Born and raised in Riyadh, Lujain Al Ubaid is one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent social entrepreneurs and best-known businesswomen. As the co-founder of Tasamy, she is supporting the growth of enterprises that are tackling some of the country’s most pressing social and economic challenges.
For a sensitive and privileged Saudi child, it was a life-changing routine. At regular times throughout the year, the mother of 6-year-old girl Lujain Al Ubaid would take her on a journey far from the luxury condominiums of Riyadh’s most well-to-do neighborhoods and into some of the poorest and most deprived districts of the country’s capital.
There the family would distribute food, toiletries, and other essentials to the needy and the despairing, while little Lujain watched from the back seat of the car.
“To this day, I can remember those scenes vividly,” Lujain says. “The poor people would crowd around the car, desperate to receive anything that we could give them.
“When we drove away, the car windows were covered in their handprints. It is an image I will never forget—those handprints have remained in my heart forever.”
Some 30 years later, inspired by those searing childhood experiences, Lujain has become one of the most prominent drivers of the social and economic transformation of her country. As the CEO of Tasamy for Social Entrepreneurship, she is helping socially minded entrepreneurs across Saudi Arabia grow the businesses that the country needs to tackle poverty and other urgent social challenges.
Tasamy provides a full portfolio of services to social entrepreneurs, including training sessions, impact investment workshops, and incubators and accelerators, and it develops social innovations in response to specific issues.
The businesses that Tasamy has helped nurture include a women-run furniture factory in southern Saudi Arabia that has trained over 800 underprivileged women and just won a major contract for a governmental residential construction project.
“It is incredible to see the investment that we have made in these women transform into action,” Lujain says.
With the success of Tasamy, that young girl gazing in pity and frustration at the misery around her has grown into one of Saudi Arabia’s most effective social entrepreneurs.
“Those journeys with my mother represent the foundations of my business,” she says. “They taught me that only by being inclusive can we overcome the challenges that we face as a nation.”
Q&A with Lujain Al Ubaid, co-founder and CEO, Tasamy for Social Entrepreneurship
What motivated you to launch Tasamy for Social Entrepreneurship?
A social enterprise is a business that delivers solutions for societal change. When I was growing up in Saudi Arabia, I saw that there was a huge need to empower young people who wanted to build solutions for the social challenges in our country. I reached a point where I felt that if nobody else was going to do anything about it, I would have to do it myself. As a result, in 2011 my business partner and I launched Tasamy.
What are Tasamy’s goals?
Our general mission is to grow sustainable and innovative solutions to different challenges by empowering social entrepreneurs and by partnering with private- and public-sector entities. The Tasamy office is full of entrepreneurs who are developing business models to meet these challenges. Seeing Tasamy’s space being used by entrepreneurs is the best reward I can imagine.
“I have learned that doing the right thing is better than saying the right thing. It is crucial to transform words into actions.”
Lujain Al Ubaid, co-founder and CEO, Tasamy
What has been the impact of Tasamy so far?
Tasamy helped introduce the concept of social entrepreneurship to Saudi Arabia. In the first two years, we incubated 16 projects. To see people supported by Tasamy go through their journeys and flourish and blossom is so exciting. Some of them are established and in the growth phase, some are pivoting, some have failed and come back with new projects. It is incredible to see the investment that we made in these individuals be transformed into action.
What support have you received from official sources?
Vision 2030 has given Tasamy a huge boost. The concept of social entrepreneurialism has been fully embraced by the current leadership. We have won important contracts with the small-to-medium-size business authorities, with the support of the government.
How does Tasamy support women entrepreneurs?
I am part of the female empowerment movement in Saudi Arabia. If we do not work on initiatives to push women forward, we will not be able to progress. At Tasamy, for example, we have run training sessions on how to say no, which is something that women often struggle with when talking to investors. And of the 11 employees at Tasamy, nine are women.
It is inspiring and empowering to see women at work in Saudi Arabia today
As published in FORTUNE magazine
