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We recently conducted a survey in North Africa, among 2000 students, to understand what they intended to do with their future.<br />
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Our studies revealed that trust in governments is at its lowest and although entrepreneurship has been promoted as a miracle cure to unemployment and social instability many young people are unwilling to take up governmental schemes to launch a business.<br />
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There were many youngsters, likely to consider radicalization as a means of protest. They did not trust their government - since they considered it corrupt; had little knowledge about religion –and hence, could easily be swayed by an alternative.<br />
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We also found that those most considering starting a business are also the one most tempted by armed resistance (and joining ISIS emerged as a probable option).<br />
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In fact out of 1,742 respondents, a staggering 13.2% considered joining armed movements such ISIS.  A very worrying finding until one considers ISIS offering in the region: $500 to $700 per month and a life with a meaning: the creation of the caliphate, the perfect, incorrupt, Islamic state, a potentially valid and quick fix alternative to this young energetic unemployed generation that has lost hope in their government.<br />
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But at a deeper level, is it only money? Is there any other reason why this happens? Lets look at this from a neuroscience perspective. A fundamental aspect of propaganda is persuasion.<br />
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There are various models of persuasion. Recent findings in neuroscience have revealed the importance of emotion in the human decision making process. It is emotions that sway us one way or the other.  The ELM model or Elaboration Likelihood model as described by developed by Richard E. Petty and John Cacioppo in the mid-1980s  explains that the brain can either process a message superficially, leading to low persuasion or more centrally / deeply, increasing the persuasion.<br />
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Unlike TV news flashes, that are generally short in duration and highly edited, social media provides uncensored images of the horror of wars. The youth perceive that superior militarized western nations are conducting war on mostly vulnerable third world nations resulting in countless images of horrifying civilian casualties.<br />
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These youngsters watch this social media footage over and over, share it and discuss it. These highly emotionally charged images have the effect of maximizing persuasion and so is the will, among the youth to take up arms and turn to terrorism.<br />
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I’m not saying that world is new to terrorism.<br />
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What has changed in the last decade is the speed with which terrorist organizations organize and recruits, thanks to social media.<br />
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Looking back, social media – since Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006 for Twitter – used to play a very marginal role in shaping public opinion. TV had been the primary tool used to engineer popular consent and quiet the opposition. But in December 2010, Social media suddenly took centre stage and became the trigger behind one of the most influential event of this century: The Arab revolution. The Arab Spring began when a frustrated Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi immolated himself on December 17th 2010  to protest against the confiscation of his merchandises and the constant harassment by municipal civil servants. Social media triggered a chain reaction based on this single event that represented people’s increasing awareness and rejection of massive corruption, nepotism, abuse of power and the absence of rule of law.<br />
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So how do we make a better world? I personally disapprove censoring of social media as social media is often the only channel for the oppressed and the weak to alert the world of their suffering.  The answer lies in using social media to reach larger numbers of people, and engage them in positive pursuits- such as education and values, offering them a possible inspirational source of dignified livelihood such as entrepreneurship.<br />
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Every person working at the grassroots level, should share how they have created pockets of progress, and engaged the youth in meaningful pursuits. It’s also important for religious leaders to increase their online presence and highlight the peaceful nature of all of the world’s religions. Yet social media is only a reflection of reality, it is fundamental that more important structural changes be operated, democracy which implies a high degree of press freedom and transparency need to be promoted so that corruption be curbed. Indeed, peace would be the ultimate way to clean social media of the horror of wars and promote a more human and compassionate world.<br />
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<em>About the author: </em><em> Dr.Nicholas Hamelin heads the neuromarketing lab at SP Jain School of Global Management, Singapore.</em><br />
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<em><a href="http://www.riskmanagementmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/grenade-1024x774.jpg">Image source</a></em><br />

Survey in North Africa: Terrorism more rewarding than entrepreneurship?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Professor Timiebi Aganaba believes <keyword id="11894607" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="africa" source="Orion">Africa</keyword> has an important role to play in a new <keyword id="12128597" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="space-age" source="Orion">space age</keyword>. </li><li>Governance is a particular area of interest for countries across the continent, she told Insider.</li><li>But there are obstacles these countries must navigate to become competitive hubs for exploration.</li></ul><p>There are many unanswered questions about the realities of the new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-tourists-fly-at-their-own-risk-nobody-regulates-safety-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">space age. </a>These include whether civilian spaceflights by SpaceX's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-launches-first-all-civilian-crew-towards-orbit-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Inspiration4</a> team or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-launches-to-space-blue-origin-first-human-spaceflight-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Blue Origin</a> are occasional success stories or a blueprint for humanity's future relationship with <keyword id="11895441" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="space" source="Orion">space</keyword>.</p><p>But two questions that have been asked less are: how will regions outside of North America, China, and Russia continue to contribute? And how can we ensure great inclusion across the space industry?</p><p><a href="https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/3344008">Timiebi Aganaba</a>, a professor in space law and ethics at Arizona State University, has answers. She spoke to Insider about key factors that make the developing countries,<strong> </strong>specifically those across Africa, which have been mentioned far less frequently in mainstream discussions about space.</p><p>"Africa is in a unique opportunity to have a greater choice with respect to what actors to collaborate within its space development objective," she said. </p><p>The continent's space industry has already seen substantial growth, according to Aganaba.</p><p>"Eleven countries have launched satellites and 19 African countries established or began the process of creating a space programme, to take advantage of space applications," she said, citing data from the <a href="http://www.satellitemarkets.com/market-trends/annual-2020-african-space-industry-report-released">African Space Industry annual report</a> published by Space in Africa, an analytics and consulting company. </p><p>A significant amount of these satellites were launched within the last four years, indicating a surge in interest in space on the continent, she added. </p><div type="image" title="timiebi aganaba" height="222" width="297" msid="86343815" hostid="261"></div><p>By 2024, <a href="http://www.satellitemarkets.com/market-trends/annual-2020-african-space-industry-report-released">Space in Africa,</a> said that an estimated 20 countries are expected to launch 110 satellites, including Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. </p><p>But priority areas for collaboration with the US include proposals to build assembly integration and testing labs in Africa to fabricate new components and sub-systems, and partner with local universities and NGOs to develop startups. </p><p>Rwanda and Nigeria are open to providing land, among other incentives to develop space research institutes in collaboration with US entities, according to the annual report. </p><p><a href="http://www.satellitemarkets.com/market-trends/annual-2020-african-space-industry-report-released"></a>Aganaba sees Africa as a very significant potential player when it comes to contributing to solving space governance challenges.</p><p>Since countries across the continent already have extensive governance experience gained from dealing with the impact of earth mining, environmental degradation, and the history of colonialism, "everyone would be very interested to hear an African perspective as to how we should be organizing ourselves," she said.</p><p>There are obstacles that the continent must overcome to realise its ambitions, however. "Lack of political support, awareness and talent, as well as dependency on external support, insufficient coordination and regulatory restrictions have been identified as <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.alc.narss.sci.eg_webroot_attachments_alc2015_Day-25201_Session-25201_IAM-2DPPT-2DPolicy-2DStrategy-2DALC.pdf&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=gOrgfQB8xVH7F0lP7MQhi8CyVXMBvYqNyP3LuSSb8Lw&amp;r=phA1kd6JhTiF2nW-hrd5QHxyu8gyL6q49AH31a2FvgY&amp;m=DhdBxQXtq-eGj4T6cgurygihZQUUOB3DlBRJv3sKclA&amp;s=VHt_956l20q0ZL_5MiGpDcvbwirGs1ME53BUZTAWh-A&amp;e=rGs1ME53BUZTAWh-A&amp;e=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">challenges with an African space agency,"</a> said Aganaba. </p><p>More than 90 institutions, including universities and colleges, in 28 countries engaged in satellite applications lack advanced computers, software, and financial resources for overseas training. They also suffer from obsolete curricula and facilities, she said.</p><p>These obstacles have been discussed extensively by scholar Stefano Ferretti, who <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Space_Capacity_Building_in_the_XXI_Centu.html?id=v23gxAEACAAJ&amp;redir_esc=ysc=y">analyzes</a> how the <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="international" source="Orion">international</keyword> community can access the economic and societal benefits that space assets can offer. </p><p>Aganaba added that to tackle such issues, processes like technology development and transfer, entrepreneurship, and international cooperation are key to equip the continent with tools to build space capacity.</p>

Africa is poised to be a significant player in the new space age - especially when it comes to governance. Here's why.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jackie Easthope moved from New Zealand to Bali, Indonesia, so her three kids could enroll in Green School.</li><li>Green School is an international school known for its bamboo buildings and hands-on learning curriculum.</li></ul><p>After watching her eldest daughter, Mila, struggle through primary school in New Zealand due to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/im-embracing-dyslexia-at-work-after-decades-of-hiding-it-2022-5">dyslexia</a>, Jackie Easthope decided she had to do something about it.</p><p>"Mila's a good girl, but she would come home from school and say she hated it. In New Zealand, we have this national standards graph and she always sat under it," Jackie told Business Insider. "And I knew it would just get harder and harder for her once she got to intermediate and high school."</p><p>Jackie started looking for schools that offered alternative education systems.</p><p>That's when she learned about the Green School in Bali, Indonesia, known for its sustainability-focused curriculum and <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bamboo-mansions-bali-photos-elora-hardy-ibuku-feature-2021-6"><u>eco-friendly bamboo campus</u></a>.</p><div type="image" title="A bamboo building in an international school in Bali." height="2760" width="4088" msid="112151680" hostid="261" sizebytes="505974"></div><p>She had chanced upon a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD4bpztESWw&amp;ab_channel=TED">TEDTalk</a> video by John Hardy, who founded the Green School in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indonesia-bali-tourist-mistake-travel-guide-local-tips-2023-3">Bali</a> with his wife, Cynthia, in September 2008. The school has since expanded to new campuses in New Zealand and South Africa with a total global enrollment of just under 1,000 students.</p><p>Since May 2021, the school has been managed by Education in Motion, a Singapore-based education company, although the Hardys are still involved as ambassadors.</p><p>"I remember getting up and telling the family, 'We're moving to Bali for the Green School,'" Jackie said. "And here we are."</p><p>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.greenschool.org/bali/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GSB_Enrolment___Admissions_Policy_2024-25.pdf">application process</a> varies depending on which grade potential students are enrolling in. Those applying for primary school need to submit school reports, teacher recommendations, and a video as part of their application. Those applying for middle school need an essay on top of that, while those applying for high school have to sit for an interview too.</p><div type="image" title="Three kids smiling widely for the camera." height="540" width="720" msid="112151682" hostid="261" sizebytes="73570"></div><p>It's been three and a half years since Jackie moved to Bali with her three kids: Mila, 15; Kingston, 13; and Indy, 9. They live in a rented house in Beraban, located north of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bali-digital-nomad-lifestyle-price-budget-2023-2">Canggu</a>, with views of rice paddies. Her husband splits his time between New Zealand and Bali.</p><p>She said the family's decision to school their children in Bali took a few years of planning.</p><p>"When you have three kids, it has to work for all of them," she said. "I wasn't worried about the two girls. I knew their personalities would suit the Green School, but I was worried about my son Kingston because he loves structure."</p><h2 id="8a2120c9-250e-42db-ad8c-10de8679a8e8"><strong>Project-based learning, smaller class sizes</strong></h2><p>For Mila, school in Bali is a whole new game.</p><p>"In New Zealand, we had a lot of big classes. You don't really get to ask many questions; you just listen and then do your worksheet," Mila told BI. "But since I'm dyslexic, it was really hard for me."</p><div type="image" title="A woman in a red dress and a young girl in a blue dress in front of a bamboo building in Bali." height="540" width="720" msid="112151683" hostid="261" sizebytes="40228"></div><p>As a result, she often got put into a lower learning program than her peers.</p><p>However, in Bali, Mila said she got personalized attention from her teachers.</p><p>"The teachers would move around the classroom, ask me questions, and point me out individually. Since it was a 10-person classroom, I actually understood things," she said.</p><p>The school's teaching model involves using practical examples, Mads Hedegaard, the director of admission, marketing, and communication, told BI.</p><p>"It can be a giant coconut slingshot to understand how to calculate trajectories, our seed-to-table cafe where the youngest students learn how to grow vegetables, and our middle schoolers learn entrepreneurship by running the cafe themselves," Hedegaard said. "Or it can be hands-on projects like building a yurt to learn math, physics, and practical arts at the same time."</p><p>For instance, Mila recently completed a project in collaboration with a local women's shelter.</p><p>"I made my own artwork to raise awareness of domestic violence, sold it, and then made enough money to help them with appliances in the shelter," Mila said. After completing it, she had to give a presentation about her experience.</p><h2 id="32090d2b-4a98-4d9c-9be7-e8d7883a2c41">A different grading system</h2><p id="32090d2b-4a98-4d9c-9be7-e8d7883a2c41"><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.greenschool.org/bali/student-wellbeing/">Classrooms at the Green School don't have walls</a>. Students learn about the natural world, care for animals, and grow plants.</p><p id="32090d2b-4a98-4d9c-9be7-e8d7883a2c41">Only high-school-level students receive grades at the Green School; younger students at the primary and middle school levels get a progress report instead, Hedegaard said.</p><div type="image" title="A group of young students sitting at their wooden desks in a bamboo school building in Bali." height="2000" width="3000" msid="112151684" hostid="261" sizebytes="1044328"></div><p>High-school students' grades account not just for their test<strong> </strong>scores but also for their participation and engagement in class, Mila said.</p><p>Students also have the freedom to take electives that interest them, and those in higher levels can even introduce their own classes if they get a teacher to sign off on it, Mila said.</p><p>This is possible as long as the student provides a clear overview of learning outcomes and the course is related to one of the credit areas stipulated by the school, Hedegaard said.</p><p>Mila's planning to introduce a dance class because she loves dancing.</p><p>"What I love about Green School is that I think the kids get to explore their passions," Jackie said.</p><div type="image" title="A woman and a young girl standing side by side in front of a bamboo school building in Bali." height="540" width="720" msid="112151686" hostid="261" sizebytes="26166"></div><p>That said, the school does support students who wish to take the SATs or other kinds of exams for university admission, Jackie said.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://directory.acswasc.org/new/directory-searchlist.php">website</a> for the Western Associates of Schools and Colleges (WASC) — an institution that accredits high schools in the US — shows that Green School is also accredited under the commission. A WASC representative told BI that the school has been accredited since the 2016-2017 school year.</p><p>"The GPA averages earned with our school can also be transformed into many other schooling systems globally," Hedegaard said, adding that Green School in Bali currently has 510 students enrolled across 39 nationalities.</p><p>There are around 70 Indonesian students at Green School Bali, of which half are on full scholarships, he said.</p><h2 id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">A pricey education</h2><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">But all of this comes at a hefty price tag: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.greenschool.org/bali/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/GSB-ADMISSIONS-Tuition-Fees-Schedule-2023-24.pdf">Yearly tuition fees</a> start from 117.95 million Indonesian Rupiah, or $7,260, for pre-K students and can go up to 302,1 million Indonesian Rupiah, or $18,650, for Grade 11 and 12 high school students.</p><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">While those prices might not shock Westerners used to paying for private schools in major, developed cities, they are considered high for the island of Bali.</p><div type="image" title="Students eating lunch at Green School Bali" height="2000" width="3000" msid="112151685" hostid="261" sizebytes="931196"></div><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">The average monthly net wage in Bali is about 3.04 million Indonesian rupiah, or $187.75, per the latest February 2019 data from data company <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indonesia/monthly-average-wage-net-by-province">CEIC</a>.</p><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">That said, tuition fees at Green School Bali are comparable to those of other international schools on the island. Yearly tuition fees for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ccsbali.com/admissions/fees">Canggu Community School</a> start at 105 million Indonesian Rupiah for preschool and go up to 245 million Indonesian Rupiah for year 12 and year 13 students.</p><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">"The fees are not high compared to other international schools," Hedegaard said, adding that many parents experience a decline in fees moving from other parts of the world.</p><h2 id="9a3ce2ab-a442-4f22-ba47-b20adaf65b3b">Adjusting to life in Bali</h2><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">Jackie said that although her daughters easily settled into life in Bali, her son needed a longer adjustment period.</p><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">"When we came here, my boy — up until the end — didn't want to leave New Zealand," she said, adding that the first six months after moving to Bali was a struggle.</p><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">"Every day, I'd ask him, 'How was school?' And he would say, 'I hate it, I hate that you brought me here,'" Jackie said. "But the thing is, so many families coming to Green School go through this. They'll have one child who hates it. And I'm always saying to them, give it time."</p><p id="75db838a-f4ee-4282-8d40-f003ceaad58c">"For some reason, one day, it was like a switch went off," she continued. "And he made great friends, and he didn't hate school."</p><h2 id="85d1882a-4988-4e6b-a9e4-0f407d0af40f">Less stress, more confidence</h2><p id="16e9b981-4e95-4233-844a-f84a1deeee00">For Mila, the educational environment at the Green School has helped her grow into a more confident person.</p><p>"I learned how to present myself and communicate my ideas with others, especially when speaking to adults or in front of a camera," Mila said.</p><p>She doesn't feel the same kind of academic pressure that she did back in New Zealand.</p><p>"Tests are so much more daunting, and they don't have them here. It's mostly presentations and you learn after a few years how to be confident and not really stress over it," Mila said. "I just take a lot of different classes, and I get to try a lot of things."</p>

Her daughter struggled in school with dyslexia, so she moved all 3 kids to Bali to try hands-on learning in bamboo classrooms

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mohammad Alnobani co-founded a tech startup in the West Bank in 2022.</li><li>Six months into the Israeli-Hamas war in nearby Gaza, Alnobani and his cofounder are relocating to escape the conflict.</li></ul><p><em>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Mohammad Alnobani, 34, who cofounded "The Middle Frame," a tech startup based in Ramallah, a city in the Palestinian Territories. The following has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p>At around 1 a.m. on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-of-hamas-oct-7-terror-attacks-israeli-homes-photos-2023-11">October 7</a>, I arrived in Amman, Jordan, on the way back to my home in Jerusalem from a trip to Belfast, where I attended the One Young World Summit.</p><p>I met my CTO at the airport; they were traveling to Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. We'd decided to travel together to the borders, which opened at 8 a.m.</p><p>We got into a bus that was supposed to move between Jordan and Israel at around 8.30 a.m. Then, we were told they were closing the borders. We started checking the news. I read that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-hamas-chose-attack-israel-now-after-decades-conflict-gaza-2023-10">Hamas got through a fence</a> surrounding Gaza.</p><p>I was nervous as hell — whether you're <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-from-river-to-sea-means-israel-palestine-rashida-tlaib-2023-11">pro-Palestine or pro-Israel</a>, once you hear a major event is happening in the region, you know what's coming next is not going to be good.</p><p>We got off the bus and went back to Amman. We didn't know what to do.</p><h2><strong>I founded a tech startup in Ramallah in 2022</strong></h2><p>I was born in Saudi Arabia but grew up in Jordan. My mom is from Nablus, a city in the West Bank, and my dad grew up in Jerusalem. I moved to Jerusalem at 16 and went to university in Ramallah. After living in Qatar and London, I moved back to Jerusalem in 2019 and set up an advertising agency with my brother in 2020, which I was a part of until January 2022.</p><p>In February 2022, I set up "The Middle Frame," a stock image platform, with my business partner Raya, a photographer I met in Boston during an entrepreneurship fellowship in 2021.</p><p>Raya told me she wanted to build a platform for authentic stock images from<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dubai-economic-jewel-of-the-middle-east-gulf-neighbors-saudi-2024-2"> the Middle East</a> and North Africa.</p><p>I knew where Raya was coming from.<em> </em>Back when I worked in advertising, creatives always struggled to find images that accurately represented local cultures from Arab regions on international platforms like Shutterstock and Getty Images.</p><p>Over 1,800 contributors are signed up on our platform. Photographers upload their own images, which we moderate.</p><h2><strong>The Palestinian startup scene</strong></h2><p>Our business is based in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rami-kashou-palestinian-fashion-designer-homage-clothing-2024-1">Ramallah</a>, where Raya lives. We're both familiar with the city; it's where I went to university, and half of my family lives there. It made sense cost-wise for us to work locally and set up our business there.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/palestinian-tech-industry-struggles-amid-israel-hamas-crossfire-2023-10">Palestinian startup community</a> is very small. I think a lot of people around the world don't know it exists. It's very easy to get into and it felt like a good environment to find our feet.</p><p>I knew there was almost no political and economic stability in the area, but as it was my home country, I felt like I had to try and do my part. If starting a company in Ramallah could benefit the community by creating jobs and further building on the small startup scene there, we wanted to try.</p><p>We wanted to onboard Palestinian team members to give them experience in a tech startup, but we had been struggling to recruit people due to the ongoing conflict.</p><p>Myself and Raya are the only two working full-time for "The Middle Frame," but we have a part-time CTO and web developer who are both Palestinian, as well as six part-timers in Egypt.</p><p>As a stock image platform, we wanted to provide local photographers with passive income from sharing their images.</p><p>We're targeting advertising agencies and media outlets that can download our images, but since the Palestinian population and market are small, we felt there was a limitation on our growth and scalability. Only a handful of companies and publications would be using the images.</p><p>Since the startup community is also small, there aren't as many opportunities to collaborate with other startups or gain knowledge from them. There's only <a target="_blank" href="https://thestartupscene.me/MenaEcosystems/The-Future-of-Palestinian-Startups">one VC</a>, and there aren't any <a target="_blank" href="https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/palestine">mature startup accelerators</a>.</p><p>We planned to expand into a bigger market eventually.</p><h2><strong>We were determined to keep working despite the uncertainties caused by the conflict</strong></h2><p>During the first week after the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-goal-october-7-attack-israel-gaza-war-2023-11">events of October 7</a>, I was checking the news every day. Waking up was a struggle. People living in Europe and the US invited me to healing circles, but I wasn't ready to talk about the situation yet.</p><p>On October 9, I got on a call with Raya, who was with her family in Ramallah, and our CTO, who was with me in Jordan, to discuss the next steps. We had been running small testing advertising campaigns for "The Middle Frame" and were supposed to start larger campaigns in October, but we decided that, ethically speaking, it didn't feel right. We stopped our advertising efforts until February.</p><p>We took a screenshot of the call as a statement that we will keep working even in the toughest times. When "The Middle Frame" goes through a hard time in the future, we can look back at that screenshot.</p><p>Raya and I talked about the possibility of her moving <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-jordan-egypt-say-no-to-refugees-from-gaza-experts-2023-10">to Jordan</a>, but she said it wouldn't be easy — her kids and husband have their lives in Ramallah — and the conversation didn't go anywhere at the time.</p><p>We're thinking about the people dying and the struggles that our people are facing. Being in the media industry, we're documenting life in the region. It's not easy for us to ignore what's happening.</p><p>We know other startup cofounders from Gaza whose office buildings were bombed and who have officially stopped working. A cofounder who I met in Jordan just last year was killed — it was the toughest news I'd ever received in my life.</p><h2><strong>We're now planning to relocate to the UAE</strong></h2><p>During Israel's war on Gaza that followed the October 7 attack, the whole Palestinian economy faced the consequences. Middle Frame sales had halted completely in the area.</p><p>Due to the situation, I've been on the road travelling. Since October, I've been in Egypt, Dubai, Jerusalem and Ramallah. I was in Jordan until the end of January, and we initially decided to focus our efforts on the Jordanian market. I met with potential clients, like advertising and news agencies, and pitched to potential investors.</p><p>We don't know what the future holds. We took a risk by operating in Ramallah for nearly two years, but we knew we should acknowledge that there was no more room for growth and no longer risk our investors' money in a market filled with uncertainty.</p><p>Recently, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/settler-violence-against-palestinians-west-bank-rights-group-2023-11">Israeli settler attacks</a> in the West Bank have been very frequent. In mid-April, I was returning from a wedding and got stuck in a village for hours because the settlers were blocking the road. That was the same night <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-israel-drone-strike-biden-administration-strategic-weakness-2024-4">Iran fired on Israel</a>; it really hit me that we can't stay here.</p><p>We've been discussing whether we're willing to relocate. We know that the<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-vs-uae-middle-east-economic-power-supremacy-dubai-2023-9"> UAE and Saudi Arabia</a> are bigger markets, and we think the UAE — where I believe there's a very diverse business market — would be the best place for us to go.</p><p>We're waiting on news from a local investor, but Raya, our CTO, and I hope to relocate at the end of this year. Luckily, Raya's husband is understanding and open to moving.</p><h2>We hope to return in the future</h2><p>If I had started "The Middle Frame" anywhere else, we might have been able to grow faster and raise more investments, but I don't regret what we did.</p><p>In the future, when our business is stable in a different market, we could maybe have a smaller operation in the Palestinian market.</p><p>The Palestinian startup ecosystem needs more examples of successful startups in the wider region to support the startups in Palestine and more investment bodies to support the early-stage startups.</p><p>Because the Palestinian startup community is so small, we've had to get on calls with investors and startup founders from other countries to get support and advice; it's pushed us to make connections internationally and it's made us more resilient.</p><p>However, taking a minute to zoom out and look at the big picture is important. Some days, you wake up to a news story that is painful to see and hear, making your day 10 times harder to work through.</p>

I'm a Palestinian startup founder. I wanted to do my part for my home country, but now we have to leave.

<p class="source"><span>SMU</span></p><p class="caption">SMU Cox School of Business' Executive MBA building.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>While many seek a traditional full-time MBA program to master the business basics, those who are already in a leadership role may opt to build their management skills through a different type of graduate program: an executive MBA, or EMBA.</li><li>The main reasons people pursue an EMBA include "the ability to stay employed while earning a degree and the opportunity to gain new perspectives on the business enterprise," Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council (EMBAC), said.</li><li>Business Insider compiled the best programs out there based on their curriculum, prestige, and overall experience and tapped 11 former EMBA students and staffers for their input on what makes these programs so great.</li><li>The list includes Cornell Executive MBA Americas, NYU Stern's Executive MBA Programs, Kellogg's Executive MBA program, and The Texas McComb's Executive MBA Program, among others.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul><p>If you're considering getting an MBA, it's important to understand your options. While many seek a traditional full-time MBA program to master the business basics as an entryway to a management career, those who are already in a leadership role may opt to build their management skills through a different type of graduate program: an executive MBA, or EMBA.</p><p>Michael Desiderio, executive director of the <a href="https://executivemba.org/">Executive MBA Council</a> (EMBAC), which represents more than 300 EMBA schools, told Business Insider that the growth of EMBA programs throughout several decades serves as a "testament to their value" in meeting the organizational thirst for leadership development. </p><p class="source"><span>Michael Desiderio</span></p><p class="caption">Michael Desiderio.</p><p>"There are a number of reasons why someone would pursue a degree through an EMBA program, but the main reasons include the desire to increase professional growth and specialized skills, the drive to enhance career development, the ability to stay employed while earning a degree, and the opportunity to gain new perspectives on the business enterprise," Desiderio said.</p><p>The EMBAC website highlights four main differences between <a href="https://executivemba.org/considering-emba-emba-or-mba.html">MBA and EMBA</a> programs: format, cohort, services, and opportunities, highlighting that EMBAs are specifically designed to "address the needs of busy professionals" by facilitating business leaders' ability to earn a degree in two years or less while still working full time.</p><p>If an EMBA sounds right up your alley, your next decision is choosing the program that's right for you out of hundreds of schools. Business Insider asked graduates from and staff at EMBA programs to weigh in on what makes their school stand out. Here are eight executive MBA programs that they flagged as among the best.</p><h1>1. <a href="https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/executive-mba/cornell-executive-mba-americas/">Cornell Executive MBA Americas</a> at Cornell University's Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management</h1><p>Cornell Executive MBA Americas is ranked No. 11 on US News and World Report's 2019 list of the "<a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/executive-rankings">Best Executive MBA Programs</a>." </p><p>An international classroom and network allows students to connect with their classmates in North and South America via live video conferencing while attending in-person classes in their own city with local peers. Offered in partnership with the Smith School of Business at Queen's University, this EMBA program allows students to complete their coursework in 17 months to earn two MBAs: one from Cornell and one from Queen's.</p><p>During their time in the Cornell Executive MBA Americas program, students complete two major projects that allow them to explore new venture management, consulting, and global business opportunities. In addition to Executive MBA Americas, Cornell Johnson offers other EMBA programs, including <a href="https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/executive-mba/cornell-executive-mba/">Executive MBA Metro NY</a> and the <a href="https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/executive-mba/executive-mba-ms-in-healthcare-leadership/">Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership</a>. </p><p class="source"><span>Verne Thalheimer</span></p><p class="caption">Verne Thalheimer.</p><p>"While in the Cornell Executive MBA Americas program, students live, work, and attend classes in over 20 major cities across the US, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and Chile," said Verne Thalheimer, the executive director at Cornell Executive MBA Americas. "This geographic diversity leads to strong industry diversity across the cohort, with no single industry representing more than 20% of the cohort in any given class year. This diversity greatly enhances the learning experience in the program, as classmates share their expertise during in-class discussions and team projects. Our students form deep, meaningful relationships which continue years after the program experience concludes."</p><h1>2. <a href="https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/emba-programs">NYU Stern's Executive MBA Programs</a> at New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business</h1><p class="source"><span>Neha Singhal</span></p><p class="caption">Neha Singhal.</p><p>"The NYU Stern Executive MBA program ... brings together a rigorous academic curriculum, expert Stern faculty, and a highly experienced cohort of executives from a wide range of industries including financial services, healthcare, technology, nonprofit, and more. Students in our program, most of whom are senior executives with an average of 12 years of experience, not only gain skills that help them further advance their careers to the tops of their organizations, but also develop a lifelong professional network that enables them to connect with Stern students - past and present - who are leaders in their respective fields," said Neha Singhal, the assistant dean of executive degree programs admissions and marketing at NYU Stern.</p><p>NYU Stern's executive MBA programs, ranked No. 9 by US News and World Report, are offered in both New York City (<a href="https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/executive-mba-nyc">EMBA NY</a>) and Washington, DC (<a href="https://www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/executive-mba-washington-dc">EMBA DC</a>), and come with a Global Study Tour - a required one-week international residency that takes place in the first year of the program. Stern also offers a joint global EMBA with the London School of Economics and HEC Paris called <a href="https://www.triumemba.org">TRIUM</a>.</p><p class="source"><span>Irina Kodes</span></p><p class="caption">Irina Kodes.</p><p>"For me, being surrounded by folks from multiple industries and backgrounds all looking to learn from each other and challenge each other to go further in every aspect of their career is what separates the NYU Stern [executive MBA] experience and makes it unique," said Irina Kodes, a principal at EY and 2017 graduate of NYU Stern's Executive MBA program. </p><h1>3. <a href="https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/executive-mba.aspx">Kellogg's Executive MBA program</a> at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management</h1><p>Ranked No. 2 nationally by US News and World Report and No. 9 globally by <a href="https://www.economist.com/whichmba/executive-mba-ranking/2018/northwestern-university-kellogg-school-management">The Economist</a>, Kellogg's Executive MBA program offers students multiple paths to earn a top MBA in a format that aligns with their work schedule. Whether they choose Kellogg's Evanston or Miami campus, EMBA students benefit from Kellogg's 65,000-strong alumni network, as well as the same curriculum and notable faculty that define the traditional Kellogg MBA experience. </p><p class="source"><span>Craig Wortmann</span></p><p class="caption">Craig Wortmann.</p><p>"I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to teach in Kellogg's Executive MBA Program, working with some of the smartest students in the world," said Craig Wortmann, a clinical professor of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, and founder and CEO of Sales Engine, Inc. "An entrepreneurship course that I coteach with a top Kellogg professor is the best definition of collaboration - the course is in itself a prototype and it has an incredible energy. We're essentially modeling the behavior students see in the real world."</p><p>Kellogg EMBA students have access to targeted sessions with leadership coaches and unlimited access to expert one-on-one career coaching. </p><h1>4. The <a href="https://robinson.gsu.edu/mba-programs/emba/">Robinson Executive MBA Program</a> at Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business</h1><p class="source"><span>Kelvin Coles</span></p><p class="caption">Kelvin Coles.</p><p>The 17-month EMBA creates executive leaders who can respond to the complex issues facing businesses, develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills to recognize and pursue business opportunities, build effective teams and integrate functions, and cultivate and apply global competencies during an international residency. Students at Robinson College of Business, ranked <a href="https://news.gsu.edu/2019/11/18/financial-times-ranks-georgia-state-emba-as-southeasts-top-public-university-program-18th-among-u-s-based-programs/">No. 18 among US-based programs</a> in the Financial Times' 2019 "<a href="http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/executive-mba-ranking-2019">Executive MBA Ranking</a>," work with a personal leadership coach to identify their current leadership attributes, determine skills needed to reach their goals, and develop a plan to realize their potential. </p><p><strong>"</strong>In Georgia and around the world, the Robinson College of Business name is synonymous with business. The faculty who teach in the Robinson Executive MBA program at GSU are seasoned business practitioners who bring a wealth of real-world experience into the classroom. The Robinson program created an environment that felt like a family. In fact, four years after graduating from the program, I am still in contact with my professors," said Kelvin Coles, a manager of business development at Americold and 2017 graduate of GSU Robinson's EMBA program.</p><p class="source"><span>Alli Royce Soble</span></p><p class="caption">Kate Warner.</p><p>Kate Warner, a founder and consultant at Hilltop Consulting and 2015 graduate, added that she chose the EMBA at Robinson "because of its diversity, because of the high percentage of international students, and because of the number of talented women in the program. I wanted a place that was going to transform me and how I lead." </p><h1>5. The <a href="https://www.smu.edu/cox/Degrees-and-Programs/executive-mba">Cox Executive MBA Program</a> at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business</h1><p><a href="https://www.smu.edu/cox/Degrees-and-Programs/executive-mba">Ranked No. 18</a> on US News and World Report, The Cox Executive MBA Program is a 21-month EMBA program that is structured to build on attendees' management experience, covered in five semesters for about two weekends per month on Fridays and Saturdays, with some half days. This program incorporates a global study trip in the second year where students visit two international cities. First-year coursework is designed to build students' general business knowledge and skills, while the second year focuses on policy aspects of finance, organizational behavior, and marketing. </p><p class="source"><span>Katie Jarvis</span></p><p class="caption">Katie Jarvis.</p><p>"I joined the program as a doctor with a medical degree ... with hopes of creating a new company," said Katie Jarvis, the CEO and founder at Bed Beacon, LLC and a 2018 graduate. "A year after graduation, I started a company [and] asked my negotiations professor [to become] my angel investor … I left the program with a lifelong network of friends, collaborators, mentors, future employees, and a future business. SMU's Executive MBA program catapulted me to a totally different stratosphere."</p><h1>6. The <a href="https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/MBA/Executive">Texas McComb's Executive MBA Program</a> at The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business</h1><p>The Texas McComb's Executive MBA is a two-year program that takes place on alternating weekends (all day Friday and Saturday on campus in Austin, Texas) and is targeted at professionals seeking career advancement and/or change without interruption from working full time. The program features a cohort-focused curriculum as well as elective classes and emphasizes broad business management knowledge and skills. It's ranked No. 8 on Poets and Quants' 2019 ranking of "<a href="https://poetsandquantsforexecs.com/2019/02/07/top-embas-in-u-s-ranked-2019/3/">US Executive MBA programs</a>."</p><p class="source"><span>Gerald J. Wilmink</span></p><p class="caption">Gerald J. Wilmink.</p><p>"I elected to earn an Executive MBA from the University of Texas in 2012, and it was one of the best career decisions that I have made," said Gerald J. Wilmink, the chief business officer of CarePredict and a 2014 graduate. "Our EMBA class consisted of seasoned CEOs, CMOs, sales directors, CFOs, physicians, and attorneys. The students in our class came from various different business sectors and this diversity made for highly meaningful, educational, and entertaining and lively classroom discussions."</p><p>He added, "I also wanted to sharpen the pencil on my knowledge and skills in the area of finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship. UT Austin's professors are top notch and I learned the fundamentals and the skills to launch my first health technology company during the first year of my EMBA."</p><h1>7. <a href="http://www.emba-global.com">London Business School's Executive MBAs</a></h1><p>London Business School (LBS), ranked No. 8 globally by the Financial Times for EMBA programs in 2019, offers several executive MBA programs, including <a href="https://www.london.edu/masters-degrees/executive-mba-london">Executive MBA London</a>, <a href="https://www.london.edu/masters-degrees/executive-mba-dubai">Executive MBA Dubai</a>, <a href="http://www.emba-global.com/americasandeurope.html#.XfCCni3Mxyo">EMBA- Global Americas &amp; Europe</a>, and <a href="http://www.emba-global.com/asia.html#.XfCCsi3Mxyo">EMBA-Global Asia</a>. The school's website notes that there are more than <a href="https://www.london.edu/masters-degrees/executive-mba-london/programme-content/learning-experience">20 nationalities</a> in the current London EMBA class. The program takes 20 months to complete and features a mix of group work through pre-assigned study groups, as well as private study and assessment that includes individual projects, exams, and class presentations.</p><p class="source"><span>Hiba Beydoun</span></p><p class="caption">Hiba Beydoun.</p><p>"The two-year program is rich with various academic and working experience[s], and most importantly full of networking opportunities and industry event engagements," said Hiba Beydoun, a founder and consultant at Bey Consulting and 2015 graduate of London Business School's EMBA program. "One of the reasons that LBS was my No. 1 choice is the international reach of the program, from cohort selection [and] professors to international assignments and global elective courses. I personally did my international assignment stint in Cape Town working alongside students from across the world, where we consulted on a real-life issue for a national company in South Africa - indeed an amazing experience." </p><h1>8. The <a href="https://www.esade.edu/en/programmes/mba/executivemba">ESADE Executive MBA</a> at Ramon Llull University's ESADE Business School</h1><p>ESADE's Executive MBA program, ranked No. 17 globally by the <a href="https://www.topmba.com/emba-rankings/global/2019">QS "World University Rankings</a>," identifies its learning model as a differentiating factor, which features a range of teaching tools, from real-life case studies and simulations to speed meeting and executive forums. The EMBA program is based on a partnership between ESADE and Aalto University Executive Education, which the school's website describes as combining "Barcelona's entrepreneurial spirit plus the Finnish passion for innovation and design thinking." The program offers eight weeks of intensive face-to-face sessions in which students collaborate with peers and faculty in various locations.</p><p class="source"><span>Aurora Martinez</span></p><p class="caption">Aurora Martinez.</p><p>"Without a doubt, the EMBA program has empowered me to break the infamous glass ceiling while staying true to the pledge I made when I entered the school: Be good. Do better. ESADE is one of the top schools when it comes to fostering innovation, creativity, engagement, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and high performance when training us, its leaders, for doing business in a global environment, and I can attest to that," said Aurora Martinez, the chief operating officer and managing director at Gamelearn and a 2018 graduate of ESADE.</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/deepak-chopra-how-to-unleash-your-happiness-creativity-productivity-2019-11">Deepak Chopra explains how to unlock your natural happiness, creativity and productivity</a></h3>

An executive MBA allows you to complete business school while working full time. Here are 8 of the best programs out there.

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>It's no wonder Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-elon-musk-2016-7">most interesting man in tech</a> - he's got adventure in his blood.<p>Musk's maternal grandparents were Dr. Joshua and Wyn Haldeman, celebrities in their time for their expeditions to find the Lost City of the Kalahari, which legends held was located somewhere in southern Africa's Kalahari Desert.</p><p>In 1948, at age 45, Dr. Haldeman, a chiropractor in Sasketchewan, Canada and a leader in local politics, got his pilot's license. With his small, single-engine airplane, he could spend more time at his practice and less time traveling by train, according to an <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2485067/?page=12">article by the Canadian Chiropractic Association</a>.</p><p>By that point, he and his wife Wyn, a dance instructor, had three daughters: Lynne, and twin daughters Maye (future mother of Elon) and Kaye. The plane became a family hobby, as they jetted around North America so Dr. Haldeman could attend chiropractic conferences.</p><p><div>    </div></p><p>Then, in 1950, The Haldemans moved from Canada to South Africa, with only six months notice, despite never having so much as visited the country.&#xa0;</p><p>Historical sources are torn on whether&#xa0;Dr. Haldeman, a chiropractor by trade, wanted the move because he saw a moral decline in Canada. Other reports indicate that he was getting restless and wanted adventure. Either way, they crated up Dr. Haldeman's tiny plane and brought it with them on their 30-day boat trip to South Africa.</p><p>After the move to South Africa, the Haldemans became minor celebrities for their aerial exploits: One 1954 trip, up the coast of Africa and across part of Asia to get to Australia, was a 30,000-mile trek, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2485067/?page=12">says the Canadian Chiropractic Association</a>.</p><h2>A dead civilization</h2><p>But the Haldemans' real passion was searching for the Lost City of the Kalahari, which explorers had been looking for since 1885, when Canadian explorer Guillermo Farini claimed to have found ruins of a dead civilization in the desert.</p><p>Starting in 1953, the Haldeman family, often including the children, went on 12 expeditions to find the Lost City. The second expedition, at least, was an 8,200-mile trek flying 200 feet over the desert sands. When son Ankor Lee Haldeman was born in 1955, he joined along too.</p><p><div>    </div></p><p>&#xa0;Though they never found any evidence for the Lost City in about a decade of regular expeditions, the searches alone made the Haldemans&#xa0;famous in certain circles, and they curated slideshows and maps of their adventures that they would show to friends and strangers alike.</p><p>"My parents were very famous, but they were never snobs," Maye Musk <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/fashion/elon-musk-mother-maye-musk-model-met-gala.html?_r=0">told the New York Times earlier in 2016</a>.</p><p>Dr. Haldeman passed away in an air crash in 1974, and is said to have believed in the Lost City of the Kalahari for all of his life. Maye Musk, Elon's mother, went on to an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/maye-musks-modeling-career-2016-3">accomplished 50-year career in modeling and entrepreneurship</a>.</p><p>As a coda to the story, a 2016 episode of the <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">Travel</keyword> Channel's Expedition Unknown claimed to have found buildings in the Kalahari that could <a href="http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/expedition-unknown/episodes/kalahari-deserts-lost-city">potentially match the legend</a>, possibly presenting a solution to the mystery that vexed the Haldemans.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/milo-yiannopoulos-defends-his-leslie-jones-tweets-2016-8">Milo Yiannopoulos defends his Leslie Jones tweets: All I did was crack a few jokes about a Hollywood star</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="wyN28yNTE6UVyvXrixnss2wwNxxI7vqn" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Elon Musk's grandparents were adventuring pilots who spent years looking for a lost city in the desert

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of The Collective</span></p><p class="caption">A game room at one of The Collective's co-living buildings.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Sharing living space has become an unexpected trend with millennials, and according to the commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, global funding for co-living has increased by more than 210% each year since 2015.</li><li>Reza Merchant is the CEO of The Collective and Gunther Schmidt is the founder and CEO of Quarters, both co-living organizations capitalizing on this new form of real estate.</li><li>Together, they've raised over $2 billion to fund their companies, and credit their success to properly educating their investors on the market and the value co-living can offer customers.</li><li>Their advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to find investors who you trust and get along with, because those strong relationships matter.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul><p>Sharing living space, much like a residential WeWork or "adult dorm," has become an unexpected trend with millennials, sparking the attention of investors in the US and globally. </p><p>The movement has disrupted the real estate market exponentially. According to the commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) , global funding for co-living has increased by more than <a href="https://www.theinvestor.jll/news/us/alternatives/why-investors-are-signing-up-for-coliving/">210% each year</a> since 2015, grossing more than $3.2 billion. Thus far in 2019, $800 million has been secured for co-living companies.</p><p>"Co-living is emerging as the affordable and flexible solution to housing, as it gives tenants access to short-term leases with shared common spaces and amenities," Dana Salbak, associate in real estate, market research, and analysis for JLL Middle East North Africa (MENA), explained to Business Insider. "Basically, this gives more people access to the same amount of space (this achieves optimal density in development) and offers convenience, flexibility, and great networking opportunities, all of which are values and experiences sought by millennials and Gen Z."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Quarters</span></p><p class="caption">A view of Quarter's Chicago property.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The UN predicts that by 2050, <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html">68% of the world's population</a> will live in urban environments. "It's no secret that there is a housing crisis all over the world," Reza Merchant, CEO of <a href="https://www.thecollective.com/">The Collective</a>, told Business Insider. "Ten years from now, [co-living] will be its own housing class, which offers a significant and much-needed solution to a broad swath of the population."</p><p>Reza Merchant and Gunther Schmidt, the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.quarters.com/">Quarters</a>, are two entrepreneurs leading this co-living movement. Schmidt founded Quarters with his childhood friend and business partner, Michael Ambros, and the two have secured two back-to-back funding deals - $300 million for the US and around $1.1 billion for Europe - the largest-ever single investments in co-living for both markets. Merchant has raised more than $850 million in funding.</p><p>Business Insider sat down with Schmidt and Merchant to learn more about how they each have raised a billion (or close to it) in funding as they break into this niche market.</p><h1>Both Schmidt and Merchant got their start in co-living via a need for better (and cheaper) housing options</h1><p>With a natural knack for entrepreneurship, Schmidt started his first venture at age 14. "I was always interested in starting my own business," he recalled. Convincing his father to drive him to a nearby factory that produced German Bifi salami snacks, Schmidt bought the salamis in bulk and sold them on eBay. The factory manager caught on to what young Schmidt was doing and refused to continue selling to him in bulk, which put an end to his brief stint in the sausage business.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Quarters</span></p><p class="caption">Gunther Schmidt, founder and CEO of The Medici Living Group and their co-living company, Quarters.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Later on, he put aside university to try his hand at entrepreneurship once again. Schmidt and his partner Ambros founded <a href="https://www.ekomi.co.uk/uk/">eKomi</a>, a ratings and reviews website. "Backed by Goldman Sachs, eKomi now has more than 15,000 customers and is Europe's largest independent provider of transaction-based reviews and ratings," said Schmidt. </p><p>Today, the two run <a href="https://www.medici-living-group.com/">The Medici Living Group</a>, a PropTech company that develops and innovates real estate living concepts, with Schmidt overseeing Quarters, a wing of the company. The Medici Living Group was born out of a need the two partners saw at eKomi. With foreign talent moving to Berlin to work for the company, they realized they needed a better relocation process. They launched a workforce housing offering that took the hassle out of moving to a new city, where employees had their own private bedrooms but shared communal spaces. Though not called co-living then, Schmidt and Ambros had cracked into this niche market and saw the opportunity to create another business.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of The Collective</span></p><p class="caption">Reza Merchant, CEO of The Collective.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Merchant comes from an entrepreneurial family and he, like Schmidt, stumbled into co-living because of a housing need of his own. Like most recent graduates, the London School of Economics alum found rent prices in London to be astronomical. "I felt isolated by it all, and recognized how many of my counterparts felt the same. It was then that I really saw the gap that exists in cities all over the world, and our mission was born: to build and activate spaces that foster human connection and enable people to lead more fulfilling lives."</p><p>With some friends, Merchant set up a small business in 2011 against a £1,600 ($2,591) bank overdraft. They let and serviced a four-bedroom houseshare and it quickly and organically grew. Today, that property is their <a href="https://www.thecollective.com/locations/old-oak">Old Oak</a> property that houses over 500 people in West London, "some of who[m] have lived there since its 2016 opening," he said.</p><h1>The two founders together have raised over $2 billion. They credit their drive to educate investors about the co-living space as their key to success. </h1><p>Quarters is set to expand - and fast. Their 2019 investments were backed by <a href="https://corestate-capital.com/en/">CoreState Capital Holding S.A.</a>, the company's partner on their $1.1 billion fundraiser for their European expansion. And the <a href="https://w5-group.com/">W5 Group</a>, the family of successful European entrepreneur and real estate investor Ralph Winter, is their partner on their $300 million fundraiser for their US expansion. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Quarters</span></p><p class="caption">A bedroom at Quarter's Berlin Klara-Franke-Straße property.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Schmidt explained that he didn't have to convince investors to back Quarters per se, but rather  had to "educate" them on how shared living helps fill the need of affordable housing in dense urban areas while solving the issue of urban loneliness. "We talk about the desires of millennials and how our product is perfectly suited to their needs and desires," he said. </p><p>So, what does a pitch deck look like for a company that has raised over $1 billion? "Keeping it short and addressing the pain points we're committed to solving within the first few slides is essential to capturing a potential investor's attention," said Schmidt. "The rest of our deck is focused on articulating our strong sense of belief in the business and a leadership team that can execute on the vision." </p><p>He adds that "at the end of the day, concise, clear, solution-focused content wins. We remain focused on relaying the straightforward 'what,' 'why,' and 'how' of Quarters. We do this by solving the variable equation: lower-than-market rent, product appeal, and technology, and then utilizing our immense passion to curate a community."</p><p>For Merchant, raising $850 million was about "being persistent." The company has some of the largest institutional private equity groups, lenders, and pension funds backing it, which include <a href="https://www.cheynecapital.com/splash">Cheyne Capital</a>, <a href="https://www.reditumcapital.com/">Reditum Capital</a>, and <a href="https://www.creandum.com/">Creandum</a>. In trying to convince investors to back The Collective, he details that they aimed "for a healthy balance of the traditional pitch, showing our returns, and the metrics most investors expect, while putting a high emphasis on baseline education in order to explain the trajectory of the co-living sector, its benefits, and how we differentiate ourselves from other players in the space."</p><p>Merchant recalled when Amazon <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-mayor-bill-de-blasio-slams-amazon-for-cancelling-hq2-2019-2">decided not to build its headquarters in Long Island City</a>, a decision that could have affected investors looking to fund The Collective. "In the midst of escalating discourse, we closed on our Long Island City project despite Amazon pulling out of its new HQ plan just weeks prior. Our investors got to see our unwavering passion on full display, not just because the fundamentals of the investment were solid, but because of our commitment to Long Island City's thriving community," he explained.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of Quarters</span></p><p class="caption">A kitchen at Quarter's Berlin Klara-Franke-Straße property.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>One issue Merchant has faced in raising funding, like Schmidt, is educating investors on what co-living is. "It's a relatively new category, nascent in almost every market," he said. "There are a lot of questions tied to whether the concept has proven itself in the market. This was challenging earlier on, but we have grown significantly since our inception in 2010 and we feel we have been able to provide tangible success stories - we currently own and operate the two largest co-living buildings in the world. Investors have been underexposed to this alternative housing class and we have been working hard to bring its value to life."</p><p>He adds that building strong relationships has been key to the process. "We're highly conversational and our belief in our product runs deep, so we usually bring investors to all future sites to share our curiosity and enthusiasm around a given neighborhood," he said.  </p><h1>Their advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to find investors you can trust and get along with</h1><p>So what's the two real estate mogul's advice for raising funding for your business? "I have learned that raising capital is all about ensuring that you find the right investors that will pair well with your company," said Schmidt. "While potential investors typically come armed with their own set of questions, it's paying attention to the right line of questioning that signifies a fit." </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Courtesy of The Collective</span></p><p class="caption">An en suite room at The Collective's Old Oak property.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>He added that the discussion shouldn't be centered on your idea's merit. "The conversation should focus on evaluating the risk and determining how it can be managed," he explained. "If you need to twist yourself into a pretzel to convince a target of your value, it's likely time to move on to the next."  </p><p>Merchant agreed that it's key to find true partners in your investors. "It's about finding investors who embrace your vision and who you enjoy spending time with," he said. "Then, it's essential that you do whatever it takes to deliver on the commitments you make. Crucially, you have to show through your own actions that you're willing to put your neck on the line for what you believe in … This is the foundational reputation and track record that will continue to unlock future funding."</p><p>While it feels good for both Schmidt and Merchant to have raised plenty of capital, their goals are focused primarily on delivering something that will benefit urban living for all. It's not just about company growth, but about "enabling a state of individual and collective wellbeing for our member base," said Merchant.</p><p><em>Allyson Portee is a tenacious and driven communications consultant and business and fashion contributor. She has written for Harper's Bazaar Arabia, Vogue Arabia, Idealog, EuroNews, CommsMEA, The Diplomatic Courier, the Washington Diplomat, and Propel Women. Having lived in the US, Spain, the UK, Germany, and Lebanon - and having travelled to over 20 countries and many cities - Ally has an international awareness and love of cultures. She has reported on fashion, proptech, Syrian refugees, tech, US politics, and faith - areas in which she is passionate about. With a heart for people, you will often find Ally with a notebook in hand interviewing an inspiring mover and shaker somewhere in the world.</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/london-restaurant-is-dedicated-to-only-potato-chips-2018-2">Why this London shop is potato chip heaven</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

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