Jobedu

Jobedu is a Jordanian lifestyle brand founded in Amman in 2007 by Tamer AlMasri and Michael Makdah. The company began with six graphic designs printed on 600 T-shirts and sold through Souk Jara, a popular Amman street market. Its early operating capital was approximately $4,000, supplemented by seed funding from a friend. The founders returned to the market in 2008 with a more developed brand identity and approximately 4,000 T-shirts, then expanded from market selling into dedicated retail and online commerce. Jobedu opened its first community store in 2009, a second store in 2012, and launched an online store in 2011. The brand’s creative proposition is built around translating Arab culture, language, humor, and visual identity into contemporary apparel and lifestyle products. Its designs often combine Arabic, English, and Arabizi, the informal use of Latin characters and numerals to write Arabic online. Wordplay and local references are placed alongside imagery and themes drawn from internationally recognized film, television, and popular culture. The name Jobedu refers to Jordan’s Bedouins, whom the brand associates with resourcefulness, adaptability, and entrepreneurship. Jobedu’s range has included T-shirts, hoodies, onesies, posters, bags, mugs, notebooks, sketchbooks, laptop cases, stickers, key rings, bookmarks, and other household or gift items. The company has worked with Arab illustrators and designers including Mothanna Hussein, Hadi Alaeddin, Warsheh, Lutfi Zayed, Dina Fakhawri, and ABNO. It has also developed licensed or collaborative interpretations of internationally known characters. In March 2018, Jobedu signed an agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to create Arab-inspired designs featuring characters including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The business expanded beyond direct-to-consumer fashion into merchandise production through Merchmallow, a related merchandise company. Merchmallow produced branded merchandise for other organizations and reportedly represented about 40 percent of Jobedu’s revenue in 2015. Jobedu also distributed products through Virgin Megastores in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Bahrain, giving it a regional retail presence beyond its own stores and online channels. Jobedu has functioned as more than an apparel label. It became associated with Amman’s creative scene and brought together artists, writers, illustrators, musicians, and street artists. From 2010, the company participated in the alternative music ecosystem by producing albums, supporting musicians, printing merchandise, and selling music. In 2016 it established the Jobedu Film Shop as a pop-up at the Royal Film Commission in Amman; 20 percent of sales from that initiative supported Jordanian films. The brand also partnered with the Dubai International Film Festival from 2014 to 2015 and supported community initiatives such as Feed The Artists, the Jordan River Foundation, and the Jabal Amman Residence Association. In 2014, Jobedu used the Eureeca crowdfunding platform to raise growth capital. The campaign exceeded its $100,000 target within four days and ultimately raised $119,000 from 28 investors, mainly from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The campaign was described as a record for Eureeca at the time, with the company’s pre-fundraising valuation reported as $2 million. In 2022, Jobedu was acquired by Novajax, a United States technology and blockchain startup. Publicly available reference material does not establish the brand’s current operating structure, leadership, or post-acquisition status.

Jobedu was established in Amman in 2007 by Tamer AlMasri and Michael Makdah as a brand inspired by Arab popular culture. The founders initially printed six designs on 600 T-shirts and sold them at Souk Jara, an Amman street market. The venture began with approximately $4,000 and an initial seed contribution from a friend. In 2008, the founders returned with a clearer brand identity and a substantially larger stock of about 4,000 T-shirts. The company developed a physical retail presence with its first community store in 2009 and a second store in 2012. It also launched an online store in 2011. Jobedu’s products centered on graphic design, Arabic language, local humor, and regional cultural references, while incorporating elements of global film, television, and popular culture. Its use of Arabic, English, and Arabizi helped the brand speak to a digitally connected regional audience. Jobedu became part of Amman’s wider creative movement. It collaborated with artists, illustrators, writers, musicians, and street artists, and supported Jordanian alternative music by producing albums, printing merchandise, and selling recordings from 2010 onward. Its activities later expanded into film and community projects. A Jobedu Film Shop operated as a pop-up at the Royal Film Commission in Amman in 2016, directing 20 percent of sales toward support for Jordanian films. The company was also a partner of the Dubai International Film Festival between 2014 and 2015. In 2014, Jobedu raised capital through Eureeca. Its campaign surpassed a $100,000 target in four days and raised $119,000 from 28 investors, most of them based in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The company’s pre-fundraising valuation was reported as $2 million, and the campaign was characterized as a record for Eureeca. Jobedu simultaneously expanded its commercial reach through Virgin Megastores in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Bahrain. The business also created Merchmallow, a merchandise-production operation serving other companies and organizations. Merchmallow reportedly contributed approximately 40 percent of Jobedu’s revenue in 2015, although detailed financial statements are not available in the cited reference material. Jobedu’s product portfolio expanded from T-shirts into hoodies, onesies, posters, bags, notebooks, sketchbooks, mugs, stickers, laptop cases, key rings, bookmarks, and other accessories. The company worked with Arab designers including Mothanna Hussein, Hadi Alaeddin, Warsheh, Lutfi Zayed, Dina Fakhawri, and ABNO. In 2018 it signed a Warner Bros. Consumer Products deal to reinterpret characters such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman through an Arab creative lens. The brand’s cultural positioning was reinforced through charitable and community activity, including support for Feed The Artists, the Jordan River Foundation, and the Jabal Amman Residence Association. In 2022, Novajax, a United States technology and blockchain startup, acquired Jobedu. The available sources do not specify the acquisition price, current management, or whether all of Jobedu’s retail and creative activities continued unchanged after the transaction.

• 2022

  Acquisition by Novajax

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  Novajax acquires Jobedu; transaction terms and post-acquisition operations are not detailed in the available reference.

• 2018

  Warner Bros. licensing agreement

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  Jobedu signs an agreement to create Arab-inspired merchandise featuring Warner Bros. characters.

• 2016

  Jobedu Film Shop opens

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  A pop-up Film Shop opens at the Royal Film Commission in Amman, with part of its sales supporting Jordanian films.

• 2014

  Eureeca crowdfunding campaign

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  Jobedu raises $119,000 from 28 investors after exceeding its $100,000 target within four days.

• 2012

  Second store opens

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  The company opens a second retail location.

• 2011

  Online store launches

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  Jobedu establishes an online sales channel.

• 2010

  Jobedu enters alternative music support

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  The company begins producing albums, supporting musicians, printing merchandise, and selling music connected with the region’s alternative music scene.

• 2009

  First community store opens

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  Jobedu opens its first community-oriented retail store.

• 2008

  The brand identity and product stock expand

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  The founders return with a defined brand identity and approximately 4,000 T-shirts.

• 2007

  Jobedu is founded in Amman

  [1]Jobeduen.wikipedia.org

  Tamer AlMasri and Michael Makdah establish Jobedu and begin selling a small collection of graphic T-shirts at Souk Jara.

A Jordanian streetwear and lifestyle label using Arab language, humor, visual culture, and creative talent to produce locally resonant products with regional and global popular-culture appeal.

• Apparel · 2007

  Graphic T-shirts

  Jobedu’s original and most recognizable product category uses graphic designs, Arabic and English text, Arabizi wordplay, and references to Arab identity and everyday culture. Some designs combine these local elements with global popular-culture imagery.

• Apparel

  Hoodies and onesies

  The apparel range expanded beyond T-shirts to include hoodies and onesies carrying Jobedu’s illustrated, typographic, and culturally referential design language.

• Lifestyle products

  Accessories and lifestyle goods

  The brand has offered posters, bags, laptop cases, mugs, notebooks, sketchbooks, stickers, key rings, bookmarks, and artistic household items, extending its design system into gifts and everyday objects.

• Licensed merchandise · 2018

  Warner Bros. character merchandise

  Following its 2018 agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Jobedu developed Arab-inspired interpretations of characters including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

• Custom merchandise

  Merchmallow

  Merchmallow is Jobedu’s merchandise-production operation for companies and organizations. It broadened the business from consumer retail into commissioned and branded merchandise, and reportedly represented about 40 percent of Jobedu’s revenue in 2015.

• 2016Jobedu Film Shop

  Jordan

  Jobedu operated a pop-up shop at the Royal Film Commission in Amman to sell film-related products and merchandise.

  Outcome. Twenty percent of sales supported Jordanian films.

  Source
• 2014Eureeca crowdfunding campaign

  Jordan · United Arab Emirates · Saudi Arabia · Kuwait

  Jobedu used Eureeca to seek $100,000 in growth funding. The campaign exceeded its target in four days and raised $119,000 from 28 investors, most of whom were from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

  Outcome. The campaign was described as a record for Eureeca. The company’s reported pre-fundraising valuation was $2 million.

  Source

• 2022

  Acquisition by NovajaxM&A

  Background

  Jobedu was acquired by Novajax, a United States technology and blockchain startup.

  Action taken

  Novajax acquired the Jobedu brand and business.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition was reported, but the available material does not disclose its price, management arrangements, or the brand’s subsequent operating status.

  Source

• 2018

  Develop Arab-inspired Warner Bros. merchandiseProduct launch

  Background

  Jobedu sought to extend its cultural design approach to internationally recognized entertainment properties.

  Action taken

  The company signed a Warner Bros. Consumer Products agreement covering characters such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

  Aftermath

  The agreement expanded Jobedu’s licensed-product portfolio, although detailed sales or distribution results are not available.

  Source

• 2014

  Use crowdfunding to finance expansionStrategy

  Background

  Jobedu sought external growth capital while expanding its retail, online, and regional distribution footprint.

  Action taken

  The company launched an equity crowdfunding campaign through Eureeca with a $100,000 target.

  Aftermath

  The campaign raised $119,000 from 28 investors and was reported as a record for the platform.

  Crowdfunding raised. $100,000 target → $119,000 raised (2014)

  Source

1. 1Jobeduen.wikipedia.org