# Ahmed Al Rawi

> Ahmed Al Rawi is the Bahraini co-founder and CEO of Calo Inc., founded in Bahrain in 2019 with Moayed Almoayed. He previously co-founded sports-booking app Malaeb. His public essays examine business selection, decision-making, customer demand and execution, and he has described advising and investing in early-stage founders.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Calo Inc.
- **Organizations:** Calo Inc., Malaeb
- **Nationality:** Bahraini
- **Education:** University of Bahrain
- **Known for:** Co-founded Malaeb, which reported more than 5,000 registered players and enthusiasts four months after its May 2016 launch., Reported more than 200,000 Malaeb users and over $5 million in app bookings when announcing his departure as CEO., Co-founded Calo from a $2,000 proof of concept.

## Career timeline

- **2016** — Co-founded Malaeb; the football pitch-booking app launched in May at seven locations in Bahrain.
- **2019** — Announced he was stepping down as Malaeb CEO after roughly three years to explore other opportunities; co-founded Calo in Bahrain later that year.
- **2021** — Calo launched in Saudi Arabia; Khwarizmi Ventures documents the first Saudi deliveries in June.
- **2024** — Calo raised a $25 million Series B led by Nuwa Capital in December.
- **2025** — Calo expanded into the UK through Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen, then announced a $39 million Series B extension in July, bringing Series B funding to $64 million.
- **2026** — Calo announced its UK closure in May and a renewed focus on six GCC markets; existing UK deliveries were scheduled through June 30.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Malaeb, which reported more than 5,000 registered players and enthusiasts four months after its May 2016 launch.
- Reported more than 200,000 Malaeb users and over $5 million in app bookings when announcing his departure as CEO.
- Co-founded Calo from a $2,000 proof of concept.
- Led Calo through a $64 million Series B, comprising $25 million in December 2024 and a $39 million July 2025 extension.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Calo announced closure of its UK operations and refocusing on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman; final existing UK deliveries were scheduled for June 30.
- **2026-02** — StartUp Bahrain published a retrospective featuring Al Rawi’s explanation of Bahrain as a pilot market for Calo.
- **2025-10** — Published the essay Quality of Judgement and Intensity of Execution on Ahmed Thinks.
- **2025-07** — Calo announced a $39 million Series B extension led by AlJazira Capital.

## Links

- Website: https://alrawi.me/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rawi/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ahmedtherawi

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ahmed-al-rawi
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23