Dr. Maher Hakim

Maher is Partner at 212. Dr. Maher Hakim is the chief advisor of innovation and enterprise at Qatar’s Research, Development and Innovation Council and the executive director of the CITRIS Foundry – UC Berkeley’s tech innovation hub. Maher is an ecosystem builder, tech investor, startup coach, mentor and educator. Before joining QRDIC, Dr. Hakim was the executive director of Qatar’s Science and Technology Park. Maher’s past experience, accumulated over the past 25+ years, included launching and building several tech startups, leading product innovation groups for large software companies, teaching innovation, entrepreneurship and investing in tech startups at universities and accelerators such as Carnegie Mellon University, UC Berkeley, and the European Innovation Academy, supporting and leading efforts to build innovation ecosystems around the globe, and mentoring and coaching startup founders and investment professionals. Maher is a technologist by education and holds a PhD in Computer-Aided Engineering and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. He muses on topics of innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership on his LinkedIn Blog.