Food & Drink Saudi prince backs US lamb-flavoured plant startup KBW Ventures, the venture capital firm founded by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, was one of the prime investors in a $12.3 million fundraising round by a San Francisco-based foodtech startup developing plant-based meat products that taste like lamb. Founded in 2019, Black Sheep Foods also attracted investment from other US-based plant-based venture veterans […] December 9, 2022
Banking & Finance Further slowdown before a rebound, says UAE VC firm Following years of rapid growth, the Gulf’s venture capital (VC) ecosystem has slowed down, in line with global trends. But the region’s underlying strengths and appetite for VC deals mean it will pick back up again late next year, experts from Apex Group have told AGBI. “Up until about three months ago, we were still […] December 1, 2022
Exclusive Development Cherie Blair ‘optimistic’ for Middle East entrepreneurial equality Nearly 20 years ago, Cherie Blair CBE, leading King’s Counsel and committed campaigner for women’s rights, predicted that the UAE would lead the Middle East’s drive on gender equality. Her first visit to the GCC region – during her husband Tony’s 10-year stint as British Prime Minister – was promptly followed by the appointment of […] November 14, 2022
LONG READ The business of sleep: from beating jet lag to space-age linen “I think it’s probably the easiest topic in the world because everybody is interested in it,” says Lilburne Opie, founder and CEO of Dubai-based company Linen Obsession, when we meet for this interview. She’s talking about sleep, which, like breathing, eating and drinking, is a vital necessity. “Even if you get enough time in bed, […] November 14, 2022
How I got to the top Entrepreneurs Abdulrahman Ali Alolayan Abdulrahman Ali Alolayan is founding CEO of Dammam BioTech Valley, a leading biotech innovation and research hub in Saudi Arabia. He is also founder of the Taibah Valley biotech investment company and a board member of various private and public companies. What does your company do? At Dammam BioTech Valley we pave the way for […] November 11, 2022
Exclusive Interviews ‘The metaverse can change the way we school our children’ Some schools still rely on more traditional teaching methods but an Emirati entrepreneur believes the metaverse has the potential to extend the physical classroom experience. Using blended learning options such as augmented and virtual reality technologies, Amin Al Zarouni, CEO of UAE-based Web3 company Bedu, is aiming to give the Gulf’s education system an overhaul. […] October 23, 2022
Exclusive Lifestyle UAE hybrid working leads to 90% rise in demand for home cleaners The rise of hybrid working during the coronavirus pandemic has seen Gulf residents spending more time at home, leading to a surge in demand for domestic cleaning services. This has spurred growth in the wider on-demand home services industry, but investments in technology and manpower and rising business costs in the UAE has resulted in […] October 16, 2022
How I got to the top Lifestyle Medhat Karam, ArpuPlus Medhat Karam is CEO and managing director of ArpuPlus, a telecommunications service which provides entertainment and communication solutions across the Middle East and North Africa. ArpuPlus was set up in 2003 and is a subsidiary of A15, a Cairo-based venture capital firm. What does your company do? Entertainment-wise, we specialise in affordable music, video, gaming, […] September 16, 2022
How I got to the top Food & Drink Fernando Trocca, Masterchef Argentinian-born restaurateur Fernando Trocca is masterchef at Sucre, an international restaurant chain. Known for its open-fire cooking, the Latino eatery has repeatedly made its way onto the world’s 50 Best Latin American restaurants. A second location opened in London in 2021, and its newest dining space has just launched in Dubai International Financial Centre. What do you […] September 9, 2022
How I got to the top Development Shrook Mansour Bin Sultan, head of government affairs for Saudi Arabia, 3M Shrook Mansour Bin Sultan is the new head of government affairs in Saudi Arabia for US multinational conglomerate 3M, which operates in the fields of industry, worker safety, US healthcare and consumer goods. Her responsibilities include leading the company’s public policy initiatives, such as engagement opportunities with government entities to support the kingdom’s policymakers on […] August 26, 2022
Female startups face ‘bias’ over funding in Middle East Startups founded by female entrepreneurs accounted for just 0.1 percent of the $105 million in funding raised in July, the lowest monthly level so far this year. Data compiled by Wamda, the largest early-stage investment fund in the Middle East, found that a total of $136,000 was raised by female-led startups last month, while those […] August 17, 2022
How I got to the top Manufacturing Sara Chemmaa, founder, Citron Founded in 2018, Dubai-based Citron creates sustainable lifestyle products for toddlers, children and adults. What do you look for when hiring talent? Having built Citron from the ground up, I know just how important it is to surround yourself with the right “village” to help things progress. My first priority when hiring is to find people […] August 12, 2022
Food & Drink Meet the Irishman selling ice in the desert In the ever-competitive Dubai bar and restaurant market, a new supplier has launched this week, aiming to offer venues another unique selling point: high quality, hand-cut ice. Since he officially launched on August 1, John Gillespie, founder of Artisan Ice Co., has been targeting the top 30 venues in the city and he said the […] August 6, 2022
How I got to the top Lifestyle Sonal Vara-Parmar, founder IAM Entertainment What does your company do? Based in Dubai, IAM works at the forefront of events and live shows across the Middle East, bringing together the biggest stars on the planet. What do you look for when hiring talent? We look for dynamic creators – innovative and versatile, trustworthy individuals willing to go the extra mile […] July 29, 2022
How I got to the top Construction Nisreen Kayyali, founder and lead architect What does your company do? Nisreen Kayyali Consulting Engineers is a group of architects, engineers, and interior designers that specialises in the design and supervision of residential projects in the UAE. What inspired you to develop your idea? Ever since I graduated from university as an architect in 1997, I’ve dreamed about establishing a firm […] July 22, 2022
People & Lifestyle 20 MENA innovators to watch Meet the young game changers who have set their sights on transforming the Middle East and North Africa July 20, 2022
How I got to the top Retail Nidhima Kohli, CEO, Beauty Tribe What does your company do? Beauty Tribe is the first regional beauty pure play e-commerce site offering customers a curated shopping experience provided by beauty professionals – with a unique three-hour delivery time. It improves on the experiences shoppers are having elsewhere online: struggling with many counterfeit products, long delivery times, or lacking information on […] July 15, 2022
How I got to the top Manufacturing Ziad Bushnaq and Faisal Al Majali, Delektia founders What does your company do? We are a UAE-based food product development company that produces frozen, fully-cooked, and ready-to-heat-and-eat meals that are healthy and free of preservatives. We like to think our product line gives consumers a taste of home. How I got to the top: Erika Blazeviciute Doyle, Drink Dry How I got to […] July 8, 2022
Exclusive Tech Pure Harvest aims to grow UAE’s next $1bn unicorn startup “Why did such a promising young man leave Silicon Valley to grow tomatoes in the desert?”. It’s a question Stanford University business graduate and former private equity investor Sky Kurtz says he gets asked a lot, even by his own father-in-law. “My wife’s father thought I’d lost my mind. He was literally like, ‘there’s something […] July 4, 2022
How I got to the top Real Estate Mamad Kashani Akhavan, CEO, Powerhouse Real Estate What does your company do? We’re aiming to reinvent real estate by educating brokers and expanding their knowledge in the field. We’ve implemented a simple training programme for each new joiner to ensure their quality of performance in the market. Once they’re released into what we call “the sales floor”, they’re ready to enter the […] July 1, 2022
Dubai takes roadshow to Africa, India and Europe to court startups Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy has launched a new roadshow series in Africa to attract global startups to the city, with plans to expand the initiative to India and Europe. The first roadshow took place in Ethiopia and Kenya where a delegation from the Chamber met with 20 promising African scaleups specialising in advanced technologies […] June 27, 2022
Lifestyle How I got to the top: Heidi Shara, CEO and founder of Wear That What does your company do? Wear That is a digital platform that creates personalised looks for women to try on before they buy in the comfort of their own home, with a real-life personal stylist. What inspired you to develop your idea? Having styled thousands of women all over the world in both luxury and […] June 24, 2022
