Meet Tarek Kabrit '96
Meet Tarek Kabrit, class of 96, an ambitious self-made businessman with a focused vision and a determined approach to follow his dreams.
Tarek graduated from IC with a degree in Science, to continue his studies at AUB with a BSc in Biology and a BA in Economics. Tarek did not stop there. Tarek invested further in himself with a MSc in Finance and Economics from LSE. Tarek landed a job in Booz Allen as a Strategy Consultant. Three years later, he decided to pursue an MBA from INSEAD, and he joined Deutsche Bank in London as an Investment Banker on their M&A team. After Deutsche Bank, Tarek moved into Private Equity as a Director, first with Siraj Capital and later with Abraaj Group where he was heading their Lebanon and Tunisian funds. Post Abraaj, Tarek moved to Mubadala (the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Abu Dhabi) as a Director of Strategy and M&A in their Aerospace arm (Yahsat).
It is said, when an opportunity presents itself, you grab it. That is exactly what Tarek did. While roaming the streets of Beirut, Tarek saw a mini cooper that he liked, and this sparked his interest to learn more about the car. He inquired about the cars cost from a friend and could not get an instant answer to his question! In Tarek’s words: “I thought to myself there should be an app that allows you to take a picture of any car you see that provides you with information about the car, what year, its price etc.…” Tarek researched this further, but there was nothing like that, so Tarek decided to build this app, and that is exactly what he did! Today Tarek is the Co-founder and CEO of Seez, a company that was born in 2016 in Dubai.
During that time, Tarek had been working as a venture partner with some Venture Capital funds and has been interacting with entrepreneurs and founders daily. This gave him the feeling that he would like to build something from scratch, that maybe one day, millions of people can use and benefit from. When asked what made you venture into this challenge, Tarek’s reply was:
“Once you make up your mind about starting your entrepreneurial journey, the sooner the better.”
3 years after launching Seez, Tarek’s app reached 2.8 million users and the app was top 3 app on Apple and Google app stores. Then when COVID hit, Tarek expanded Seez geographically into Europe (starting in Denmark and then Italy and Germany), and shifted the business focus into SaaS and AI. Seez is now a SaaS company that helps digitize car dealers while offering the world's first ChatGPT solution for automotive. Seez has signed up some of the biggest dealer groups globally including 4 of the top 15 in Europe while raising $26 million in funding along the way.
Carrying the IC spirit in his heart while moving on in his business journey, Tarek feels that IC has always provided him with a sort of "grounding" in his life. In Tarek’s words: “No matter where I go or travel, IC is always there and it’s always the roots from where my life has started.” IC to Tarek is not only a school, but also a second home that opens many doors in shaping our identities.” It is true that the years have passed, and every graduate moved on, but it is the IC spirit that stays with every graduate and the ongoing IC friendships that grow along the years. Not only does Tarek maintain close IC childhood friendships till today, but also IC still comes up often in his career at all age groups. “One of our big clients in Qatar is a 65 year gentleman who also went to IC. IC builds grounding in us as IC students, we can always relate and compare the years at IC! No matter how time flies, it is the IC spirit in us that keeps us connected!” Having been to a few universities since IC, Tarek does not feel a deep connection with any of them the way he feels towards IC. “IC will always have a special place in my heart and life, a feeling all Alumnus have in common when we think of our school.”
As a message to fellow Alumnus, Tarek said: “follow your dreams and never give up.” Building a career and taking on challenges is crucial to private ventures, but along the way maintaining a healthy environment, refreshes the soul and opens ways to a healthy life.” Tarek encourages Alumnus to create a balance in life between work and leisure. Tarek advises fellow IC graduates to call or message someone from their IC days who they have lost touch with since school days. Tarek believes that getting in touch with IC friends will not only grow feelings of appreciation on the receiver’s and callers end, but also build a chain of stories about IC days on both ends. As every alumnus, Tarek wishes he could relive school days and enjoy the walks at IC building hallways, while buying a sandwich from Tanious, and laughing about the never-ending stories of his IC journey.