Welcome to the 7th episode of SolidBlock’s podcast channel, “BlockSolid”, where Yael Tamar, SolidBlock’s Co-CEO & CMO, interviews different guests about an array of topics from the FinTech and PropTech worlds. Yael, with her upbeat personality and current questions, can make any subject an interesting listen, even to people new to the fields.
In today’s episode, Yael speaks with Sleem Hassan about great topics, including how blockchain and Defi impacted investment; the risks involved when investing in entrepreneurial ventures; whether art, technology, and interfaith dialogue can be combined under a single entrepreneurial venture; and a few tips for early stages start-ups seeking funding.
Sleem is a Financial Entrepreneur with an interesting wide global background. Born in Fiji to Pakistani parents, raised in Nigeria, Oxbridge educated, worked with the Japanese at Nikko, and is now resident in Dubai, UAE.
Saleem is passionate about technology, art & interfaith dialogue. His professional background includes working in Venture Capital and the Japanese Capital Markets. He is skilled in Investor Relations, Securities, Asset Management, Investment Advisory, and working with Technology Entrepreneurs. He is the CEO of Privity which he founded back in 2004 – an independent Dubai-based, early-stage venture-focused firm that seeks entrepreneurs with interesting and unique ideas and helps them develop and grow.
Yael met Sleem on her second trip to Dubai in December of 2020, during which she had a chance to engage in interesting conversations with him about how he discovered startups and his views on the recent peace agreement between Israel and the UAE which was long overdue.