Economic Growth
Is venture capital the answer to outdated economic growth models?
The world is facing unprecedented levels of disruption which require huge levels of investment. Venture capital offers a unique way to drive transformation.
Bilel Al Souaied
Bilel is a Venture Capital Expert deeply committed to development economics, technology, and social entrepreneurship. He currently Building the first CyberTech company in the Arab region, where he leads efforts to address the region's evolving cybersecurity challenges. By helping businesses enhance their security posture, Cytomate has quickly gained prominence to become one of the most visible CyberTechs in MENA and positioned for an acquisition in Q1 2025.
Before Cytomate, Bilel built a career as a Venture Capitalist at Qatar Development Bank and IMventures, where he was responsible for managing deep tech and fintech portfolios. Overseeing a portfolio of 145 high-profile start-ups, he led end-to-end investment activities regionally and internationally. His work extended beyond portfolio management to include designing and implementing macroeconomic programs and investment instruments aiming to incentivize capital redirection toward venture capital as part of Qatar’s 2030 economic vision.
Prior to his role at QDB, Bilel worked as a Strategy Consultant at BCG across three continents, where he collaborated with global companies like Spotify, Toyota, and GSK, helping them navigate challenges related to corporate strategy, finance, and M&A. Before joining BCG, he worked as an economist focusing on capital flows and foreign direct investment as part of the Brexit deal negotiations, providing key insights into how the economic landscape would shift during and after the UK's exit from the European Union.
Bilel is also invested in the start-up and innovation ecosystem in Qatar and the wider region. He serves as a mentor at the Qatar FinTech Hub and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology’s TASMU Accelerator, advising on critical areas such as product-market fit, pricing strategies, agile development, and investment readiness. His role in these initiatives is dedication to support emerging entrepreneurs.
Bilel has been an active member of the Global Shapers community and is the outgoing curator of the Doha Hub. In this capacity, he advocates for research-driven initiatives that address socioeconomic challenges through partnerships with local think tanks and educational institutions through collaborative research.
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