When an award celebrates not just a single achievement but a career spent stitching together people, capital, and ideas across continents, it signals something bigger than a personal milestone. That is the story behind Maissa Ballout Shamshoum’s win as Entrepreneur of the Year at the Influencer Magazine Awards (IMA) E3 on October 25, 2026 — a recognition that shines a light on how ecosystem builders are reshaping the future of technology and investment.
Shamshoum, who is globally recognised as an ecosystem builder, innovation strategist and deep technology investor, received the honour for her work unlocking the potential of emerging innovation ecosystems. She builds sustainable pathways that guide talent from local communities into globally scalable companies. The ceremony took place in London, and the award was announced on November 1, 2026.
Based in Nazareth, Israel, Shamshoum serves as CEO of Hasoub, one of Israel’s leading organisations dedicated to advancing Arab participation in technology, entrepreneurship, venture creation and innovation. In that role, she orchestrates collaborations that span governments, corporations, investors, academia and founders. Hasoub itself is a non-profit tech ecosystem and community for Arab society, mapping the journey from talent to founders — moving through campuses, community engagement, accelerators, angel investment, policy advocacy and global connections.
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Reflecting on the recognition, Shamshoum shared, “This award is deeply meaningful because it reflects a belief I have carried throughout my career, that investment and impact are two sides of the same mission. I have spent my career connecting people, capital, ideas and ecosystems, and to have that work recognised on a global stage is profoundly humbling.”
Beyond Hasoub, Shamshoum holds influential positions across the global investment landscape. She is an International Partner of the World Business Angels Investment Forum and an Advisory Board Member at Falcon Innovation Fund, a global deep tech investment fund based in Abu Dhabi. There, she focuses on investments in Artificial Intelligence, Deep Tech, Physical AI and Frontier Engineering, targeting sectors such as infrastructure, energy, logistics, medtech, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Her work as a global connector brings together founders, venture capital firms, family offices and strategic partners across the Middle East, Europe, the United States and Asia.
Her corporate background is equally impressive. Before leading Hasoub, Shamshoum held senior executive finance and leadership roles, including VP Finance, Procurement and IT and Board Member at Dollar Shave Club, a company owned by Unilever and Nexus LP. In that capacity, she led finance, procurement, IT, M&A support, risk management and operational efficiency during a period of rapid global growth. Her leadership experience also includes senior roles at Golden Care Dushi Group, Tefron Ltd., Rivulis Irrigation (John Deere), Babcom Centers and EY’s High Tech Division.
Shamshoum also founded Lumena Capital Group, which supports startups as a strategic director, advisor and connector. The firm helps founders with go-to-market strategy, raising capital, building financial resilience and scaling globally. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Economics from the University of Haifa and an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she initiated the Kellogg MENA group. With more than 20 years of experience across corporate finance, M&A, fundraising, investments, governance and impact-driven growth, her career sits at the intersection of capital, technology and purpose.
Blending operational leadership, venture investing and ecosystem strategy, Shamshoum is passionate about building institutions — not just startups — that generate founders, investors, technology leaders and sustainable economic impact across emerging innovation ecosystems.
Through her leadership of Hasoub, her investment work with Falcon Innovation Fund, her role at WBAF and her founding of Lumena Capital Group, Shamshoum has established herself as a global connector of people, capital, ideas and ecosystems across MENA, Europe, the United States and beyond. Her win as Entrepreneur of the Year at IMA 2026 celebrates not only her extraordinary achievements to date but her ongoing mission to build scalable ventures, unlock overlooked talent and create long-term value for economies and communities.
Why it matters: Shamshoum’s recognition underscores a crucial shift in how the tech world values ecosystem builders — the people who connect overlooked talent to capital and opportunity. Her model of combining deep-tech investment with community-driven innovation offers a blueprint for creating economic growth in regions that have traditionally been underrepresented in the global technology landscape. As artificial intelligence and frontier engineering reshape industries, leaders who can bridge gaps between founders, investors and governments will become increasingly essential.
Paul Hebert
Influencer Magazine UK
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