Conversation with Fadi AlAwami – MasterMinds

Today on MasterMinds, we meet a Saudi financial strategist and startup advisor who is helping founders turn ambition into sustainable growth. Fadi AlAwami has built a career at the intersection of finance, regulation, and entrepreneurship—supporting startups and fintech companies as they scale, restructure, and enter the Saudi market with confidence.

As a financial consultant licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce, and with more than 15 years of experience advising entrepreneurs and SMEs, Fadi leads Consultation Center with a clear mission: helping businesses build solid financial foundations that last. From restructuring and long-term financial planning, to reporting, analysis, and virtual accounting, his work focuses on clarity, compliance, and growth.

Fadi also plays a critical role in helping fintechs and startups enter the KSA market, guiding them through regulatory licensing with SAMA and CMA, and connecting them with a trusted local network of entrepreneurs, consultants, and subject matter experts. Since launch, his team has supported 30+ startups and SMEs, turning complex financial and regulatory challenges into clear, actionable roadmaps.

His journey reflects a belief that strong businesses are built on transparency, structure, and the right advice at the right time—where financial strategy becomes an enabler of innovation, not a barrier to it.

I began my professional journey in the banking sector, as I hold a bachelor’s degree in Financial Management. Over the years, I worked across several banks and departments. My last role was as a Relationship Manager within the Islamic Finance Group, focusing on corporate clients with revenues not exceeding SAR 100 million.
Through this role, I built strong relationships with business owners and became deeply familiar with their success stories, which significantly increased my interest in entrepreneurship and launching my own ventures.
I went on to establish several projects, including a financial consulting practice. Many of my former clients began reaching out for advice on obtaining banking facilities and restructuring their finances. With the growing interest in fintech across the region, this created an opportunity to offer strategic consulting services in the sector, collaborating with regional and global fintech ventures.

For startups, the biggest challenge is securing investment at the early stages, especially since many entrepreneurs in the region lack extensive practical experience. This often makes investors hesitant due to concerns about managerial maturity and the ability to handle challenges.
For other businesses, efficient cash flow management remains the primary challenge. While access to financing and government support has become more flexible, cash management continues to pose difficulties for many business owners.

When a business continues to incur losses despite achieving sales growth, this clearly indicates deficiencies in financial management. In such cases, it becomes essential to review all costs and develop a new financial plan based on the company’s financial indicators.

Accounting focuses on ensuring accurate financial entries and preparing budgets and mandatory reports for regulatory authorities. However, the real value lies in converting these numbers into financial indicators that reflect the company’s performance—whether in spending efficiency, growth, or dependence on debt versus ownership.
These indicators help management identify weaknesses and strengths, enabling business owners to make strategic financial decisions based on solid data and well-studied facts.

A key mistake is failing to fully understand the market and its challenges, as well as injecting significant investments before obtaining initial regulatory approval.
The Saudi market requires substantial hands-on local experience, and relying solely on outdated or incomplete studies can lead to major challenges in the future.

Saudi government entities responsible for the fintech sector strongly support local projects through various support programs. At the same time, there are clear objectives to attract high-quality regional and global fintech companies that add value to the market and bring international expertise to Saudi Arabia.

Establishing fintech companies—especially those entering regulatory sandboxes—offers greater flexibility due to the absence of fully developed regulations. Once initial approval is obtained, companies can test products and services without meeting full licensing requirements such as large capital or highly experienced management structures.
Operating in a strict regulatory environment, however, presents challenges related to understanding regulations, ensuring compliance, and meeting extensive requirements that demand significant time, effort, and capital.

Relationships help build professional bridges more quickly and amicably. Active engagement in business councils also provides insights into market developments and emerging opportunities, offering indirect competitive advantages that contribute to business success.

The startup ecosystem has witnessed remarkable growth, with more than 40,000 companies established as a result of supportive initiatives and encouragement for entrepreneurship.
Investments in startups over the past five years have reached approximately USD 3.8 billion, reflecting strong upward momentum and growing investor interest.

Often, support programs are broad and not tailored to specific sectors. When new regulations or decisions impact a particular industry, support programs may not immediately adapt, or may take time to introduce relevant assistance aligned with updated policies.

My entrepreneurial experience has helped me gain diverse insights and strengthened my confidence in decision-making, as well as understanding the consequences from multiple perspectives.
These experiences positively influence my consulting work, allowing me to provide advice with responsibility and integrity—values I consistently uphold as both an entrepreneur and consultant.

Most family businesses in the region operate as large business empires with diversified activities and investment arms. Their scale allows them to hire experienced consultants and maintain strong management structures, in addition to receiving solid support from commercial banks.
This contrasts with startups, which often face limited financial resources, making it more difficult for them to overcome financial challenges.

The sector is developing, but the volume of credible Arabic content remains limited. Many experts share opinions via social media or blogs, which are not considered authoritative as they are not published through licensed media outlets.
As a result, much of the available content consists of translations or foreign reports. I encourage Arab experts to publish their insights in Arabic to strengthen reliable Arabic content and better support Arab entrepreneurs.

Every entrepreneur should understand cash flow management to align expenses with revenues and support investment readiness.
They should also understand return on investment (ROI), a critical financial indicator, as well as cost accounting, which supports pricing decisions and helps identify financial waste that negatively affects profitability.

First, engage a financial consultant to analyze the company’s financial performance.
Second, reduce expenses without compromising operational quality.
Third, secure financial support—whether through financing or investment—that supports growth rather than merely covering financial gaps.

Growth is often linked to financial investment, but it is essential that returns from rapid growth can cover associated expenses. Otherwise, a persistent financial gap may arise between investment levels and actual growth.
Many startups rely on investment rounds to cover deficits, but failing to resolve these gaps can hinder future fundraising. My advice is to prioritize spending efficiency—even during rapid growth—and avoid excessive cash burn, as this can ultimately lead to business failure if external funding becomes unavailable.