Houssam Nasrawin

Nasrawin launched ABL in 2011. The main purpose of the organization is to encourage business and entrepreneurship initiatives in the Middle-East. ABL supports entrepreneurs in the MENA region through a mentorship program and an investment platform that connects entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. It is today active in 37 countries.

In 2016, Nasrawin launched the investment and advisory firm GDC Partners. He is acting as CEO. The firm invests in projects in Europe and in the MENA region and advises international firms to set up in the Persian Gulf countries.

He is also the managing partner of Mideast Capitaland advisor for the women empowerment initiative Womenpreneur to support women entrepreneurship in the MENA region.

Houssam Nasrawin at the University of Oxford

During his speeches at the Franco-Arab Chamber of Commerce in Paris in June 2017and at the University of Oxford in July 2017, Nasrawin considered that entrepreneurship is the key solution to solve unemployment in the MENA region. In a contribution published in Entrepreneur Magazine in August 2017 , he analysed the measures that should governments in the MENA region put in place to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Among the main actions that need to be taken, there are a better access to financing through government guarantees to banks, co-investments between the private and public sectors, tax incentives for start-ups, better access to education, laws to protect against bankruptcy and a stronger role for women.

Nasrawin is involved in cultural dialogues between Europe, Africa and the Middle-East. During an interview on French TV in 2015, he mentioned that Arab countries must focus more on communication and mainly on helping the rest of the countries to understand their culture, which would contribute not only to peace but also to strengthen business relations.

Nasrawin holds a Master in Finance from Audencia Business School (France) and a BA in International Economics from Paris Nanterre University.