Analysis Finance & Banking Venture builder launches new $200m fund in Abu Dhabi Further, a new venture building and investment firm in Abu Dhabi, has launched a $200 million fund dedicated to co-creating ventures focused on digital assets, fintech and supply chain. Backed by ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, Further seeks to partner with entrepreneurs as an institutional co-founder to launch and grow new ventures. […] September 27, 2022
Startups Tech startup aims to spice up India’s agriculture trade with GCC Indian startup Ninjacart has launched Ninja Global, a new digital platform for agricultural export-import businesses in the UAE and other countries in the Gulf. Ninjacart operates in over 150 markets across agri-commodities, was valued at almost $1bn this year, and is backed by retail giant Walmart and India’s Tiger Global among others. Its Ninja Global is […] September 26, 2022
Analysis Startups UAE experts warn investors about ‘under-regulated fintech’ Financial technology (fintech) startups have been big business for investors and consumers in the UAE, but experts have raised concerns about whether they are under-regulated. Fintech startup funding saw steep growth in the UAE in the first half of this year, accounting for a third of all deals, well above the Middle East and North […] September 2, 2022
Analysis Startups Startup exits escalate in UAE The UAE is seeing an increase in startup exits this year, as the market matures while bigger players look to acquisitions to scale up their operations. The UAE Venture Investment Report, by research firm Magnitt, states that there were 10 startup exits in the Emirates in the first half of 2022, just one less than […] August 19, 2022
Startups 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
Analysis Startups The billion-dollar question: what does it take to make a unicorn? Can the UAE meet its target of being home to 20 unicorns by 2031? Only if entrepreneurs, venture capital and the government work together to build companies that can truly “translate across borders”, according to experts. Today the UAE has just three startups valued at $1 billion: Vista Global, Emerging Market Property Group and Kitopi. […] August 1, 2022
Analysis Startups MENA startup funding poised to recover in second half of 2022 Last year was a standout for Middle East and North African startups in which many notable records were broken, including the largest funding round to date and the highest number of deals. The total amount of investment raised by regional startups was pushed to $2.8 billion across 639 deals. This constituted a quadrupling of investment, […] July 29, 2022
Opinion Health & Wellness Mark your diaries: the human longevity revolution is coming Ageing populations can be a challenge, but they're a huge opportunity too. By 2030, spending by senior citizens will make up 10 percent of global GDP July 25, 2022
Analysis Startups The Surpluss aims to be ‘Airbnb of business’ in Dubai Just like Airbnb offered an alternative to hotels and Uber challenged the taxi market, Dubai-based Rana Hajirasouli says she wants to “instigate a paradigm shift” to disrupt how companies manage their business resources, while playing a key role in the circular economy. Hajirasouli plans to launch The Surpluss next month, and the best way to […] July 25, 2022
Startups 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
Opinion Startups Banks should set aside pride and embrace their fintech peers Traditional financial players need to be bold – and accept that the market needs fintech entrepreneurs July 20, 2022
Startups Think women make bad bosses? Think again, says Visa senior VP Is a man better at running a business than a woman? The Visa Entrepreneur Study, commissioned by the global payments giant, found that nearly four in 10 (38 percent) of male business owners surveyed in the UAE believed men have better business instincts than women. Furthermore, 34 percent said businesses founded by women couldn’t compete […] July 19, 2022
People & 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
Exclusive Travel & Hospitality Dubai unveils plan to transform Expo 2020 site into free zone The Expo 2020 Dubai site is to be transformed into the emirate’s newest business free zone – and is being lined up as a possible venue for more of the world’s biggest events, executives have told AGBI. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the UAE and the ruler […] June 21, 2022
Analysis Startups Forget the gloom, startup funding will bounce back The global slowdown in venture capital funding for startups has spread to the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), with May proving to be lowest month so far this year. But local experts believe that while new trends are emerging within the sector, it will rebound quickly in the second half of the year. Global […] June 17, 2022
Startups Egypt dominates Mena startup funding rankings in May The amount of funding raised by startups in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) rose 62.7 percent year-on-year in May. But it still declined 40 percent month-on-month to record the lowest monthly amount so far this year, according to data compiled by Wamda, the largest early-stage investment fund in the Middle East. A total […] June 17, 2022
People & Lifestyle How I got to the top: Erika Blazeviciute Doyle, Drink Dry What does your company do? Drink Dry is the UAE’s first and only non-alcoholic drinks marketplace. We aspire to open the world to new and better ways of drinking. We sell and distribute premium non-alcoholic drinks in the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. What inspired you to develop your idea? The business idea […] June 17, 2022
Analysis Startups Mena region has record year for startup investment The geographic location of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) provides access to large markets in Europe, Africa and Asia, and is home to a large, young population. In a context of geopolitical instability and high unemployment, many of these young people are increasingly seeking new opportunities and looking to improve the world via […] June 16, 2022
Media How I got to the top: Aidan Christofferson, co-founder, Flashy What does your company do? We are a 10 month old startup tech company, based in Dubai, which provides a platform for scalable photography solutions for GCC customers. Whether you’re a sole entrepreneur looking to capture images for your product, or a multinational enterprise looking for thousands of images a week, our platform takes care […] June 9, 2022
Startups Abu Dhabi invests in Swedish fintech’s $100m funding round Swedish fintech firm Juni has raised $100 million in a funding round led by Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala, and another $106 million in venture debt financing from Silicon Valley-based TriplePoint Capital. Juni’s existing investors – EQT Ventures, Felix Capital, Cherry Ventures and Partners of DST Global – also participated in the funding round. Getting […] June 9, 2022
Startups UAE blockchain firm links with powerhouse Roland Berger Crypto Oasis, a Dubai-based organisation claiming to represent more than 1,000 startups and stakeholders in the blockchain industry, has formed an alliance with management consultancy Roland Berger to help grow the Middle East’s crypto economy. The strategic tie-up will combine Roland Berger’s industry-leading management consulting expertise with Crypto Oasis’s talent, innovation and infrastructure, the two […] June 6, 2022
Analysis Banking & Finance Opening a bank account still the ‘biggest hurdle’ for UAE startups Some bank accounts taking up to a year to set up Startups waiting, despite obtaining a business licence Lack of consistency on requirements, rules for new businesses Opening a bank account is “still the biggest hurdle” entrepreneurs and business founders face in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with some waiting as long as a year […] June 1, 2022
