Mahmoud Bartawi has quietly become one of the most talked-about names in the UAE startup scene — not because he chases the spotlight, but because his work speaks for itself. From a banking career to building a fast-growing food-tech brand and moving into content and strategy, Bartawi’s story is a portrait of persistence, learning, and reinvention. His journey shows that success rarely arrives in a straight line; it is earned, reworked, and sometimes traded for new beginnings.
Before the headlines, Mahmoud’s day-to-day was familiar to many: long hours in corporate banking, learning risk, finance, and how large organisations make decisions. That early experience — managing complex financial portfolios and dealing with real-world constraints — would later become the foundation for his entrepreneurial instincts. Unsatisfied with routine, Mahmoud turned curiosity into action: he began exploring side projects, testing small ideas, and learning how to scale a business the hard way.
Mahmoud’s most visible entrepreneurial move was co-founding Under500, a brand focused on healthy meals under 500 calories. What began as a response to a personal need — healthier, convenient food options — grew into a multi-country startup. Under500 combined a simple promise with operational discipline, and it showcased Mahmoud’s ability to pair business rigor with a product people needed. The brand’s early traction set the stage for a major turning point in his career.
A defining chapter in Mahmoud’s public story is the exit: Under500 was acquired by Kitopi, a high-profile player in the cloud kitchen space. This exit was more than a financial milestone; it validated years of iterative work, operational execution, and strategic positioning. Exiting a startup taught Mahmoud lessons about timing, partnership, and focus — and it freed him to think bigger about how he could influence others beyond one company.
After the exit, Mahmoud shifted his energy into a new form of impact: storytelling and strategy. He launched BXB (Business & Strategy from Dubai), a content platform and podcast where he shares interviews, lessons, and practical advice for entrepreneurs. The show brings together real experiences from the region’s founders and leaders, turning hard-earned knowledge into accessible insights. Mahmoud’s move into media shows that some of the most powerful influence comes from honest conversation and the willingness to share both wins and setbacks.
Behind the public persona is a disciplined daily routine. Mahmoud balances time between content creation, mentoring founders, and building strategic projects. He makes room for reflection — a trait he often credits for better decisions. That discipline extends to health and habits: he has talked publicly about the role of fitness, structured learning, and focus blocks in his life. These habits aren’t glamorous; they are steady and consistent, and they form the scaffolding for creative work and leadership.
Mahmoud’s path wasn’t free of obstacles. Early rejections and operational setbacks taught him to be resilient. In interviews and posts, he’s shared moments when plans failed, funding was uncertain, or growth slowed. Rather than hide these experiences, he frames them as the real lessons: how to pivot fast, conserve energy, and double down on what works. This transparency is a big part of his appeal — it humanises success and gives others permission to try, fail, and try again.
While exits and growth metrics are easy to count, Mahmoud emphasises achievements in other terms: teams he’s built, founders he’s mentored, and conversations that changed people’s decisions. His podcast and public content aim to convert personal gains into community learning. By focusing on practical takeaways — the tactical moves other entrepreneurs can copy — he amplifies the long-term value of his experience.
Today, Mahmoud’s attention is split between growing his media platform, advising startups, and investing in projects that align with his focus on operational excellence and repeatable models. He is invested in the idea that the GCC has unique market dynamics and that founders can build global businesses from Dubai with the right approach. His content is designed to make those approaches accessible — to turn strategy into tools people can actually use.
Three themes make Mahmoud’s story resonate:
These elements make Mahmoud someone people look to not just for tips, but for a playbook that can be adapted to different goals and industries.
If there’s a condensed playbook from Mahmoud’s experience, it would include:
• Treat your early career as an education: use corporate roles to learn skills you can later apply.
• Start small, iterate fast: build a product people need and scale operationally before scaling widely.
• Be deliberate about exits: they are not endpoints but tools for the next chapter.
• Share your learnings: public content creates opportunities and shortens learning curves for others.
These are practical, repeatable moves — the kind that turn an idea into traction and traction into sustainable growth.
Mahmoud Bartawi’s next chapters are likely to blend strategy, media, and active company-building. As he continues to document life, work, and the decisions behind both, his audience benefits from a living case study: how one founder moves from execution to influence. For anyone building in the UAE or beyond, his career demonstrates a way to combine measurable business outcomes with a mission to uplift others.
Mahmoud’s story is neither fairy tale nor formula. It is a useful reminder that success is crafted — through daily habits, honest sharing, and an appetite for hard work. For readers and founders, his example offers two promises: that progress is possible, and that what you learn can become the fuel for the next person’s leap.
Do follow him on Instagram.
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