Abdallah Abu Sheikh
Abdallah Abu Sheikh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jordan |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Astra Tech, Botim, Barq EV, Rizek, Quantix, and PayBy |
Abdallah Abu Sheikh (Arabic: عبدالله ابو الشيخ) is an Emirati businessman, founder of Astra Tech, and CEO of Botim.
Early life and education
Abdallah Abu Sheikh was born in Jordan and spent his early years in England and China.[1] He attended boarding school at King's Academy and pursued his higher education in Canada, earning a bachelor's degree in commerce from Saint Mary's University and a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from Dalhousie University.[2][3][4] Abu Sheikh obtained his MBA from London Business School in 2021.
Career
Abu Sheikh co-founded LUX Development Partners (LUXDP), a renewable energy development company in 2016.[5] In 2019, he co-founded Rizek, a digital marketplace provides household cleaning, maintenance and healthcare services such as COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.[6][7][8][9][10]
In 2021, Abu Sheikh founded Barq EV, an electric vehicles manufacturer.[11]
In March 2022, Abu Sheikh founded Astra Tech, a technology investment and development group.[12] During the same year in July, Abu Sheikh's Astra Tech acquired Rizek.[13] In December 2022, Astra Tech secured a $500 million investment in a funding round led by Group 42.[14] In August 2022, Astra Tech acquired PayBy, a fintech company in the UAE. The company also acquired the Middle Eastern internet calling platform BOTIM in January 2023.[15]
In November 2024, Abdallah departed from Astra Tech.[16]
Abu Sheikh was on the cover page of Entrepreneur magazine Middle East in May 2022.[17]
Personal life
Abu Sheikh resides in the UAE with his wife and son. In 2022, Abu Sheikh established the Mohammad Abu-Sheikh Scholarship Fund at his former alma mater, King's Academy, in honor of his late father, Mohammad Abu-Sheikh. [18]
Awards
- 2022 Most Influential Arabs[19]
- 2022 Forbes Under 30 EL Gouna[20]
- Young Achiever of the Year 2023 [21]
- 2023's Top 100 Most Inspiring Leaders [22]
- GCC Top 50 CEOs of 2023 [23]
- Investor of the Year by Entrepreneur Middle East 2023 [24]
- 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 [25]
- 2025 Most Influential Arabs[26]
References
- ^ "Entrepreneur Middle East May 2022 | Meet Abdallah Of Arabia by Entrepreneur Middle East - Issuu". Entrepreneur. May 2022.
- ^ Baarah, Yousef (2016-10-17). "Emirati Entrepreneur". Venture Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ Sheikh, Abdullah Abu (2018-11-20), The Need To Succeed - عبدالله أبو شيخ, retrieved 2023-06-06
- ^ "Abdallah Abu-Sheikh". Forbes Middle East Events. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "Students tackle tough issues head on at third annual JMP". kingsacademy.edu.jo. 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ "Forbes Middle East - English - January 2022". Forbes Middleeast.
- ^ Mansoor, Zainab (14 June 2020). "Abu Dhabi marketplace RIZEK raises $3.5m in seed funding". Gulf Business.
- ^ "UAE start-up Rizek raises $10m to fuel expansion". The National (Abu Dhabi). 24 May 2021.
- ^ "EPISODE 84 WITH ABDALLAH ABU-SHEIKH". The Change Officer. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022.
- ^ "Abu Dhabi's Rizek is first non-healthcare app to introduce COVID-19 testing". MobiHealthNews. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ "Barq EV: Emirati company launches electric delivery vehicles designed for region". The National (Abu Dhabi). 26 March 2022.
- ^ "UAE startup Astra Tech integrates Rizek into ultra platform for integrating business-consumer". Bizness Transform. 4 August 2022.
- ^ "Astra Tech acquires Rizek to move closer to delivering 'ultra platform' to customers". zawya.com (Press release). Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ Sharma, Alkesh (19 December 2022). "Abu Dhabi's AI company G42 to lead Astra Tech's $500m funding round". The National.
- ^ "UAE's Astra Tech Buys Botim, Bolstering Push to Create Super App". Bloomberg.com. 12 January 2023.
- ^ "Astra Tech founder Abdallah Abu Sheikh is selling his stake, steps down as CEO". 12 November 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Aby Sam (10 May 2022). "Meet Abdallah Of Arabia: Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, The Serial Entrepreneur Behind UAE-Based Barq And Rizek". Entrepreneur.
- ^ "News Post - King's Academy". kingsacademy.edu.jo. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ "Arabian Business' Most Influential Arabs 2022". Arabian Business. 9 June 2022.
- ^ "Under 30 Summit 2022". Forbes Middle East.
- ^ ""Young Achiever of the Year" at the 2023 Gulf Business Awards". Gulf Business. 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Arabian Business'100 Most Inspiring Leaders". Arabian Business. 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Arabian Business'50 CEOs of 2023". Arabian Business. 8 December 2023.
- ^ ""Investor of the Year" by Entrepreneur Middle East's e-Business Awards in 2023". Entrepreneur Middle East. 14 March 2023.
- ^ "Under 30 Summit 2023". Forbes Middle East.
- ^ "Arabian Business 150 Most Influential Arabs 2025: Meet the 'Disruptors' building influence beyond business". 30 September 2025.