CEO. Founder. Operator. Building technology, media, commerce and marketing businesses across the UAE and MENA.
I build products, brands, media platforms and business systems that help organisations grow, operate more efficiently and create meaningful impact.
01 — About
Ethan Coutinho · Dubai, UAE
I am Ethan Coutinho, a CEO, founder and operator based in the United Arab Emirates. Over the years I have built and operated businesses across technology, media, commerce, marketing and customer engagement.
My work focuses on building scalable systems, launching products, growing audiences, solving operational challenges and helping businesses leverage technology more effectively.
I spend most of my time building companies, developing growth strategies, creating content, and exploring ways to simplify how businesses operate and engage with customers.
02 — What I do
Different titles for the same instinct — build things that matter and operate them well.
Building companies, products, and platforms designed to solve real-world business problems.
Designing systems, workflows, and growth frameworks that help businesses scale sustainably.
Helping founders and businesses navigate growth, operations, marketing, execution, and scaling challenges.
03 — What I'm building
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
2023 — Present
A WhatsApp-native commerce platform helping businesses automate orders, bookings, payments and customer communication — letting merchants own their customer relationships without high-commission intermediaries.
CEO & FOUNDER
2026 — Present
A growing digital media network focused on engaging, educational and informative content across the UAE and GCC — news, business, entrepreneurship, events, lifestyle, culture and education.
CEO & FOUNDER
2019 — 2023
A marketing and technology agency helping businesses grow through strategy, content, design, digital experiences and technology solutions.
04 — Journey
Started building businesses during university — testing ideas, shipping projects, finding a taste for execution.
Co-founded a marketing and technology agency helping businesses grow through strategy, content, design and digital experience.
Tried to launch a Crypto Payments platform named Altin to help businesses accept payments legitimately with instant settlements. The brand did not launch but I gained valuable insights into the fintech space in the MENA.
Launched I know UAE, a UAE centric lifestyle social media page aimed to create relatable content and fact checked news in the uA
Launched Cravin: a WhatsApp-native ecosystem platform for orders, bookings, and customer engagement across food, sports and commerce.
Scaled Cravin to Meta Business Partner status with over 100+ merchants, 200,000 active users and over $250,000 in processed transactions.
Launched I Know Media as the parent brand of I Know UAE, I Know Bizniz, I Know Saudia and I Know GCC, creating a media distribution network in the MENA.
05 — Philosophy
I believe the best way to inspire others is to build.
Ideas matter. Execution matters more.
The goal is not simply to create companies, but to create things that improve how people work, buy, discover and connect.
I believe in taking action, learning publicly, sharing experiences honestly, and helping others build alongside me.
06 — Advisory
A short list of conversations I usually find useful — whether you're starting, scaling or rebuilding.
Sharpening the wedge, the offer and the first 100 customers.
Story, deck, metrics and the conversations behind the round.
The cadence, dashboards and rituals that keep a company moving.
Partnerships, pipelines and the deals that actually convert.
Repeatable acquisition, activation and retention machines.
Positioning, narrative and the channels that compound.
Editorial calendars, formats and the long tail of attention.
Building audiences and turning them into durable assets.
Cohorts, retention and unit economics applied to physical goods.
Sequencing launches across product, content and sales.
Hiring, structure and the operating system that holds it together.
Channels, creative and the math behind paid & organic.
07 — Featured writing
Customer behaviour in the region is conversational. The businesses that win the next decade will be the ones that meet customers where they already are.
The romantic image of the founder hides the unglamorous work that actually compounds. Operating is the craft no one writes about.
09 — Contact
Whether you're building a startup, scaling a business, exploring partnerships, discussing media opportunities, or simply exchanging ideas — I'd love to hear from you.
