solutions from the region for audiences around the world.

The conversation highlighted the importance of developing technology that reflects local realities while creating products with the potential to reach users globally.