Not enough women in the UAE are property investors. Fatma Al Rahma is trying to change that with her Dubai-based real estate brokerage.
What inspired your business?
Based on the stats, we saw that real estate investors were primarily men, and in conversations, many women in our community were unaware of property investment opportunities. So I started Ellevest real estate brokerage with my mom. Ellevest guides clients to real estate developers, helping them choose the right options and understand how to begin investing in properties.
It started as a side project, and now it’s been almost four years! It has been a great experience. I invested in a property myself and lived in it for two years. I plan to buy again.
What steps did you take to get started?
The UAE is a great place for startups. Dubai offers a lot of support for small businesses, and we took advantage of many programs when we first started to help get us going.
Still, it was a long journey. Real estate is difficult compared to other startups because the UAE is very strict on anti-money laundering processes. We had to go through a lot of checks to establish the business. I also took a course on what a real estate broker should do and got a license after completing it.
In the beginning, I focused entirely on the business. Now, we have an agent working with us. I spend a few hours a week on it while working full-time as a business project analyst with the Emirates Schools Establishment (ESC) under the Ministry of Education. I also had a baby, which keeps me busy!
Congrats on your new baby! Can you tell us more about your full-time job?
I’ve been with ESC for three years, rotating in different roles. When I first joined, I worked in strategy and then as a project business analyst. Now I’m in the executive development office. I’ve always wanted to work in education — I’m passionate about it. My Capstone project was in education. I feel like I can have an impact in this sector.
How did NYUAD prepare you to succeed in the workplace?
Everything I learned at NYU Abu Dhabi helps with my current work, especially how I think, analyze, and interpret data. In my first role at ESC, I worked on a cost analysis project. Although I didn’t study finance, the data analysis courses I took gave me the foundation to successfully complete that project.
I’m so grateful for my time at NYUAD because we learned how to ask the right questions and understand what type of data is needed to analyze to solve issues, gaps, or problems. I learned this throughout all my coursework, but especially in the data analysis course — I’m so grateful for that.
Home Region: UAE
Current: Co-founder, Ellevest; Business project analyst, Emirates Schools Establishment
Location: UAE
Major: NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2016
What made your time at NYUAD special?
NYUAD was one of the best times of my life. I wish I could go back!
I spent two semesters abroad — one in London and one in Florence. I’m so grateful for these experiences because they helped me get out of my comfort zone and learn about new cultures. In Florence, we even learned to speak some Italian.
I’m thankful for that time because, after I joined ESC, I was selected to go with a delegation to the Education World Forum in London. I was exposed to so many people from all around the world. I had to contact different delegations and arrange meetings with them, so my experiences studying abroad helped me. It made everything much easier and smoother for me.
I was also a global education officer with the Office of Global Education, where we organized events for visiting students from other campuses. That experience exposed me to different people, cultures, and communication styles. The skills I learned during that time still help me today.