Muhammed Mekki (C’05 W’05)
Alumni Spotlight by Jeslyn Li (C’26 W’26)
Huntsman alum Muhammed Mekki studied Arabic as his target language, concentrated in Management in Wharton, and also pursued an additional major in Political Science in the College (through which he met Professor Sil in his senior year). Muhammed’s career is full of twists and turns, with one experience building onto another and one decision leading to the next. Currently, Muhammed divides his time between the UAE and the US, living and working in Dubai while spending his summers in the Windy City.
As a part of his Huntsman studies, Muhammed completed his semester abroad at the University of Jordan—his first time living in an Arab country as an Iraqi-American. In the year after graduating, Muhammed continued his immersion and was selected as a Fulbright Fellow to live in Syria and the UAE and research Islamic finance theory and applications in ten countries across the Middle East. Together, these experiences strengthened his language skills and exposed him to the region’s culture and climate.
During his time at Penn, one of the most impactful classes Muhammed took was called “Consulting to Growth Companies”—a practical course where he paid visits to and supported the growth of a Philadelphia-based small business throughout the semester. This translated into his full-time role at Diamond Management & Technology Consultants in Chicago after his Fulbright experience. In this position, Muhammed met many successful professionals and consultants who returned from MBA programs, and, although never expecting to pursue graduate studies, decided to apply to the Graduate School of Business at Stanford to recenter his focus.
Fueled by the innovative startup culture in San Francisco, Muhammed focused his classes at Stanford around entrepreneurship and venture capital. Upon graduating with his MBA, Muhammed continued his stint in consulting at McKinsey and Company in Dubai. After getting settled in the region, in 2011, Muhammed decided to dive into the world of entrepreneurship and founded Namshi, a fashion retail e-commerce company. Just over one year after Namshi’s founding, Muhammed and his founding partners had hired over 100 employees and raised more than USD $20mm in the largest tech venture capital transaction in MENA at the time. With this experience, Muhammed learned a lot by doing and wanted to play a more significant role in growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Gulf.
Thus, in 2013, Muhammed co-founded AstroLabs with one of his partners at Namshi. AstroLabs spent years building the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem from within and now mainly focuses on attracting the world’s most innovative, high-growth companies to the Gulf. To date, AstroLabs has supported over 1,700 companies to set up in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and supports these clients with ongoing regulatory compliance and operational expertise to help them scale their impact.
In 2019, Muhammed decided to go back to school, once again, and pursue a PhD in innovation and entrepreneurship at SOAS University of London. During this time, Muhammed furthered his studies regarding the development of innovation systems specifically in the Gulf, which honed his craft and complements the work he leads at AstroLabs. With his PhD, Muhammed started an adjunct role to teach at London Business School as the first Dubai-based faculty member. In his words, this position “pushed [him] to the edge of his comfort zone” in many ways, whether that be developing relevant case studies or just having the courage to get in front of 50 executive MBAs. Today, Muhammed continues his work at AstroLabs, making his mark in the thriving entrepreneurial landscape in the region, while lecturing courses in Strategy & Entrepreneurship at both the LBS London and Dubai campuses.
Looking back, Muhammed accredits the foundation that the Huntsman Program has provided him so that, when the time was right, he was able to act on the opportunity to work in the Middle East. Muhammed reflects on his career and prompts everyone to think of our professional trajectory in terms of “seasons”. He, for example, initially embraced a season of exploration in consulting, before exiting into a more specialized season in entrepreneurship and innovation, and now finds himself in a more academia-facing season. Each of these seasons satisfies his desire to learn and stay curious, having breadth while also developing depth and expertise.
In the past year, Muhammed has ventured into the study of Arabic calligraphy, diversifying his studies into a more creative outlet. He has always had an appreciation for the beauty of this art form, but only recently found the time to formally take on this hobby and learn from a master in this practice based in Istanbul, Turkey—the epicenter of Arabic calligraphy. Muhammed described this transformative experience, saying “while I originally entered for the beauty and the art [of Arabic calligraphy], there is a much deeper impact I’ve realized. […] I have much more appreciation for patience and mastery now, for example.”
Overall, Muhammed is thankful for his time in Huntsman—not just for the camaraderie, but also for the physical spaces that anchor this community, such as KC3 and the Huntsman Lounge. He continues to stay involved, hosting the Global Immersion class at AstroLabs in Dubai and introducing current students to the entrepreneurial and business opportunities in the Middle East.
