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Daoud

Full time Father, a Palestinian builder currently between SEA and SWANA. I build products and ventures. I write about building, failing, and figuring it out — in Arabic and English, with the help of Allah.

📍 Planet Earth

If You're Lazy Like Me, the AI Era Is Doing You a Favour

Part laziness, part geekiness, and as I found out last year after a late diagnosis — part neurodivergent brain that never could tolerate doing the same thing twice. Turns out automation wasn't just a preference. It was a workaround. Here's what that looks like when you point it at a sales pipeline.

Figuring It Out in Public

The honest story of the last 30 months — building, shutting down, relocating, and trying to figure out what to call myself next.

I Need 20 Muslims to Talk to Me About Stress, AI, and Faith

I'm going to be honest with you. A couple of years ago, I went through the hardest period of my life. Family conflict, a business collapsing, a move to a new country, and a lot of unanswered questions about how to navigate it all as a Muslim man

2026 Doesn’t Need More Motivation. It Needs Clarity.

We’re closing 2025 with a familiar mix. Alhamdulilah! A few wins we’re proud of. A few lessons we learned the hard way. And—if we’re honest—some important things still sitting on the shelf. Not because we didn’t care… but because life happens, priorities shift, energy

Market Validation Before Setup: A UAE Expansion Playbook

Expanding into the UAE? Don’t start with licenses and leases—start with proof. This playbook shows how to validate demand, avoid false positives (including event hype), and convert tested insights into a confident setup strategy.

أبياتٌ تُتلى مع الفجرِ تشحذ همّتك وتُجدّد عزمك

لعل بيتًا من الشعر العربي عند صباحك الفجري الباكر يشحذ الهمة، جرّبها وقُل لي! 1. الإمام الشافعي: بِقَدْرِ الكَدِّ تُكْتَسَبُ المَعَالِي وَمَنْ طَلَبَ العُلَا سَهِرَ اللَّيَالِ

How I Support Founders: From Idea to Revenue, and Beyond

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside founders, startups, and innovation teams across the UAE, MENA region, and beyond. Whether launching coworking spaces, advising venture programs, or helping businesses navigate expansion into new markets — my focus has always been practical, values-driven support that helps

Change your lane or not?

When you are driving on the freeway, which lane are you usually taking? Do you stick to the right side, left, middle or do you just move around depending on traffic, direction, speed? I found that our life has some similarity we can learn from driving on the freeway. For

"My Rizq is Written" Wasn’t Enough. What Was Missing?

I know we are all working hard to get the Rizq we want to achieve, whether it is to cover our fundamental needs for ourselves and our families, to pay off loans, or build sustainable provision. For me, since childhood I desired wealth - thinking it was my path to freedom:

An Empty Chair, a Full Heart: Offering Space & Time in Dubai

Because barakah grows in shared soil