Racha Issam Fadda
Co-Founder/Chief Design Officer
One of Racha’s oldest memories of design goes back to her childhood; as a young girl, her parents encouraged her curiosity and encouraged her to wander around their family house, rearranging furniture and accentuating coffee tables. She was still very young when she was trusted with choosing the main wallpaper for the living room, and she chose a multi-patterned visual depicting an African lady whose smile still resonates with her soul today, reflecting a continuous search for a world rich with diversity and culture.
Racha’s cultural journey thrived during her childhood travels, as she wandered the cobbled streets of old towns, climbed stairs of historic buildings and engaged with artworks in museums. Her family always chose to stay in traditional guest houses in residential districts to truly taste, smell and feel each city, town and country they visited. As a curious little girl, she fell in love with the cultural heritage of all these different lands, which helped fuel her passion for design and architecture.
Racha studied Political Science and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut; during that period she got immersed in cultural studies. Later, she decided to connect her passion for culture and civilizations with her passion for design and architecture; she pursued The Inchbald Certificate of Interior Design and Decoration in London.
Racha has worked for over 8 years with the most talented designers on residential and commercial projects in Jeddah. She learned about the market for fabrics, wallpaper and furniture in Saudi Arabia, while continuing to explore exhibitions in design cities such as Milan, New York and Los Angeles. She then got the chance to establish Kultural Studio, an interior design agency, where she integrated the cultural journeys of clients to provide better living experiences. Today, she has partnered up with a dear friend who is also passionate about design, and they have come together to create ZIRA
Founder of Taurus Ventures, a human centered venture builder which brings disruptive ideas to life; ideas that are simple yet big enough for the world to fall in love with.
With 26 years of design thinking experience, Ziad always looks at the big idea, the big picture and always keeps the objective clear and in focus by simplifying it and keeping the perspective simple, practical and purposeful.
Growing up, Ziad’s life was filled with experiences that taught him that life is too real to be addressed ideologically; he believes people are in need of simplicity and common sense, an approach through understanding that no one can argue with, one that aims to remind people of the big picture.
That understanding helped Ziad as he started his first entrepreneurial venture in the world of digital signage, Spotmedia. Within 3 years of operation, Spotmedia became the leading digital signage company in the MENA region with offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Continuing on the path of being an entrepreneur, Ziad co-founded several ventures in the areas of technology & innovation including Miqlaa, an innovation-focused company for building entrepreneurship accelerators, incubators and programs that feed into creating the new economy.
Today, the Taurus Ventures’ ecosystem of companies range from design consultancy, eCommerce, and F&B to social media technology, streaming platforms, interior/furniture design, and real estate development & prop-tech.
Ziad Jarrar
Co-Founder