Ahmed Abu ElHaz

Ahmed Abu ElHaz is a social impact entrepreneur and the founder of Shezlong, an online mental health platform based in Egypt.1 He is passionate about improving healthcare, particularly in the field of mental health, and also serves as a startup mentor.1

Professional Background

Ahmed founded Shezlong in February 2014 and served as its CEO until June 2021.1 Shezlong is an affordable, anonymous online psychotherapy platform that connects users with professional, licensed therapists.1 The platform aims to provide accessible mental health support to people across the Arab world.2

After his tenure at Shezlong, Ahmed took on the role of CEO at Adzily, a Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) network focused on audience targeting, from March 2022 to January 2024.1

Entrepreneurial Journey

Ahmed's journey into entrepreneurship was inspired by his personal experience with depression. Unable to find professional online mental health support in the MENA region, he created Shezlong to address this gap.2 The platform has since grown significantly, with over 200 therapists from 20 countries speaking 7 different languages.2

Achievements

Under Ahmed's leadership, Shezlong has:

• Raised $666,000 USD in funding
• Expanded to a team of 40 members
• Supported more than 70,000 people with mental health issues in the MENA region3

Ahmed's work with Shezlong has been recognized internationally. The company was selected as one of the ten winners for the Entrepreneur Migration Prize by HSD.2

Education and Early Career

Ahmed holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at Mansoura University, which he completed between 2004 and 2010.1 His career began in the tech industry, working as an Instructional Designer at CairoIT Solutions and later transitioning into marketing and business development roles at various companies.1