Saudi’s Hottest Tech & Startup Festival

WELLNESS TRACK

Step Conference's Wellness Track nurtures mind, body, and soul while exploring tech and lifestyle trends. Join influential speakers, including startup founders, NLP specialists, nutritionists, and coaches, for valuable insights on integrating wellbeing into modern lives. Experience transformative discussions on living well in the digital age.

What We Cover

Lifestyle
Mental health, smart eating, sustainability, natural remedies.
Fitness
Wellness-tracking wearables, mind-body connection, online workouts and personal training.
Femtech
Tracking apps, reproductive health management, AI in Femtech.
Health
Healthtech, Data Analytics, digital care.
 

PREVIOUS WELLNESS TRACK SPEAKERS

Step Saudi 2023 Speakers Will Be Announced Soon

Omar El Monayer

SigmaFit

Omar El Monayer

SigmaFit

An Engineer and a tech enthusiast who started his career as a petroleum engineer who worked in multiple countries later then started Sigma-Fit the first tech wear startup in the region specialized in clothing technologies. Omar Co-Founded multiple well-funded tech startups in various industries from Fintech , to Health Tech and data science, omar also is an endeavor entrepreneur pipeline and has consulted multiple successful business.

Mansoor Banaja

AMUSED CO

Mansoor Banaja

AMUSED CO

Mansoor is COO & co-founder of AMUSED. He has a bachelors degree in Marketing, PR & advertising and holds a Masters of Business Administration. As well as prior experience in working in healthcare, F&B & marketing industries. Eager to be part of an eco system to drive and support Saudi start ups to flourish.

Vaibhav Kashyap

Wellx

Vaibhav Kashyap

Wellx

An Insead MBA graduate, with 10 years of experience in insurance. Domain expertise in underwriting, strategy & business development. Worked with, and led teams in the UAE and UK markets, with local and international players across various insurance lines of business.

Sabine El Najjar

Kitopi

Sabine El Najjar

Kitopi

Sabine El Najjar is the Managing Director of KSA at Kitopi, the world’s leading tech-powered, multi-brand restaurant. As Managing Director of Kitopi KSA, Sabine oversees all aspects of the business to drive the growth of Kitopi in KSA. Prior to leading Kitopi KSA, Sabine was Kitopi’s Director of Strategy, where she built and led the company’s Global Strategy function, overseeing Kitopi’s key strategic initiatives, including the management of Kitopi’s key partnerships and integration of new businesses. Before joining Kitopi, Sabine was a Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co., where she worked on large scale business and digital transformations for large private companies, banks and government entities in the GCC. Sabine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Studies and Economics from the American University of Beirut and a Master of Business Administration from the London Business School.

Sujude Dalieh

JAZZ Venture Partners

Sujude Dalieh

JAZZ Venture Partners

Sujude is an investor at JAZZ where she both invests in new opportunities and supports existing portfolio companies across all funds. She is most passionate about companies that are building generational health and growing community capital for the 99%. Sujude started her career off as a Berkeley-trained scientist and was active in green chemistry research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she synthesized and tested nanocatalysts for carbon dioxide conversion with the Somorjai Group. She led the integration of Jupyter computation into social sciences research and curricula at the Berkeley Institute of Data Science. She has also worked for an array of community-forward health initiatives at Hopelab and YTH (Youth + Tech + Health) and contributed to projects including Engage, an empowerment program to reduce childhood marriage in Malawi, and Oregon Reminders, a state-funded SMS platform to reduce HIV transmission. Sujude is also active in the MENA-affiliated startup world as a board member of TechWadi. Prior to JAZZ, Sujude supported investments at Lux Capital and K50 Ventures across frontier tech, digital health, and consumer fintech. She was named a Top Gen Z VC by Business Insider and Bay Area’s 25 Under 25 by San Francisco Business Journal. Sujude holds an MEng in Design from Stanford University and a BS in Chemistry from UC Berkeley.

Soniya Ashar

NutriCal

Soniya Ashar

NutriCal

In late 2019, I launched NutriCal, UAE's first Nutrition Software, in Dubai. I've been running it for two and a half years, building the GCC's largest food intelligence platform and steering the region toward the vision of food transparency. Recently backed by 500. Prior to that, I worked in BD, product management, and growth across various businesses and industries in the United States, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates. Before stepping into the world of technology, I worked in physical product innovation and development as a product manager and hold a patent registered under her name for The Original Buttoneer Fastening System that I developed. I have an MBA from Babson College in Boston (US), the #1 entrepreneurship school, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Manchester in Manchester (UK). When I'm not working, you can find me working on my mind or body. Training or doing hot yoga, reading / listening to entrepreneurship, productivity, and spirituality content, or planning trips to exotic locations!

Hana Besbes

Heal Capital

Hana Besbes

Heal Capital

Software Eng. turned Investor at Heal Capital, a leading €100m HealthTech VC in Europe, investing in software-/digital-first healthcare champions in Seed+/Series A. Hana is particularly looking for game-changing platform solutions in FemTech, Mental & Brain Health, Elderly Care, Chronic Diseases, Digital Hospital, RWE, Infrastructure.

Hasibah Alaskandrani

Jovia

Hasibah Alaskandrani

Jovia

My entire life has been marked by perseverance and dedication and events in my life have contributed towards my determination to succeed both in my education and career-wise in the field of business. The challenges that I had in my life, molded me into a self-driven and self-motivated Saudi Women. I am the first Saudi to graduate with BBA and Marketing from University of Alaska Anchorage and I got my MBA from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University. Currently, I am a member of the Executive Council for Businesswomen in the Eastern Chamber, the Co-founder and GM of Jovia Business Incubators and Accelerators; also, the GM in Qariin Alwasit for Electronic Insurance Brokerage. Moreover, I am a certified management consultant who provide consultations for entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs.

Norah Ali Alyusuf

Quality of Life Program Center

Norah Ali Alyusuf

Quality of Life Program Center

Norah possesses a history of leadership, technical acumen and relationship management across markets and industry which has commanded coveted awards & recognition. Her innovation, creativity and execution have been hallmarks of her executive management appointment at Vision 2030’s Vision Realization Program – Quality of Life - where she continues to leverage cross cultural & personal networks in multiple geographies. In parallel to her corporate career, Norah is an avid horse rider. Her passion for the sport encouraged her to take a sabbatical between 2006 and 2008 to compete professionally in the GCC. Her ambition for the sport drove her to become one of the elite few females to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Endurance Racing under the patronage of H.R.H. Prince AlWaleed Bin Talal. She helped launch the Masar Godolphin scholarship program under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is currently a founding Board Member of the Saudi Polo Federation, and is the AlUla Desert Polo Tournament Chairwomen.

David Munir Nabti

Bloom

David Munir Nabti

Bloom

David Munir Nabti is co-founder and CEO/GM of Bloom.pm (@bloomemea, www.bloom.pm), an organization running online+hybrid entrepreneurship programs in 8 MENA countries, plus a program supporting women-led social enterprises across MENA+Africa, and building tools+software for SMEs, accelerators, and entrepreneurship programs. The Bloom methodology and platform support both organizational growth and personal growth, including helping people develop universal skills, wellbeing & engagement, and character strengths. DMN has been leading impact entrepreneurship programs in MENA since 2008, and project-based learning and community development programs since 1996. He graduated from UC Berkeley in Political Science and International Economics, and previously worked for the UN/FAO, Stanford University, Google, and the UC Berkeley Service-Learning Research and Development Center. Find him on Twtr/Insta/LinkedIn @dmnabti.

Dr. Yasmin Altwaijri

KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTER

Dr. Yasmin Altwaijri

KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTER

Dr. Yasmin Altwaijri, M.Sc., Ph.D. Working on projects that intersect science, health, technology and society, Dr. Yasmin Altwaijri is a Senior Scientist and Head of Epidemiology Research at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Her research interest centers on determining the burden of chronic diseases within the Saudi population, and their causitive factors. She has been a vocal advocate for policy changes and initiatives aiming at creating an environment which supports healthy lifestyles for the workplace and community. Working in collaboration with Harvard University and the World Health Organization, Dr. Altwaijri is leading the Saudi National Health and Stress Survey, one of the largest health projects in the country, which aims to assess the mental health landscape in the Saudi population and the region, within a global context. Research from this project, which spans genetics to policy outcomes, provides a launchpad for future direction and innovation in the field of mental health and wellness. Dr. Altwaijri is also actively involved in many initiatives aiming at Saudi women's empowerment and creating avenues for their contribution to sustainable socioeconomic development. She is a Member of the Board of Directors for Al Nahda Philanthropic Organization, Alwathba Consulting, and is an Ambassador for 10KSA. She's also the MENA Regional Director of the WHO-Harvard University World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Dr. Altwaijri obtained her B.Sc. degree from King Saud University, and her M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Tufts University in Boston. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In 2021 Dr. Altwaijri was the recipient of the Women in Excellence Award by the League of Arab States.

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa

Tuhoon

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa

Tuhoon

A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Naif is the Chief Clinical Officer of Tuhoon, a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Kuwait University Faculty of Medicine and a Member of the Board of the Albert Ellis Institute. He is licensed to practice as a psychologist in 6 countries and is a member of the Young President’s Association, the Young Global Leaders and Young Arab Leaders.

HRH Fahad Bandar Al Saud

Totem

HRH Fahad Bandar Al Saud

Totem

Scientist-turned-entrepreneur, founder and CEO: www.thisistotem.com. Co-founder and product/science lead at Hello Tomo until its acquisition in 2021

Alwaleed Alkeaid

ElCoach

Alwaleed Alkeaid

ElCoach

Alwaleed Alkeaid is currently taking the role of ElCoach Country Manager. He is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 12 years’ experience in the fitness & wellness sector. Alwaleed has helped thousands of people to change their habits and lose those extra kgs through his programs. Since he changed his life from being a couch potato to being the first Saudi to finish the Ironman triathlon in less than a year, he made a personal commitment to help the community change their lifestyle and improve their quality of life.

Basim Albeladi

Labayh

Basim Albeladi

Labayh

Labayh App Founder

Nada Al Adel

Mindfulness & Yoga facilitator

Nada Al Adel

Mindfulness & Yoga facilitator

Nada is a real seeker. Yoga is her passion as there is no perfect pose and there is no end. She believes that one needs to find peace within himself and his body through Asana, Pranayama and Meditation. It’s a journey of self discovery, challenge, fun and mindfulness to her. She decided to have her journey in India and was certified as Hatha Yoga Teacher in 2017 (200 hours RYT) and has become a Yoga Alliance registered teacher .Now, she is ERYT 500 And a certified Mindfulness facilitator. To her, breathing is always the solution. She is always in her journey of Mindfulness and Bodywork .

Noora S. Al-Askar

Nutribox Healthy Living WLL.

Noora S. Al-Askar

Nutribox Healthy Living WLL.

Noora Al Askar is a US licensed Nutritionist, turned Health-Tech entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Nutribox, a global multi-award winning wellness and weightloss platform with a mission to empower, educate, and guide millenials to become the healthiest & happiest version of themselves. Before founding Nutribox, Noora built & ran one of Kuwait’s most successful Nutrition Clinics and has helped thousands of people across the region transform their health & lives. She also co-founded a holistic juice company, and was chosen as 1 of the top 30 Kuwaiti entrepreneurs to join the Entrepreneurship program at Cornell University. She is also part of the Google Women’s Techmakers, as well as Y Combinator Startup School. She is a speaker and mentor contributing and speaking in Nutrition, Wellness and Tech Conferences across the GCC, Asia and the US, as well as being a mentor for the INJAZ Young Entrepreneur Program.

Fares Ghandour

Tuhoon

Fares Ghandour

Tuhoon

Driven by his passion for building scalable solutions for Arabs in the mental health space, Fares co-founder Tuhoon in 2021, the MENA Region’s first tech-enabled mental wellness ecosystem. His exposure to the tech industry came by way of his 7 year career in Venture Capital, where he led seed and Series A deals in the region’s most promising startups as a Partner at Wamda Capital. Fares remains to be an active part of the startup ecosystem, and is currently partner at Wamda Capital. Today, he’s on a mission to build the region’s leading mental wellness household brand at Tuhoon, and by doing so can help make the Arab world a happier place.

Tarek Mounir

Enhance Fitness

Tarek Mounir

Enhance Fitness

Tarek’s most recent startup “Enhance Fitness” where he acts as Founder & CEO, has already crossed 250 full time employees, operates in KSA and UAE and generates over $1 million in monthly revenues. Tarek was Deezer’s CEO for MENA and Turkey. He oversaw Deezer’s P&L and business strategy for the region and sits on the executive management team for Deezer Globally. Prior to joining Deezer, Tarek spent more than nine years with the renowned international broadcast media company, Warner Media, where he played a key role in growing the company’s business in MENA, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. On a personal level, Tarek has been investing in startups since 2012, and he’s part of DAI (Dubai Angel Investors) since 2016. Tarek has invested in over 15 startups, and has personally launched three companies while maintaining his full time employment.

Latifah AlEssa

Ayadi

Latifah AlEssa

Ayadi

Latifah Al Essa is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ayadi – an online mental health platform that helps people in need of mental healthcare from the Arab world to improve their emotional fitness and mental wellbeing. Latifah is also a cognitive psychologist with a career that spans over 10 years, working with healthcare institutions and NGOs in the Middle East, U.S. and UK. Before founding Ayadi, Latifah spent six years working as a cognitive psychologist at the Kuwait Center for Mental Health, where she provided individual and group therapy sessions for children and adolescents, and conducted monthly workshops related to eating, mood and neurodegenerative disorders. During her tenure, Latifah founded the first psychoeducation programme for adult patients with depression and bipolar disorders, and introduced group therapy sessions for addiction. In other roles, Latifah also worked at the Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network and Soor Center for Professional Therapy & Assessment, where she additionally provided individual counselling for autistic children. Prior to these positions, Latifah volunteered for Ataa Relief in Syrian refugee camps, where she delivered group therapy sessions for adolescents and assisted with art therapy for children. She also volunteered for the UK charity Attend, where she coached rehabilitated patients with non-progressive brain injuries on transitioning back into employment. Latifah obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Simmons University in 2012, and M.S. in Cognitive Rehabilitation from the University of Westminster in 2015. She also obtained an International Counselling Certificate from Lehigh University in 2017.

Raghad Fathaddin

Sangha "Estidama Hub"

Raghad Fathaddin

Sangha "Estidama Hub"

Raghad Fathaddin is a Y20 Saudi delegate, the founder & CEO of Sangha “Estidama Hub” and an Internationally Certified Holistic Health and Wellbeing Coach. She holds a Master degree in Public Policy, which is complemented by her 7 years professional experience in International Relations, Political Analysis, Advocacy, Policy Development, Communication and Project Management. As she worked in various NGO’s, IO’s and International Companies; such as Oxfam, United Nations for Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Counterpoints Arts, Singa UK and PepsiCo KSA.Raghad enjoys exploring the interconnectedness of things especially in the social, economic and environmental context; offering tailored solutions that deal with the core of issues rather than the symptoms alone. She position herself uniquely both locally and internationally, with her holistic, human centric, and planetary wellbeing approach in decision making and implementation processes.