Loulwa Al-Soudeiry has been leading innovation and strategy as a board member of Mansour Al Mosaid Group since 2017. The young Saudi felt the most successful on the career front when she founded her own e-commerce platform called Artistia in 2016.
With a stringent entrepreneurial spirit, Al Soudeiry is committed to encourage new businesses standing for innovation and social change across the MENA region.
Her own company is a prime example! For long, Al-Soudairy saw how her mother struggled to make a living from her handcrafted souvenirs. She then found the existing gap in the Saudi market, which is the lack of opening for selling wares despite the numerous presence of artisans in the Kingdom.
“My mother is the owner of Liyano, a local production house that produces Saudi handcrafted souvenirs and gifts,” Al-Soudairy told Arab News.
The businesswomen took advantage of her entrepreneurial gene and opened her virtual mall with her co-founded Leena Alaufi. The catchy-named e-commerce platform Artistia allows users to share administrative services and access the global marketplace.
Little by little, her startup bridged the gap of her initial problem leading to a staggering 33 percent decrease of the artisan’s overhead costs. Since its launch, Artistia’s network has expanded from 60 to 400 artisanal brands across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. The platform now registers around 15,000 visits per month.
This success is no surprise: a look at the user-friendly site and the user is lured to the uniqueness of the product offering. Artistia boasts a vast array of items fitting all tastes and occasions, some of which include elegant abayas, awesome tshirts, innovative accessories, funky shaving kits for men, and others.
The startup ecosystem in the KSA and the Gulf witnessed a rise in powerful #womentrepreneurs like Al-Soudeiry launching platforms that promise a long-term profit success. You can check out more leading ladies with trailblazing ideas, here. Don’t forget to follow Artistia’s Instagram page to stay updated with this awesome initiative.
