#463 From Corporate to Startup: How DXwand is Driving AI-Powered Business Growth from MENA to the World

In this inspiring episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, I sit down with Ahmed Mahmoud (Founder & CEO) and Ahmed Elshahawy (CTO) of DXwand, a MENA-born AI startup reshaping how businesses unlock growth with generative AI, knowledge mining, and document intelligence.

The conversation takes you through their courageous leap from successful corporate careers (Microsoft, IBM, EY) into the startup trenches, the reality of building a tech company in emerging markets, the transformative impact of generative AI, and their ambitious expansion from the MENA region to global markets like the U.S. and U.K.

If you’re passionate about startups, AI innovation, or scaling tech businesses across borders, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Key Takeaways:

• Why pivoting early is critical for startup survival (and success)

• How the MENA region’s linguistic and cultural diversity shapes AI development

• The real-world business challenges generative AI can (and cannot) solve

• Building AI solutions that balance innovation, hallucination control, and data privacy

• Why document intelligence and knowledge mining are the new frontier

• Lessons on leading tech teams and driving innovation beyond the buzz

• How DXwand cracked the formula to serve SMBs with advanced AI

• The mindset required to jump from corporate life into true entrepreneurship

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What You Will Learn:

• How GenAI unlocked new growth opportunities in enterprise and SMB sectors

• Why combining structured and unstructured data is reshaping data analysis

• Practical insights into deploying AI in highly regulated industries

• Why agent tech is exciting — but not a silver bullet for every problem

• The power of resilience, grit, and passion in startup success stories from emerging markets

About the Guests:

Ahmed Mahmoud is the Founder and CEO of DXwand. With over two decades of experience in technology and enterprise sales, including leadership roles at Microsoft, Ahmed transitioned from a successful corporate career to build one of the region’s leading AI companies. He is passionate about using AI to empower businesses of all sizes and believes in creating meaningful, lasting impact through technology.

Ahmed Elshahawy is the CTO of DXwand. An experienced technology leader, Ahmed has a rich background in solution architecture, delivery management, and data analytics, having worked at global organizations like IBM, EY, and various startups across Egypt and Malaysia. At DXwand, he leads the technical strategy, focusing on generative AI, knowledge mining, and enterprise AI adoption, driving innovation in emerging markets and beyond.

https://dxwand.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmedmmohammed/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashahawy/

Episode Highlights:

[00:02:00] - Founders’ backstory: From Microsoft and IBM to DXwand

[00:05:00] - Identifying a major gap: Arabic language and regional AI support

[00:08:00] - Pivoting into generative AI and knowledge mining

[00:13:00] - Early business wins: Serving financial services and trading platforms

[00:19:00] - Moving beyond chatbots: Document intelligence and compliance solutions

[00:22:00] - Tackling multilingual and multi-dialect challenges

[00:25:00] - How GenAI changed data analysis forever

[00:30:00] - Addressing hallucination, security, and enterprise adoption

[00:37:00] - Real talk on agent tech: Separating hype from real-world value

[00:40:00] - DXwand’s global expansion strategy and new mid-market offerings

[00:43:00] - Honest reflections on entrepreneurship: Courage, risk, and fulfillment