Is the Middle East entering a new golden age?

Loulou sits down with one of the most well-connected geopolitical economists working today for a structural read on the region recorded as the US-Iran 60-day MOU process opened, Strait of Hormuz traffic restarted, the IMEC corridor returned to the working-group table and Saudi Arabia pivoted NEOM capital into AI infrastructure. The episode is built to hold whether the ceasefire holds or slips: Middlebrook's read is 10 to 20 years out, not week to week.

Dr. Peter Middlebrook is the CEO of Geopolicity and has advised the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations, the British Government, the Iraqi Prime Minister's office, and governments across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. He is the author of two new books in 2026: "How to Make Britain Great Again" and "Rich Student, Poor Student."

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Chapters:

1:43 The US-Iran ceasefire, the Hormuz reopening and the return to business
3:58 Why Dubai is a replacement for New York
9:40 Why the Gulf is no longer a single bloc
16:34 IMEC explained: Mumbai to Jebel Ali to Piraeus
19:02 MENA youth unemployment: NEET and the 30% problem
21:20 White-collar work, debt, social protection and the climax of capitalism
25:20 Hybrid governance: phones, governments and the Sixth Estate
33:48 Saudi's pivot from megaprojects to AI data centers
36:41 Why society itself has to change
41:16 China, state capitalism and the West losing the critical raw materials race
46:15 Albania appointed an AI minister: why the Gulf is next
47:10 Closing: a long-term investor's case for the Middle East

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Dr. Peter Middlebrook
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-middlebrook-14477018/

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What happens to your job when the most powerful companies in the world are laying off thousands of people not because they are failing, but because they are betting on AI instead, and your region is also in a war that is reshaping who can hire and who has to cut?

In this episode of With Loulou, Loulou Khazen Baz sits down with Justin McGuire, Founder and CEO of MCG Talent, the Middle East's leading recruitment firm for marketing, communications, creative, product, data and digital talent.

They get into the specific role Justin removed from his own firm and rebuilt with ChatGPT, why the people who feel safest in their seats are actually the most exposed, the one LinkedIn move that lands an offer, and the playbook he gives fresh graduates to land three offers in a market where 65% of UAE professionals now say finding a role has become harder.

For students, fresh graduates and anyone navigating a redundancy in 2026, Loulou and Justin close with what AI-native actually means in the workplace, why "knowing how to prompt ChatGPT" is not enough, and which careers in MENA are still hiring at premium salaries this quarter.

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Chapters:
05:10 The GCC is no longer a place of safety. It is still a place of opportunity.
08:43 The war pressed fast-forward on AI: how employers are actually responding
12:46 Where the marcom briefs are going: creative directors yes, graphic designers no
14:05 The fragile middle: 5 to 8 year managers under fire
17:34 Why the GCC is three years behind Silicon Valley on AI
23:04 The role Justin replaced with ChatGPT (and the lawyer he stopped using)
28:43 The micro-niche business: the winning shape for the AI era
33:28 The LinkedIn secret weapon: comment, do not just post
39:54 Don't apply for jobs on LinkedIn. Here is what to do instead.
42:13 Side projects: the AI portfolio that landed the hire
47:09 Antifragile: using the shock to come out stronger
53:40 The middle-management lifestyle trap
59:03 The 50+ side door: the access older candidates have that nobody else does

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Justin McGuire
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jumcguire/

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Where do you put your money in the Gulf right now? Loulou sits down with one of the UAE's most experienced investors to read the region as it actually is in June 2026: the regional war still the dominant story, the World Cup just under way and more.

HE Faisal Belhoul is a veteran Emirati investor and entrepreneur, former Vice Chair of Dubai Chambers, and chairman of UAE second-division football club Fursan Hispania (co-built with Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado). He has been one of the most consistent backers of operators building global businesses out of Dubai for two decades.

For students, fresh graduates and aspiring founders, Belhoul closes with the single quality he backs in founders, the apprentice model he believes in, and the line he was given by a founder he is mentoring: "I eat 'no' for breakfast."

Chapters:

01:57 - The Three Big Stories of the Week
03:15 - Football as a Family Affair: 22 Years Waiting for Arsenal
5:28 - Mohamed Salah and Football's Soft Power
16:38 - Why Sport Survives the AI Era
20:52 - Dubai Chambers and the Private Sector's Role
26:29 - How Moove Grew From $10M to $400M Revenue
36:43 - Can Expats Still Build a Life Here at 60?
38:10 - Golden Visas and What Comes Next
43:01 - INJAZ and the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
44:44 - The One Founder Trait Belhoul Backs: Perseverance

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HE Faisal Belhoul
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisalbelhoul/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faisalbelhoulofficial/

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Abdullah Mutawi, Partner & Head of Corporate MENA at Taylor Wessing, and Kushal Shah, Private Markets Investor, join Loulou for a conversation (episode 103) on where opportunity really sits in the GCC today.

They unpack angel investing, founder red flags, why many startups fail despite strong products, and the lessons that come from writing early-stage checks.

The discussion also explores cash-generating businesses versus venture-backed startups, SME rollups, the impact of AI on investing, and why the region continues to attract founders, capital, and talent from around the world.

Chapters
00:00 Three investors. One question: Where do you put your money?
03:24 Why angel investing is the highest-risk type of investing
06:23 The expensive lesson from a failed startup investment
09:41 What to look for in a founder before you write the cheque
20:15 Groupthink, red flags and why solo investors get burned
22:59 The pivot: why Kushal quit VC for SME roll-ups
30:30 1.2 million UAE SMEs: the opportunity hiding in plain sight
34:52 SaaS is dead. What's actually worth backing?
40:04 Angels: preference stacks, secondaries and knowing when to exit
57:28 AI, source of truth and the risk of outsourcing your thinking

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Follow the guests
Abdullah Mutawi
Partner & Head of Corporate MENA, Taylor Wessing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutawi/

Kushal Shah
Private Markets Investor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kushyahvi/

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Gaurav Biswas, Founder & CEO of Trukker, joins Loulou for a timely conversation on what happens to GCC supply chains when the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.

They unpack how cargo was rerouted through alternate ports, land bridges, and trucking networks while food security, industrial supply, and construction materials came under pressure.

Gaurav also breaks down Trukker’s 75,000+ driver network, the reality of building a $240M revenue logistics business, and why resilience is now a strategic priority for the region.

Chapters
00:00 Why the Strait of Hormuz disruption matters
04:07 What happened on the ground when the crisis started
07:35 Food security, industrial pressure, and why trucking became critical
10:18 Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi ports, and the alternate route problem
17:28 How one truck went from moving 4 containers a day to 1
21:38 Why Trukker chose not to profiteer from war
31:01 Building a $240M logistics business with less than 1% market share
38:57 Venture debt, dilution, and the real cost of startup capital

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Gaurav Biswas, Founder & CEO of Trukker
Website: https://trukker.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauravbiswas/

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Philip Bahoshy, Founder & CEO of Magnitt, and Ziad Awad, Founder & CEO of Awad Capital, join Loulou for episode 100 of With Loulou.

Recorded during a period of regional uncertainty, this conversation looks at what is really happening across MENA private markets, venture capital, M&A, IPOs, and the future of exits in the region.

Chapters

00:00 Episode 100 and the first two-guest format
03:00 Public markets vs private markets
10:00 What Magnitt’s Q1 2026 VC data reveals
19:00 M&A activity across the UAE and Saudi Arabia
23:00 The exit problem for regional startups
33:00 Valuations, transparency, and ecosystem maturity
45:00 Why billion-dollar companies are harder to build in MENA
58:30 Rapid fire on IPOs, defense funds, and underpriced opportunities

Follow Loulou Khazen

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Philip Bahoshy, Founder & CEO of Magnitt
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipbahoshy/

Ziad Awad, Founder & CEO of Awad Capital
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziad-awad-4925a11/

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Day 56 of the Iran war. Most international press wrote Dubai's obituary in March. Predictions of a mass exodus, the end of the UAE story, a 15 year setback. None of it happened. 2,800 strikes were fired at this region. Almost nobody left. Trevor McFarlane, Founder and CEO of EMIR, advisor to GCC CEOs and government leaders, explains why.

Recorded in Dubai, April 22, 2026. Day 56 of the Iran war.

Chapters:

00:00 Reality TV geopolitics (cold open)

00:44 Day 56: where the UAE actually stands

01:48 Why this is a "coercive pause," not a resolution

03:43 Why Rory Stewart was wrong about Dubai

11:32 What systems thinking means for a country under attack

14:54 Which sectors hold up — and which don't

21:34 Tourism, luxury, and the floating population

24:09 The next phase: sovereign resiliency in the GCC

31:28 150 CEOs, 2,800 strikes, nobody left

36:54 The real story: sociological diversification

40:18 "A place you belong, not a place you use"

41:08 Rapid fire: GDP, levers, decisions in uncertainty

Trevor McFarlane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormcfarlane-emir/
EMIR: https://www.emirintelligence.com/

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Also available on:

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Spotify: https://bit.ly/3H1vzHO

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A Saudi quick-commerce startup raised $212 million and just collapsed. MENA VC funding fell 37% year-over-year. Late-stage debt is frozen. Khaled Talhouni — Managing Partner of Nuwa Capital, one of the most active GCC funds with 53 portfolio companies across Saudi, the UAE, and Egypt joins With Loulou to break down what's actually happening in the regional venture market right now.

Recorded in Dubai, April 22, 2026.

Chapters:

00:00 The state of MENA VC right now

02:35 What's actually happening in the Gulf

06:55 53 portfolio companies through the war

12:45 The Q1 numbers: $941M, -37% YoY, and the late-stage freeze

18:20 How to deploy capital when nothing is priced

24:35 The case for investing during downturns

28:05 IPOs, secondaries, and where MENA exits actually happen

33:20 Why Nana burned $212M (the dark store math)

47:30 The "Accenture for AI" thesis

54:20 Rapid fire: 2026's biggest MENA exit, deals he regrets, the underrated sector

57:15 What he'd do differently

Khaled Talhouni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaledtalhouni/

Nuwa Capital: https://www.nuwacapital.io

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