Insight To Success: From Fashion StartUp, Venture Capital, Metaverse, AI, To Philanthropy. How Muna AbuSulayman Became A Top Global Influence

Insight To Success: From Fashion StartUp, Venture Capital, Metaverse, AI, To Philanthropy. How Muna AbuSulayman Became A Top Global Influence

I met Muna AbuSulayman in 2006 when she was the co-founding host of the no. 1 and longest-running Arab TV show on social issues. At the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan, She interviewed me to consult with her apparel startup, a celebrity-pioneered brand targeted at modest fashion women. During my interview, I talked about the intensive capital a startup requires, the lengthy logistics, global sourcing, and the production process. The constant changing and demanding compliance requirements, fit and styling problems, and customer returns all lead to markdowns, over-inventory, paper-thin margin, fierce competition, and ultimately, a write-off if you are fortunate, or, for the not-so-lucky, personal bankruptcies. I thought it was my duty to warn anyone who wants to dip their toe into this industry, especially someone with no prior retail experience. The old joke comes to mind: How do you make a small fortune in the fashion industry? Answer: Start with a larger one. Post-pandemic, I decided to catch up with Muna over Zoom. In the last 16 years, Muna AbuSulayman has become a serial entrepreneur, investor, partner, founder, and philanthropist. She is the partner of Transform VC (Tonal is one of their investments, https://transform. vc) and the co-founder of