9 of 14 MENA Tech IPOs Are Underwater. Now What?

Philip Bahoshy, Founder & CEO of Magnitt, and Ziad Awad, Founder & CEO of Awad Capital, join Loulou for episode 100 of With Loulou. Recorded during a period of regional uncertainty, this conversation looks at what is really happening across MENA private markets, venture capital, M&A, IPOs, and the future of exits in the region. Chapters 00:00 Episode 100 and the first two-guest format 03:00 Public markets vs private markets 10:00 What Magnitt’s Q1 2026 VC data reveals 19:00 M&A activity across the UAE and Saudi Arabia 23:00 The exit problem for regional startups 33:00 Valuations, transparency, and ecosystem maturity 45:00 Why billion-dollar companies are harder to build in MENA 58:30 Rapid fire on IPOs, defense funds, and underpriced opportunities Follow Loulou Khazen Instagram: /louloukhazen LinkedIn: /louloukhazen X (Twitter): /louloukhazen Follow the guest Philip Bahoshy, Founder & CEO of Magnitt  Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipbahoshy/ Ziad Awad, Founder & CEO of Awad Capital Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziad-awad-4925a11/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.