I’m Ismail Al Kamal, a multidisciplinary executive and computer engineer passionate about building across both the physical and digital worlds.
I currently lead AlKamal International, managing multi million high end hotel construction projects across Saudi Arabia.
I’m also the founder of Nawatt, where we built Masteri an enterprise grade asset tracking platform used by major real estate developers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
As an active mentor with MIT Professional Education, I enjoy helping others grow in the fields of technology, product development, and innovation. Along the way, I’ve also backed and advised startups like Wahed (Islamic fintech) and Dropby (IoT logistics). Consider joining my substack @ StarterPad.com
Projects & Companies
Specialist Design-Build and Fit-Out Contractor in Saudi Arabia in charge of developing the most prominent hospitality projects in Saudi Arabia such as the Mandarin Oriental Riyadh, Sheraton Makkah, Clarion Jeddah and Baha, Comfort Jeddah and Riyadh as well as Hilton Garden Inn and Embassy Suites Makkah.
Nawatt offers end-to-end fixed assets lifecycle management, including asset register creation, physical asset counting, reconciliation & audit, valuation, tagging & labeling (RFID and barcoding) as well as solution implementation & integration using our flagship solution Masteri. It is an all-in-one solution combining procurement & accounting (with depreciation, approvals and book keeping), maintenance workflow (incident logging, notifications, audit trail), counting & reconciliation (mobile scanning, variance tracking) and real-time tracking & alerts (RFID/barcode + alarms).
PlaneWatch is an innovative, portable aircraft security system developed by the US based aviation tech startup IoTviation, LLC (founded in 2020) to offer “always-onboard” remote monitoring of parked or unattended aircraft using low cost homegrown custom made 4G cameras.
Teaching and Coordinating several programs at MIT Professional Education including the Chief Product Officer, Industry 4.0, Digital Platforms: Designing Two-sided Marketplaces from APIs to Feature Roadmaps and Forecasting Technology Innovation using Data for Strategic Advantage.
StarterPad is part memoir, part educational resource, and part entrepreneurial journal: chronicling how one professional in his 40s is reshaping his life through remote advanced computer science studies, side gigs, and educational innovation to build a sustainable and impactful career path. It’s a blend of lifelong learning, academic ambition, and real-world application documenting remote study, side incomes, and teaching entrepreneurship.
Wahed is a Sharia compliant robo advisor founded in 2015 (Islamic Robinhood alternative) that allows users even novice investors to build globally diversified portfolios adhering to Islamic finance principles by excluding interest‑bearing, vice‑linked, or excessive‑debt securities. Its digital platform uses automated asset allocation across ETFs in global equities, sukuk, and gold, and handles rebalancing, dividends, and purification of non‑halal income.
DropBy is a software solution that modernizes traditional phone-based intercom systems for multi‑family buildings, requiring no hardware upgrades or internet connection. With features like tenant management, DropBy streamlines and secures building access for managers and residents alike.