
Inspire. Innovate. Impact.
VMS EXPERTS & MENTORS
A cutting-edge network of industry leaders, professionals, and mentors shaping startups innovation in Saudi Arabia and the region.
Adham El Sawy
Adham is a seasoned finance and strategy leader with over 12 years of experience in financial management, corporate strategy, and startup advisory across the MENA region. He currently serves as Merak Capital’s Exel Accelerator and has previously led financial operations and growth strategy for CFO at Walaplus ,Steer Studios (Gaming), supporting technology-driven ventures at various stages of scale.
Rakan Tashkandi
I’m the founder of Flow Ventures, an indie venture builder based in Saudi Arabia, and a partner at CyberME Studios. For over 15 years, I’ve been navigating the intersections of design, strategy, startups, and human behavior. I've been driven by a mission "to craft digital experiences that actually touch people’s lives".
My journey began in the service industry, working with some of the largest enterprise and public sector clients in Saudi Arabia. I wore many hats — from digital strategist and UX principal to business developer, digital marketer, project manager, and talent acquisition and building. These roles helped shape my understanding of scale, systems, and what it takes to create meaningful digital impact.
I've shifted from big systems to early-stage ventures in the second half of my career. I found my spark in supporting startup founders — especially at the pre-seed and seed stages — as they figure out how to turn raw ideas into lean, working products. I’m deeply passionate about mentoring, bootstrapping, customer experience design, and gamification (the real kind — not the points-and-badges flavor, but the kind that builds actual engagement).
Between 2016 and 2018, I ran an internship program that graduated 30+ interns, many of whom went on to launch startups or contribute to major public digital initiatives. That chapter is still one of the most rewarding in my career.