Meeting with Mohamed El Sarrag, graduated from Geneva Business School who launched his own startup called ‘Hotdesk’.
He tells us about this adventure and explains us how his FEDE degree has helped him in his professional life.  

Can you tell us about your educational and professional career path?

I graduated from Geneva Business School in 2018 with a bachelor of international finance. After graduating I worked in managing and operating our family business in Cairo. We own a chain of furniture stores that is specialized in selling high-end furniture products as well as a Real estate development company. After a while of operating and managing the family business, I decided to make a shift and launch my own startup company, so I co-founded ‘Hotdesk’ which is a tech startup company that aims at helping startups and SME’s rent out their extra unused office spaces by listing it on our online platform via web or APP (similar to Airbnb, but for offices). At the same time, Hotdesk help remote workers find and book flexible workspaces on-demand in 3 clicks, whether it’s a meeting room or office, for an hour or a month, our customers can book it online. We currently have more than 250 different workspaces in 55 cities across the world (Mainly in MENA & Europe) available on our platform, and the company has a valuation of $2.8M based on our latest investment round.

You can check our website through this link www.hotdesk.io and here is an article about our latest investment round : https://www.wamda.com/2021/02/hotdesk-secures-seed-funding-zvc

What do you do today ?

I am the chief operating officer of Hotdesk. My role is to make sure the company has high month-on-month growth in its supply of offices, make sure the transactions go seamlessly for the customers, and maintain an excellent customer experience to have retention in customer usage.

Why did you choose Geneva Business School as your school to prepare for a FEDE degree ?

I chose Geneva Business School for three main reasons: 1. It’s a swiss business school and has an outstanding ranking in Europe 2. It’s specialized tutors coming from professional working backgrounds 3. Its diversity of students and multicultural environment.

What did your FEDE degree bring you in the evolution of your professional life ?

It gave me an edge in job interviews when I used to apply for jobs. Recruiters were always amazed when they knew I graduated from Geneva Business School. Also, in the startup world, it’s very well respected, whenever I mentioned before to any of the investors we’ve pitched to or even with other startup founders that I studied at Geneva Business School, I always felt that I received more respect for my knowledge and took it more seriously.

What is the best memory at Geneva Business School ?

I don’t have one specific best memory, but there are many things that I truly love and still remember today. I always loved the events that were held on the school campus or even the ones outside of campus. Events like the Winter Gala, BBQ launch on the terrace, Welcome party, and some of the field trips we had with some of the classes.

What advice would you give to current Geneva Business School students ?
My advice would be:

  • Focus as much as you can on studying, all the effort you put in will pay off later on, and will give you an edge in the business world.
  • Socialize and make friends at school and be multicultural, business is all about connections.
  • Do as many internships as you can, in different fields and sectors, to know what you love to do early in your life.