Naif Al-Mutawa | 2010 Gain Conference

Naif Al-Mutawa

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, creator of The 99, the first comic series based on Islamic culture and history, shares his entrepreneurial journey—from an idea born out of years as a clinical psychologist to Kuwaiti prisoners of war, to a comic book series published in eight languages and counting, to a theme park in Kuwait, to a global animation series produced by Endemol and written by some of Hollywood’s top writers. Al-Mutawa discusses the way one idea can not only reinvent business but can also help change people, cultures and the world.

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa is a Kuwaiti clinical psychologist and the creator of The 99, the first group of comic superheroes born of an Islamic archetype, which has received critical acclaim from around the world. Forbes magazine recently named The 99 one of the “top 20 trends sweeping the globe” and President Barack Obama praised Al-Mutawa as one of the most innovative at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. Al-Mutawa has a master’s degree and PhD in clinical psychology from Long Island University, as well as a master’s in organizational psychology and a MBA from Columbia University. He has extensive clinical experience working with former Kuwaiti prisoners of war and with the Survivors of Political Torture unit of Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He received the Eliot-Pearson Award for Excellence in Children’s Media from Tufts University, the United National Alliance of Civilizations Marketplace of Ideas Award and The Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award, presented at the 2009 World Economic Forum.