As Founder and CEO of Fetchr, Idriss Al Rifai leads one of the fastest growing start-ups in the Middle East. A firm believer in the power of technology, he has championed the introduction of disruptive innovations in traditional supply chain and logistics. His goal is to solve the ‘no address’ problem in the GCC and other emerging markets, making delivery a seamless and hassle-free experience for customers. Under his leadership, Fetchr has grown 400% from 2014 to 2018 and has expanded services to 6 markets – UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman and Jordan – with a launch imminent in Kuwait. With ‘Customer First’ as one of the company’s cornerstone values, he has inspired his team of more than 3000 employees to work towards putting a smile on the customer’s face.

Despite facing numerous challenges when he first started Fetchr - from attracting and making clients think ahead of the curve, to making sure the product and software improved at the right pace as well as sourcing quality talent and fundraising, he has persevered and spearheaded the new age of revolution in Middle Eastern logistics. Armed with determination and a clear long-term vision, Fetchr became the first Middle Eastern company to raise Series-A funding from a top Silicon Valley VC – New Enterprise Associates (NEA), the world’s largest Venture Capital fund – in 2015. Two years later, the company raised a Series-B funding of $41M led by both NEA and regional powerhouse, Majid Al Futtaim Group. Having secured funding from other famous names such as Nokia Growth Partners and Beco Capital, and been decorated with several awards, Idriss has made sure Fetchr remains a forerunner for Middle Eastern start-ups to grow and secure capital from across the world.

Previously, Idriss headed operations for MarkaVIP, the then second largest e-commerce player in the MENA region, where he built an in-house logistics department for the company to expedite deliveries. Prior to this, he worked as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. From 2002 to 2008, he worked with the French Ministry of Defence in various capacities and received several accolades for his leadership roles in Asia and Africa. He was part of the French U-19 National Basketball team from 1999 to 2003.

Idriss holds an MBA from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). He is also a Rath and Fulbright scholar, and an Endeavor entrepreneur. He aspires to make addresses obsolete and empower the more than 2 billion people that live without structured addresses to receive anything, anywhere on the go.