Proust Goes Tech With Hussam Hammo, Founder And CEO Of Tamatem

Hussam Hammo is the Founder and CEO of Tamatem, a 500 Startups-backed company that aims to localize global mobile gaming apps for the Arab world.

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Hammo was introduced to his interest in computer science and gaming in an internet cafe in Amman as a kid. He went on to study computer science at Princess Sumaya University for Technology in his home town. There he received the Queen Rania Award for Entrepreneurship for his social media startup Faye3.com which was acquired by Maktoob (which was then acquired by Yahoo!).

Crunchbase News spoke with Hussam about his passion for solving problems and ambivalence toward twitter. His experience as a determined entrepreneur who gets up after falling was evident in his candor and confidence.

What would you otherwise be doing right now?

Solving a problem. Maybe it would be outside of gaming, but over the years I’ve had like 200 ideas that I wanted to do but didn’t.

What is your main fault? 

I worry too much.

The quality you most desire in a tweet? 

Can you believe that I don’t really use Twitter? I’ve just never been a fan of Twitter. Whenever I try to use it I just retweet a couple of things, write a couple of things, and then forget about it for another month. I don’t know why. I really put the effort into it, but I’ve never been able to crack it!

What is your idea of misery?

Ignorance.

What do you appreciate the most in your friends?

Compassion.

What is your chief characteristic?

Resilience and persistence in my work and in my life.

What skill do you wish you wish you possessed? 

Programming skills!

What was your most impactful book?

The Twenty Two Immutable Laws Of Marketing. It was the first time someone gifted me a book. It made me see things in a different perspective. I was in my very first job, and someone gave me the book and told me to read it. It ended up being really mind blowing.

What defines success for you?

Being able to stand up after falling.

When is confidence lost?

When the people around you no longer support you.

Which buzzword is exhausted?

Uhh… a lot. Cryptocurrency, 3D printing….

What virtues do others have that you don’t?

Patience? Maybe.

What impact do you want to leave behind?

I want people to use the Arabic language more often.

What is the biggest problem tech is failing to solve? 

Physical communication between people. And it’s the same everywhere. I think people are getting more and more disconnected from each other. This is a global phenomenon. Everyone is really just relying on their phones and technology in general. What if technology fails one day? I believe we’d all be doomed.