Abdallah Abu Sheikh

Abdallah Abu Sheikh
Born
Jordan
NationalityEmirati
OccupationBusinessman
Known forAstra Tech, Botim, Barq EV, Rizek, Quantix, and PayBy

Abdallah Abu Sheikh (Arabic: عبدالله ابو الشيخ) is a Jordanian businessman, founder of Astra Tech, and CEO of Botim.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

Abu Sheikh was born in Jordan and spent his early years in England and China.[5][6][7] He attended boarding school at King's Academy and pursued his higher education in Canada, earning a bachelor's degree in commerce from Saint Mary's University and a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from Dalhousie University.[8][9][10] Abu Sheikh obtained his MBA from London Business School in 2021.

Career

Abu Sheikh co-founded LUX Development Partners(LUXDP), a renewable energy development company in 2016.[11] In 2019, he co-founded Rizek, a digital marketplace provides household cleaning, maintenance and healthcare services such as COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.[12][13][14][15][16]

In 2021, Abu Sheikh founded Barq EV, an electric vehicles manufacturer.[17][18][2][19][20]

In March 2022, Abu Sheikh founded Astra Tech, a technology investment and development group.[21] During the same year in July, Abu Sheikh's Astra Tech acquired Rizek.[22] In December 2022, Astra Tech secured a $500 million investment, in a funding round led by Group 42.[23][24] In August 2022, Astra Tech acquired PayBy, a fintech company in the UAE. The company also acquired the middle eastern internet calling platform BOTIM in January 2023.[25]

Abu Sheikh was on the cover page of Entrepreneur magazine Middle East in May 2022.[1]

Personal life

Abu Sheikh resides in the UAE with his wife and son. In 2022, Abu Sheikh established the Mohammad Abu-Sheikh Scholarship Fund at his former alma mater, King's Academy, in honor of his late father, Mohammad Abu-Sheikh.[26]

Awards

  • 2022 Most Influential Arabs[27]
  • 2022 Forbes Under 30 EL Gouna[28]
  • Young Achiever of the Year 2023 [29]
  • 2023's Top 100 Most Inspiring Leaders [30]
  • GCC Top 50 CEOs of 2023 [31]
  • Investor of the Year by Entrepreneur Middle East 2023 [32]
  • 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 [33]

References

  1. ^ a b Thomas, Aby Sam (10 May 2022). "Meet Abdallah Of Arabia: Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, The Serial Entrepreneur Behind UAE-Based Barq And Rizek". Entrepreneur.
  2. ^ a b "UAE's 'Barq EV' launched as first smart mobility, logistics solutions provider". Khaleej Times.
  3. ^ "50 Most Funded Startups". Forbes.
  4. ^ "Three New Tech Partnerships Bring ADIO's Total Support for Abu Dhabi's Fast-Growing ICT Sector to USD 235m in 2021". Al Bawaba.
  5. ^ "Entrepreneur Middle East May 2022 | Meet Abdallah Of Arabia by Entrepreneur Middle East - Issuu". Entrepreneur.
  6. ^ "The Mo Show - Abdallah Abu-Sheikh | The Mo Show 76 | Ad Astra, China, Innovation and Industrialism". RSS.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  7. ^ emiratestimes (2022-11-01). "Leading MENA Entrepreneur Abdallah Abu-Sheikh Seeks to Inspire Region's Youth to Aspire to Achieve". theemiratestimes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  8. ^ Baarah, Yousef (2016-10-17). "Jordanian Entrepreneur". Venture Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  9. ^ Sheikh, Abdullah Abu (2018-11-20), The Need To Succeed - عبدالله أبو شيخ, retrieved 2023-06-06
  10. ^ admin. "Abdallah Abu-Sheikh". Forbes Middle East Events. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  11. ^ "Students tackle tough issues head on at third annual JMP". www.kingsacademy.edu.jo. 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  12. ^ "Forbes Middle East - English - January 2022". Forbes Middleeast.
  13. ^ Mansoor, Zainab (14 June 2020). "Abu Dhabi marketplace RIZEK raises $3.5m in seed funding". Gulf Business.
  14. ^ "UAE start-up Rizek raises $10m to fuel expansion". The National (Abu Dhabi). 24 May 2021.
  15. ^ "EPISODE 84 WITH ABDALLAH ABU-SHEIKH". The Change Officer.
  16. ^ "Abu Dhabi's Rizek is first non-healthcare app to introduce COVID-19 testing". MobiHealthNews. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  17. ^ Bhat, Divsha (28 March 2022). "Smart mobility company Barq EV launches in the UAE". Gulf Business.
  18. ^ "Barq EV: Emirati company launches electric delivery vehicles designed for region". The National (Abu Dhabi). 26 March 2022.
  19. ^ "UAE's 1st drone delivery service provider 'BARQ EV' breaks two Guinness World Records". wam. 12 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Delivery drone network edges closer as UAE firm sets world record". The National. 4 December 2021.
  21. ^ "UAE startup Astra Tech integrates Rizek into ultra platform for integrating business-consumer". Bizness Transform. 4 August 2022.
  22. ^ Release, Press. "Astra Tech acquires Rizek to move closer to delivering 'ultra platform' to customers". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  23. ^ Sharma, Alkesh (19 December 2022). "Abu Dhabi's AI company G42 to lead Astra Tech's $500m funding round". The National.
  24. ^ Cabral, Alvin R. (12 January 2023). "G42-backed Astra Tech acquires VoIP app Botim after $500m funding round". The National.
  25. ^ "UAE's Astra Tech Buys Botim, Bolstering Push to Create Super App". Bloomberg.com. 12 January 2023.
  26. ^ "News Post - King's Academy". www.kingsacademy.edu.jo. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  27. ^ "Arabian Business' Most Influential Arabs 2022". Arabian Business.
  28. ^ "Under 30 Summit 2022". Forbes Middle East.
  29. ^ ""Young Achiever of the Year" at the 2023 Gulf Business Awards". Gulf Business.
  30. ^ "Arabian Business'100 Most Inspiring Leaders". Arabian Business.
  31. ^ "Arabian Business'50 CEOs of 2023". Arabian Business.
  32. ^ ""Investor of the Year" by Entrepreneur Middle East's e-Business Awards in 2023". Entrepreneur Middle East.
  33. ^ "Under 30 Summit 2023". Forbes Middle East.