Caravan Media in Dubai is the latest venture of Junaid Iqbal, the former Managing Director of Careem. His career has now come full circle. After starting out in news channels like CNBC Pakistan, he spent almost two decades in the corporate world before returning to the media industry.
The first product of Caravan Media is Pakistan & Counting. It is a video series hosted by Iqbal that highlights the country’s economic potential. Topics range from mangoes and olive oil to cheese. He believes there is a gap in economic conversations and wants to give business and economy a fresh voice.
Before this, Iqbal also founded Salt Ventures in Dubai, investing in startups in fintech, transport, retail automation, women’s health, and more. He chose Dubai as his base because of its rapid growth, global capital, and talent pool. According to him, GCC is becoming the center of innovation and opportunity.
Caravan Media in Dubai is not only about Pakistan. Iqbal plans to launch How to Saudi next, along with other region-specific and function-based content products. His aim is to make Caravan an enabling platform for the MENA region’s rise.
Iqbal’s media and finance background shaped this journey. At CNBC, he hosted Power Lunch and interacted with CEOs, which gave him practical insights equal to an MBA. Later, he led ventures at BMA Financial Services and Elixir Securities, handling billion-dollar privatization deals.
For Iqbal, the lesson is clear: follow your inner voice and take risks. As he says, opportunities come and go, but you must dare to act.
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