What No One Tells You About AI, Startups & The Future of Innovation with Mahdi Srour - Co-Founder of Ada IQ

Mahdi Srour is the Founder of AdaIQ, an AI-driven platform
revolutionising product design. He is a 2nd generation immigrant
with Lebanese roots. Mahdi's journey took him from being a 2nd
generation immigrant to RWTH Aachen, working as an AI researcher
at MIT to disrupting industries with AdaIQ. The company uses AI
to predict market trends and optimise product design, reducing
failure rates and costs for global brands. In this episode we
talked to him about how AI will change our lives and businesses,
how to come up with ideas for innovative AI ventures, and what
you really need to succeed in the era of AI.This episode is
hosted by Ahmad Zandnia and Hazhir Javanmardi.





00:00 – Introduction: Meet Mahdi Srour, co-founder of AdaIQ, and
learn about his journey from RWTH Aachen to MIT and AI
entrepreneurship.


01:35 – Curiosity as the Driving Force: How Mahdi’s early
fascination with science and human behavior shaped his career.


02:41 – Scholarships & Community: The impact of the
Stadtstiftung and Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes on Mahdi’s
journey.


04:00 – Breaking Out of Academia: How international experiences
in Beijing, Sweden, and MIT expanded Mahdi’s perspective.


06:35 – The Birth of AdaIQ: How an academic research project
turned into a company shaping the future of product development.


07:39 – What is the Stadtstiftung? Mahdi explains how this
scholarship supports young talents.


08:32 – The Power of Environment: Why open-minded ecosystems are
crucial for innovation.


10:49 – US vs. Germany: Why American founders dream bigger and
what Germany can learn from it.


15:52 – AdaIQ’s Vision: How AI can predict market success before
a product is even made.


19:15 – How It Works: Can AI design your next microphone,
sneaker, or car?


22:47 – The Challenges of AI: How to balance creativity, data,
and real market demand.


25:52 – How to Start an AI Company (Even Without a Tech
Background!)


29:27 – Finding the Right AI Business Model: Where are the
biggest gaps in AI today?


32:52 – What Makes a Great Founder? It’s not what you think…


37:02 – The Immigrant Experience: Mahdi’s personal struggles and
what helped him succeed.


40:52 – AI & Ethics: How can we build AI that actually
benefits humanity?


46:04 – Europe’s AI Future: Is Europe too late to the game?


52:47 – Mahdi’s Biggest Mistakes & Lessons Learned: What he
wishes he knew earlier.


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Visit our Website:https://youngfounders.network/


Visit AdaIQ's Website:https://www.adaiq.com/


Visit Mahdi's LinkedIn
Profile:  / mahdisrour 


 


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