The 100: Bilal Mekkaoui, Founder and CEO, OuiCollab Bilal's core philosophy is that building enduring consumer brands is not about hype, but about combining data-driven market insight.
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This article forms part of The 100, Entrepreneur Middle East's annual guide spotlighting the most influential people across the GCC.
Bilal Mekkaoui is a seasoned global entrepreneur, investor, and founder best known for building and scaling consumer-focused businesses, often anchored around celebrity collaborations and digitally native retail ventures. With a background spanning investment banking, technology startups, venture capital and brandbuilding, he brings a unique blend of financial rigor and creative entrepreneurial vision.
Born to a Lebanese family and raised in London, Bilal began his professional career in investment banking — working at major international firms where he specialized in technology, media, and telecom (TMT) sectors. Over roughly a decade, he honed skills in merger and acquisition, equity capital markets, and public-market preparation. This early phase laid the groundwork for his deep understanding of capital flows, business structuring, and company growth strategies.
In 2012, he transitioned from traditional finance into the startup & internet-business world by joining an incubator known for launching e-commerce ventures globally. There, he contributed to building and scaling multiple companies, learning firsthand how to take ideas from concept to market-ready businesses. He later played a strategic role at a major global online marketplace firm, helping prepare that company for public listing.
By 2016, Bilal decided to strike out independently — founding Jobi Capital (later rebranded as OuiCollab), with the goal of investing in early-stage consumer retail and tech ventures, and providing handson support beyond capital, including operational guidance, market strategy, and access to networks.
Under his leadership, OuiCollab has evolved into a venture studio and brand incubator focusing on direct-to-consumer (DTC) and celebrity-backed consumer goods. He co-founded and helped launch global consumer brands such as a luxury home-care label and a pet-wellness brand, both designed with celebrity partners who contribute authenticity and creative input. These brands have seen significant early success, selling out quickly upon launch and achieving sustainable growth — a testament to Bilal's disciplined approach to launch timing, brand positioning, and market fit.
Bilal's core philosophy is that building enduring consumer brands is not about hype, but about combining data-driven market insight, strong product fundamentals, operational excellence, and authentic stories or personalities behind the brand. He believes this formula lowers acquisition costs and accelerates growth compared to traditional startup models.
Today, Bilal Mekkaoui stands at the forefront of a growing movement that bridges celebrity influence with disciplined brand building: leveraging capital-markets skills, startup agility, and cultural sensitivity to create consumer products that can scale globally.
