Wassef Haroun

Wassef Haroun, is a Syrian born US national with over 40 years as a software technology and business leader. Wassef grew up in the Beirut, Damascus, Dubai and has lived in Seattle with a few breaks since '89.

Wassef started his career with Microsoft in Redmond developing Arabic and Hebrew versions of DOS, Windows and Word, producing the world’s first rich fully bilingual GUI apps for the Middle East. In ‘93 he moved to the Windows 95 team where he managed the internet connection functionality (TCP/IP and DUN/PPP) that put the internet in the hands of millions for the first time. Then he built a a series of Windows technologies to enhance PCs and evolve hardware. While at Microsoft, Wassef was an active Angel investor and board member in many west coast, East Coast , European and Middle Eastern startups. Wassef left Microsoft in ‘00 and moved to Paris, France where he founded the VC partnership Netcatalyst France with several leading technology execs and subsequently became a startup founder and executive until his last startup Pi was acquired in ’09.

In 2011 Wassef and his spouse Racha launched mamnoon restaurant bringing the best of Syrian, Lebanese and Persian cuisine in one of the most contemporary settings in Capitol Hill. They grew the business to form the mama restaurant group (nadimama.com) focused on delivering the bounty of Levantine cuisine spanning all types of dining experiences in Seattle, Kirkland and through wholesale of packaged products under the mamnoon brand in the PNW.

Wassef has BA in maths/computer science. He’s an avid music lover with occasional shadow life as dj wawa. He is into outdoors sports and triathlon activities. He’s fluent in Arabic, English, French.