The MENA Group

Businesses, non-profits, and start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) face both overlapping and distinct strategic, operational, financial, cultural, bureaucratic, and regulatory challenges.

The MENA Group at the AMENA Center connects start-ups based in the MENA region with Haas – Berkeley students as well as Berkeley PhD students from a variety of disciplines to devise innovative solutions to business challenges. Our aim is to provide the business and technological resources and guidance to lay the foundation for a flourishing entrepreneurial and technological ecosystem.

With their intimate knowledge of the Silicon Valley model, UC Berkeley students and scholars, who have volunteered to serve as our mentors, are uniquely qualified to help founders, managers, and administrators from the MENA region to solve their organizational challenges and make the most of the opportunities presented to them. In addition to being thoroughly familiar with both the state of the art in management theory and best practices, our mentors are knowledgeable about the region’s distinct institutional, cultural, and geopolitical challenges, and can provide invaluable counsel to organizations in MENA seeking to enhance their productivity, effectiveness, and performance.