Press: Print & Audio
Hope for Democracy in the Arab World
By David Ignatius, Washington Post, August 9, 2013
"What Schroeder found will startle even the most jaded observer. Despite the turmoil of the last few years, a new generation of entrepreneurs is inventing products, getting them funded and bringing them to market. Even the dead weight of repressive government and religious intolerance hasn’t stopped this new breed."
Startup Rising: The Middle East's New Generation of Entrepreneurs and Innovators
By Christine Horansky, Guest Contributor, Diplomatic Courier, August 6, 2014
"In his latest book, Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East, author Christopher Schroeder tells the story of a new generation of young entrepreneurs, frustrated by broken systems, who are channeling their energy into creative enterprise through technology. In doing so, they are determined to carve out a new golden age of invention and social innovation."
The Rising: Amazed by Innovation in the Middle East
By Martin Veitch, IDG Connect, March 4, 2014
Published in August 2013, Christopher M. Schroeder’s book Startup Rising is an excellent analysis of how people and countries in the Middle East are taking advantage of technology-enabled opportunities to build remarkable enterprises. In an interview conducted by email, Schroeder, a US entrepreneur and investor, discussed his views on the region.
Thought Leaders: Christopher Schroeder’s Guide to the Next Million Innovators
By Jen Swetzoff, strategy+business, February 3, 2014
"The author and technology entrepreneur explains why you should pay attention to the mobile-powered masses—now."
The 2013 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards Shortlist: Entrepreneurship & Small Business
800-CEO-Read, December 12, 2013
We recognize that much of our audience consists of independent thinkers and self-starters, those folks who have an innate curiosity and drive to do business differently. And often the winning books are very prescriptive, such as The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau, 2012′s category winner, or The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, which won in 2011. This year’s shortlist looks at entrepreneurship in a bit broader fashion. Startup Rising is an in-depth look at the emerging market and big company investments in the Middle East...
Best Business Books 2013: Globalization
By John Jullens, Strategy+Business, December 2, 2013
"Schroeder...provides a highly engaging account of his encounters with one Middle East entrepreneur after another, and, in doing so, is convincing in his argument that we should not overlook the entrepreneurial spirit of the Middle East, and other emerging economies, as we try to anticipate where the competitive thrusts of tomorrow may originate."
How The Revolution In Connectivity Is Remaking The Middle East--And The World
By Saj-nicole Joni, Forbes, December 5, 2013
I recently invited Christopher M. Schroeder, author of Startup Rising, to discuss these questions and share what he’s learned from the connectivity-enabled explosion of entrepreneurship that’s occurring in the Middle East.
Rising Tech Startup Star: The Middle East
By Heather Somerville, San Jose Mercury News, November 8, 2013
Beneath the turmoil and unrest that has seized much of the Middle East, there is a burgeoning tech scene offering a nugget of hope in a place where creativity can be a luxury and basic survival is often a challenge.
Entrepreneurs In The Middle East: Where And How To Invest In Startups In The Arab World -- Author Q&A
By Alan Edelstein, International Business Times, November 22, 2013
Author-investor Christopher Schroeder bucks contemporary wisdom about the Middle East by seeing positive economic prospects for a region that has experienced two and a half years of popular -- and often violent -- tumult.
The Surprising Common Ground of Female Founders from the Middle East to Silicon Valley
By Meghan Casserly, Forbes, August 14, 2013
"But according to author Chris Schroeder, whose new book Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East hit shelves this week, it’s that perspective that makes it even more exciting to learn that women entrepreneurs are not only on the rise in the Middle East, but are building innovative, thriving businesses at a rate much faster than their contemporaries in the West."
The Other Revolution Sweeping The Middle East: Startup Fever
Forbes, October 28, 2013
A new book challenges readers to look beyond the usual headlines by examining the small but dynamic startup clusters sprouting across the Middle East.
Guess What? The Middle East and North Africa Have a Thriving Startup Scene.
Slate, September 19, 2013
Schroeder talked about how that’s impacting the entrepreneurial revolution at a Future Tense dinner this week. And we asked a group of MENA investors and entrepreneurs—a few characters in his book—to weigh in on whether instability is an opportunity or a liability. Their edited answers are below.
Startup Revolution Quietly Reshapes Middle East
By Michael Dhar, Business News Daily, September 30, 2013
In "Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), Schroeder focuses on bringing this underground story to more Western eyes.
Christopher M. Schroeder on Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East
By Shane Croucher, International Business Times, October 9, 2013
In his book Startup Rising, Schroeder uncovers the stories of the people behind the businesses, the challenges they face each and every day, the cultural battles, and how western investors are missing a trick by not backing this "stealth revolution".
Inside the Hive
By George Levines, Boston.com, October 28, 2013
Speaking in Boston, Investor says Middle East, Africa have thriving entrepreneurial cultures driven largely by the smartphone
Tech Startup Boom Is the Other Arab ‘Revolution’, Says Author
By Ben Flanagan, Al Arabiya, August 29, 2013
In Schroeder’s book “Startup Rising”, published this month by Palgrave Macmillan, the author documents how these agile, web-powered businesses are quietly transforming the region into a hub of innovation.
Author Q&A: Interview with Christopher M. Schroeder
By Amal Ghandour, Wasington Indpenedent Review of Books, August 22, 2013
It takes guts — perhaps even a touch of madness — to pitch the region, especially now when, from all appearances, every other Arab country is in the throes of yet another heartbreak. But serial entrepreneur that he is, Christopher Schroeder, in Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East, does precisely that, declaring it his business to alert U.S. entrepreneurs and policymakers alike about a region teeming with can-do, tech-enabled, creative youth forging forward in the shadow of chronic turbulence.
In New Book, Washington Entrepreneur Christopher Schroeder Sees a Middle East Ripe for Entrepreneurship
By Steven Overly, Washington Post, August 18, 2013
“Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East” asserts that the Arab world has the makings of a significant innovation hub, despite daily headlines describing the region’s social, political and economic strife.
Q&A: ‘Startup Rising’ Author Christopher Schroeder on the Tech-business Revolution in the Middle East
By Frances Stead Sellers, Washington Post, August 19, 2013
Christopher M. Schroeder is an Internet venture investor and the Washington-based author of “Startup Rising,” a new book about a largely unrecognized revolution that has been quietly changing the landscape of the Middle East: tech start-ups.
A Conversation with Christopher Schroeder
By Hannah Flaum, The Yale Globalist, November 11, 2013
Mr. Schroeder is a seasoned U.S. Internet executive, venture investor, and advisor who has worked for both the White House and the State Department. He has made extensive visits to Dubai, Cairo, Amman, Beirut, Istanbul and Damascus and has met thousands of talented, successful, and intrepid young entrepreneurs willing to take on political, cultural, legal and societal challenges.
Author Chris Schroeder Speaks to Students
University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business, November 19, 2103
Chris Schroeder, on the other hand, is intent on shedding light on a burgeoning trend in the region that receives far less media attention: entrepreneurship. In his new book, Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East, Schroeder sets out to accomplish just that and on November 12, Smith students had the unique opportunity to hear directly from Schroeder about this quietly emerging industry as he came to the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business to discuss his experiences in the field.
Startup, Rivoluzione in Medio Oriente
By Valentina Saini, CI, November 4, 2013
Intervista a Christopher Schroeder, autore di Startup Rising: «Nei prossimi tre anni il Medio Oriente rappresenterà la metà delle nuove vendite globali di smartphone, e questo cambierà tutto. Per l’Italia è una grande opportunità»
A Book in 5 Minutes: Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East
By Kira M. Newman, Tech Cocktail, August 13, 2013
"The vision Americans have of the Middle East is too often clouded by issues of violence and religion. This book takes a look at a different part of the Middle East – the startup scene – and exposes the possibilities and challenges in store for this emerging region, and why we might want to pay more attention to it."
Why the Next Silicon Valley Will Be in the Middle East
By Megan Gambino, Smithsonian.com, August 13, 2013
"Christopher M. Schroeder, an internet entrepreneur and venture investor, predicts that with increased access to technology and the connectivity that follows there will be many centers of innovation springing up worldwide, in cities large and small. In his new book, Startup Rising, he makes a strong case for the Middle East, where a surprising number of young men and women are starting tech companies and where global corporations, such as Google, Yahoo and Cisco, are investing."
Start-up Culture is Alive and Kicking
By Lianne Gutcher, The National, August 14, 2013
"Startup Rising is a quick and enjoyable read. The message repeated by those he interviews again and again is that success will breed success. His own conclusion is that those underestimating the entrepreneurial spirit of the Middle East do so at their own peril."
Middle East Has Major Growth Potential
By Frank Dillon, Irish Times, August 5, 2013
"Businesses looking to emerging rapidly growing markets should check out huge opportunities now presenting themselves in the Middle East. That’s the clear message from author Chris Schroeder in his new book."
Christopher Schroeder’s New Book Highlights the Entrepreneurial Revolution in the Middle East
By Hyacinth Mascarenhas, Elan, August 5, 2013
"Through 13 subsequent trips, he interviewed over 150 entrepreneurs, investors and global tech leaders giving the world a timely look at this entrepreneurial trend in the Middle East, one that “promises to reinvent it as a center of innovation and economic opportunity."
Audio
Entrepreneurship in the Middle East
The Craig Fehle Show, WDET, June 24, 2014
Only 500 Americans were allowed into Iran this year and Chris Schroeder is one of them. His recent trip was focused on entrepreneurship taking place in the Middle East. He has also written a book called, Startup Rising: Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking in the Middle East. Chris Schroeder joins Craig by phone for a conversation about his experience.
Startup Rising: Innovation from the Middle East
Innovation Hub, WGBH, January 10, 2014
Christopher Schroeder – venture capitalist and author of “Startup Rising”—was at conference for entrepreneurs in Dubai when he was approached by a young Saudi Arabian woman looking for business advice. Schroeder admits that his first response was to give her a canned, ‘believe in your dreams’ answer. Needless to say, she was unimpressed. Immediately, she launched into a more specific technical question about the nuts and bolts of manufacturing a new invention, complete with statistics and tech specs.
Smart People Podcast - Episode 106 - Christopher Schroeder
By Smart People Podcast, September 1, 2013
Entrepreneurs are starting to bond together to solve problems such as illiteracy, power shortages, and sexism. Even large American corporations such as Yahoo, Google and LinkedIn are recognizing the potential and investing in the Middle East, despite the glaring uncertainty. Technology is truly flattening the world and it looks like it might be for the best. Join us this week as we go across the world with Christopher Schroeder and learn about a Startup Rising!
The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East
By Leonard Lopate, WNYC, August 16, 2013
In the midst of the political turmoil in the Middle East, Christopher Schroeder, a seasoned investor in emerging markets, says that there’s a quieter revolution emerging—one that promises to reinvent it as a center of innovation and progress.
A Business Future for the Middle East?
By Ed Butler, BBC World Service, August 15, 2013
Even as the official death toll mounts on the streets of Cairo, a US investor surprisingly asserts that the region really is a hotbed of investment potential. Technology entrepreneur Christopher Schroeder has just published a book StartUp Rising, in which he claims a new Arab world of start-ups is about to make its presence felt.
Christopher Schroeder, Startup Rising
Everything Internet Radio Show, August 15, 2013
Christopher M. Schroeder, a seasoned U.S. internet executive and venture investor travelled to Dubai, Cairo, Amman, Beirut, Istanbul and Damascus and met thousands of talented, successful, and intrepid young entrepreneurs willing to take on political, cultural, legal and societal challenges.
Schroeder Sees Mideast Hope in Book `Startup Rising’
By Kathleen Hays and Vonnie Quinn, Bloomberg Radio, August 14, 2013
Christopher Schroeder, angel investor and former chief executive officer and publisher of Washingtonpost Newsweek Interactive, discusses why he sees hope for stronger economic growth in Mideast nations in his new book "Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East."
The Other Revolution Bubbling in the Middle East
Interview by Kai Ryssdal, NPR Marketplace, August 12, 2013
"For the past couple of years, the revolutions of the Arab Spring have dominated the news out of the Middle East region. But Chris Schroeder, author of "Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East," says there's another revolution that's quietly emerging that deserves attention: growing entrepreneurship."