The episode's argument in one paragraph. Products can be copied, but knowledge that has been researched, published and patented cannot. Companies that want to last therefore need knowledge assets. That means research centres, papers, patents and the people who can turn them into products. Big companies around the world do this routinely. In Saudi Arabia it happens mostly at giants like Aramco and SABIC. Salman Butt, who co-founded the e-commerce platform Salla and later KnowledgeX, explains how the pipeline works, why it is hard to fund, and what it looks like when it works. His example is a forecast that helped a merchant sell out his warehouse before Eid.
How to use this site. Watch the episode and keep this open beside it. Every chapter links to the exact minute where each point is made. Each chapter then explains the idea in plain words and adds context and sources.
The eight chapters
- 01 What technology and deep tech mean In the video · 1:34
- 02 Deep tech in practice: reading heat In the video · 11:53
- 03 Why companies build research centres In the video · 18:31
- 04 From research to patent In the video · 27:52
- 05 Forecasting: the Eid warehouse story In the video · 33:08
- 06 Sponsored research and the Saudi ecosystem In the video · 45:59
- 07 Patents as assets: three routes to money In the video · 55:02
- 08 Founders, teams and AI In the video · 1:06:37
About the guest
Salman Butt co-founded Salla in Makkah in 2016 with Nawaf Hariri, and served as its CTO. He holds an MSc in Information Systems Management from the University of Liverpool (MBSC profile). Salla's research and innovation centre, founded in 2022, later spun out as KnowledgeX, which he leads.
This is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with Salla, KnowledgeX or the podcast.