Experience

Carom

• United States
• Business Consulting and Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-founder & CEO

  • Jan 2022 - Present

  Paris A few years back, my social life could be summed up in 3 words: wife, kids, and groceries. Outside of work & family, my free time was usually spent alone. The worst part is, I was looking everywhere I could think of. You name it, I tried it; 1. Networking Events. They had my people, but those people weren’t looking for friendships. They were looking for business opportunities. 2. Social Events. Opposite problem; they wanted to socialize, but we had little in… Show more A few years back, my social life could be summed up in 3 words: wife, kids, and groceries. Outside of work & family, my free time was usually spent alone. The worst part is, I was looking everywhere I could think of. You name it, I tried it; 1. Networking Events. They had my people, but those people weren’t looking for friendships. They were looking for business opportunities. 2. Social Events. Opposite problem; they wanted to socialize, but we had little in common. 3. Work friends. They were just that - work friends. They already had families & friends to go back to. So I always ended up where I started off - At home, with my family, doing extra work to kill time, and throwing everything into the pursuit of professional recognition. Convincing myself that solitude is the price I have to pay to elevate my career. Everyone says it’s lonely at the top. So why should my experience be any different? That’s when I realised something. I may have been lonely, but I wasn’t alone. If I was having this problem, then so must 1,000s of other professionals. We just needed a way to find each other. I wanted an app to help professionals meet in a social setting, without wasting time & energy attending countless “un-vetted” events. And that’s how the idea behind Carom was born. Here’s how it works in 5 steps: 1. Open an account using LinkedIn signup. 2. Find events in your area, identify what interests you & apply to join. 3. Jump in the group chat & arrange where to meet. 4. Arrive, do the thing & invite those you want to see again to your inner circle. 5. Host your own public & private events, and continue to build your social circle. That’s it. No more long nights at your desk just to feel like life has a purpose. No weekends alone, wishing you’d listened to your family and settled down in your hometown. A community of professionals who decided success shouldn’t cost you your social life - is now at your fingertips. Join them today: https://www.carom.app/ Show less



Planorama

• France
• Information Technology & Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-founder & CEO (ex COO)

  • Jul 2013 - Jan 2020

  Paris, Ile-de-France, France It doesn’t matter if you work in retail or with retail; either way, you’re getting a Masterclass in putting the customer's needs first. Which doesn’t mean “the customer is always right." It’s about psychology. Every single aspect of your business needs to be built around how your customers think, act, and interact. If that sounds hard, it is. That’s why my biggest achievement at Planorama wasn’t becoming the EU market leader with 10M€+ in revenue, Or… Show more It doesn’t matter if you work in retail or with retail; either way, you’re getting a Masterclass in putting the customer's needs first. Which doesn’t mean “the customer is always right." It’s about psychology. Every single aspect of your business needs to be built around how your customers think, act, and interact. If that sounds hard, it is. That’s why my biggest achievement at Planorama wasn’t becoming the EU market leader with 10M€+ in revenue, Or even my exit - It was creating a customer-centric culture that focused on users’ needs, not the bottom line. Which is why I took all the skills, knowledge, and money I’ve gained from Planorama, and used them to solve the problem that kept me awake at night. Loneliness. I spent years as the “corporate guy”, moving between cities, putting my career first, and doing everything I could to succeed professionally. The cost – with every move, I became an outsider again, and had to re-create my social circle from scratch. You never really get used to it. The worst part is when you find someone you really click with... ...only to learn they don’t have room for new people in their lives. That feeling of constant rejection still hurts whenever I think about it. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones who managed to escape the rat race. Which brings me to Carom. I’d always wished there was an easy way to find other professionals in the same city, in the same situation, looking for the same thing. So, I created it. An easy-to-use app, that lets displaced professionals meet new people, with shared interests. Once you have an account, it's as simple as arriving in a new city, changing your location, and seeing what’s happening nearby. No more evenings alone, video calling friends back home, or attending random events & hoping for the best. Thanks to Carom, you already have plans this weekend. Show less



The Boston Consulting Group

• India
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Consultant – Strategy & Business Development

  • Feb 2012 - Jun 2013

  Geneva, Switzerland You know the drill by now - new role, new city, needed new people. This time I landed myself in Geneva, tasked with finding & supporting clients for BCG. Good news – it meant I got to meet a ton of interesting people in interesting industries through work. Bad news – professional relationships come with boundaries that prevent personal relationships. The thing is, the consultant-client relationship comes with some major drawbacks. • You’ve always got to be… Show more You know the drill by now - new role, new city, needed new people. This time I landed myself in Geneva, tasked with finding & supporting clients for BCG. Good news – it meant I got to meet a ton of interesting people in interesting industries through work. Bad news – professional relationships come with boundaries that prevent personal relationships. The thing is, the consultant-client relationship comes with some major drawbacks. • You’ve always got to be professional first, so you can’t let loose for fear of upsetting the client. • Even when you click with someone, you’ve got to keep your distance until the project is over. • Most people you meet are more interested in what you do than who you are. I have to admit, I got my hopes up when I saw my Consulting Team grow to a total of 20 experts I could talk to for hours on end. But unfortunately, no matter how much you like the people you work with, going for the odd after-work drink is only a short-term fix. They have families, existing friendship groups, and let's be 100% honest, socialising with work friends outside of work isn’t exactly relaxing. The conversation always ends up linking back to what you’re doing with clients, office gossip, and a million other things that spoil the mood. So once again, the search for friendship was on. To sum it up, by this time, you could call my methods “speed dating for friends.” Turn up to an event, strike up a conversation, and if it doesn’t go anywhere, move on. And now that I could “socialise at pace”, I noticed a pattern start to emerge. Bigger events are full of pre-established groups who don’t want a plus one. And smaller events reduce the odds of finding “your people.” But the biggest revelation was this - the sweet spot between intimacy & variety is an event with 10 people. That’s why every event on Carom has a 10-person limit. Show less



L'Oréal

• France
• Personal Care Product Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• R&D Project Manager

  • Jan 2007 - Dec 2010

  Paris I know what you’re thinking. “Ayoub, it’s obvious you get my problem, but can your app really fix it?" Well, that’s where my time at L’Oreal comes in. The role where I first learned how the right software can overcome pretty much any problem - business, or personal. I was an R&D Project Manager. And, as you can guess, the R&D process is meticulous, slow, and full of bottlenecks. A real pain in the a**. But it doesn’t have to be. To spare you the… Show more I know what you’re thinking. “Ayoub, it’s obvious you get my problem, but can your app really fix it?" Well, that’s where my time at L’Oreal comes in. The role where I first learned how the right software can overcome pretty much any problem - business, or personal. I was an R&D Project Manager. And, as you can guess, the R&D process is meticulous, slow, and full of bottlenecks. A real pain in the a**. But it doesn’t have to be. To spare you the details, it can be summed up like this; Some automation here, a piece of custom software over there, and boom – You can now rapidly improve on ideas in a fraction of the time. A lesson that I applied when developing Carom. So, whenever a user brings up a problem they’re experiencing, we can quickly: - Figure out how it happened. - How to fix it. - Roll out an update. Resulting in a better app experience for everyone. Conveniently, meeting new people and R&D are similar enough problems that the solution is pretty much identical. Let me show you. The process of meeting quality people is meticulous, slow, and full of bottlenecks. A real pain in the a**. But it doesn't have to be. Download an app here, enter your location there, and boom – You can now rapidly find events for people like you in a fraction of the time. So, whenever you’re in a new city and looking for something to do, you can quickly: - Figure out where to find people who share your interests. - How you’re going to meet them. - Roll up, and hang out. Resulting in a better social experience for you. Still have doubts? Ask yourself this - if the same process works for a giant like L’Oreal, why wouldn't it work for you? Show less