RIYADH: Amal Dokhan is a partner with 500 Global, a San Francisco-based early-stage venture capital firm with an office in Riyadh. She provides mentorship to startup founders in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region.
She also works with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s, or KAUST, Entrepreneurship Center, where she contributes to the New Ventures Acceleration and Corporate Innovation programs.
Dokhan obtained her bachelor’s degree from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University and earned further qualifications from Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other academic institutions.
Her master’s degree at Australia’s University of Wollongong involved developing marketing strategies for the government of Dubai, Kempinski Hotels and the Korean car manufacturer Infinity.
Before joining KAUST and 500 Global, Dokhan served in research and advisory roles with numerous academic and non-profit bodies, including the Global Entrepreneurship Network and UK’s Cranfield University.
During this time, she designed educational platforms, launched initiatives in innovation and creativity, organized and marketed various events and provided commercial consultancy to large organizations.
She has also contributed to several entrepreneurial ventures focused on media and production services to clients, including Starcom Dubai and Yahoo Dubai.
Dokhan describes herself as “a passionate professional in designing experiences, guiding corporates and startups to innovation and customer-centric design, providing creative solutions, achieving mastery in the service industry and manipulating marketing tools to evoke customers’ emotions.”