Abdullah Asiri (born 1987) is a Saudi Arabian politician, public figure, member of Saudi parliament Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia. He served there from 2018 to 2020 as co-chair of the parliament comitteee on trade and investment.[1]

Early life and education

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Abdullah was born in 1987 into the Asir tribe. Throughout his early life, he moved between several cities in Saudi Arabia. Abdullah Asiri holds an MBA in Business & Entrepreneurship from Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College of Business & Entrepreneurship (MBSC), a Master’s Degree in Computer Science focusing on AI from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech. He has also completed executive education courses at Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, Cornell, and Babson.[2][3]

Career

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In 2011, Abdullah Asiri started his career in technology.[4] In 2016, he founded Lucidya, the first AI company in the MENA region to secure venture capital funding.[5] The company was recognized by the World Economic Forum for its innovative approach and significant impact and is considered one of Saudi’s champion companies by joining it in the Saudi Unicorn Program.[6][7] From November 2016 to December 2019, Abdullah also worked as a tech consultant at the Badir Program, where he contributed to the startup ecosystem by providing consultancy to tech startups.[8]

In 2018, Abdullah Asiri was appointed as a member of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia (Shura Council), where he played served a trade and investmen committe co-chair and member. His contributions focused on fostering a startup-friendly environment and aligning technological advancements with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.[9]

From 2017 to 2020, Abdullah Asiri served in Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) to foster a startup-friendly environment[10] and works with Saudi Aramco’s Entrepreneurship Center to support and mentor emerging tech startups.[11] At the same time, he was adviser to the Minister of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia.[12][13]

Abdullah Asiri founded Jeddah IO, a developers' community, and was the President of the Saudi Club at Virginia Tech from 2008 to 2009 and the Robotics Team Leader at Virginia Tech from 2009 to 2010.[14][15][16]

References

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  1. ^ "اللجان المتخصصة مجلس الشورى السعودي". مجلس الشورى السعودي. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  2. ^ "عبد الله عسيري: المصادفة قادتني إلى ريادة الأعمال وتأسيس شركات ناشئة | الرجل". www.arrajol.com (in Arabic). 2019-06-15. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  3. ^ "Abdullah M. Asiri | King AbdulAziz University (KAU) Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Academia.edu". kau.academia.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  4. ^ "Abdullah Asiri". f6s. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  5. ^ "Abdullah Asiri". MBSC - كليه الامير محمد بن سلمان (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  6. ^ Leon, Pamella de (2022-01-26). "Saudi Tech Startup Lucidya Raises US$6 Million To Fund Its Expansion Across The MENA Region". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  7. ^ "500". KAUST. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  8. ^ "Abdullah Asiri". Misk Foundation. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  9. ^ "التقرير السنوي لعام 2020". Vision2030. 2024-08-05. Archived from the original on 2024-08-05. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  10. ^ Financial, Qadr (2017-01-15). "Saudi Arabian Venture Capital Ecosystem: A Comparative Analysis with Silicon Valley". Qadr Financial. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  11. ^ التحرير, فريق (2020-12-10). "مذكرة تفاهم بين مركز أرامكو لريادة الأعمال "واعد" ومجموعة عقال لدعم الشركات الناشئة". جولة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  12. ^ "وزارة الاقتصاد والتخطيط". mep.gov.sa (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  13. ^ "مكتبة الانفوجرافيك". mep.gov.sa (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  14. ^ "SAUDI STUDENTS CLUB RECOGNIZED FOR OUTREACH AND INVOLVEMENT". States News Service. 2013-12-05.
  15. ^ "Login | Virginia Tech". login.vt.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
  16. ^ "Saudi students club recognized for outreach and involvement". news.vt.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-10.