Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson founded Careem in 2012 initially as a transportation service for the corporate world. It soon became the premier ride-hailing service in the Middle East and within four years grew to become the region’s first technology unicorn. Last year, US-based Uber acquired Careem in a deal with $3.1 billion and the exit marked a poignant moment for the Middle East’s startup ecosystem.

For Mudassir, the acquisition was merely the closure of Careem’s first chapter and he is now pursuing the company’s second chapter – the launch of its super app and creating a company that inspires and eases life for the region.

In this podcast Mudassir speaks about his role, how it changed over the years and the wider implications of the super app strategy.