Teach Middle East Magazine September 2014 Issue 1 Vol. 2 | Page 35

A Moment With

T

he 21st century has heralded
a change in the way the world
conducts business. Through
technology and social media
platforms, we are able to see more, do
more and experience the world in new
ways.
One such experience is that we
are allowed snapshots of some
talented, assiduous and innovative
personalities. These pioneers are
equipped with tenacity, drive and in
some instances sheer genius. They
have taken simple ideas and created
thriving businesses. What makes them
more impressive is that they belong to
a school of divergent thinkers who are
willing to push the boundaries. Paul
Kenny, founder and CEO of cobone.
com and Triperna is poised as one
of these influential entrepreneurs to
watch within the business community
of the UAE and MENA region.

My next venture was called Triperna.
com. This is an online travel agency
where you can book your next
hotel/holiday stay. We launched in
November and we have hundreds of
amazing destinations on our site. We
are growing very quickly. This is such
an electrifying business to be in as the
travel industry in the Middle East is
growing at such a fast rate. The market
sits at over $35bn and is expected
to grow significantly, especially with
Dubai Expo 2020 and the Qatar World
Cup coming soon.
My 3rd venture is called Emerge
Ventures, which is a company that
looks to invest in the best technology
entrepreneurs in the Middle East.
We have already made a number of

you should ask yourself. How big is
the problem that you are solving and
do you have something unique that
nobody else is doing? The third thing
would be a bit of advice. Focus on the
long term and don’t give up at the first
challenge.
Do you have a philosophy that
you use to guide some of the key
business decisions that you make?
If yes, what is this?
PK: Yes. I always hire people that are
better than me. In fact, they are ten
times better than me. That way, I get the
best possible advice for key business
decisions that I need to make. It has
taken me some time to master hiring
the best people. But when you do, you
know it because your business just
grows so fast. We have an amazing
team at Cobone and Triperna and our
results show that.

In 2007, a very ambitious Paul left his
home in Galway, Ireland to assume
the role of an intern with the Jumeirah
Group (JG). After resigning his position
with the JG, he worked his way up
through a number of different jobs.
Three years later, in August 2010, his
first company cobone.com, a ‘Daily
Deal’ website which provides money
saving offers to online shoppers in the
Middle East, went live.

What was your last luxury purchase?

Paul currently wears the hats of
innovator, business leader and architect
of his own dreams. Still, the underlining
message in his amazing success story
is that of his unrelenting determination
which has resulted in the creation and
preservation of his dreams.

PK: Travel by far is my favourite thing
to do. I love to explore new cities, find
new ideas and h