Sabina Abuova
1. Sabina? How do you balance the big vision for Snoonu with your sharp eye for creative details?
Our big vision is to become Qatar’s first unicorn and a regional tech powerhouse, serving as our North Star. It’s what drives us forward. But I believe a vision is only as strong as the millions of tiny details that bring it to life. You cannot build a seamless “super-app” experience by focusing on the macro alone. For me, the balance is natural because the details are the vision. A confusing button, an unattractive interface, or a poorly worded notification can break the user’s trust. My role is to ensure that every pixel, every user journey, and every brand interaction reflects the quality and ambition of our ultimate goal. The grand vision sets the direction, but the creative details build the road we travel on.
2. What’s the biggest challenge in building a “super-app” that feels seamless, not just functional?
The biggest challenge is integration without complexity. Any app can function—you can get food delivered, you can shop for groceries, you can send a package. But making it seamless means the user doesn’t feel the gears shifting between these services. The challenge is in the architecture: creating a single, intuitive digital ecosystem where moving from food delivery to e-commerce feels like walking from one beautifully designed room into another in the same home. It’s about a unified identity, a consistent feel, and a fluid experience. If it’s just a collection of functions bolted together, it feels clunky. If it’s seamless, it feels like magic.
3. Your philosophy balances innovation, beauty, and harmony. How do you apply that to a fast-paced tech company?
You’ve hit on the core of it. In a fast-paced tech environment, the focus is often solely on innovation and speed. But without beauty and harmony, you create a stressful, unsustainable product and culture. Innovation is our engine; it’s what allows us to solve new problems. Beauty is our design language; it’s in our app’s interface, our branding, and our communication; it creates delight and trust. But harmony is the most critical. It’s the operating system for everything else. As I mentioned, the challenge is in finding the right harmony. Harmony between our services, between our teams, between our ambition and our execution. Without it, you cannot be happy, and without a happy team, you cannot build a beautiful or truly innovative product. It’s the glue that holds the vision together.
4. How does your work in real estate and design influence your leadership at Snoonu?
Real estate and design are both about creating spaces where people live, work, and interact. In real estate, you’re not just selling a property; you’re selling a lifestyle, an experience, a feeling of belonging. I bring that same mentality to Snoonu. We’re not just building an app; we’re designing a digital habitat for our users. My design background trains me to notice the flow, the aesthetics, and the user’s emotional journey. It teaches me that form and function are not separate; they are two sides of the same coin. This influences my leadership by ensuring we are always building an experience, not just a utility.
5. What’s one “detail” you’re most proud of in Snoonu’s brand or work environment?
If I had to pinpoint one detail, it wouldn’t be a physical feature of our office or a specific design element in the app. It’s something more profound: the ingrained culture of care that we, as founders, actively drive from the top down. This is my greatest pride.
We consciously built a psychology of support into our company’s DNA. It manifests in tangible ways that go far beyond table tennis or free coffee. For instance, we have implemented mandatory “wellness days” where employees are encouraged, without any stigma, to take a mental health day. We have an open-door policy that is genuinely practiced; it’s a safe space for discussing not only work challenges but also personal ones that may be affecting performance.
This focus on care isn’t soft; it’s strategic. We believe that a team that feels genuinely cared for is more resilient, creative, and loyal. When we notice someone is overworking, we don’t praise them; we check in on them. We’ve designed our workflows to discourage burnout, not reward it. This creates an environment where people aren’t just physically present, but are psychologically safe to bring their whole, best selves to work.
So, the “detail” I’m most proud of is this invisible framework of wellness. It’s the knowledge that our team feels supported as human beings first and employees second. Because when you care for your people with that level of intention, they, in turn, care deeply about the product, our customers, and the mission we are building together. That is the ultimate foundation for everything we do.
6. As a co-founder, how do you blend business strategy with creative direction so effectively?
I see them as inseparable. The business strategy asks, “What should we build and why?” The creative direction asks, “How should we build it and how will it feel?” A brilliant business strategy will fail if the execution is ugly or confusing. Conversely, a beautiful, creative idea without a solid business model is just art. My role is to be the translator between these two worlds. I ensure that our financial targets and market expansion plans are reflected in a brand identity that is trustworthy, appealing, and culturally relevant. It’s about making sure that every strategic decision has a creative expression, and every creative choice serves a strategic purpose.
7. Where do you find inspiration for merging luxury and sustainability in your projects?
I find inspiration in modern Qatari culture itself. There is a deep-rooted respect for our environment and heritage, coexisting with a drive for luxury, excellence, and forward-thinking design. This duality is everywhere—from the architectural marvel of Msheireb Downtown Doha, which blends traditional design with sustainable technology, to the way we as a society value quality and longevity. For me, luxury isn’t about excess; it’s about quality, thoughtfulness, and a superior experience. Sustainability is the ultimate expression of that, it’s about creating something so well-designed and enduring that it minimizes waste and respects its ecosystem. We apply this to Snoonu by building a service that is a premium, reliable part of your daily life (a luxury), while optimizing our logistics to be efficient and reduce our environmental footprint (sustainable).
8. What does “building an enduring company” mean to you, beyond financial success?
Building an enduring company means creating an institution that outlives its founders and becomes a positive, woven thread in the fabric of society. It means we have created a brand that people trust implicitly, a workplace that nurtures talent and shapes future leaders, and a platform that genuinely improves the daily lives of our community. Financial success is the fuel, but the true legacy is the culture we build, the standards we set for the Qatari tech scene, and the proof we provide that a homegrown company can compete and lead on a global stage.
9. How do you approach designing a work environment that impacts thousands of employees?
With immense care and a sense of responsibility. You start with the principle that the environment should enable, not hinder. We focus on flexibility (spaces for collaboration, focus, and relaxation), well-being (light, air, comfort), and inspiration (celebrating our values and successes visually). It’s about creating an ecosystem where people feel valued, safe, and empowered to be creative. We listen to our employees through surveys and open dialogues. Designing for thousands isn’t about imposing a single style; it’s about creating a framework of harmony that allows every individual to find their place and do their best work.
10. If you could define the Snoonu brand in three words, what would they be and why?
- Empowering. We give our users back time and convenience, empowering them to focus on what matters most in their lives.
- Seamless. This is our ultimate promise, a frictionless, integrated experience that simply works.
- Homegrown. We are deeply proud of our Qatari roots. This isn’t just where we operate; it’s who we are. It gives us a unique understanding of our community and a fierce dedication to its growth.
11. How has the rise of Qatari delivery and leasing apps contributed to the local economy?
They have been a catalyst for a digital-first economy. Firstly, they create thousands of jobs, not just for delivery riders but in tech, marketing, logistics, and customer support, fostering a new generation of skilled professionals. Secondly, they provide a powerful platform for small and medium-sized local businesses, from restaurants to retailers, to reach a wider audience and thrive. This keeps capital circulating within the local economy. Finally, companies like Snoonu are attracting significant investment, as our recent deal with Jahez shows, putting Qatar firmly on the map as a hub for innovation and technological entrepreneurship.
12. In what way have delivery and leasing apps changed consumer habits in Qatar?
They have fundamentally rewired expectations around convenience and accessibility. The concept of “on-demand” is now the standard. Consumers expect a world of services to be available at their fingertips, instantly. This has led to a consolidation of daily tasks. Why make multiple trips for food, groceries, and errands when it can be managed from a single platform? It has also fostered a culture of exploration, allowing people to easily discover and try new local restaurants and stores they might not have visited otherwise. In short, these apps have given people the most valuable modern currency: time.
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