The top six Arab female entrepreneurs

Arab women are shaking up the Middle East business world. Here are the Middle Eastern female entrepreneurs whose startups were ranked the most successful of 2017 by Forbes Middle East.
Fetchr: Joy Ajlouny
The Palestinian co-founder of Fetchr tops the list for securing the highest external funding — $52 million — for her pick up, delivery and logistics services start-up based in Dubai. “I’ve always been a risk-taker,” Ajlouny told Forbes. “I don’t believe you ‘become’ an entrepreneur. It’s something that’s born. It’s either in you or it’s not.”
Mumzworld: Mona Ataya & Leena Khalil
After four rounds of funding, UAE-based e-commerce site Mumzworld — dedicated to mother-and-baby items — Palestinian co-founders Ataya (pictured) and Khalil had attracted heavyweight investors including Wamda Capital, twofour54, and Endeavor Catalyst. The most important factor in their success, Ataya told Arabnet, is “our first-hand experience as parents.”
AppMahal: Mona Haddad
Another Palestinian entrepreneur, Haddad managed to raise $4.5 million for her social media app development business. “The best place for women to break the glass ceiling is in business, mainly because success in business is measured, and nobody can argue about it,” Haddad told Entrepreneur Middle East.
ServiceMarket: Bana Shomali
The Jordanian entrepreneur managed to generate $4.3 million for her Dubai-based online marketplace for home services, which evolved out of MoveSouq.com, co-founded by Shomali and Wim Torfs in 2013. “There is this high to starting on your own,” Shomali told Arabia Inc. “It’s addictive. The thrill of it sucks you in.”
ShopGo: Lubna Taimeh & Noora Shanak
Taimeh and Shanak (pictured) are the co-founders of the Jordan-based e-commerce platform ShopGo, which raised $3.4 million in funding, with venture capital firm Silicon Badia contributing heavily. The company is geared toward helping businesses in the MENA region set up an online store quickly and efficiently.
Energy24: Nadia Moussouni
As co-founder of Lebanon-based alternative-energy startup Energy24, Nadia Moussouni helped raise $3 million in funding. Investors were attracted by technology that can store and manage electrical power at a 60-percent saving on conventional generators and has been hailed as a possible solution to power cuts in Lebanon.