Rawan spent years preparing to enter the courtroom. She mastered its language and logic, but deep down, she knew her future lay beyond those walls.
Graduating as a lawyer in 2013, she took a leap of faith, traveling from her hometown of Riyadh to Kuwait to train under experienced female lawyers driven by her belief that women make the best teachers.
That first bold move set the tone for everything that followed, including her later participation in PepsiCo’s Tamakani program.
Rawan built her career by chasing opportunities, reinventing her path, and refusing to stand still. Years later, she became a serial tech entrepreneur. The turning point arrived with the global pandemic, a period that highlighted the indispensable role of virtual tools. She watched as technology became a lifeline for work, education, and connection, and in that moment, Rawan saw a new frontier.
"I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to build something that improves how people work and communicate,” Rawan says.
This led her to found IXMeta, her third tech company. Using virtual reality, it develops immersive training environments placing people in simulated environments such as factory floors or historic sites, to practice complex, and even dangerous, tasks without real-world consequences.
This builds skills and confidence, saves lives and protects heritage. One example is IXMeta’s project with Diriyah Gate, which created a VR construction simulation to train staff while protecting the historic site.
Rawan’s journey reflects the goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. It shows how the country is opening new space for entrepreneurs. She also credits PepsiCo Saudi’s Tamakani program for supporting her growth.
Tamakani, which means “empowerment” in Arabic, is PepsiCo’s initiative to advance female leadership and entrepreneurship in the Kingdom. The program gave Rawan access to clients, mentors, and experts who understood the local market.
“The support I had from Tamakani by PepsiCo took me to where I am today,” she says.
Together, Rawan and Tamakani are shaping a new path for innovation in Saudi Arabia. Their work is building talent and solutions that move Vision 2030 forward.
For Rawan, this is only the beginning. She shares her story with Arab women across the region. Her message is simple: “Dream bigger than your surroundings suggest. Fight for what matters, not just for yourself, but for what it could mean for the Arab world.