Plus VC

Zainab Al Sharif is a Partner at Plus VC, a venture capital firm focused on tech startups in the MENA region and diaspora. She previously held Senior Investment Analyst roles at Dividend Gate Capital (DGC) and 500 Startups, with a focus on sourcing and analyzing investment opportunities. She holds an MSc in Risk Analysis from King's College London and a BA in Business Management with Finance and Financial Services from the University of Westminster.

Director of finance at Scalar Capital. Previously a senior manager at KPMG performing external audits of private and public companies. Holds a B.S. in Management Science from UC San Diego.

Nour Allam is a Principal at +VC, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in tech and tech-enabled startups in MENA and its diaspora. She previously worked as an Analyst in the Strategic Consultancy Department at Savills in Egypt, where she conducted market research supporting real estate investment decisions, and earlier took part in Endeavor Egypt's Analyst Accelerator Program on the Entrepreneurial Sales and Growth team. She holds a BSc in Finance with a minor in Economics from The American University in Cairo.

Hasan Haider is an investor focused on MENA startups, having backed over 200 companies in the region since 2010. He previously served as Managing Partner, MENA at 500 Startups, where he led the firm's expansion in the region from 2017. Before that, he co-founded and led Tenmou, an early business angel organization in Bahrain, and holds a BSc in Economics from University College London.

Abdulhameed AlShakar is the Financial Accountant at +VC, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in tech start-ups across the MENA region. He has prior experience across the reinsurance, academic, and private equity sectors, including reporting work with the reinsurance team at GIG Gulf, an academic trainee role tied to the University of Strathclyde at BIBF, and a financial business support internship at Investcorp. He holds a bachelor's degree in Banking & Finance from Bangor University.

Ali Mahmood is Executive Director at +VC, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the MENA region. He previously held the same role at 500 Startups, where he led investment operations for its MENA fund 500 Falcons, handling legal due diligence and processing investments in more than 180 regional startups. Before that, he was legal and finance manager at Tenmou, an early angel investment organization in Bahrain, and has helped organize regional entrepreneurial events including Arabnet, Startup Weekend, and the MENA Angel Investors Summit.

Bedour Almulla is the Marketing & Partnerships Manager at +VC, where she handles marketing, content, and partnerships for the firm and its portfolio companies in the MENA region. She previously joined the FinTech & Innovation Unit at the Central Bank of Bahrain, contributing to fintech regulations and managing the regulatory sandbox, and earlier worked on marketing and startup ecosystem projects at Bahrain's Economic Development Board. She has co-founded and worked with startups in fintech, F&B, and tech-enabled services, and holds a Master's in Entrepreneurship from the University of Cambridge and an Honours BA in Economics from the University of Toronto.

Moustafa Yousri is an Investment Analyst at +VC, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in tech and tech-enabled startups across MENA and its diaspora. He previously worked as an Investment Analyst at Egypt Ventures, handling deal sourcing, due diligence, and market analysis, and interned at the private equity firm Tanmiya Capital Ventures. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance from the University of London.

Neena Punnen is Director of Corporate Communications, PR and Events at Plus VC, a MENA-focused early stage venture capital firm. She previously served as PR and Communications Manager for the MENA region at 500 Startups and earlier worked as Account Manager/Senior Consultant at Hill+Knowlton Strategies. She holds an MCom in Banking and Taxation from the University of Bangalore and a Certified Digital Marketing Professional certification from the Digital Marketing Institute, Ireland.

Zahid Zahid has operational experience gained through working with dealer representatives of companies including Caterpillar, Total Energies, Tyco, Volvo, and Renault across various sectors. He is an angel investor, a syndicate committee member of Oqal Saudi Angels, and a board member of YPO Gold Saudi. He holds an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston.

Miyu Yamamoto joined Beyond Next Ventures in November 2023, working on open innovation and acceleration with a focus on supporting academic research funding in Japan. She previously worked at Nomura Research Institute on industry-academia-government collaboration, startup support, and new venture development in the medical and energy sectors, and held a part-time role at the R&D startup BIOTA doing research, grant management, and recruiting. She completed graduate studies in the Department of Earth and Planetary Environmental Science at the University of Tokyo.