# Yousef Shamoun

> Yousef Shamoun is the Jordanian co-founder and CEO of ZenHR, a cloud HR and payroll software business serving the Middle East and North Africa. He also co-founded Akhtaboot and Jawaker, the gaming company acquired by Stillfront in 2021 for $205 million in upfront consideration. His career connects regional recruitment, culturally familiar games, and locally adapted employment software.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at ZenHR
- **Organizations:** ZenHR, Akhtaboot, Jawaker, Bank of Jordan, Entrepreneurs’ Organization Jordan
- **Nationality:** Jordanian
- **Education:** Undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, MBA, Finance and Entrepreneurship, Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded recruitment platform Akhtaboot., Co-founded Jawaker, acquired by Stillfront for $205 million in upfront consideration in 2021., Led ZenHR through its announced $10 million growth round in 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Began developing Akhtaboot in August with his partners.
- **2007** — Akhtaboot launched in June.
- **2009** — Co-founded Jawaker, whose launch and early development were described in an April 2009 interview with Mohamad Haj Hasan.
- **2016-2020** — Served on the board of Entrepreneurs’ Organization Jordan.
- **2017** — Became co-founder and CEO of ZenHR.
- **2021** — Joined Bank of Jordan’s board as an independent non-executive member on April 19.
- **2021** — Stillfront announced its Jawaker acquisition in September and completed it October 4 for $205 million in upfront consideration.
- **2022** — ZenHR announced a $10 million growth round led by Rua Growth Fund.
- **2023** — Announced as a LEAP23 speaker on mistakes first-time SaaS founders should avoid.
- **2026** — ZenHR opened its sixth regional office in Cairo and announced plans to invest more than EGP 150 million in Egypt over two years.

## Achievements

- Co-founded recruitment platform Akhtaboot.
- Co-founded Jawaker, acquired by Stillfront for $205 million in upfront consideration in 2021.
- Led ZenHR through its announced $10 million growth round in 2022.
- Appointed an independent non-executive Bank of Jordan board member in 2021.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — October 20 reporting described the opening of ZenHR’s sixth regional office in Cairo, plans for more than EGP 150 million in Egyptian investment over two years, and more than 2,500 active corporate customers across 11 countries.
- **2025-04** — An April 2025 Bank of Jordan exchange disclosure lists Shamoun among elected board members.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousefshamoun

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/yousef-shamoun
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21