Anas Zeineddine

Founder

innovaMENA

Anas has over 18 years multi-faceted international experience in leadership, engineering, project management, business operations, innovation, strategy, venture capital, startups and working with Fortune 500 companies. Anas co-founded 2 tech companies in Canada (Levven and Rayacom). Anas co-founded and led the design, development and operation of the first large private innovation hub in the UAE in 2017 (Krypto Labs). He led the strategy and business development of the 3,000 sqm fully integrated center consisting of co-working spaces, technology labs (Edtech, UAVs, SpaceTech, AI, VR), startup incubation and acceleration center, venture builders, venture capital SPV, and attracted local and global startups. Primary focus was on UAE-based idea to MVP startup creation, resulting in 20+ locally created startups in SpaceTech, EdTech, UAVs and other domains. He was the Executive Director of the hub directing all innovation programs, creating a soft-landing space for international startups, developing innovation strategies for federal space entities, matchmaking between startups and stakeholders, and launching impactful awareness and networking events. Anas also has extensive experience working with governmental entities in establishing sustainable innovation strategies and ecosystems. Anas has worked closely with national space organizations in establishing innovation frameworks and strategies for accelerating entrepreneurship in the space industry. He recently led several initiatives in the incubation of space technology startups in the UAE through custom space innovation programs, and has done extensive work in the UAV and drones tech industry. Anas founded innovaMENA in 2020, an innovation enabler that supports early-stage startups and industry stakeholders and provides innovation advisory to individuals and organizations. He has a passion for innovation, startups, and entrepreneurship, working with a wide spectrum of innovators from university students to international startups seeking market entry and soft-landing. He also advises governmental entities and institutions on policies that support startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).