Our region is unfortunately filled with instability and ambiguity. Populations are soaring and youth unemployment is the highest in the world. Mobility in our cities (or lack thereof) has held back economic growth. Nowhere in the region is this more apparent than Palestine, where mobility is severely constrained and has limited economic opportunity for a talented and driven workforce.
That’s why, during the early stages of Careem, we resolved to build an organization that would use mobility as a force of good, as a means to create millions of jobs and as a dependable transport medium for people of the region to realize their potential.
Our entry into Palestine is in line with our commitment to bettering our region and our dedication to creating opportunities. We will work hard to enhance our captains’ lives through enriching training and growth opportunities, and we will give them a platform through which they can offer their services respectably and seamlessly to people that need them. Our work in Palestine will help us closer to our goal of creating one million jobs in the region by 2018.
At the same time, we aim to shine a light on Palestine as an opportunity for investment by other startups and local businesses. Palestine is home to amazing tech talent; however, few companies outside Palestine take advantage of this fact. We feel blessed about the fact that we’ve already inspired a new wave of entrepreneurship in the region, and we hope our move into Ramallah will give other companies a compelling new option for tapping into the local talent pool.
Careem’s mission to make people’s lives simpler comes down to connecting people from point A to point B without hassle – something we hope to do for all Palestinians. We are excited to bring our experience, our technology and our innovation to Palestine, and we’re looking forward to engaging with the superior tech talent within the country.
#BeCareem
As many of you know, Careem was founded on the eve of Ramadan, five years ago. This means, each day, both in and out of the office, we strive to be kind, generous, and inspiring. We hope you too can learn what it means to #BeCareem and help us recognize our move into Palestine as furthering our dream to simplify people’s lives and move our whole region towards better living. For a full list of initiatives, check out becareem.com.
Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder, Careem
