TechWadi Annual Forum 2015: Omar Tawakol

TechWadi is the leading non-profit organization building bridges between Silicon Valley and the MENA region. This year, the TechWadi Annual Forum will be held on September 26-27 in Silicon Valley. Attendees will gain insight from leading entrepreneurs on topics such as Arab success stories from Silicon Valley, investing in MENA and Iran’s rising tech ecosystem and implications for the broader MENA region.

On the panel of speakers is Omar Tawakol. Upon earning his Bachelors degree in Engineering from MIT, Omar went on to earning a Masters of Computer Science from Stanford University. During his time there, he was a computer science researcher at both the Stanford Logic Group and HP Software Labs.

Currently, Tawakol is the CEO of BlueKai. “the first and largest online data exchange that is designed with consumer transparency and participation in mind” as stated on iMedia Connections. BlueKai, which was acquired by Oracle in February 2014, is the industry’s leading cloud-based big data platform. It enables companies to personalize online, offline and mobile marketing campaigns with richer and more actionable information about targeted audiences.

When we asked Omar what he’s most looking forward to in the Forum he said, “Great people, pursuing disruptive ideas, despite the odds – that is the hallmark of an entrepreneur culture.  Techwadi has alway done a great job attracting these ingredients and marrying them with capital and experienced advisors.  Techwadi is making a very important contribution to help the MENA region produce more ground-breaking start-ups.  I always look forward to meeting the smart, hopeful, energetic entrepreneurs who attend the forum.”

To listen to Omar Tawakol and other leading entrepreneurs from the MENA region speak in this year’s TechWadi Annual Forum, register for the event here.

You can also follow Omar Tawakol on Twitter.