Entrepreneur Middle East - December 2021

THE YEAR THAT WAS/ Lessons WHEN STARS COLLIDE/ Sharjah ENABLERS OF SUCCESS/ Super apps
learnt through the course of 2021 P.22 Entrepreneurship Festival P.46 can be beneficial for startups P.62
December 2021 Entrepreneur.com
PURSUING
PROGRESS MURSHED
AL REDAINI
THE GROUP CEO OF
YAS HOLDING
IS BETTING ON THE UAE
AS HIS ABU DHABI-
HEADQUARTERED
ENTERPRISE EMBARKS
ON YET ANOTHER
CYCLE OF GROWTH
P.16
9 77231 1 541 008 >

AAblend
blendofoflifestyle
lifestyle&&luxury
luxuryinin
aatimeless
timelesselegant
elegantatmosphere
atmosphere
sbe.com/sls-dubai
sbe.com/sls-dubai
@slsdubai
@slsdubai
Contents/ December 2021
FEATURES
P.16
Pursuing
Progress
Murshed Al Redaini, Group CEO of
Yas Holding, is betting on the UAE
as his Abu Dhabi-headquartered
enterprise embarks on yet another
cycle of growth. by TAMARA PUPIC
P.22
The Year
That Was
Reflections/ 2021
Entrepreneurs reflect on lessons
← BINANCE FOUNDER AND
and experiences in 2021.
CEO CHANGPENG ZHAO
by ABY SAM THOMAS “We -Binance- are here to
stay. And we are serious
about building a lasting
P.46 brand.” P.15
When Stars
Collide
A recap of the best moments of
Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival
2021.
by PAMELLA DE LEON
P.54
Reinterpreting
Luxury
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Audemars Piguet is releasing a
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43 mm with 5 models honed from
titanium, 18-carat pink gold or
stainless steel.
ON THE
→ JAMAL COVER
WICK ANDAND THIS PAGE
AMJAD
Photography
BARAKAT, by Farooq Salik
co-founders,
Innovision Holding P.36
6 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / December 2021
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Contents / December 2021
EDITOR IN CHIEF Aby Sam Thomas

aby@bncpublishing.net
CEO Wissam Younane

wissam@bncpublishing.net
DIRECTOR Rabih Najm

rabih@bncpublishing.net
CREATIVE LEAD Odette Kahwagi

design@bncpublishing.net
MANAGING EDITOR Tamara Pupic

tamara@bncpublishing.net
STARTUPS SECTION EDITOR Pamella de Leon

pamella@bncpublishing.net
FEATURES WRITER Aalia Mehreen Ahmed

aalia@bncpublishing.net
DIGITAL SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR

Mahdi Hashemi mahdi@bncpublishing.net
HEAD OF INNOVATION
Sarah Saddouk sarah@bncpublishing.net
↑ FOUNDED BY SALWA RADWI, GROUP SALES DIRECTOR – B2B GROUP
NUQTAH plans to become the de facto Joaquim D’Costa jo@bncpublishing.net
platform for the Saudi and MENA
digital creative economy. P.30
COLUMNIST Tamara Clarke
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Seema Al Mansoory, Fida Chaaban,
Ihsan Eid Salhia, Adib Samara,
Dr. Fardad Zand
STARTUP ‘TREPONOMICS
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71 Stronger Together Feeling burnt out? Adib Samara
GCC-based doctor booking shares what you can do to can
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Editor’s Note/
It’s Still Okay To Care

The standard that you set for yourself is the only one that matters
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES during this year

at work, when I found myself sweating it out to
make sure something that we are doing and
releasing to the world is up to a certain degree of
quality, and someone or the other would see all of
this and then make a comment along the lines of,
“Why are you stressing yourself out so much on
this? Nobody cares!”
This kind of critique -if one can call it that- has
always been a puzzling one for me to unpack.
First, because, well, why wouldn’t anyone care-
doesn’t the quality of work matter? And, second,
how can one not care when it’s their name
attached to something that may well be seen as
sub-standard, or just plain shoddy? Those of you
who are enthusiasts of what you do, you’d get
what I am going for here- you’d know if some-
thing isn’t the best shape of the work you could
put out, and you can be certain that you will not
be satisfied if you were to cut corners.
Now, I agree that it’s both unfair and impractical
to set extremely high benchmarks on everything
that comes our way in our lines of work. But on
the other hand, I fear for a world where there are As we get started on a new year, and with it, the
no standards to aspire to, and in which doing the resolutions and goals we want to work toward in
bare minimum is considered to be enough. The this period, I’d suggest making the effort to be
answer to this conundrum lies in, of course, clear about the work that drives you, and then go
finding a balance between the two extremes. on to put in all the work that you feel is necessary
Yes, perfection may well be the enemy of to make it happen.
progress, but that isn’t an excuse to not strive for And if someone tells you that nobody would care
excellence in whatever you set out to do. There’s a about the effort you’re making, then know that’s
definite value to doing something right, and the absolutely not true- you care, and that alone is
best way you possibly can. And no, there’s nothing worth working hard for.
wrong in caring about how you do things that Good luck, and happy new year.
really matter to you- in fact, I’d go as far to say
that the sheer amount of effort you put in because
you care makes you the absolutely right person for
the job, as opposed to anyone else.
Having said all this, a key thing to remember
here is to not let yourself be paralyzed by the
yardsticks you measure yourself with. And the Aby Sam Thomas
only way to do that is to be clear, at the very Editor in Chief
outset, about the things you want to put your @thisisaby
energy toward. aby@bncpublishing.net
In The Loop/
Innovators Welcome
PEPSICO LAUNCHES GREENHOUSE ACCELERATOR IN MENA TO SUPPORT STARTUPS TACKLING
SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY SOLUTIONS
P
epsiCo, in delighted to support the ideas to the resources they sustainable recycling
partnership with PepsiCo Greenhouse need to help create a more behaviors.
the UAE Accelerator: MENA Sustain- sustainable tomorrow.” The theme for the 2021-
Ministry of ability Edition that leverages The PepsiCo Greenhouse 2022 PepsiCo Greenhouse
Climate Change innovation to optimize Accelerator: MENA Sustain- Accelerator: MENA Sustain-
and Environ- resource utilization, reduce ability Edition welcomes ability Edition will be
ment (MOC- waste, cut down on green- companies from the MENA sustainable packaging and
CAE), has house gas emissions, and region that are working on circular economy solutions,
launched its first promote environment-friend- accelerating environmental followed by other priorities in
MENA edition ly and sustainable produc- sustainability in the food and later programs, to help
of the Greenhouse Accelera- tion. This way, it helps to beverage industry. Concepts achieve a sustainable food
tor program to support address the key priorities in can be new products, system. PepsiCo will choose
entrepreneurs or startups our fight against climate technologies or services that and support 10 companies to
with breakthrough packaging change, one of the most help to reduce, recycle or be part of the program.
technology and circular pressing challenges facing the reinvent packaging. Initially During the six-month
economy solutions, keeping world.” launched in Europe in 2017, program, participants will
sustainability at its core. Eugene Willemsen, CEO, followed by North America in receive support in the form of
The program was launched Africa, Middle East and 2019, and now in the MENA a $20,000 cash grant,
at a ceremony that had the South Asia, PepsiCo, said, “At region, the program has one-on-one mentorship via
participation of government PepsiCo, we believe great received much global success. access to PepsiCo’s experts,
officials, including H.E. solutions can be built and In this edition, the program is market activation advice, and
Mariam bint Mohammed launched through open seeking for innovations business opportunities. At the
Saeed Hareb Almheiri, UAE innovation and collaboration across three areas: environ- program’s closing event, a
Minister of Climate Change with changemakers, and we mentally sustainable panel of judges will award
and Environment. Almheiri look forward to supporting, packaging alternatives, one winning company an
noted her support for the mentoring, and connecting packaging reduction and additional $100,000 in
program, saying, “We are small startups that have big recycling options, and funding to further accelerate
its growth, and an opportu-
nity to extend its partnership
↓ UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment & PepsiCo with PepsiCo to further
expedite its growth. In
addition, the MOCCAE will
offer participants of the
program with technical and
strategic mentors, outreach
into local and regional
networks, and attendance of
key MOCCAE stakeholders at
events.
Interested in joining this
global, mentor-led accelera-
tor program? Apply online
now before January 10, 2022
and for more information,
please visit the website:
greenhouseaccelerator.com/
middle-east-and-north-africa-
accelerator-program
← FOLLOWING 15 YEARS SPENT
IN THE UAE ARMED FORCES,
Murshed Al Redaini has blazed a trail
across a number of executive
positions, including a stint at C4
Advanced Solutions (now under the
EDGE Group, an umbrella technology
company for the defense industry),
before taking the lead at Yas Holding,
an Abu Dhabi-headquartered
investment company with a business
portfolio spanning nine sectors, 7500
employees, and more than 60
operating subsidiaries.
PURSUING
PROGRESS
MURSHED
AL REDAINI
THE GROUP CEO OF YAS HOLDING
IS BETTING ON THE UAE AS HIS ABU DHABI-
HEADQUARTERED ENTERPRISE EMBARKS
ON YET ANOTHER CYCLE OF GROWTH
b y TA M A R A P U P I C
December 2021 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / 17
A
s the world gets ready
to welcome a new year,
Murshed Al Redaini,
Group CEO at Yas
Holding, is unwavering
in his view that the UAE
is all set to see a period
of unprecedented
business growth, and
those who remain
focused on the job at
hand will be the ones
to gain from it. It’s a conclusion that Al Redaini
has derived from a wealth of knowledge and
experience that sets him apart from his peers-
following 15 years spent in the UAE Armed
Forces, he has blazed a trail across a number
of executive positions, including a stint at C4
Advanced Solutions (now under the EDGE
Group, an umbrella technology company for
the defense industry), before taking the lead
at Yas Holding, an Abu Dhabi-headquartered
investment company with a business portfolio
spanning nine sectors, 7500 employees,
and more than 60 operating subsidiaries.
“Under the guidance of our Board, we aim
to transform the company into an agile,
innovative, and progressive organization in
the coming years,” Al Redaini declares, before
pointing out his pride for having served the
UAE in both a military and a business capacity.
“Both of these experiences have taught me
that hard work and resilience, combined with
a very structured approach, are at the core
of the results that I have achieved. Teamwork
and leadership also must go hand in hand.
O
Ensuring that you are supported by a strong ver the years, Yas as well as markets like Serbia,
Holding has grown into Morocco, Mauritania, Ethiopia,
leadership team, and surrounded by a strong
a preeminent invest- Sierra Leone, Indonesia,
pool of talent, is also a key factor.” ment company that has relied Malaysia, and Egypt. Through-
on acquisitions and invest- out 2021, Al Redaini explains
ments to expand into a number that his team has been focused
of sectors that include food, on strengthening the Group’s
agriculture, healthcare, core sectors through consolida-
education, aviation, real estate, tion and expansion. “We have
technology, services and others, seen several of our companies
achieve cost optimization,
which led to our renewed focus
on these areas in order to
increase the market share,” he
says. “We have also been
investing in acquiring new
← ONE OF THE OFFERINGS THAT FALLS
companies that complement
UNDER YAS HOLDING’S NEBRAS
EDUCATION GROUP OF ENTERPRISES
our existing value chains. Plus,
is its platform, LearningSpace, which is we are seeing good traction in
working on transforming education by businesses that operate in the
enabling personalized learning critical sectors of the economy,
journeys. including food, healthcare,
← MARMUM WAS BOUGHT BY YAS HOLDING’S ELITE AGRO IN 2017,
with the latter having significantly invested in farming and
processing infrastructure to build the GCC’s most modern dairy
farm and plant.
“AS A MATTER wellness. “Following the onset

of the global pandemic and
OF PRIDE, YAS unprecedented pressures on
the healthcare system, the
HOLDING WAS industry faced huge challeng-
es, but also a growth poten-
VERY ACTIVE tial,” Al Redaini notes. “Plus,
DURING THE EARLY our nation’s strategic focus on

this sector has been a key
DAYS OF THE driver for Yas Holding’s expan-
sion and recent acquisitions.
CRISIS, WORKING We are interested in three
different healthcare verticals-
ON DELIVERING pharma and biotech value
PRODUCTS AND chain, hospital and patient

care, and global health-tech
SERVICES TO focusing on artificial intelli-
gence and telemedicine invest-
THE COUNTRY, ments.” In line with that, Yas
Holding completed three
TO AVERT strategic acquisitions in 2021:
SHORTAGES.” Gulf Inject, Geltec Healthcare

FZE, and WellPharma
Medical Solutions. “Those
serve to reinforce the UAE’s
ambitions on self-sufficiency
in this vital sector,” Al Redaini
explains. “Furthermore, they
add stability to our group’s
wide distribution and supply
chain model that penetrates
education, technology, and rapid growth in key sectors in food sector, it is its ultra-fresh across multiple channels,
others.” As for the COVID-19 the next few years. “For dairy company Marmum, reaching customers, clients
pandemic, Al Redaini credits instance, in edutech, we will which, he says, is rapidly and consumers in the country,
the supportive and enabling continue to build innovative growing a loyal consumer and beyond.”
environment created by the digital ecosystems that power base. Meanwhile, in the space
W
UAE’s leadership for helping education along lifelong of edutech, he points to Yas hen asked for his
businesses like his to tide over journey pathways within large Holding’s Nebras Education perspective on the
the crisis. “As a matter of communities,” he adds. group of enterprises, whose MENA entrepre-
pride, Yas Holding was very “Speaking more generally, our platform, LearningSpace, is neurial ecosystem, Al Redaini
active during the early days of team is always busy identify- working on transforming describes it as an ideal launch
the crisis, working on ing and incubating new education by enabling pad for any aspiring entrepre-
delivering products and investment initiatives that personalized learning neur. “The flurry of progres-
services to the country, to expand our current product journeys. Moving into the sive regulations and financial
avert shortages,” Al Redaini range or potentially increase healthcare industry, Al support in the recent years
adds. capacity and market share in Redaini turns our attention to clearly underline the
Going forward, Al Redaini our core verticals.” While Global One Healthcare importance that the UAE
says he will be looking to grow reiterating that Yas Holding is Holding, whose operations leadership has provided to
the Group’s healthcare, food always on the lookout for solid span biopharma, manufactur- this field,” he says. “The UAE
and agriculture platforms. In businesses that complement ing, medical supply chain, is leading the way in this
addition, he believes that the its existing focus sectors, Al hospital and clinic manage- respect with a focus on
Group’s technology-facing Redaini mentions a few of the ment, healthcare technology, innovation, new technology,
enterprises are also primed for group’s success stories. In the and occupational health and skill development, and so on.”
← IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR, Yas
Holding has interests in three different
healthcare verticals: pharma and
biotech value chain, hospital and patient
care, and global health-tech focusing on
artificial intelligence and telemedicine
investments.
THE EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Yas Holding Group CEO
Murshed Al Redaini’s
tips for entrepreneurs
} Think laterally, and
focus on the details.
"I’ve learned that no question is too
small or irrelevant to ask. By asking
simple questions, opportunities can
be accelerated, as it often provides
an opportunity to challenge the
situation."
} Focus on people.
"Build a solid bench of talent, and
support your team by clearing the
path for them. As a CEO, I see myself
KEEPING COSTS UNDER CONTROL, MANAGING CASH as an enabler."
FLOWS, AND RAISING FUNDS FOR GROWTH ARE ALL } Be open to changes.
CRITICAL FOR SURVIVAL IN THE LONGER TERM. "It is important to monitor all aspects
of your venture's health to make sure
adjustments can be made in as agile
a manner as possible. Learning and
For all of these reasons, Al Redaini states capital raising rounds paving the way as adapting as a team to these
that Yas Holding’s doors are always open examples for others to follow,” he says. challenges as they occur will better
prepare you for unforeseen
to entrepreneurs in the region whose Starting a business in the UAE is therefore
challenges that are yet to occur."
businesses align with the group’s growth something that he strongly recommends,
plans across key verticals and focus areas, especially in the areas of technological and } Control costs, and
such as technology, precision agriculture, digital platforms and services, artificial feed growth. "Invest in
and supply chain innovation. “One intelligence, automation, digitization, and infrastructure that will lower costs
example of a startup business that we have apps. “When starting a business, it is over time and automate processes.
invested in is our acquisition of Farmbox, important to ensure that you have a well Focus on the areas of growth that
a farm-to-table specialist e-commerce articulated product or service offering, leverage existing knowledge hubs or
grocery business, which is now an and a clear target audience whose needs the infrastructure that enables the
award-winning platform stocking a highly you will meet, in addition to the pains you exploitation of your enterprise's
specialized range of organic and fresh will address,” Al Redaini says. “Keeping complete value chain and market
farm produce,” he adds. costs under control, managing cash flows, share, whilst keeping operations and
and raising funds for growth are all future investments lean and efficient.”
W
ith Yas Holding being a 100% critical for survival in the longer term.”
Emirati-owned business, Al With the UAE continuing to attract talent } Build core
competencies as well
Redaini and his team are who will spearhead growth across the
as transferable skills
naturally committed to the ongoing region, he is confident to advise that now and knowledge.
development and success of the UAE. In is a good time to start a business in the "As we have a number of core skills,
addition, Al Redaini considers that the UAE. “As we emerge from the pandemic, competencies, and sector
country has already placed itself at the customers and clients are looking for capabilities, we are agile enough to
forefront of growth in the region. “Our solutions that allow them to retain the respond to challenges as well as
country also has a successful track record agility and resilience built up during the emerging opportunities across
of building some of the world’s most loved last few challenging years, whilst captur- multiple verticals by focusing on
businesses, in particular across the ing growth and new revenue streams that innovation and technology as core
e-commerce and tech space, with recent are emerging,” Al Redaini concludes. skillsets."
THE YEAR
A
s we come to the close of 2021, there’s a frantic energy that I see in the entrepreneurs and
businesses around me- they are almost desperate to end the year on a strong note, and thus
sort of ensure that they are kicking off 2022 on a solid footing.
And who can blame them? While the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely (we hope)
behind us, and despite our businesses coming back on track, the trauma of the crisis is still
fresh in the minds of most, and we’re all still feeling that pressure to make up for the lost time.
But descending into such a frenzy at the end of a year often means that they are not taking
the time to ponder over what they have done over the last 12 months- there’s no recollection of
accomplishments made, nor any thought given to lessons learnt.
Now, dear reader, this is something we at Entrepreneur Middle East would like to discourage
you from doing- and this particular feature is our attempt to encourage you to pause, look back
on the year gone by, and see how your experiences in 2021 can help shape your future in 2022.
Our hope is that these insights from a variety of voices in the MENA business ecosystem will both
inform and inspire you to engage in some active reflection of your own, and then use it to manifest your
dreams for 2022. Here’s to a great year ahead!
THAT WAS
REFLECTIONS
/2021
by ABY SAM THOMAS
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS company first came into prominence with
2021 its one-of-a-kind floral arrangements,

Goshá has been making waves more
recently for its work in making memorable
events and experiences for a roster of clients
that includes luxury fashion labels like
Gucci, Cartier, and others. While Shustova
readily admits that she didn’t have much
more than a passion for flowers when she
started Goshá, it’s quite apparent that it’s
her artistic vision and creative direction
that is powering all of what the company
does today- in fact, it bears all the
hallmarks of the style and sensibility that
has made her one of the most influential
figures on the Middle East’s social media
scene. “As a brand, we’ve become strong
enough for people to recognize us whenever
they see our flowers,” Shustova says. “And as
somebody who has worked with luxury
fashion for a long while, I think that’s a big
achievement.” Having started with a team
of three (Shustova recalls it as having been
made up of herself, Yeritsyan, and her
personal assistant, and that “two of us had
absolutely zero idea how to deal with
flowers”), Goshá now has nearly 40 people
working between its two studios, with the
first one located in Dubai’s Al Quoz
neighborhood, and the other at the Edition
hotel in Abu Dhabi. Shustova has nothing
but words of praise to say of her experience
starting up Goshá in the UAE- as she put it,
“The best thing about doing business in this
country is that nothing is impossible!” As
for the road ahead, Shustova believes that
Goshá is on its way to becoming an
emporium, and given that she has already
received requests for the business to be
franchised and even acquired, she’s eager to
build on its promise and potential. “I’m
looking forward to continuing our growth
and innovation journey in 2022,” Shustova
says. “Look out for us going international
Natalia Shustova
and expanding our product portfolio. I also
anticipate a valuation event for our business
in the third quarter of next year.” While she
hasn’t decided whether she wishes to use
FOUNDER, GOSHÁ the enterprise’s positive cashflow to fuel its

further growth, or involve external parties
as investors or partners, it’s a given that
W
hen asked how she’d either. After all, it’s a business that has been Shustova isn’t going to stop until she
describe her developing and diversifying ever since it conquers the world with Goshá. As for
entrepreneurial endeavor launched in the UAE in October 2020, and where her indefatigable spirit comes from,
to those who may not know according to Shustova, its evolution is still Shustova credits it to her upbringing. “I was
it, Goshá founder Natalia ongoing. For the Belarus-born born in Belarus, but my character was
Shustova replies by saying entrepreneur, this is clearly one of the most shaped in Siberia… Going to school in
that she runs a designer appealing aspects about running Goshá, minus 50 degrees, walking for 50 minutes,
floral studio, but she also whose name is inspired by that of her that’s a character builder, trust me- the only
quickly adds that the partner in the business, floral designer thing that would stop me from going were
definition of her enterprise isn’t set in stone Gurgen Yeritsyan, aka Gosha. While the bears,” she laughs.
“The best thing about REFLECTIONS
doing business in this /2021
country is that }Aim big.
nothing is impossible! ” “When I launched Goshá, I prohibited the
words ‘flower shop’ from being used
anywhere against my business. I always
said that I'm building a flower-centric
brand that will go international, and it'll
spread around different categories, from
ceramics to design and more.”
}Brag a lot.
“When you're proud of what you do, when
you talk about what you do with so much
love and passion, people want to be
associated with that- they want to be
associated with success and happiness.
People want to be associated with the
entrepreneurial journey of somebody who
made it from scratch. Honestly, I got so
much support from people, just because
they wanted to be a part of my success
story.”
} Invest in your people.

“As an entrepreneur, your people are the
only real differentiating asset you have as
a business, and as such, it’s worth your
while to make them feel as a part of your
growth.”
P H O T O G R A P H Y A N A S TA S I I A S Y D O R E N K O
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021
Luma CO-FOUNDER, HL FOODS

Makhlouf REFLECTIONS
A
fter the chaos that the COVID-19 Tacos and Good Burger have garnered in /2021
crisis put Dubai’s F&B industry Dubai is certainly worth cheering, with it
through in 2020, the sector was also being the key factor fueling their }Taking a step back and
hoping to get some much-needed development and growth. Maiz Tacos, for slowing down is not always
respite this year, and that wish instance, started out as a food truck before a bad thing.
“We don’t always get the chance to slow down,
came true for HL Foods, an graduating into a brick-and-mortar
and really think of what we want to focus on, or
enterprise founded by Luma restaurant. Meanwhile, Good Burger came
truly feel strong about. If the last year has
Makhlouf and Haider Al Assam that into being as an alternate concept operating
taught us anything, it’s that in those times,
includes popular homegrown food brands within Maiz Tacos amid the outbreak of the magic can be created!”
like Maiz Tacos and Good Burger in its COVID-19 crisis, and now, it’s gearing up for
portfolio. “My biggest highlight of the past its own dedicated space in Dubai. “I have }The power of saying no.
year was finding light at the end of the learned so much in the last year about “We all know or can imagine how challenging it
tunnel, and realizing we might not only be myself, what really matters to my business,” can be to run and scale a business, so the
okay, but we are also flourishing as a whole,” Makhlouf says. “I have learned that although power of being able to say no to opportunities
Makhlouf says. “2020 left us with so much your path might look different than many that could be either distracting or unfit can
uncertainty and instability that we, along others in the business, you can still achieve reduce serious stress levels and maintain
with many others, didn’t know what our your goals and remain true to your core boundaries.”
future would look like, if we would even values. My husband is my business partner,
make it. Our first Maiz Tacos restaurant in and we always wanted to remain boot- }Your business values
Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers neighbor- strapped and as organic as possible, a real matter.
“We have thankfully been able to stick to the
hood had only been open for a few months family business. At times, we didn’t know if
values and culture we put in place from day one
before the COVID-19 lockdowns began, so that was truly scalable, but now here we are,
and keep them at the core of all major
we were not off to a great start, but because opening up two new branches, and looking decisions, such as only using 100% fresh
of the great feedback of our newly launched forward to launching more exciting brands ingredients, or remaining very close to the
brand, Good Burger, we were able to bounce that we are really passionate about. If you brands to still be the face of the business, no
back, and grow an amazingly loyal stick to your plan, keep perfecting your matter how much we grow. I personally believe
community of foodies.” product, and invest in a strong team, it is that these values will help you stay focused, and
In an ecosystem that’s almost bursting certainly possible to grow your small food ensure you remain on track to growing your
with F&B concepts, the following that Maiz brand in Dubai.” business, just as you intended in the first place.”
Omar Al Gurg
FOUNDER, MODU METHOD
O
mar Al Gurg characterizes his design brand, Modu Method, as being
suited “for people that like a little quirk,” and it’s thus to his credit that
one cannot deny the touch of whimsy that he has infused into the
furniture pieces he has created under the banner of his UAE-born
label. Consider, for instance, “Spike,” a wooden hanger that allows
users to move its pegs anywhere on the piece, or “Gene,” which
doubles up as both a stool and a side table, while also providing space
for storage, should the need arise. Playfulness therefore seems to be an integral
aspect of the Modu brand, but that doesn’t take away from the pragmatic nature
of its pieces either- and that’s perhaps indicative of how Al Gurg has gone about
his own entrepreneurial journey as well. “One of my biggest highlights this year
includes me leaving a job I was learning a lot from, and starting Modu with no
clue where it would take me,” Al Gurg confesses. “I had no prior knowledge of
how I could run a business properly; however, I did come specifically from a
design background, with some critical thinking skills that I learned from the
family company. It has only been around a year and a half since Modu started
taking shape, and the more it grows, the more I learn.”
Modu was one of the brands showcased at the UAE Designer Exhibition at
this year’s edition of Downtown Design, held as part of the 2021 instalment of
Dubai Design Week. Al Gurg’s pieces were -arguably- among the most
eye-catching pieces at the event, with him recounting the entire experience as
having been a rather fruitful one. “I think Design Week helped push Modu in
the direction of growth,” Al Gurg remarks. “It has been an adventure, but it’s
finally starting to be at a pace that is exciting.” 2022 thus promises to be an
eventful year for Modu, and Al Gurg is already geared up for the ride ahead.
“The part I am most excited about in the new year is to be able to form a
community,” he reveals. “I hope to be able to help influence people in a
direction, where they can be socially active, while they’re getting their work
done. The more the brand grows, the more I feel a sense of community and
support that grows along with it. The new year should be filled with plenty of
events and opportunities that Modu hopes to create, all through a platform that
encourages coming together and having discussions that can turn into
something greater. I aim to turn the brand into an entire lifestyle that will have
REFLECTIONS
products, yet also help encourage convenient living.”
/2021
}This is your business-
so, listen to your gut.
“The reason I started Modu was because of a gut
feeling I had, and the way I make creative decisions is
by trusting my gut. I sometimes spend lots of time
thinking about a particular decision, only to realize that
my instinct probably had the best option to begin with.”
}There will be some days that

are slow, and some days that are
fast- don't let either day put you
off.
“Sometimes, there are days that have nothing to do
with Modu, and other times, I have weeks that have
everything to do with it. It's a cycle, and the most
important thing to remember is that there's always
going to be something to work on.”
}Believe in what you do, because

if you don't, nobody will.
“If you can't convince yourself that what you're doing is
right, then how can you convince others?”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021
Edward Sabbagh
VP, MARKETPLACE, FARFETCH
F
→ FARFETCH'S Ramadan 2021 edit
or a company whose mission is Much of the success Farfetch is seeing
to be “the global platform for now can be drawn back to savvy
luxury fashion,” Farfetch has decisions made by the business in the past,
been steadfastly adhering to one of which was its 2019 acquisition of
this goal in 2021, and its efforts the Milan-headquartered New Guards
in this regard have certainly Group, an enterprise that includes
borne fruit for the enterprise world-renowned fashion brands like
this year. “I am truly impressed Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh, Palm Angels,
with the resilience of the luxury Alanui, and others in its portfolio. “One of
industry, which, after an unprecedented the core strategies behind the transaction
period, is already back to growth, with an was to create a pipeline of original content
even stronger foundation,” says Edward and exclusive collaborations that would
Sabbagh, VP, Marketplace, Farfetch. “I am drive buzz and a significant halo effect to
very proud that Farfetch was a close increase the engagement of our global
partner for both retailers and brands in customers around the Farfetch brand, and
this time, delivering strong growth to our ultimately drive more organic traffic,”
sellers, and as a result, doubling our gross Sabbagh explains. “In early October, we
merchandise value in the last 24 months.” launched the first brand jointly created by
“In early October, we launched the
first brand jointly created by New
Guards Group and Farfetch, There
Was One (TWO), which is a line of
elevated wardrobe essentials with
sustainability built in and longevity in
mind, borne from our marketplace
data insights.”
Sabbagh says. “We’re reimagining

→ THERE WAS ONE
the luxury retail experience
through the use of technology to
create seamless, connected
customer journeys that blend the
best of online and physical
shopping. We have a vision for the
evolution of luxury retail: to drive
the transformation of the entire
industry by creating a truly
personal and personalized
shopping experience that doesn’t
separate the online and offline, but
brings the two harmoniously
together to connect with the
customer– wherever they are.”
And this proposed future bodes

well not just for Farfetch’s
customers, but for its partners as
well. “When our customers shop on
Farfetch, the items arrive from one
of 700+ boutiques in one of 50
countries around the world, or
from the stores of our many brand
partners, altogether representing
over 3000 designers, mostly small and
unique creators of fashion,” Sabbagh
notes. “I look forward to seeing this
New Guards Group and Farfetch, There network grow.”
Was One (TWO), which is a line of
elevated wardrobe essentials with
sustainability built in and longevity in
mind, borne from our marketplace data
insights.”
REFLECTIONS /2021
Keeping a close eye on customer trends
is thus clearly what has guided Farfetch’s }Invest in yourself. }Stay incredibly curious.
moves in this industry so far, and it “No matter how prepared we are in leading our “Experience is important; learning from one’s
businesses and teams, we will always face own successes and failures is very powerful.
doesn’t look like that strategy is going to
unexpected and/or uncontrollable events that This said, with the rapid evolution of
I M A G E S C O U R T E S Y FA R F E T C H
change any time soon- indeed, it’s this

will test us as leaders. Dedicating time daily on technology, trends, consumer expectations
focus that will be fueling the platform’s
improving my mental and emotional health has etc., relying on experience can sometimes be
evolution in the future as well. “More and been my best investment to deal with the the wrong approach to decision making, or can
more, customers are expecting their unknown. Personally, it’s been about meditation, be a blocker to innovation. There are countless
shopping experiences to be really controlled fasting, and exercising, which have all ways to ensure we always stay ‘ahead of the
connected, whether they are shopping become part of my daily routine, but there is no curve,’ as a business and from a personal
online or in-store- and this is where our universal playbook here. My experience above perspective, I find curiosity to be the common
‘Luxury New Retail’ strategy comes in,” is more about the ‘why,’ rather than the ‘how.” denominator in all of them.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS ← NUQTAH, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s first
and leading NFT marketplace, closed their
Pre-Seed round led by Shorooq Partners and
2021 joined by strategic angel investors. The

Company founded by Salwa Radwi plans to
become the de facto platform for the Saudi
and MENA digital creative economy.
“The passion to make a change, the drive to

innovate in completely new spaces, and the
instinct to deflect comfort has been a key
factor in most of my business and personal
decisions lately, resulting in access to doors
and opportunities that I would not have
imagined. If I had one key takeaway to give
others from my experiences in 2021, it
would most definitely be to do it because it
scares you. If it doesn’t, it’s not worthy of
your time. Being a female entrepreneur in
Saudi Arabia, intersecting blockchain
technology, NFTs, and creativity in a region
that is newly flourishing these industries,
scary and excited are definitely my main
two favorite feelings!”
REFLECTIONS
/2021
}Never underestimate
Salwa Radwi the power of being genuine.

“We live in a day where we scroll and double
tap on engineered lifestyles, where we introduce
FOUNDER, NUQTAH ourselves by where we work, and not who we

are as individuals. When you are true to
yourself, only then will people believe in what
you do, only then is it genuine enough to be
W
ith the non-fungible token we are now recreating historical content for worthy of advocacy, or that double tap.”
(NFT) market estimated to be our future generations to see… The creative
worth more than US$7 billion works we leave behind as a society will }Values first.
“When we are constantly being surrounded by
by JP Morgan Chase in define how future generations understand
noise, it can be pretty easy to lose our grounds.
November this year, the space us, and that is a crucial responsibility. What
Sticking to the values our families and friends
is proving to be a draw for better time to do so than now, in the midst
have instilled in us since day one is the only way
entrepreneurs from around of the Saudi creative revolution, right from you can ensure prosperity. It is those same
the world, and that includes Salwa Radwi, the pulse of one of the most creative values that keep your team happy, grow your
the founder and CEO of Nuqtah, a economies the world has ever seen. How’s business, and keep the door for blessings
business that proudly declares to be Saudi that for leaving a mark!” open.”
Arabia’s first NFT marketplace. Having
recently closed a pre-seed round led by Radwi’s excitement about Nuqtah and the }“Being ready”
Shorooq Partners, Nuqtah, which was also future in general can be disconcerting for is overrated.
part of the Sanabil 500 MENA seed those of us who are still cautious about “We’ve all heard of passion being a main driver,
accelerator program, aims to be “the entering the NFT space, given that it still and 'finding just the right niche' being a key
ultimate environment” for creatives in remains largely untapped territory, and as factor to kicking off as an entrepreneur.
Although they are crucial, here is a message to
Saudi Arabia. Besides offering a space for such, can come across as a rather scary,
all individuals who have had their ideas locked
them to sell their artworks in a safe and risk-filled domain. But Radwi urges us to
away in drawers, awaiting the right moment to
secure manner, it also aims to enable a new embrace such fears, and boldly venture into
bring them out: there is no right moment. Bring
breed of art collectors. “We are currently this market- the rewards are worth it, she out those notebooks, and pitch it to the right
witnessing the revolution of what is known says, citing the “if it doesn’t scare you, it’s people, to those who believe in you, and believe
as the internet, not only with blockchain not big enough” school of thought to make in your cause. Do it now, do it scared, and do it
technology, but ownership of virtual assets her point. “Something about coming out of well. That is the fastest way of bringing alive
through NFTs,” Radwi says. “With the a pandemic has made us all a little too your midnight thoughts, and catapulting your
fast-paced growth of the world wide web, risk-centric, I believe,” Radwi says. journey as an entrepreneur.”
Mohammad
A. Baker DEPUTY CHAIRMAN AND CEO, GMG
W
hile GMG is today known for
being a UAE-born global
company retailing, distributing,
and manufacturing a portfolio of
leading international and
homegrown brands across the
sport, food, and health sectors in 12 countries “When we see
across the Middle East, North Africa, and an opportunity,
Asia, one needs to remember that the we go after it–
enterprise didn’t come into being like that- in
fact, it was a single butcher’s shop founded by
this is in our DNA,
Abdul Aziz Hassan Baker in 1978 that this is the drive
expanded into the diversified, Dubai-head- that keeps
quartered family-owned business that it is
today. It has been a spectacular transforma-
pushing us to
tion, no doubt, and that appears to be the evolve, to be the REFLECTIONS
spirit with which Deputy Chairman and CEO change, and to be /2021
Mohammad A. Baker led an overhaul of the
business earlier this year. “In October 2021,
a trusted partner.”
}Be resilient,
we were incredibly proud to embark on a new purpose-led, and
corporate strategy that included a restructur- According to Baker, such moves are in line agile.
ing of our existing business units, the with GMG’s new vision and values, which are “The last few years brought unique
unveiling of a new brand identity, and a new also setting the stage for its next chapter of challenges to the world. But as an
purpose-centric vision for GMG to inspire growth. “We are now laser-focused on entrepreneur, if you’re resilient and
people to win in ways that make the world improving people’s lives through active living, keep your purpose at the forefront of
better,” Baker explains. “With the objective to nutritious food, and good health,” Baker says. your mind, you’ll be able to navigate
promote healthier and more active lifestyles, “We will continue to look at acquiring new anything that comes your way.
our new business verticals are GMG Sports, international brands, developing homegrown Additionally, you must keep your
GMG Food, GMG Health, and GMG concepts, entering new markets in 2022, and finger on the pulse of the market, and
be prepared to challenge the status
Consumer Goods. This business shift -and growing our existing partnerships. We will
quo. As a business leader, you must
others during the year- came in part from a also reap the benefits of recent internal
be prepared to evolve with changing
recognition that communities and govern- restructuring, including the establishment of
situations.”
ments around the world are striving to new vertical divisions and reporting lines to
progress sustainable development goals, optimize performance, and explore new }Support your
which are often anchored in personal synergies.” ecosystem.
well-being.” “No business can work in a silo for
And underlying all of these efforts will be long. One thrives by collaborating and
Baker is clearly keeping a close eye on the GMG’s ethos as a business, which, Baker contributing to the success of a
forces shaping business today, and that’s points out, is all about believing that nothing broader ecosystem of partners, public
exactly what is governing his plans for GMG is not achievable, and working hard to entities, institutions, and more. At
in the new year. “What I’m looking forward to capitalize on every opportunity that presents GMG, we have introduced more than
the most in 2022 is exploring business itself. “Let me take you back to the end of 120 brands into our markets. We
opportunities across new product categories, 2020– the business sentiment was low, and know firsthand that investing in their
success has paved the way for our
markets, and sectors, strengthening our markets were down,” Baker recalls. “But we
success.”
e-commerce capabilities, and growing our saw an opportunity and took a bold step by
food manufacturing vertical,” he reveals. “We entering the Asian market, and acquired the }Be people-centric.
are particularly excited about the latter, as our popular Royal Sporting House brand. When “Ultimately, no business can succeed
plan is that by 2022, GMG will have six we see an opportunity, we go after it– this is in without its employees. At GMG, we
dedicated product lines under one roof: meat, our DNA, this is the drive that keeps pushing imbibe our value of winning as one
seafood, herbs, salt, spices, and cold cuts, us to evolve, to be the change, and to be a family, and we believe in the power of
including butchery and marination.” trusted partner.” investing in and nurturing our talent.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021
→ NAKSHA IS AN AWARD-WINNING
DUBAI BASED F&B STARTUP. The
concept, which is a part of the London
School of Economics’ LSE Generate
Accelerator program, was launched at
the peak of the pandemic, and is now
scaling internationally.
Nisha
Ramisetty
CO-FOUNDER,
NAKSHA COLLECTIONS
A
s one of the homegrown brands
that graduated from the
Spinneys Local Business
Incubator program in the UAE
in 2020, gourmet meal kit
provider Naksha Collections has
probably had a more accelerated
path to market than most other
food brands. In fact, Nisha
Ramisetty, who co-founded the business
with Sam Williams, says that the concept
turned from being a rough idea the duo
scribbled between themselves to an actual
product on supermarket shelves in just
three months. “It was a rapid journey by
any standards, let us alone Sam and I, who
are first time entrepreneurs and had no different meal kits as part of its portfolio, The past year has also seen Ramisetty
experience in the F&B sector,” Ramisetty with the past year seeing the introduction and Williams work on building a direct
says. “Following this intense initial phase, of a Caribbean-inspired collection, as well connection between themselves and their
2021 has given us the opportunity to extend as a Middle East-inspired baking line. “This customers. “In 2021, we have worked hard
our roots, strengthen our processes, and story shows a few things,” Ramisetty says. to get to know customers, solicit feedback,
explore ways to diversify, innovate, and “First, that we are eager and ambitious, explain how the concept works, and take
expand the Naksha business model.” despite being small; second, that the note of what they want to see in future
product concept we have pioneered has real products,” Ramisetty explains. “Markets
Naksha’s gourmet meal kits pay homage potential and is gradually attracting more have been a big part of this, and Dubai’s
to cuisines from different parts of the and more users; and third, that we have vibrant market scene has given us the
world, with each of them containing both been able to learn, adapt, and make the chance to engage directly with customers in
the specialist ingredients and instructions a changes necessary (to our products, our an informal environment, i.e. without
customer would need to prepare that operations, our marketing, etc.) to grow the having to resort to tedious surveys, etc. We
particular dish. Naksha currently offers 12 businesses relatively quickly.” have recently started selling our gourmet
“We are currently
meal/baking kits directly to from day one, that their business exploring various very
customers online, and this will also wouldn’t be restricted to within the
fortify our relationships and help us borders of the UAE. “The UAE is a
exciting opportunities to
tailor our products even more fantastic place in which to start a take Naksha’s gourmet
closely to customer preferences.” business, because it is a country of meal and baking kits to
It’s this foundation that the entrepreneurs, and entrepreneur- new markets.”
co-founders have put in place for ship is ingrained quite deeply into
Naksha that they believe will help culture,” Ramisetty notes.
propel the business even further in “However, Naksha is ambitious,
2022, with the pipeline including and even when we started, we REFLECTIONS
more than just new offerings in its didn’t see ourselves being limited to /2021
portfolio. “We are currently a single country. Taking our
exploring various very exciting products to new markets will be a } It is okay to be a work in
opportunities to take Naksha’s challenge, of course, and a lot of progress.
gourmet meal and baking kits to hard work will need to be invested. “As a startup, not everything is going to be perfect. (If it
new markets,” Ramisetty reveals. But we believe it will, in the long feels perfect, then something has probably gone wrong!)
“We have been approached by term, make Naksha’s operations To succeed, you must be open to erring, learning, and
interested parties in other countries more efficient, forcing us to tighten improving. We have experienced this directly, and it has
who, having seen our product on our supply chain, sharpen our made Naksha a better brand. Our recipes, packaging,
shelves in Spinneys and Waitrose in distribution mechanisms, marketing, and more have all gone through numerous
the UAE, are keen to bring them turbo-charge our marketing, and iterations, each version building on the last. The
products we are launching now are very different to
home, confident that our concept of maintain a laser focus on our core
those we first launched in 2020, and we think they are
hassle-free exotic home-cooked brand identity.”
much better. Had we been set in our ways and refused
food will find a hungry consumer Ramisetty is thus hoping that
to evolve, these better products would not be here
market. We agree- statistics show Naksha will soon serve as an today.”
that since the beginning of 2021, example of a UAE-founded startup
the number of people cooking at that is thriving on the international }Be clear in your intentions from
home and demand for ‘world food’ stage. “There is no reason why the the start.
has increased substantially in North UAE shouldn’t be a leader when it “Starting and running a business is not something you
America, Europe, and many parts comes to exporting cutting-edge do in solitude. You share the journey with an ensemble
of Asia, and there is no reason why F&B products and ideas, given how cast of buyers, suppliers, collaborators, business
something that has worked well in dynamic the local market is,” she partners, investors, and customers, all of whom are
the UAE can’t be transferred to declares. “As we take our concept to critical to the story in different ways. To succeed over the
other markets.” new places, we want Naksha to be a long term, it is essential to be honest, transparent, and
testament to the dynamism of the inspiring from the outset, so that your whole value chain
understands and buys into the vision of your brand, and
Naksha’s expansion into new UAE, and to inspire consumers
the big picture you are working towards. Even if you’re
markets is something that around the world to recognize UAE
just a baby brand today, you can show them where you
Ramisetty and Williams are clearly brands for their creativity and
expect to go in the next five years, and if the vision is
very excited about, as they knew, innovation.” persuasive, you will be able to count on them as
long-term partners, rather than just ships in the night.”
}Keep things simple.

“We started Naksha, because we, ourselves, wanted to
use the product. This was the ‘a-ha’ moment at the
origin of our journey. We realized that the product was
useful, easy-to-understand, and different to anything
else available on the market. However, because no one
else had thought of it, we had an opportunity to make it
ourselves. So, we did! In 2021, we have had several
opportunities to branch out in unrelated directions, and
we considered all of them, but we made the wise
decision to keep our eyes focused on the fact that we
have an extraordinarily powerful core idea, and that our
goal should be to develop that, rather than succumb to
distractions. If you start up a successful business, there
will always be opportunities to do whacky new things
later, but our advice in the first couple of years is to keep
it simple, focus on what you do best, and to follow your
instincts.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021 Gabriela
Crury
FOUNDER, INTELLECT COFFEE
W
hen Gabriela Crury decided to launch Intellect Coffee in
the UAE in October this year, she knew that her
homegrown coffee brand would be entering a rather
saturated market, but her belief in the strength of her
product -which has been made to cater to the specific
tastes of the MENA region’s population- is what led her
to confidently embark on this endeavor anyway. And don’t forget that
Crury has more than 10 years of experience working in this sector as
well- that was certainly something that came to her aid as she went
about her entrepreneurial pursuit in a world that’s slowly but steadily
making a recovery from the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis. “Leading
the launch of a brand-new coffee brand that encapsulates all I know
about coffee has been the highlight of my 2021,” Crury says. “It has
been the greatest challenge in my career, not only for my involvement
in product development, but also for putting together a launch
strategy under such different circumstances, which required loads of
innovative thinking.”
Besides its signature Prima, Crema, and Quattro blends, Intellect

Coffee’s portfolio also includes specialty coffee editions hailing from
Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and other nations. According
to Crury, the products are indicative of the unique experiences she has
had building a career in this field, which include everything from
conversations with baristas and producers, to trips made to coffee
plants and trade shows. And these are the aspects that Crury thinks
will allow Intellect Coffee to carve out a niche for itself in the market
at large- and it’s something she expects to see happen in the near
future as well. “2022 will be a great year, since we will start seeing the
results of our marketing efforts, and most importantly, the real
feedback from our first-year clients,” she says. “From a business point
of view, if you have invested more in the product than the marketing,
REFLECTIONS
you will see the results. The word of mouth and customer satisfaction
/2021
will compensate the marketing scales. The coffee supply industry in }Things always seem more significant in
the UAE is quite saturated, and we are trying to take the right your head.
approach by collaborating with key players to help us stand out.” “Don’t take things personally. No matter how good your product is, it
will never be as big in your client’s head. Remember that you are
But that’s not all- Crury is keeping an eye on the long term sharing the market with other brands.”
when it comes to deciding how Intellect Coffee will develop and grow
in the months and years to come. “A major thing that we aim to }Learn to keep calm and carry on .
cascade to all coffee consumers is that coffee is soon to be considered “You cannot control everything. You need to stay prepared for
as valuable as gold, since demand for it is expected to double by unknown, even nasty, surprises. If the show of the year for which we
2050,” Crury says. “The problem is that suitable land to grow coffee have been preparing for months got cancelled, it’s not the end of the
world. Sometimes, we have to simply let go.”
will decline, and we, as part of the supply industry, have a mission to
help ease up the situation. Helping coffee farmers adapt to changes,
}Results are what really matter, not
like developing new coffee species that are more tolerant to climate
time-measured productivity.
change or pests, is critical to be sustainable.” But while the future may Like any autonomous individual, managing your time and working at a
present challenges like these, Crury isn’t letting it dampen her pace that is appropriate for you is how businesses should operate.
enthusiasm for the same, given how 2021 unfolded for her. “This year Working from home amid the lockdowns caused by the COVID-19
has taught us adaptation,” she declares. “And now, it’s time to prosper crisis have taught us that it is about getting things done, and not how
again.” long it takes.”
Tushar Jiwarajka
FOUNDER, VOLTE ART PROJECTS
F
ounded by Tushar Jiwarajka in Mumbai
in 2009, Volte Art Projects is an
enterprise that has been steadily
building up its presence on the Indian
subcontinent’s cultural landscape, with
it representing and working with a
number of celebrated artists like Wim Delvoye,
William Kentridge, Sheba Chhachhi, and others.
So, when Jiwarajka announced in July this year
that he was shifting Volte Art Projects’ headquar-
ters to Dubai with an 8000 sq. ft. gallery space at
Alserkal Avenue, it signaled the start of a new
chapter for the business, while also showcasing
the appeal of the UAE’s art scene in a global
context. “I’ve seen the region’s art scene grow
exponentially in the past decade- hubs for
contemporary art organizations have emerged,
major institutional projects have come to
fruition, and a community of collectors has
developed,” Jiwarajka said. “Combined with the
UAE’s proximity to Europe, Asia, and the
Americas, a gallery here therefore seemed the
next logical step for us.”
Volte Art Projects kicked off its innings in the response in the first two months have been
UAE with an exhibition titled Sublime incredibly encouraging with several sales and REFLECTIONS
Convergence, which was described as one that
united “themes of nature and time through art
enquiries, as well as strong support from the
government of the UAE,” Jiwarajka reveals.
/2021
and technology,” featuring works by artists from “There are a number of exciting plans we are }Be bold, and put
Europe, South Africa, India, and the US. currently in discussion about with the your best foot
According to Jiwarajka, the response to Volte Art government, and we look forward to realizing forward.
“Project confidence in what you
Projects’ offerings in the UAE has been especially large-scale and monumental projects by artists
do, so that you can move
promising, with him seeing the new location in celebrated for their pioneering spirit of
forward and achieve greater
the country set to serve as a base from which he innovation, pushing boundaries, and harnessing
things.”
and his team can launch global art projects. “The latest technologies.”
}Build
relationships, and
the rewards will
follow.
“We work closely with both
regional and global institutions,
and we are proud to announce
that some of our represented
artists are now included in the
collections of large museums,
including a recent Tate Modern
acquisition of work by Indian
artist, Nalini Malani. It is through
the consistent and careful
cultivation of our relationships
with our partners that we were
able to build the necessary trust
to achieve these successes.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS ↓ JAMAL WICK AND
2021 AMJAD BARAKAT,

co-founders,
Innovision Holding
Amjad
Barakat
CO-FOUNDER, INNOVISION HOLDING
T
he MENA region has seen quite a
few of its homegrown enterprises
get acquired by companies from
abroad; however, it’s relatively
rare to see the opposite happen,
and that in itself is a strong
argument to be made for why the
latter needs to be celebrated as
much, if not more, as the latter. As
such, UAE-based Innovision
Holding’s announcement in November this
year that it had purchased Brunch & Cake, a
F&B concept born in 2010 in Barcelona,
Spain, is deserving of applause on its own-
but there’s more to this story than just that.
You see, Brunch & Cake had been first
brought to the MENA region as a franchise
in the UAE in 2019 by Flip International, an
F&B consultancy under Innovision Holding.
Starting with an outlet in Dubai’s Wasl 51
neighborhood, the brand’s warm and
welcoming vibes made it a hit rather quickly,
with it soon opening a second location in the
Emirate at The Pointe in Palm Jumeirah in
2020, followed by a third branch in Abu
Dhabi in 2021. Wins like these are thus what
paved the way for Innovision Holding’s
“reverse acquisition” of the Brunch & Cake
brand globally, and extensive expansion
plans are already underway for the same. “By
moving from franchisee to owner, I am truly
proud of the teamwork and effort that was
put into acquiring this brand, which has
become a staple of the UAE scene,” says
Amjad Barakat, co-founder, Innovision
Holding. “This past year, my team and I
devised a clear agenda to pinpoint exactly
how we were to commence with our
expansion plans, and we have gone on to do
so without a hitch.”
→ BRUNCH & CAKE
Wasl 51, Jumeirah
“We will have our

vision of Brunch & Cake
solidified in 2022, with
further global
expansions into
markets like London
and India. We have been
planning milestone
launches in both Saudi
Arabia and Egypt in
2021, and 2022 will see
them come to life.”
Brunch & Cake currently has 10 outlets open

around the world, and the brand expects this
number to rise to 15 by the end of next year. “As
we were able to finalize the acquisition in 2021,
2022 will be a big signing year,” Barakat reveals.
“We will have our vision of Brunch & Cake
solidified in 2022, with further global expansions
into markets like London and India. We have
been planning milestone launches in both Saudi
Arabia and Egypt in 2021, and 2022 will see
them come to life.” According to Barakat, Brunch
REFLECTIONS
& Cake’s first location in Saudi Arabia is expected
/2021
to launch in Riyadh in September next year, with
more to follow across the country later on. “Our }Look out for the long term.
launch in Egypt is also very important,” Barakat “As an entrepreneur, thinking ahead of the market
situation is key. The COVID-19 crisis was the
adds. “The potential for brands like Brunch &
perfect time to plan, grow, and make riskier moves.
Cake is slowly but surely increasing in Egypt.
Taking chances during a climate of high growth all
30% of the market in Egypt is middle class,
around is far more difficult. The ability to plan and
which is our target market. This indicates a look ahead to a more profitable timeline, while
growing space for premium casual dining. It is maintaining a tight grip on current circumstances
not yet common in Egypt, and we are excited to and the wellness of not only your employees, but
make our mark in the market by being the first. your own frame of mind, is all part of the
This will enable us to come in with an edge, as entrepreneurial spirit.”
the first movers in this field and remain
memorable to locals. Egypt is currently }What you believe, you can
considered a virgin market, which I find to be achieve.
quite advantageous for us.” “If you believe and manifest a future in which you
succeed, then you will do so. Trust your instinct as
a businessperson and choose to move forward
But it’s not just the MENA region that Barakat
with your vision. This is my ethos as an
and his team are eyeing- a statement from the
entrepreneur.”
company had noted its interest in markets like
Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore as }Culture eats strategy
potential locations for Brunch & Cake in the (always).
coming years. “2022 will set the tone for the next “Create an environment of optimism, and your
five years,” Barakat declares. “All eyes will be on team will not bring in the negativity of the climate
Brunch & Cake, as it becomes a household name to work. This is vital in maintaining a cohesive and
in numerous countries.” thriving work culture.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021 the first hotel group in the world, Carbon Negative
meetings. This means that we will automatically
off-set the carbon footprint for every single meeting
and event worldwide, at no cost to delegates or
organizers, the carbon footprint to ensure that every
meeting has a positive impact on the environment.”
Here in the MEA region, Radisson Hotel Group has

been steadily growing its presence here through the
last couple of years, and it’s a pace that Cordon
believes will be characteristic of the business for the
foreseeable future as well. The UAE remains a key
market for the company, with its immediate pipeline
including the first Radisson beach resort, Radisson
Resort, located at Marjan Island in the Emirate of
Ras Al Khaimah, and its first property on Dubai’s
Palm Jumeirah. “The tourism sector in Dubai
continues to grow and flourish as a result of the
Emirates’ remarkable vision of creating a world-class
destination for entertainment and culture,” Cordon
notes. “We are excited to contribute to this growth,
with the UAE remaining a key market for us, with a
robust pipeline of hotels scheduled to open within
the next 24 months.”
Tim Cordon
SENIOR AREA VICE PRESIDENT REFLECTIONS
/2021
FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, }Always look ahead– there
RADISSON HOTEL GROUP are always new opportunities
that will arise.
“The hospitality industry is constantly evolving,
and it is essential to respond to consumers'
W
hile 2021 did see the MEA region. For me, it has been changing behaviors, which is necessary for the
recovery of the hospitality sector. Organizations
hospitality industry wonderful to see the teamwork and
will need to reimagine the customer experience,
inching out of what dedication in all our hotels in the
and re-engage with customers to build and
has been a rather region, and remind me that the
maintain their trust. At Radisson Hotel Group, we
crippling period owing hospitality industry is all about people, launched a new brand as a result of the pandemic:
to the COVID-19 from our teams to our guests.” Radisson Individuals, an affiliation brand, allowing
crisis, Tim Cordon, independent hotels and small chains to become
Area Vice President Global trends reshaping the part of the global Radisson Hotel Group platform
for the Middle East and hospitality industry are thus what and benefit from international exposure, with the
Africa (MEA), Radisson Hotel Group, rank highly on Radisson Hotel Group’s freedom to maintain their unique style and
says that the year was still quite a radar right now, with one example identity.”
challenging one, but an eye toward the being its recent Hybrid Solutions
long term is what helped his enterprise offering. While its Hybrid Rooms
get past all of the hurdles in its way. “I concept combine the facilities of a }Always keep tabs
am proud that we never lost track of state-of-the-art office with the comforts on customer needs in our
our goals and stayed committed to our of a superior hotel room, Hybrid current circumstances.
“Safety is a priority for everyone, and we can all
ambitious five-year development plan, Meetings and Events are aimed at
accept that travelers worldwide will continue to be
which includes the mission to be merging the best of virtual and
much more aware and careful. We've implemented
recognized as one of the top three hotel in-person gatherings. “In addition, in the highest possible safety and hygiene protocols
groups in the world,” Cordon says. “Our 2022, I believe there will be a greater across all our hotels in partnership with SGS, one
strategy and ambitions ensure we are focus on sustainability than ever before of the world's leading auditing and commissioning
top of mind to our guests, team as the world looks into a greener companies, who have assured us that the
members, owners, and partners, future,” Cordon adds. “At Radisson protocols we have in place can ensure a safe stay
especially as we expand across the Hotel Group, we recently launched, as for all of our guests.”
Aakanksha
Tangri FOUNDER, RE:SET
2021
was a momentous year for Re:Set, an
enterprise that the founder
Aakanksha Tangri bills as “an online
resource of tools and stories around
education, parenting, gender,
inclusivity, mental health, and
well-being.” For starters, the year saw Re:Set cross a million
visitors to its platform, and this achievement has now gone
on to lay the foundation for its further growth and
development. “The insights from our engaged users have
been instrumental in extending our products for 2022,”
Tangri explains. “Being a non-technical founder, it has been
exciting to work closely with our new technical team
members. It has been a steep learning curve for me, as we
started working on expanding into different verticals, and I
had to deep dive into everything from product development
and design, to the tech side of things and understanding
audience behavior. Having found the product-market fit in
2021, the key lesson has been to put my business
development hat on, and work on the frontlines with
clients. One has to keep focus, but also roll with the
punches. As they say, the show must go on!”
It’s a similar kind of tenacity that characterized several

of Re:Set’s initiatives through the course of 2021. For one,
as parts of the world found themselves badly hit by the
second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tangri and her
team ensured Re:Set provided people in these affected
locations access to resources that would help safeguard not
just their physical health, but their mental well-being as
well. “We stuck true to our values of helping people through REFLECTIONS
difficult times, and creating a safe space for difficult
conversations,” Tangri recalls. “I am proud of our team who
/2021
navigated these tough times and showed resilience. As a }Take risks, and get out of your comfort
young entrepreneur, this was unchartered territory for me, zone.
and I am grateful for the timely mentorship and guidance “When the buck stops with you, you may be scared to venture
offered from my network.” The same ethos governed beyond your comfort zone. But by taking risks, and putting
another of Re:Set’s projects in the UAE, which saw it ourselves out there, we embrace growth, and set ourselves up to
partner with the New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi’s unlock our true potential, and what we’re capable of.”
Office of Social Responsibility to provide bespoke and
multilingual mental health and COVID-19 resources for }Failure makes you stronger.
their expat domestic staff and contract workers, whose “Being an entrepreneur certainly isn’t easy, and it takes a special
families and friends back home were dealing with the person to start something of their own. It’s a journey riddled with
impact of the pandemic’s second wave. challenges, but also one of immense satisfaction and success. You
will fall as you tread this path, but the learnings from the times we
stumble offer us perspective, and make us resilient as we forge
Such efforts, and the positive feedback Re:Set received
ahead in our career.”
for them afterward, have cemented Tangri’s plans for the
platform in the new year. “As we see our efforts to normalize }Hire people smarter than you.
mental health conversations pay dividends, 2022 is all “This is key, because a good entrepreneur is always self-aware of
about giving more do-it-yourself tools and autonomy to their shortcomings, and learns how to surround themselves with
students and professionals to work on mental health, people who have strengths in the areas they are weak. Don’t be
beyond therapy,” she says. “Our North Star remains to make afraid to hire someone smarter than you. You have to learn to set
mental health accessible and inclusive to all.” your ego aside.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021 REFLECTIONS
/2021
}Perseverance is key.
"The main quality I recognize our team for is
perseverance. We have a small and mighty
team that has delivered seven film festivals,
shown over 170 films, and hosted two
international collaborations. We have pushed
through years without any sponsors, and
we’ve continued to be passionate about
Palestinian film for eight years now since our
inception. We’ve evolved and grown, but we’ve
always kept the core elements of what makes
us proud of who we are: being a community-
led and community-driven festival coming from
the grassroots, and delivering what our
community needs. We’ve pushed through
difficult times, and we’re proud to be able to
continue the work we do.”
}Always, always, always

have open conversations
with your team.
“We make it a point after every film festival,
and every year, we reassess our passion, our
capacity, and the mental space we can each
give to the platform in the next 12 months.
These conversations are sometimes very
emotional, but they are honest and truthful to
what the team is feeling. The work we do can
also be highly emotional, and this year has
Nadia CO-FOUNDER, REEL PALESTINE

been heavy for many in this space, so we also
make sure we keep the concept of burnout at
the top of our mind, and make sure we always
Rouchdy hold space for open and transparent

conversations.”
}Tell your story and

network as much as you
can.
E
ver since it launched in 2015 saw, how it changed their perspective, and “It’s sometimes easy to assume people know
as an annual film festival how it created empathy and awareness on what you do, and why you do it. But this year
dedicated to showcasing topics they hadn’t yet been exposed to.” has been a lesson in making sure that we keep
Palestinian cinema in the While this year’s event had to take a advocating for our festival and the pop-up
UAE, Reel Palestine has multitude of safety measures into events we put out, in order to make sure we’re
always finding collaborative spaces and
played an integral role in consideration to safeguard attendees from
partners to help further our mission.”
sharing a variety of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rouchdy is glad
perspectives about and stories to note that none of them took away from
from Palestine to the world at the essence of the Reel Palestine mission.
large, and this year’s instalment of the “What I loved about 2021 is that even
event -its seventh edition so far- proved to though the world threw us so many
be no different. challenges, we were still able to bring
“The energy at our 2021 festival was Palestinian stories to the forefront, and
amazing,” declares Nadia Rouchdy, explore an ever-ranging world of
co-founder, Reel Palestine. “I’m always characters, narratives, and relationships,
blown away by the community we’ve built in a way that isn’t done through
over the last few years. We worked mostly traditional media,” she explains. “We don’t
from home in 2020 and in isolation, so show one narrow perspective, but instead
when the festival took place in January many different perspectives. Every year, I
2021, it was such a treat to see people am proud that our team and partners are
coming together, discussing the films they able to do this.”
It’s this impact that Reel Palestine has
had in terms of shifting perceptions and
facilitating conversations around the
Palestinian cause that make it an
enterprise worth watching in the MENA
region’s cultural space. While it was,
until very recently, run by people on a
100% volunteer basis, Rouchdy reveals
that changes are now underway in terms
of how the enterprise is structured.
“From an organizational perspective,
I’m really excited to be pivoting the
business from a purely volunteer basis,
to a hybrid model that blends paid staff
Fares Ghattas
and volunteers,” she says. “Initially to
keep our costs low, we delivered this
GLOBAL CEO, THE LUXURY NETWORK INTERNATIONAL
festival on a volunteer basis, and
F
bootstrapped our budget like crazy. But or The Luxury Network Academy has an important role to play in
as time went on, we realized that in International Global CEO Fares ensuring talent continues to flow into this
order to keep the quality high and to Ghattas, his biggest achievement sector. “People who are willing to learn must
deliver on our mandate, we need to in 2021 was launching The Luxury have access to do so, at affordable costs,” he
invest resources into hiring staff who can Network Academy, which he says says. “Our objective is to make the
dedicate their time and energy to make is the the world’s first e-learning impossible possible for anyone with an
sure that every festival, and all our platform centered around luxury, internet connection to be granted the
ongoing events outside of the festival, with it offering those keen to join this opportunity to enhance their skills, and to be
maintain momentum and consistency, exclusive and lucrative sector the tools that able to learn from the greatest certified
and that we increase our capacity to they need for success. “The platform offers masters in the luxury industry.”
bring on board more like-minded learners the flexibility to do this from
partners, and elevate our mission of anywhere, and at their own pace, two very
bringing independent Palestinian important aspects due to the current global
cinema to the UAE.” situation,” Ghattas says. “Learners get REFLECTIONS
exclusive courses comprised of videos /2021
Reel Palestine is now gearing up for its created by iconic professionals, who share
2022 edition, with Rouchdy saying that the inner workings of their craft. Through }Learn from your
its film program promises to be an many different perspectives, learners will experiences- regardless
exciting one. “My co-founder, Dana Al develop critical tools to help them of whether they were good
Sadek, has put together an eclectic mix appreciate and contextualize their area of or bad.
of feature films, documentaries, interest. Staying up-to-date with trends and “Is 2021 a year to forget, or to remember? I am
sure we all agree that 2020 and 2021 were the
experimental shorts, and more that will constantly enhancing and developing one’s
strangest years we’ve ever encountered, but it
be screened at Reel Palestine,” Rouchy knowledge is more crucial than ever in these
was a year of changes in how we work, learn,
reveals. “The program is the core of our times of global downsizing.”
and interact, as social distancing guidelines
festival and supported by our The Luxury Network Academy is now live, have led to a more virtual existence, both
programmatic partner, Cinema Akil, and with it hosting a variety of courses that personally and professionally. We all now
we will also host talks, Q&As with feature renowned experts in the luxury field understand that something out there can
directors, launch a Palestinian sound like Sascha Lilic, Tom Meggle, Judi James, change the course of humanity and life, as it
archive and mix tape, and much more.” Shanyan Koder, William Hanson, and many was not a war, not an earthquake, not politics,
others. “The courses are designed to allow but something invisible to the human eye. At
At the same time, the restructuring of the learners to gain a valuable in-depth the same time, there is good news as far as
the business behind the scenes promises understanding of their chosen topics,” our health is concerned. From lifestyle changes
to make the new year an especially Ghattas explains. “These exclusive videos are to better eating habits, people are using this
noteworthy one for Reel Palestine. “2022 created to be impressive, informative, time to get healthier in many areas. These
lessons are deeply personal and differ in each
will be a pivotal year for Reel Palestine,” inspirational, and impactful.” According to
household. Still, they speak of an experience
Rouchdy says. “We’re investing in him, the topics that the Academy explores
shared worldwide. My best wishes go to all
internal resources to bring our best foot are especially important in an industry
businesses who have taken action and
forward, our team is growing, and we which, while requiring extremely high planning for the recovery to shape the future of
want to provide even more digital and standards, is also facing the brunt of their industry. My last wish for the new year is
physical spaces for our community. challenges like downsizing, global hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic will help
We’re looking to bring in more creative unemployment, and never-ending quality us achieve more meaningful goals, for our
partnerships, and increase our overall pressures. In light of these circumstances, families, for our countries, and for everyone
yearly presence outside of the festival.” Ghattas believes that The Luxury Network around us.”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021
↓ HYPERSPACE CCO Rama
Allen and COO Desi Gonzalez
with founder and CEO
Alexander Heller
Alexander
Heller FOUNDER, HYPERSPACE
B
uilding physical entertainment venues for product to market at Wafi Mall (AYA, a 40,000 sq. ft.
a digital world: that’s how Dubai-based immersive experience), followed by Dubai Mall in Q3
HyperSpace describes what it does as “a 2022 (House of Hype, a 100,000 sq. ft. immersive
future forward experiential attractions experience).” Now, Heller and his team are aware that
developer.” Founded by Alexander Heller they are operating in a space that’s moving extremely
in 2020, the company claims to be the first quickly- but they remain confident that their work will
in the world to build physical attractions speak for itself when their first venues open in the new
that are blockchain-enabled and extended year. So, just keep your eyes on HyperSpace- all signs
reality-native, with it making use of point it to being worth the wait!
cutting-edge emerging technologies, spatial compute
layers, real life virtual effects, and non-fungible token
(NFT) projects to create these purpose-built parks.
Think of them as physical front ends to the metaverse, REFLECTIONS
with visitors to these venues making use of the devel- /2021
oped technologies to access everything from surreal-
istic playgrounds and immersive neighborhoods, to }Be grateful for those who
virtual production stages containing holographic super choose to work with you.
cars and high-end digital fashion. “When working with extraordinary individuals who
are willing to follow your vision, you work for them,
All of this may sound remarkably futuristic, but its they do not work for you. I was blessed to have an
realization may be happening sooner than you may extraordinary group of individuals from around the
think- after all, this year saw Heller and his team were world, working at pinnacle of the experience
design and emerging technologies space, uproot
able to secure US$11 million in equity and
their lives to join HyperSpace in Dubai. This is the
development seed funding to create what they call
greatest complement of my vision, the greatest
immersive entertainment attractions for a social media
asset to the company, and the key reason why we
and metaverse generation. “2021 saw HyperSpace go will succeed. As a founder, you need to keep them
from a single person operation to a team of 25 believing every day that they backed the right
full-time employees and 17 full-time contracted leader.”
employees, saw us move into our first offices, raise $11
million of seed funding, and sign contracts on over }Find the right backers.
140,000 sq. ft. of space with some of world’s leading “Surround yourself with investors who are willing
property developers,” Heller says. “In a world where to pick up your phone five times a day, and help
blockchain, spatial computing, digital identity, and you grow your business. Be open for close
growth in the gaming and social media sector took oversight, and know that good investors are
meteoric steps in 2021, HyperSpace has rooted itself in partners, not just means to you executing your
ideas and vision.”
building towards a future where these trends find
place in the amusement attractions industry.”
And this is why the upcoming new year promises to

“2021 saw
be especially exciting for HyperSpace as an enterprise. HyperSpace (...) raise
“HyperSpace will move from concept to reality in $11 million
2022,” Heller declares. “Our business requires a of seed funding, and
significant amount of capital to make the turn to a sign contracts on over
revenue-generating business, and this will happen in
2022. We will be closing a significant Series A funding
140,000 sq. ft. of
in the first month of the year, and move through space with some of
production, software, and content development world’s leading
through Q2 2022, when we will bring out our first property developers. ”
THE
YEAR
THAT
WAS
2021
Ruchika taking centerstage in everyone’s life; hence,

the services we provided had to be efficient,
payment methods, as well as an e-commerce
store that is now live.” Singhal is also
Singhal sustainable, and bespoke for our customers.

We started with an inside-out approach to
meet the changing demands, and we
following the buzz around artificial
intelligence (AI) in the world today, which
she believes can have a major impact on her
FOUNDER, THE GROVE SALONS realized a paradigm shift in our business

model over the year.”
line of work as well. “In 2022, AI shall be a
game changer for the beauty industry,” she
predicts.
H
aving seen success by bringing According to Singhal, one of the key steps
BBLUNT, one of India’s leading she took in this regard was to ensure that
hair salon brands, to its first her employees felt connected and
international location in the UAE experienced a sense of belonging with the
in 2013 as The Hair Crafters company- there are tangible benefits to REFLECTIONS
Company, Ruchika Singhal is no having an inclusive workplace, she says. /2021
stranger to making it big in the beauty Keeping the standards of its offerings as
industry, and the development and growth high as possible, while also providing
}Go with the flow- be agile.
“Nothing is permanent. Things can change
of her own brand, The Grove Salons, which services that especially catered to customers
anytime, be aware of the dynamics, and adapt
she launched in 2017, serves as further proof in their current circumstances also helped faster to the changing situations to be able
of her natural instinct for this domain, as with keeping the business afloat. “Quality, as meet your business goals.”
well as her strong business acumen. While a brand ethos, helped us establish renewed
Singhal, who used to have a career in the trust with our patrons,” Singhal says. “That }Focus on the positive, and
tech industry, entered the beauty domain as also led us to witness repeat business and stay true to your values.
a relative outsider, she has proven herself to reliability from our locally based clients.” “Having encountered several occasions to
be a leader in the field today, and it’s this Looking toward the future, Singhal expects compromise on core values of the business for
combination of innate talent and work her industry to be looking at sustainability a possible gain, it can put anyone in a dilemma.
experience that has allowed her to navigate more closely in 2022, and that will see her Knowing the core values of the business, and
her enterprise away from the negative business actively looking for organic and sticking to one’s conviction, have been my key
repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis. “‘Look vegan haircare and skincare products to drivers for a sustainable and surviving
business.”
good, feel good’ is the mantra of salons; we offer its clientele. “My personal excitement
touch and feel to make it possible,” Singhal comes from the fact that technology is
}Develop skills today that
explains. “Post COVID-19, our biggest playing a big and bigger role in the beauty
will serve you in the future.
challenge was to regain the trust of our industry,” Singhal adds. “I am looking at “While these times have forced businesses to
customers to visit our salons, and significant improvements in customer adapt in order to survive, it’s also given us the
confidently experience their ‘me time.’ Our touchpoints for my business, be it with the opportunity to be more creative and innovative
customers have become much more enablement of online appointment in our approach to customer experience- skills
informed with health and environment scheduling, accepting new and online that will no doubt serve us well into the future.”
Eslam Hussein
CO-FOUNDER, INVYGO
A
s per Eslam Hussein, 2021 has been an
exceptionally strong year for invygo,
the Dubai-headquartered car
subscription app that he co-founded in
2018. In fact, he says that the business
has grown 9x since April 2020, which
has led to its leadership position being
solidified in the car subscription market of the
Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, and Turkey
(MENAPT). And all signs point to the company
seeing further growth in the months and years to
come. “Even with 40,000 cars on invygo, we are
still unable to keep up with demand,” Hussein
admits. “And that is why we are working in
overdrive with our partners to ensure that
customers always get the exact car they want.”
The success invygo has seen so far is a

testament to the potential of the car subscription
market, which, globally, is expected to reach
US$12 billion by 2027. Here in the region, the
sector may still be nascent, but Hussein expects
it to see an explosion of growth in the near
future. “Because financial inclusion is not
widespread in our region, the ability to access a
high-quality car is limited for the wider
population,” Hussein explains. “Car subscription
is making mobility more inclusive than ever
before. The opportunity to not be tied down to
traditional car ownership (and the various costs
that comes with it) is fast making subscription
the preferred option for drivers.” REFLECTIONS
/2021
All of this paints a rather rosy road ahead for
invygo, and Hussein is hopeful that the }Focus on customer obsession and retention.
company’s offering will have a positive impact on “Tech businesses must look beyond pure sign-ups, and look at how they can have
the region as well. “Access to cars can create repeat customers. At invygo, we constantly listen to our customers, while using data
unparalleled opportunities for people and econo- and machine learning to create truly personalized experiences for them.”
mies, and through the flexibility of subscription,
the net benefit for the region will be significant,” }Build a team of “cultural co-founders”.
“We have a very high bar for recruiting, and we always want people better than us. In
Hussein says. “Today, subscription is already part
being very exclusive, invygo hires people who truly believe in changing how the region
of the mainstream in Europe and the US, and we
accesses mobility options. A company’s first 150 colleagues must be ‘cultural
are excited about what it can unlock in the
co-founders.’ They should directly shape the culture and way of working, while also
MENAPT region.” having an equal voice in the business. This ensures that businesses are holding
themselves to the highest performance levels always.”
}Give back to the ecosystem.

“Even with 40,000 “Through our entrepreneurial journeys, we must remember to always give back. At
cars on invygo, we invygo, we support efforts to upskill local talent as well as various entrepreneurship
are still unable to programs. We have a strong belief that the ecosystem will thrive only if we give to it,
keep up with demand.” and we are committed to doing just that.”
WHEN STARS
→ NAJLA AL MIDFA,
CEO, Sheraa
COLLIDE
A recap of
the best moments of
Sharjah
Entrepreneurship
Festival 2021
b y TA M A R A P U P I C
J
udging by the enterprising and creative
talent convened by the Sharjah
Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa)
for the 2021 edition of the Sharjah
Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) in late
November, it is reasonable to believe that,
in 50 years from now, entrepreneurship
will serve as the main pillar of the UAE’s
post-oil economy. And the talent needed to
make this vision a reality will find a home
at Sheraa, said CEO Najla Al Midfa, in her
opening keynote at SEF 2021. “In a world of
doubters, let us be the first believers,” she
said. “As a community, we don’t fail when a
business ceases to exist. We fail when we
stop believing in our entrepreneurs.”
HELD AT THE EXPO CENTRE SHARJAH, the

fifth annual edition of SEF was staged under the
theme of “When Stars Collide,” with the two-day
event organized in partnership with the ICT Fund,
an initiative of the Telecommunications Regulatory
Authority and the Digital Government of the United
Arab Emirates, Sharjah Media City (Shams), Alef
Group, and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism
Development Authority. More than 4,000 people
attended the event, which had 55 business lead-
ers, experts, influencers, and cultural figures from
around the world leading nearly 60 activities
comprising keynotes, panel discussions, work-
shops, and more.
A
nd Alserkal will be UAE testifies to this.” Meanwhile,
different. It is Given the Careem’s Olsson noted that due to the
UAE’s 50th National Day support being offered to businesses in
in December this year, the the UAE today, “entrepreneurs can now
first session on the SEF focus on the problem they are solving,
2021 stage looked into how entrepre- and not on having to to build the rails
neurship could help secure the country’s underneath.” He added, “The startups
future for the next 50 years, and more. here are taking on the challenges of
On this panel discussion, H.E. Dr. solving local problems, but very soon,
Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister the UAE will be the hub that comes up
of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, with solutions for addressing global
pointed out his entity’s goals in this challenges.” However, Ghandour stressed
regard, which is “to create a platform for the need for more support from an
the ecosystem, by the ecosystem, as well investment standpoint. “I urge national
as to bring students in schools and investors, and especially family-run
universities into the system to increase businesses, to stop being conservative,
the funnel of founders in the region.” Dr. and reinvest their funds here,” he said.
Al Falasi, who spoke alongside Wamda “The UAE’s ecosystem is thriving and
Capital Executive Chairman Fadi happening– this is where you can make
Ghandour and Careem co-founder your money grow.”
Magnus Olsson in a conversation SEF 2021 also played host to a number
moderated by Enhance Ventures of globally renowned entrepreneurs this
Founding Partner Alper Celen, also year, one of whom was Michael Acton
noted that the ministry had an aspira- Smith, co-founder and co-CEO of “the
tional target of the UAE having 20 world’s first mental health unicorn,”
unicorns by 2031. “Our overarching goal Calm. In a conversation with Venture-
is to work with entrepreneurs to help Souq Founding Partner Sonia Wey-
them overcome barriers and ensure their muller, Smith shared a few of the key
progression across different stages of the lessons he learned over the course of
journey,” he said. “We work on enabling launching and running Calm. “When we
entrepreneurs to make the transition started building what we called ‘the Nike
from micro- to small or small-to-medi- of the mind,’ we first bought our domain
um enterprises to maximize their name (calm.com), and that speaks
potential.” volumes about the importance of the
brand name,” Smith said. “Another good
lesson from building Calm was to use
“Our overarching public relations (PR) and influencers not
goal is to work with only to talk about our business, but to
make the topic of mental health more to be one of Australia’s most impactful
entrepreneurs to acceptable in the society.” This theme speakers and developmental coaches. In
help them overcome was also the highlight of another panel
discussion at SEF 2021, which had
her keynote, Nguyen dove into the topic
of personal development, which she said
barriers and ensure Tuhoon co-founder Dr Naif Al Mutawa, is always derived out of a personal
FlexiPark co-founder Craig McDonald, disruption of sorts, as well as a personal
their progression Emirati Olympic weightlifter Amna introspection that such an endeavor
across different stages Al-Haddad, and Wamda Editorial
Director Triska Hamid exploring how
demands. According to Nguyen, this is
the process one must undergo in order
of the journey.” entrepreneurs can go about safeguarding to attain success, be it in a personal
their mental well-being while building capacity, or a professional one. “Mastery
According to Ghandour, the UAE’s their businesses. “Entrepreneurship can in business is about mastering influence,
startup ecosystem has already changed get very addictive, and sometimes, you because people will always follow a calm,
the face of the country’s economy. “The need to step back and rethink it,” Al composed, and confident leader,”
startups here are building the future of Mutawa noted. Nguyen said. “In that process, spiritual-
the country’s next 50 years, but there are ity should be considered as physics that
A
entrepreneurs in the government too, nother of SEF 2021’s standout is yet to be explained. So, we don’t have
individuals who are challenging the sessions was led by Pauline business problems, but personal
status quo, looking at ways of doing Nguyen, co-founder of the problems that reflect on business. Today,
things better,” he said. “The existence of world’s most awarded Vietnamese I believe, we are in the crisis of spiritual-
a Ministry of Entrepreneurship in the restaurant, Red Lantern, who is known ity, in both business and life.”
↓ Egyptian adventurers and
entrepreneurs OMAR SAMRA AND
OMAR NOUR, who are the stars
behind the recently released
documentary Beyond the Raging Sea
THE BEAUTY OF LIFE, AND IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LIES IN THE HIGHS AND

LOWS, BUT THAT IS WHERE UNCERTAINTY, LOSS AND FAILURE ALSO RESIDES.
YOUR FAILURE CAN BE EXTREMELY PUBLIC, BUT THE KEY THING IS TO JUST
START YOUR JOURNEY, REGARDLESS OF RESULTS.
T
he stars of the recently released documentary, Beyond complexities thrown at us that are akin to an entrepreneur’s
the Raging Sea, Egyptian adventurers-cum-entrepre- journey while building their businesses,” Samra explained.
neurs Omar Samra and Omar Nour used their time at “The beauty of life, and in entrepreneurship, lies in the highs
SEF 2021 to draw parallels between the journey of entrepre- and lows, but that is where uncertainty, loss and failure also
neurship and their 2017 attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean on resides. Your failure can be extremely public, but the key thing
just a light boat. “Just as in a risky adventure, you need to take is to just start your journey, regardless of results.”
that leap of faith in your business journey without often having This year’s edition of SEF also had a variety of speakers from
the requisite experience,” Nour said. “We had no previous the MENA region testifying to the entrepreneurial landscape
rowing experience before the Atlantic expedition, but what we in which they operate in. In a session looking into the legacy of
IMAGES COURTESY SEF
did have was plenty of heart, and the wish to raise awareness Careem, one of the region’s most successful startup success
on the plight of refugees who flee on sea.” Samra added that stories, Tarek Fouad, Head of Growth at Shurooq Partners,
while the beginning of their journey across the Atlantic was an moderated a discussion featuring former and current
exciting phase, it wasn’t too long before they had to contend employees at the unicorn, including Bassel Al Nahlaoui, MD
with the realities of the journey they had embarked on. “We – Mobility, Careem, Wael Nafee, partner at Raed Ventures, and
were slumped over in exhaustion every day, with problems and Asma Alyamani, Head of Product at Mamo Pay.
↓ MOHAMAD BALLOUT, co-founder
and CEO of Kitopi, NISREEN SHOCAIR,
CEO of YOOX Net-a-Porter Middle East,
AMIR FARHA, founder of COTU,
and FARIDA EL AGAMY, co-founder
and CEO of Kyma
RUNNING A BUSINESS CAN BE LIKE PARTICIPATING IN A CHAMPIONSHIP, YOU WANT THE BEST
TEAM PLAYERS AND CONTINUALLY FOCUS ON BUILDING MOMENTUM. BUT, DURING THE COVID-19
CRISIS, WHAT WE [SOMETIMES] SAW AROUND US WAS A LACK OF EMPATHY, AND WITHOUT
EMPATHETIC LEADERSHIP, YOU CANNOT GET ANYWHERE.
“The biggest impact it has had on the ecosystem is bringing the Elias Tsikhlakis, MD, eyewa, Abdul-Rahman Risilia, founder
belief that you can build a startup on this scale and level,” Nafee and CEO, ARC Talent, and Saeed Al-Nofeli, Director, in5,
said. “There are many ways you can help build a startup and engaging in a discussion about attracting talent to the region’s
establish its mission and values. Already knowing the hustle, I startup ecosystem. In another session, Morrow Collective
moved to my current role, because I want to help more startups co-founder Anna Seaman, Jumy co-founder Anthony Mon-
to do that.” Meanwhile, Alyamani advised other founders that teard, Republic MENA Managing Director Anwaar Almah-
“recreating the success system and culture (for any startup) is meed, Cheeze CEO Simon Hudson, and artist Amrita Sethi
cool, but also complex, so emulating it [the Careem culture] is a came together for an illuminating chat that was aimed at
great challenge.” For his part, Al Nahlaoui noted that there is no demystifying the concept of the metaverse.
end in sight when it comes to Careem’s work in the ecosystem.
T
“At our heart, we are still about helping people with our he second day of SEF 2021 started with a panel discus-
solutions,” he said. “This region has 700 million people, and we sion moderated by Kyma co-founder and CEO Farida El
still consider ourselves to be at the beginning of our journey.” Agamy, which dove into the facets that make a great
CEO. The three panelists -Nisreen Shocair, CEO, YOOX
Net-a-Porter Middle East, Amir Farha, founder, COTU, and
Y
outh from the MENA region also had a significant Mohamad Ballout, co-founder and CEO, Kitopi- agreed that
presence on the SEF stage this year, with the audience empathy should be a key trait of any successful leader, especially
getting to hear from names like actor and singer Rashed in the times of crisis. “When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, my
Al Nuaimi, poet and scholar Afra Atiq, pastry chef Sahar Al initial reaction was not ‘This is an amazing opportunity for
Awadhi, Manar Al Hinai, co-founder, Sekka, Hayat AlHassan, online business,” but ‘How do I take care of our people?’”
co-founder, Sweech, Maria Sobh, co-founder, The Concept, Shocair said. “We did that by creating a buddy system and
Ihsan Al-Hayek, Regional Manager – MENA, Dapi, and many opened helplines, since everyone was working remotely and
others on the first day of the event. Trending topics in the needed an infrastructure of support, particularly for their
ecosystem also found a place at SEF 2021, one of which had mental wellbeing. Our team members felt they were protected
Hussein Wehbe, entrepreneur and former government advisor, by the company, and, as a result, surpassed their targets.”
Ballout echoed this sentiment by pointing out that leaders of people’s perceptions,” she said. “Africa is so underrepresented
organizations need to learn to not be egoistic, and instead allow and shown from a perspective that is not documented by us.
themselves to be coached. “Running a business can be like Through my photography, I want to share with the world my
participating in a championship, you want the best team side of the story of my country and my continent.”
players and continually focus on building momentum,” he said.
S
“But, during the COVID-19 crisis, what we [sometimes] saw EF 2021 continued with its annual tradition of creating
around us was a lack of empathy, and without empathetic a special place for broaching on the topics of mental
leadership, you cannot get anywhere.” wellness and self-improvement, with Mindvalley, a
learning experience platform founded by Vishen Lakhiani,
S
EF 2021 also saw Ali Tabrizi, the filmmaker behind the organizing a number of power-packed sessions at the Mindval-
hit Netflix documentary, Seaspiracy, take part in a panel ley stage. Lakhiani himself delivered a speech that focused on
with Majid Al Futtaim-Holding Chief Sustainability how people can tap into creative visualizations to ensure their
Officer Ibrahim Zu’bi and Seafood Souq co-founder and CEO success in both work and life. “Using the power of our mind, we
Sean Dennis on building a changemaker mindset when it can harness all the positives in ourselves, influence our health,
comes to topics around the environment and turn on our creativity, using the right
and sustainability. Meanwhile, serial techniques,” he said. This was followed by the
entrepreneur Anas Bukhash, the inter- highly anticipated talk by Lewis Howes,
viewer behind the hit talk show, ABtalks, author of The School of Greatness, who
delivered a talk that offered a game plan Women must firmly advised the SEF 2021 audience to stop
for people wanting to figure out how they
can go about building a meaningful life for
believe that their presence chasing greatness, “because that is when
greatness starts chasing you.” He also revealed
themselves. Another session had Tahmima in leadership positions what people need to figure out if they are to
Anam, author of The Startup Wife, is beneficial to the entire unleash their true potential: “Ask yourself
discussing why an overhaul of gender
dynamics is needed in our current startup
ecosystem. Women three questions. ‘What do I want? What is my
fear? What do I need to heal?’ At the core of
landscape. “We are hardwired in our brains leaders are good for these lies the feeling that ‘I am not enough.’
to see men as visionaries and not women society, and it also makes Addressing what is holding you back and
in leadership positions in the tech culture,”
Anam said, in an on-stage conversation
good economic sense to taking action to overcome those will help you
accomplish greatness.” Howes ended his talk
with Entrepreneur Middle East Editor In have women at the helm. with a nod to the inspiring journey that the
Chief Aby Sam Thomas. “To reclaim our UAE has had to reach its golden jubilee this
power and our space, women must firmly year. “I am inspired by the vision, unity,
believe that their presence in leadership innovation and creativity that has spurred the
positions is beneficial to the entire phenomenal growth of this country,” Howes
ecosystem. Women leaders are good for society, and it also said. “50 years ago, this was all just a dream, but a few visionary
makes good economic sense to have women at the helm.” leaders came together to realize this dream, and committed
Discussions on the startup space continued with Maha Al themselves to make it happen.” This statement marked a fitting
Fahim, Founder, High Water Venture Partners, Ahmad Al end to SEF 2021 as well, which, five years ago, was only just a
Naqbi, CEO, Emirates Development Bank, Samer Choucair, dream, and now, continues to grow in stature and popularity,
Director, CE-Creates, and Noor Shawwa, Managing Director, year after year. Watch out for SEF 2022!
Endeavor UAE, sharing their insights on the myriad of
financing options that entrepreneurs can and should tap into
↓ TAHMIMA ANAM, author
while building their businesses in the region. Another session of The Startup Wife, along with
had Sarmad Al Zadjali, co-founder, Mughamer, Fatima Entrepreneur Middle East Editor in
Showaiter, founder, Ark Coffee, Maryam Bin Al Shaikh, Chief ABY SAM THOMAS
Manager, Sharjah Business Women Council, and Najla Al
Ansari, founder, Not A Space, look into the particular benefits
of launching a business in Sharjah, as opposed to anywhere
else. The Emirate was also highlighted by Aida Muluneh,
founder and Director of Africa Addis Foto Fest, who noted how
it was a place that understood and appreciated the value of
culture. In a conversation that was centered on the creative
economy, Muluneh shared with Mohamed Somji, Director,
Gulf Photo Plus, offered ideas on how creatives can ensure the
sustainability of their careers by applying business principles to
organizing their work. Having said that, she also encouraged
them to have a deep-rooted purpose behind what they do-
something that has helped her in her own career. “Culture
teaches the world who we are, and it has an impact on shifting
Advertorial/
AL BEIRUTI RESTAU-CAFÉ
ON TRACK FOR GLOBAL EXPANSION PLAN
I
t has been a good year for Al
Beiruti, one of Dubai’s favorite
and most renowned Lebanese
restau-cafes.
Opening its doors just over 12
months ago with an unmissable
façade on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed
Road, it didn’t take long for Al Beiruti to
become a city staple and a favorite for
many when it comes to Lebanese cuisine
and the mesmerizing Levantine café
culture.
The cuisine, atmosphere, staff, interior
design, and more are all factors that
contributed in making Al Beiruti a
unicorn concept, which, not one year after
the opening of its flagship location, is
already gearing up for the opening of three
more in the next few weeks.
The first of Al Beiruti’s three new outlets
will be close to home, right here on
Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah island and set to
open in November 2021. This location,
branded Al Beiruti Seaside, will be just
that: a waterfront restau-café with pristine
views of the Arabian Gulf, as well as
stunning and unobstructed views of the
world’s largest dancing fountains at The
Pointe. Al Beiruti Seaside will offer the
brand’s signature dishes such as zaatar
hummus and pomegranate kibbeh to
→ SAMER ZAYAT, founder of Al Beiruti
name only a few, as well as timeless
classics executed to perfection.
The second and third outlets, set to open allowing it to grow from a single-outlet in my arsenal has helped me, every step of
in January and February 2022 respec- concept to a four-outlet concept in a mere the way” commented Zayat, after receiving
tively, will take Al Beiruti’s already-legend- 12 months, with at least two more outlets the UAE golden visa from official
ary cuisine and atmosphere to Cairo, set to open in 2022 alone” added Zayat. dignitaries.
Egypt. These two locations are the first of Zayat had also marked another Furthering its regional expansion, the
several outposts already planned for the milestone earlier this month after being brand is turning its sights regionally and is
bustling Egyptian capital, where the awarded the UAE Golden Visa for his exploring opportunities in the Kingdom of
market is broad enough for even more Al contributions in the investment category Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey
Beiruti locations. in the country. “I am honored to be where it plans to set up shop within two
“Representing Beirut and Lebanon as a recognized for my contributions and years. On the other hand, Al Beiruti is also
whole is the drive fueling our developmen- achievements. This is a classic example of gearing up to establish ventures in
tal plan and the objective is to take Al a UAE success story, showing how much Europe’s major cities such as London and
Beiruti from Dubai to the world” said an individual can thrive in an environ- Paris to name a few.
Samer Zayat, founder of Al Beiruti. “Al ment as nurturing and catalyzing as Dubai
Beiruti’s organic and quick growth are and the UAE. I am certain that being here Visit Al Beiruti Seaside on Dubai’s The Palm,
testaments to the brand’s strengths, and having all that this nation has to offer opening this November 2021. albeiruti.com
Tech/
#TamTalksTech
Gadgets and doodads that you might’ve missed out on,
sourced by a tech aficionado b y TA M A R A C L A R K E
→ Be heard
Logitech Yeti /
Logitech is giving content
creators a boost with its new
range of Blue Microphones,
which include the Yeti, Yeti X,
Yeti Nano, Snowball Ice, and
Logitech StreamCam. Yeti is a
premium microphone
delivering crystal-clear audio
with Blue Voice software,
which offers a suite of
broadcast vocal effects and a
library of HD audio samples
accessible through Logitech
G HUB software. It comes
with a desktop microphone
stand, and it has easy-to-use
controls along the front of the
device. Notably, Yeti is a
side-address microphone,
which accepts sound from a
perpendicular angle to the
mic, as opposed to a front-
address mic, which accepts sound form the end of the microphone.
Not only does this help with sound capture, it also goes a long way
toward helping you maintain good posture while recording.
↑ Stream on
Honor 50 /
Vloggers can expect to soar to new heights
with the new Honor 50 smartphone. It’s
packed with powerful features for creators
such as a quad camera setup, six multi-video ← Sound off
modes that provide easy-to-use settings to
Bose QuietComfort 45 /
shoot and edit in different scenarios, as well
Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones come with
as story templates for different styles of
improved noise cancellation for peace and quiet
videos. You can can simultaneously shoot and
anywhere, as well as a new AWARE Mode to let
switch between front to rear recording,
the world back in whenever you’re ready. The
dual-view recording (front/rear), picture in
headphones also feature QUIET Mode whereby
picture, fast-motion recording, slow-motion
microphones inside and outside the earcups
recording, and single- to dual-view recording
combine with a proprietary digital chip to sense,
modes. The handset comes with a 4300mAh
measure, and respond to more unwanted
battery that delivers 10 hours and 36 minutes
sounds in mid-range frequencies. The device is
of internet browsing time, 15 hours and 45
lightweight and folds flat to store in an included
minutes of video playback, with a total
compact carrying case. QC45 gives you up to
endurance of 95 hours. Add in its 6X zoom,
IMAGES COURTESY HONOR | BOSE | LOGITECH
24 hours of battery life after two hours of

and you’ll be inching to start vlogging
charging- meanwhile, a 15-minute boost will
immediately- no time like the present, after all!
give you three hours of playback. The Bose
QuietComfort headphones come in two timeless
colors, Triple Black and White Smoke, both with
a beautiful matte finish.
TAMARA CLARKE, a former software development professional, is the tech and lifestyle enthusiast behind The Global Gazette, one
of the most active blogs in the Middle East. The Global Gazette has been welcomed and lauded by some of the most influential tech
brands in the region. Clarke’s goal is to inform about technology and how it supports our lifestyles.
Talk to her on Twitter @TAMARACLARKE. theglobalgazette.com
Trappings/
Reinterpreting
Luxury
A new generation of Royal Oak Offshore premieres in 43mm
Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is
releasing a new Royal Oak Offshore line in 43 mm with 5 models
honed from titanium, 18-carat pink gold or stainless steel.
S
wiss Haute Horlogerie
manufacturer Audemars
Piguet is releasing a new Royal
Oak Offshore line in 43 mm
with 5 models honed from
titanium, 18-carat pink gold or
stainless steel. The new
launch represents the first
redesign of the Royal Oak
Offshore since the evolution of
the 44 mm collection in the
early 2000s. While keeping the essence of
the Royal Oak Offshore’s original
characteristics, the case and dial has been
tailored to offer aesthetics and
ergonomics. These models also introduce The movement’s dedicated blackened 22-carat pink gold
the manufacture’s latest integrated flyback oscillating weight and refined decorations, including “Côtes de
chronograph, Calibre 4401, in the Royal Oak Genève,” “traits tirés” and circular graining can be admired
through the sapphire caseback. The caseback also reveals
Offshore collection. Last but not least, the
components usually hidden from view such as the column wheel
new Royal Oak Offshore 43 mm is fitted and the so-called “dance” of the chronograph hammers.
with the Manufacture’s new With its selfwinding mechanism, 70 hours of power reserve and
interchangeable strap system that enables water resistance to 100 m, Calibre 4401 perfectly complements
wearers to change straps easily. the Royal Oak Offshore. }
NEW ERGONOMIC 43 MM CASE

The new 43 mm Royal Oak Offshore in titanium, 18-carat pink
gold or stainless steel combines the collection’s strong
identity with a more ergonomically refined design. The case
presents larger polised chamfers on the edges, while the bezel
as well as the screw-locked crown and chronograph push-
pieces follow a slight curvature for more visual appeal. To the
exception of the all-titanium version, the other four timepieces
in the collection feature a ceramic bezel for a powerful two-
tone contrast. The glareproofed sapphire crystal curved from 6
to 12 o’clock seamlessly fits the curvature of the bezel and
completes the overall design. The Manufacture’s trademark
alternation of hand-polished chamfers and satin-brushed
finishing adorning the case and bezel furthers the watch’s
new aesthetic.
LATEST INTEGRATED FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH

The new Royal Oak Offshore 43 mm line introduces the
IMAGES COURTESY AUDEMARS PIGUET
Manufacture’s latest in-house integrated chronograph, Calibre

4401, in the Royal Oak Offshore collection. This selfwinding
chronograph movement is equipped with a column wheel and
the flyback function that enables to restart the chronograph
without stopping or resetting it first.
Calibre 4401 also features a vertical clutch system that
prevents hands from jumping when the chronograph is
started or stopped, as well as a patented zero resetting
mechanism ensuring that each one of the counter hands is
seamlessly reset to zero.
Trappings/
SECURE AND EFFICIENT INTERCHANGEABLE STRAPS SPORTY DIAL WITH REFINED FINISHES
The Royal Oak Offshore 43 mm line is fitted with the The Royal Oak Offshore’s “Méga Tapisserie” pattern
Manufacture’s new interchangeable strap system. The adorning the dial, available in shades of black, grey, light
interchangeability system has been directly integrated into the brown and blue, has been newly designed to offer
buckle and case’s studs, in perfect harmony with the case’s enhanced contrast and high-end finishing. The pyramids
aesthetic codes. composing the stamped Tapisserie have been
The ease and efficiency of the new system will allow clients sharpened and connected to one another with a raised
to change the straps and buckles of their new timepiece criss-cross pattern that adds depth to the dial. The
themselves with a quick click and release. The double-push pyramids’ finishing gives a satin effect in an echo to the
system also grants optimum security when the watch is worn case’s bold yet refined aesthetic. Extensive
on the wrist. programming and numerous prototypes were necessary
In addition, the interchangeable rubber straps in black, blue, to reach the perfect balance of sportiness and
grey and brown hues adorning the different models, as well as elegance.
the AP pin buckle, are endowed with a new design. The chronograph counters have also been rearranged
to improve legibility: the minute counter now appears at
9 o’clock, while the hour counter is positioned at 3
o’clock. In addition, the date window has been moved
closer to the inner bezel between 4 and 5 o’clock. The
small seconds counter is, for its part, at 6 o’clock.
Furthermore, the watch presents the new Royal Oak
Offshore logo adorning all new models across the
collection. The applied gold AP initials appear without the
long-form signature at 12 o’clock.
The dial also features more assertive gold Royal Oak
hands adding to the watch’s powerful identity.
THE MEGA TAPISSERIE / A ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE

TRADEMARK
Since it hit the world of fine watches in 1993, the Royal
Oak Offshore has offered a platform for innovation,
seeing a raft of new materials, case sizes, complications,
colours and dial designs.
In 1999, the Manufacture introduced a bolder guilloché
pattern – the “Grande Tapisserie” – in the Royal Oak
collection. Although produced with the same engine-
turning process as for the Royal Oak and Royal Oak
Offshore’s original “Petite Tapisserie” pattern, the base of
the pyramids composing the “Grande Tapisserie” almost
doubled in size, granting the watch a bolder look. The
“Grande Tapisserie” soon followed in the Royal Oak
Offshore 42 mm line.
In 2001, the Tapisserie pyramids saw yet another
reinterpretation within the Royal Oak Offshore collection
with the birth of the “Extra-Grande Tapisserie,” later
renamed “Méga Tapisserie.” This time, the more massive
pattern is no longer engine-turned, but stamped with
powerful presses. This dial design was quickly adopted
throughout the collection and became a key feature of
the more muscular Royal Oak Offshore in 44 mm, which
started to appear in 2010 and has evolved in parallel of
the 42 mm line ever since.
Today, the “Méga Tapisserie” undergoes a new
evolution with the release of the 43 mm size. Its criss-
cross Tapisserie pattern nods to the powerful yet
sophisticated aesthetic of the newly designed case.
POWERFUL CONTRASTS
The last model of the collection brings together an 18-carat
pink gold case with a black ceramic bezel, both decorated
with satin-brushing and polished chamfers. The contrast
extends to the push-pieces and crown. The push-pieces and
screw-locked crown are crafted in black ceramics and
finished with satin-brushing, while the push-piece guards are
in sandblasted 18-carat pink gold.
The bezel is matched with a black “Méga Tapisserie” dial
adorned with rhodium-toned chronograph counters, whereas
the pink gold hour-markers, Royal Oak hands and applied gold
AP initials highlight the case’s two-tone design. The watch
comes with a black interchangeable rubber strap as well as a
black interchangeable alligator strap.
Running on a selfwinding Calibre 4401, the Royal Oak
Offshore is available with an 18-carat pink gold case, titanium
grey case, as well as with a blue, light brown or black dial.
Whether you're headed to the board room or to your next
adventure, you'll certainly find something in this new
collection that's worth taking.
ENDLESS VARIETY / STRONGLY OFFSHORE
The new 43 mm Royal Oak Offshore collection presents two
models combining a stainless steel case with a bezel, push-
pieces and a screw-locked crown, all crafted in black ceramics.
To reinforce the two-tone aesthetic, the push-piece guards
have been crafted in sandblasted stainless steel.
The first model plays with the case’s two-tone contrast. It is
adorned with a black “Méga Tapisserie” dial enriched with
rhodium-toned counters and comes with a black
interchangeable rubber strap, as well as a second brown
interchangeable calfskin strap.
The second stainless steel model presents a smoked light
brown “Méga Tapisserie” dial with black chronograph counters
and inner bezel, matched with a light brown interchangeable
rubber strap. The watch is complemented with a second black
interchangeable rubber strap.
Both models are enhanced by white gold hour-markers, Royal
Oak hands with luminescent coating and applied gold AP initials.
LIGHT AND STURDY

The Manufacture introduces two titanium models hand-
finished with satin-brushing and polished chamfered. They are
offered with dials in shade of blue or grey, both complemented
with white gold hour-markers, Royal Oak hands with
luminescent coating and applied gold AP initials.
The first model features an all-titanium case with black
ceramic push-pieces and screw-locked crown. The blue “Méga
Tapisserie” dial and inner bezel are illuminated by rhodium-
toned chronograph counters and matched with a blue
interchangeable rubber strap. A second black interchangeable
rubber strap is included.
The other titanium variant is enriched with a bezel, push-
pieces and screw-locked crown in grey ceramics. The grey
“Méga Tapisserie” dial is enhanced by blue chronograph
counters and a blue inner bezel. The watch is complemented
with a grey interchangeable rubber strap and a second blue
interchangeable rubber strap.
FUN COMES
GUARANTEED
YOU DECIDE WHEN THE PARTY
STOPS WITH 24HR FOOD & DRINK.
NOW OPEN AT DUBAI DIGITAL PARK.
RADISSONHOTELS.COM/RED
Making Change Happen
Feeling burnt out? Here’s how you can reclaim your life by ADIB SAMARA
HAVE YOU EVER WOKEN UP IN THE MORNING, and the first your computer, but pretending to read emails that you tell
thought that comes into your mind is how can you avoid yourself you will action tomorrow, just like that Monday diet
going into the office today? Do you call in sick- but what routine. You then go for a two-hour lunch break, maybe even
excuse will you use this time around? Or should you just go in say you are having a business lunch, and extend it for as long
late, and say you overslept? As you walk into the office several as you possibly can. Do you even go back to the office? Maybe
hours into the day, you embarrassingly say something like, just for a little longer, before you set up another imaginary
“My alarm didn’t go off,” or that “I had some digestive meeting outside of the office, and then make your way home
problems,” and you walk straight to your desk to avoid diving early to do nothing, but stay on your couch and watch
deeper into any awkward conversations. You perhaps then television aimlessly. And then, hours pass, and before you
spend the next several hours doing absolutely nothing on know, it’s groundhog’s day all over again.
‘T/ Pro
ALL OF US HAVE BEEN, at one point in

time or the other, emotionally drained,
unmotivated, or completely burnt out at
work. And it’s ok- it’s a natural response
as human beings, and one that we all go
through. It does not make us unprofes-
sional, angsty, or even weak. After all,
we have emotions, and it’s natural that
they impact our lives, either at home or
at work. But the important thing to
remember is that we shouldn’t let them
simmer for too long- instead, we should
make it a point to quickly understand
the source of the issue. Is it a result of
too much pressure at work? Maybe
you’re just exhausted? Boredom,
perhaps? A situation at home, or in your
love life? Or maybe it’s simply not the
right job for you? I TOOK IT A STEP FURTHER AND SPENT TIME WITH THE
Whatever the underlying reason is, if MASAI BETWEEN THE FOOTHILLS OF MOUNT KILIMANJARO
you ever have a day like the one I AND MOUNT MERU, WHERE I LEARNED OF THEIR CULTURE
outlined above, then you need to sound SAND TOOK PART IN HEALING CEREMONIES.
the alarm. Something needs to change,
and that’s either your mindset, or your
career. change my life for the better: I got a earlier meant I could have the whole
dog, I found my way to the gym, I morning to myself, not just to get ready
I HAVE HAD AN INCREDIBLE 18 MONTHS, learned to focus inwards, and I also for the day, but to focus on what I
to say the least. I lost my mother to evolved my perspective on life. Let me needed to accomplish.
cancer, my grandmother to old age, a explain each of these points in detail.
friend to COVID-19, and a country I } A healthy body is a healthy mind
love to violence and corruption. And if Now that I had more time in the
that weren’t enough, the emotional } A dog is indeed man’s best friend morning, I had more time to work on
trauma of being locked up at home for There is something that changes your myself. Instead of sitting idle at home, I
months during lockdown didn’t help life instantly when another life is started going to the gym. At first it felt
either. Given all that that has happened, dependent on you. For many parents like a challenge, but soon after, I
heading to work should probably be the out there, it is their children that give became excited for it. I lost weight that
last thing on my mind- but today, I them this ultimate sense of responsibil- I’ve been trying to lose for a while, and
wake up every morning energetic and ity, and fulfilment. For me, it was it made me feel stronger and infused
ready for what’s to come my way. getting a puppy. I had never grown up with renewed energy. And that energy
Indeed, I look forward to getting up with a dog, and I didn’t know what I carried me forward the rest of my day.
early and conquering the day. I have a was getting myself into that day I This meant that I was more focused in
sense of clarity. I know I am where I brought her home. Yes, there are the office, more productive, more
need to be right now. learning curves, and taking care of positive, and ultimately, happier as well.
something as fragile as a life is intimi- Working out releases endorphins, the
WAS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS? No, not at dating at first. Knowing that she won’t mood regulator chemical that triggers
all! In fact, there were many days where eat if I don’t put food out for her is a positive feelings in the body, and that
I wasn’t able to get out of bed- maybe frightening thought, and so was the has caused a clear shift in my attitude
too many. And it isn’t just me- over the initial idea of having to potty-train her! toward each day. Prior to going to the
past few months, I have spoken to many But the joy you bring her by your very gym, I remember entering the office
friends who are experiencing burnouts presence, and the unconditional love almost zombie-like, but now, I found
at work, and have thus either decided to whenever you get home is a blessing myself coming in with a deep-set
quit their jobs, take long vacations and that got me waking up early to walk her, motivation to get things done. When
sabbaticals, or just choose to operate on and making sure I come back home you feel pumped (literally), it is hard to
autopilot. So, how did I manage to turn from work on time to feed her. It made be down, and by some natural progres-
things around for myself? Well, I’ve me more grounded, and it also gave me sion, you look at your day-to-day
realized now that there are four things I a lot more time to myself, because I situations immediately with a more
did that have allowed me to ultimately wanted to be at home more. Waking up positive outlook.
} Practice mindfulness: life is } Everything in life happens
in the moment As part of my for you, not to you When you
transformation, I began to are in more control of your
realize that I was in more mind and your spirit, you are
control of my life than I had able to view life with a new
led myself to believe. With a light. You understand your
new positive outlook, I could circumstances and how you
see things clearer, and I knew influence your environment
I needed a reset or a reboot. better. You no longer play the
In addition to my physical victim when bad things arise
transformation, I needed to that are out of your control,
clear my spirit, and the such as the passing of a loved
emotions that had been one. In fact, you begin to ask
clouding my judgement and new questions. It’s no longer
behavior. I began with “Why do these things always
introducing yoga and happen to me?” or “Why do I
breathwork into my life, and I hate my job?” or even “Why
was surprised by the immedi- can’t I be more successful?” In
ate impact. I went to sound fact, it is no longer asking
emersions, bong meditations, why, but asking what or how. ↑ ADIB SAMARA , Vice President - Global Brand and Marketing at
water baths, and several reiki The questions thus change to Sweetheart Kitchen
sessions. I took it a step “What can I learn about
further and spent time with myself from such a situation?”
the Masai between the or “How do I respond better When you start thinking like Adib Samara is currently
foothills of Mount Kiliman- to what’s happened?” or that, you will never have a bad Vice President - Global
jaro and Mount Meru, where “What can I do to change my day in the office every again. Brand and Marketing at
I learned of their culture sand circumstances?” You begin to You will only have clarity. And Sweetheart Kitchen. Prior to
took part in healing ceremo- see every situation in life as an with that clarity, you will that, he was at the Director
nies. Similarly, within the opportunity. You are no longer know if you are in the right of Business Development at
Sacred Valley of Peru, I dwelling on the past or fixated place or not, or if you are at a Careem, a UAE-based
learned of the Quechuan on the future, but are now place where you need to be, in startup that sold to Uber for
culture and other rituals used focused on the present. If you order to get to where you US$3.1 billion, where he led
among various indigenous are at work and feel under- want to go. partnerships for the brand.
groups of the upper Amazon. challenged, try to understand If you are feeling lethargic, He was previously the Head
I thus began to see the impact the why, so you can create the depressed, unmotivated, or of Business Development at
of mindfulness meditation what or how. Take that as an emotional, you are not in the Laundrybox, another
transform not only how I opportunity to find a new best position to make any UAE-based startup, as well
viewed myself, but, more challenge or responsibility. If decisions. If you are burnt out as Salmontini, where he
importantly, how I under- you feel like your boss doesn’t at work, it may not necessarily established, structured, and
stood myself in the context of respect your word, take it as be because of work. You may implemented the sales and
my environment. We spend an opportunity to try a need to just take a small step distribution strategies for
so much time and energy different approach to speak to back, perhaps even a weekend the brand. He is also on the
learning about everything him. You have to understand off, maybe a vacation, or advisory board of The Box,
else, but rarely do we focus that you cannot change people whatever is required for you and he had a stint as a Sales
that same time and energy or their behaviors, you can to reset. Then, go and find Advisor for SugarMoo
into learning about ourselves, only change how to react to something that provides you Desserts. Prior to that, Adib
and discovering what really them, or how you perceive an ultimate sense of responsi- spent his career with Nestlé,
drives us, motivates us, and their reactions. Instead of bility, get your body healthy, where he gained solid
fills us with love and joy. To getting frustrated that you and your mind strong, so that exposure to various regional
really know oneself is to truly aren’t getting your way, get you that you feel better, and assignments in different
find happiness. We search it motivated in trying to find a with that, get the clarity you senior capacities, including
for everywhere else, but it new path. Turn it into a game, need to make the choices you sales development manage-
only exists within, when we and enjoy the process. Take want. Or is it the clarity you ment for the Nescafé brand.
find peace within ourselves. every situation as an opportu- want to make the choices you Adib has a BA in Political
Knowing that changes how nity to learn something new need? Either way, you aren’t Science and a Master’s in
you view your life, and what about yourself, so that you can alone. Just keep calm and International Law.
happens in it. grow and better yourself. move on. You got this. byswhk.com
‘T/ Ecosystem
I believe that most of these

consumer behavioural changes
will remain with us even when
the pandemic is a thing of the
past, and hence, startups will
evermore need to think about
their presence and traction
online. They have access to
different channels to reach and
serve their potential customers
online: business websites/
portals, online aggregator
platforms, social media, mobile
and super apps, among others.
Super apps are almost every-
where these days: WeChat,
AliPay, and Meituan in China;
Grab, GoTo, and Sea in
Southeast Asia; Paytm in India;
Careem, Snapp, and Noon in
MENA; and Mercado Libre and
Rappi in LatAm, among others.
A super app offers several

services and use cases of
ENABLERS OF SUCCESS
interest to its target customers
in a single application. This
one-stop-shop philosophy
implies that customers would
only need to install one app,
sign up once, add their
credentials a single time, and
Super apps aren’t the threat that startups might imagine them to be- then enjoy multiple applica-
in fact, they may actually be able to fuel their emergence and growth tions at their fingertips right
away, all-in-one. While super
S
b y D R . FA R D A D Z A N D V
apps came to birth to bring
convenience and value-for-
money to their customers, they
ince the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, may be seen as potential threats
many things have changed in the way we live, work, to early-stage businesses and
and do business. One stark change concerns the online startups. Over time,
super apps continue consolidat-
importance of the online space to represent your ing demand, while expanding
business and offer your services and products. If their service portfolio. On the
being present and selling actively online was simply other hand, they should be able
to bring down unit costs, and
a choice or a nice-to-have thing for many businesses pass on part of that to custom-
prior to the pandemic, it has become a critical must-
IMAGES COURTESY DUBAI CHAMBER
ers in the form of lower prices.

have now. Online sales are taking a larger share of More services and lower prices,
complemented with enhanced
business sales across many industries (the so-called experience and convenience for
offline-to-online or O2O transition), and without a customers may be understood
strong online presence, these businesses would have serious as leaving less room for online
micro, small, and medium
problems to compete and survive post-pandemic. enterprises (MSMEs) and
early-stage startups to scale and
thrive.
However, that’s not true; in contrast, I leap growth for these
strongly believe that super apps can apps would have not
indeed fuel the emergence and growth been feasible without
of online startups, especially at times the underlying
such as now that we are coming out of a foundation of WeChat.
large-scale pandemic gradually. Let’s Let’s see why.
start with a stark example. WeChat
launched its mini-programs in 2017. 1/ SUBSIDIZING
These are third-party applications that CUSTOMER ACQUISITION
are developed and run on top of the COST (CAC)
WeChat platform and provide a wide Customer acquisition is
variety of services and advanced probably the priority
features to its native customers. In just number one for any
three years, the number of mini-pro- internet startup, being B2C or B2B; yet, channels (online, social, mobile, offline,
grams on the platform grew 5.5x, while CAC figures exhibit an upward trend hyperlocal) through which customers
in the same period, the volume of across most industry verticals, meaning are getting approached and bombarded
transactions on these applications has it is getting increasingly expensive to with ads and campaigns, are surely
doubled almost every year, to a point acquire new customers in most important contributors to this. With
that these mini-programs already industries. There are several salient many businesses rushing online
attract over 800 million monthly and factors contributing to this upward throughout the pandemic, the upward
400 million daily active users in 2020. trend, but (hyper) competition in most pressure on online customer acquisi-
I strongly believe that such quantum- industries, on top of the multiplicity of tion costs will only intensify.
MORE SERVICES AND LOWER PRICES, COMPLEMENTED WITH ENHANCED

EXPERIENCE AND CONVENIENCE FOR CUSTOMERS MAY BE UNDERSTOOD AS
LEAVING LESS ROOM FOR ONLINE MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
(MSMES) AND EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS TO SCALE AND THRIVE.
SOURCE: 2019 SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COST (CAC) STUDY
‘T/ Ecosystem
Share of e-commerce in total retail sales, Here, super apps can help new
United Kingdom and United States (2018-2020) players with their prime magic.
They have spent quite some time
and millions of dollars to build a
healthy and sticky customer pool,
and once they open their
platform to the broader ecosys-
tem, all of the third-party tenants
get access to their user base
overnight, and benefit from the
massive network effects they
have created- way much faster
and cheaper than what they
could do/have done alone on
their own. This is an indispens-
able asset for any startup that
can boost its scale-up journey
massively.
2/ BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
If demand generation is critical
for early-stage businesses,
building a solid, scalable
foundation and backend
operations is probably not of less
importance. Building tech and
ops with decent quality and
reliability, especially at scale, is
neither cheap nor quick in many
Source: OECD’s elaboration based on data from the US CensusBureau, the Office for National Statistics
in the United Kingdom and Eurostat parts of the world, and
particularly so in less mature
environments. When expansion
to multiple geographies is added
to this equation, the situation
becomes even more cumbersome
for startups, as they need to build
teams across different markets,
deal/integrate with several local
service providers, and comply
with multiple regulatory regimes.
Source: Kearney analysis
→ DR. FARDAD ZAND,
Head of Strategy and
to get ahead of their competition and
Super App Incubator prove that they have already attained
at Careem the stamp of approval from these
giants. This can also improve custom-
ers’ confidence in these new players
and their comfort with sharing their
data and credentials with them early
on, as the smaller players working
with or running on top of the super
apps are believed to follow their strict
security, privacy, integrity and
compliance requirements.
Super apps can also create healthy
competition in the startup ecosystem
in their dominant markets by
separating the wheat from the chaff,
and picking up the best-of-breed
startups that they want to host or part-
ner with. In return, they help these
startups with demand generation,
infrastructure scaling-up, and brand
building in ways the startups cannot
think of or are not capable of. This
way, the emergence of super apps in
most markets represents a great
opportunity for startups to focus on
their core competencies, and build
long-lasting businesses for generations
to come, while they can still choose to
operate standalone and run their own
channels in parallel as well.
In short, super apps can be the

ultimate multi-purpose tool, the Swiss
army knife in business for emerging
PARTNERING WITH ESTABLISHED SUPER APPS IS A GREAT startups, all the while turning threats
WAY FOR STARTUPS TO GET AHEAD OF THEIR into opportunities for them to boost
COMPETITION AND PROVE THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY their offline-to-online transition,
ATTAINED THE STAMP OF APPROVAL FROM THESE GIANTS. post-pandemic and beyond.
Dr. Fardad Zand is the Head of

Super apps have already gone through scale they have captured). This can Strategy and Super App Incubator at
this tedious journey at scale, and can also accelerate time-to-market (TTM) Careem, the everyday super app for the
offer many of these building blocks for these startups, especially when greater Middle East region. A pioneer
such as payment, delivery, care, launching in an absurdly new territory. of the region’s ride-hailing economy,
location, analytics, and identity in the Careem provides a host of daily
IMAGES COURTESY DUBAI CHAMBER
form of platform-as-a-service (PaaS) 3/ ENHANCING VISIBILITY services that people need to move
microservices to startups. This would It takes a big marketing budget for around, order things, and transfer
allow startups to focus their team- startups to create sufficient visibility money in one unified smartphone app.
building, product development, and and awareness about their offerings, Established in July 2012, Careem
on-ground operations on their core and to build trust with their target operates in over 100 cities across 13
business (something that they are audience. It is even more challenging countries, and has created two million
supposed to be good at), and leave the and costly for them to build a strong income-generating opportunities in
most of remaining building blocks to brand and reputation that lasts for the region. Careem became a wholly-
their hosting super apps (while decades. Partnering with established owned subsidiary of Uber Technolo-
benefiting from the economies-of- super apps is a great way for startups gies, Inc. in January 2020. careem.com
‘T/ Ecosystem
STRATEGY BITES
Insights and inspiration from some of Saudi Arabia’s most notable business execs b y R A F FA E L L A C A M PA G N O L I
S
trategy Bites is a series of interviews that LIRA Strategy with leading the way in building a tourism
Partners founder and Managing Director Raffaella industry that has previously not existed on
this scale in the country. The Red Sea
Campagnoli is conducting with some of Saudi Arabia’s Project will showcase the Kingdom’s
most notable business executives for Entrepreneur.com. natural beauty, as well as regenerate the
In this edition, she talks to Jay Rosen, CFO, The Red Sea local area and provide economic, social,
Development Company (TRSDC). and environment benefits for generations
to come.
Offering a diverse array of seamless
personalized experiences, The Red Sea
} Could you start by giving us an Project will encourage visitors to explore
introduction to The Red Sea Project and the wonders and rich cultural heritage of
its mandate? Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast according
The Red Sea Project is the world’s most to three key commitments: offer access to
ambitious regenerative tourism project, some of Saudi Arabia’s most important
based on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. cultural treasures; protect, preserve and
Once complete, it will comprise of 50 enhance the local environment; and set a
resorts across 28,000 sq. km. along Saudi new standard in sustainable develop-
Arabia’s pristine coast. The stunning ment.
location includes an archipelago of more
than 90 islands, one of the few thriving } As CFO of one of the largest projects
coral reefs in the world, and around 50 in Saudi Arabia, what can you tell us
dormant volcanic cones. Alongside this, about your role in supporting The Red
the project area incorporates a diverse Sea Project’s objectives?
ecosystem, with an abundance of flora I have been CFO of The Red Sea
and fauna. Development Company for the past four
Regenerative tourism is at the heart of years. Prior to this role, I worked
The Red Sea Project, with a recognition alongside the CEO John Pagno at another
that nature is the destination’s greatest large development in the Bahamas. We
asset, and it must be developed to protect have a strong working relationship, and
and enhance the stunning and unique it’s been fantastic to work with him on
natural beauty around it. The Red Sea another large-scale project.
Project will set new standards in sustain- My role at The Red Sea Project is
able development, pioneering a new unique, relatative to conventional CFO
relationship between luxury tourism and mandates, given my broad background
the natural environment. and experience in hospitality and real
The destination forms an important part estate. Aside from driving long-term
of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an strategic value by planning, implement-
ambition to open the Kingdom to the ing, managing, and controlling all
↑ JAY ROSEN, world, and diversify the country’s economy financial and investment related activities
CFO, The Red Sea away from oil dependency. Tourism is one of the company, I also oversee business
Development of the key sectors to reaching Vision 2030 planning, feasibility, investments, capital
Company (TRSDC).
goals, and at TRSDC, we have been tasked markets, strategic partnersihps, investor
relations, accounting, finance, insur-
ance, and asset management.
One of the greatest achievements has
been closing a SAR14.120 billion
(US$3.76 billion) green loan facility with
four Saudi banks. Banque Saudi Fransi,
Riyad Bank, Saudi British Bank, and
Saudi National Bank acted as mandated
lead arrangers. HSBC served as the green
loan coordinator on the transaction. The
green financing accreditation was
awarded due to TRSDC’s market leading
approach to social and environmental
sustainability and the Red Sea Project’s
international recognition as a green
project. The financing is the first
riyal-denominated credit facility to
receive green financing accreditation.
This financing adds another level of
credibility for our project, as we now
have a fully committed capital structure
for the delivery of Phase One, and it WE HAVE AN EXCITING YEAR AHEAD AT TRSDC AS OUR
further demonstrates our ambition to FOCUS SHIFTS FROM DESIGN TO DELIVERY, AND WE
deliver on our environmental, social and
CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR PLANS TO
governance commitments.
WELCOME THE FIRST GUESTS BY THE END OF 2022.
} How is development proceeding on
the masterplan- did you face any
delays as a result of the COVID-19 of Phase One completing by the end of includes the construction of a 3.3km
crisis? 2023. Phase One of the project will offer crossing to Shaura Island, the main hub
We have an exciting year ahead at 16 hotels and 3,000 rooms across five island. Development has also begun at
TRSDC as our focus shifts from design to islands and two inland resorts, as well as the Coastal Village, which will be home
delivery, and we continue to move commercial, retail and leisure facilities to around 14,000 people who will work
forward with our plans to welcome the and other infrastructure. at the destination.
first guests by the end of 2022. The first We have now completed the horizontal Despite the COVID-19 pandemic
few hotels will be completed by the end infrastructure enablement of the posing a very real threat to our business,
of 2022 along with our dedicated development including roads, utilities we have made significant progress on the
international airport, with the remainder and marine infrastructure, which ground. More than 10,000 workers are
now onsite, and we have awarded over
600 contracts to date, worth over SAR18
billion ($4.7 billion). We have been able
to maintain our workforce onsite safely,
which has allowed construction to
remain on target. To ensure that
everyone had enough space to social
distance, we moved a proportion of
workers to temporary accommodation
outside of our construction village,
including four local schools.
Many key contracts have been awarded
this year, including a substantial contract
for the airside infrastructure works to an
all-Saudi joint venture ahead of the
airport opening in 2022. We also
awarded our highest-value contract to
date to a consortium led by ACWA Power
to design, build, operate, and transfer
‘T/ Ecosystem
The Red Sea Project’s An example of this is the } Saudi Arabia has opened area. It’s the largest and most
utilities infrastructure. The marine spatial planning its borders to tourism now. well-preserved wooden
contract will cover the design, exercise we conducted before What message would you shipwreck anywhere in the
construction, and operation finalizing the master plan. In send to people who have entire Red Sea, and it
of the systems providing partnership with King never visited the country? highlights a fascinating but
utilities. Such monumental Abdullah University of What most impressed me little-known part of Saudi
contracts demonstrate that Science and Technology when I first visited Saudi maritime history, with the
we’ve still been able to (KAUST), we undertook the Arabia was the immense wreck occurring between
operate normally, despite the largest marine spatial sense of hospitality infused in approximately 1725-1750.
turbulence of last year. planning simulation ever the Saudi culture. There There really is so much to
done. Following the simula- really is no where else in the see and do, from significant
} What impresses you the tion, we decided that only 22 world quite like it. The ancient heritage sites that are
most, personally, about the islands would be developed, cultural heritage of the region completely unique to the
development of The Red Sea leaving 75% of the islands is rich and diverse, and the region, to exploring vast
Project? untouched, equivalent to only people welcome you with mountain ranges and
What most impresses me 1% of the entire destination. open arms. swimming in crystal clear
about The Red Sea Project is Nine islands will be desig- The area where The Red waters– I’m excited to see the
the pristine, stunning, natural nated as special conservation Sea Project is being devel- tourism industry boom here,
surroundings. I was blown zones to protect the species oped is notable for its as more people come to
away by its beauty the minute that live and thrive there. As position on the pilgrimage explore its wonders.
I stepped foot at the destina- part of the overarching plan route from Egypt to the Holy
tion. Our unwavering for the destination based on Cities of Makkah and
commitment to our funda- the simulation, we are Madinah, with visitors able to
mental sustainability values targeting a 30% net conser- walk in the footsteps of the
means that we haven’t cut any vation benefit by 2040m ancient traders, and explore
corners when developing the which is being achieved by the relics left behind. Raffaella
destination, and protecting enhancing biologically diverse Additionally, we were granted Campagnoli is
the natural environment habitats like coral, man- permission to supervise the the founder and
informs every decision we groves, sea grass, and land excavation of a shipwreck Managing
make. vegetation. within The Red Sea Project Director of LIRA Strategy
Partners. With over 20 years of
experience in strategy
consulting in international
WHAT MOST IMPRESSES ME ABOUT THE RED SEA firms, she was formerly the
PROJECT IS THE PRISTINE, STUNNING, NATURAL Managing Director at
SURROUNDINGS. Accenture Strategy Middle East
and Turkey for nine years.
Raffaella left Accenture after 13
years at the company, during
which she led transformation
programs in multiple regions
(Europe, US, Turkey,
Singapore, Middle East),
specialized in strategic
planning, operating model
transformation, zero based
budgeting, digital
transformation and
innovation, ecosystem strategy.
Raffaella has been leading
impactful transformations in
industries like travel and
hospitality, fashion, consumer
products goods, and retail,
thereby developing a trusted
network of partners and
experienced professionals.
lira.partners
→ MEDDY was founded by
Haris Aghadi & Abdulla
Alkhenji in 2015 and is a
Silicon Valley 500 Startups
portfolio company.
Stronger Together
GCC-based doctor booking platform Meddy gets acquired by Nigeria-based
healthtech startup Helium Health b y PA M E L L A D E L E O N
M
eddy, a doctor booking platform based in Qatar and the UAE, has been acquired by
Nigeria-based healthtech startup Helium Health for an undisclosed amount.
Launched in 2015, Meddy has served more than 150 private clients in the UAE and Qatar,
and facilitated over 200,000 doctor appointments, while enabling healthcare providers
to generate approximately US$130 million in billings. It had also raised $1.8 million in a
Series A round, with participation from 212 Capital, Qatar Science & Technology Park, Kasamar
Holdings, healthtech angel investor Dharmendra Ghai, Innoway and others.
S/ Ecosystem
→ HARIS AGHADI,
CEO and co-founder,
} With the transaction, Helium Health
Meddy will deploy its technology and healthcare
financial solutions across the GCC region.
In addition, Meddy’s co-founder and CEO
Haris Aghadi, as well as COO Abed
Alkarim Khattab, will join Helium
Health’s leadership, and play crucial roles
in Helium Health’s execution of its GCC
strategy and operations. Meddy will also
now be known as Helium Doc.
} The acquisition has been noted to be

especially significant, given that partner-
ships between West African startups and
Middle Eastern startups in the tech
ecosystem are relatively uncommon. In a
report by TechCrunch, Adegoke Olubusi,
CEO of Helium Health, noted how the
two startups shared similarities in
operations, technology execution, culture
and market price points, making it easy
for both companies to close the deal in
less than four months. “Beyond the actual
product and market opportunity, what
made this possible was really the
composition of the team, how well they
executed, [and] the fact that they share a
DNA and culture that’s very similar to
ours,” Olubusi said in the article.
Meanwhile, Aghadi believes that
↑ THE BARAKA TEAM IS ON A MISSION Helium Health’s offering presents an
to educate, enable and empower opportunity for some of Meddy’s
first-time investors and those who
customers who have faced issues with
want to take full control of their
electronic medical records (EMR). “We
portfolio.
were always looking for ways to enhance
our product line to provide solutions to
solve those problems faced by healthcare
providers,” he says. “By combining forces,
we will be able to do that… With this
acquisition, Meddy will combine its B2C
and marketing solutions product line
with Helium Health’s clinical solutions-
making it the one-stop place for providers
to get digital solutions.”
WITH THIS ACQUISITION, MEDDY WILL COMBINE ITS B2C
AND MARKETING SOLUTIONS PRODUCT LINE WITH HELIUM } After joining forces, the two entities
HEALTH’S CLINICAL SOLUTIONS- MAKING IT THE ONE-STOP will now be combining Meddy’s market-
ing solutions with Helium’s clinical
PLACE FOR PROVIDERS TO GET DIGITAL SOLUTIONS.
solutions to offer a comprehensive
product suite and support healthcare
IMAGES COURTESY MEDDY
providers in the Middle East and Africa.

} The acquisition is part of Helium medical records solution, a billing and “We aim for our products to potentially
Health’s expansion plan. Founded by payment solution, and a collateral-free touch the lives of hundreds of millions of
Adegoke Olubusi, Dimeji Sofowora, and loan product. With a presence in six people in GCC, Africa, and the greater
Tito Ovia in 2016, the healthtech startup African countries, the startup helps over MENA region,” Aghadi concludes. “This
provides a suite of services for its 5,000 health professionals, and serves will scale up our impact by a factor of
healthcare clients, including an electronic around 165,000 patients monthly. 20-30 times.”
In The Loop/
Joining Forces
US-BASED PROPERTY TECHNOLOGY COMPANY PROPY ENTERS INTO A JOINT PARTNERSHIP WITH
SAOOD AL GHURAIR TO CREATE PROPY MENA
U
S-based
property
technology
enterprise
Propy has
partnered with
Emirati
businessman Saood Al Ghurair,
Vice Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Masafi LLC,
NED Properties LLC, Plan B
Investments, and Massar
Investments, to create Propy
MENA, which, based out of Dubai,
looks set to become the region’s
first blockchain-powered real
estate solution. ↑ SAOOD AL GHURAIR , Vice Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Masafi LLC, NED
Properties LLC, Plan B Investments, and
↑ DIEGO MALDONADO Massar Investments
Built with the vision to enable automat-
ed and self-driven real estate transac-
tions with smart contracts, Propy is an
end-to-end real estate transaction
management platform that facilitates “WE ARE LEADING THIS CHANGE USING
real estate transactions online. The THE NEWEST BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY,
company is known for being one of the WHICH ENABLE THE UAE TO COMPETE
world’s leading real estate industry WITH OVERSEAS MARKETS.”
innovators in transaction automation
using blockchain technology, having
successfully minted and auctioned the
first real estate non-fungible token expected to allow the company to use its Meanwhile, Al Ghurair, who has always
(NFT). technology for land and title transfers in held a keen interest in technology in
The Propy NFT Marketplace is based Dubai. terms of recognizing how unique
on smart contracts that accept both fiat Besides Al Ghurair, Propy MENA will solutions drive efficiencies within his
and crypto payments. A critical facet of be represented in the region by Diego companies, believes that his partner-
the platform is its provision of know Maldonado, who has over 15 years of ship with Propy will be a significant
your customer (KYC) and anti-money- experience working with international disruptor in the property market.
laundering (AML) protocols for each real estate brands such as Savills, “Technology has developed at a rate
bidder (as well as the winner) in an Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Engel & Völkers, and that has outpaced the implementation
auction so as to avoid any violation of many others. Having seen firsthand the of suitable laws and regulations,” he
legal frameworks. While Propy MENA’s complexities and challenges faced by his said. “We are leading this change using
launch is subject to proposed changes in clients when working on real estate deals the newest blockchain technology,
regulations approved by the Dubai Land is what led Maldonado to partner with which enable the UAE to compete with
Department, the amendments are and become an ambassador for Propy. overseas markets.”
S/ Q&A
Realty, Redefined
Tech startup hapondo aims to revamp the way people in Qatar search for a new home
b y PA M E L L A D E L E O N
A
s anyone can account, finding a new home can be a long and stressful ordeal.
It’s an issue that Abdulla Al-Fadhala, Ahmad Al-Khanji, Haajerah Khan, and
Abdulaziz Al-Yazeedi were casually discussing at a dinner too- from the
time-consuming process of looking through unrealistic, low-quality photos, to
dealing with unknown rental properties costs, finding a new home in Qatar
wasn’t easy. This became the premise as the friends-turned-co-founders
sought to build hapondo, a homegrown real estate marketplace that helps
connect tenants and property buyers with real estate companies in Qatar.
With a mission to “make hapondo’s users happy” as its central focus, the team
asked themselves, “If we were looking to rent or buy a property in Qatar, what
will make the process easier?”
← HAPONDO CO-FOUNDERS
Ahmad Al-Khanji, Abdulaziz } Another exciting addition to the prop-
Al-Yazeedi, Haajerah Khan and
Abdulla Al-Fadhala erty portal is its new negotiation
feature, which, according to Al-Fadha-
la, is a first to be launched in any portal
in the MENA region. Users can look for
WE WERE VERY FLATTERED BY THE SUPPORT, AND a property and negotiate directly on the
HOW MUCH REAL ESTATE COMPANIES LOVED OUR portal and place their bids. The real
PRODUCT– WE HAD OVER 10 COMPANIES SIGN UP estate company will then receive the bid,
TO OUR SERVICES IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC. and decide if they want to accept it or
not. “If the real estate company does not
accept it, then they would have gathered
information about the clients prior to
contacting them, such as property type,
} As part of the team’s market says, “If we wanted to enhance our location, or price, and can propose an
discovery and visibility study, they product, we can have access to the alternative similar property,” he
talked to potential clients to find out if product development fund (which can explains. “It’s a win-win situation, and
there was indeed a need for a property cover 50% of our costs), and tech by this, we have remained putting our
portal. Their results proved their venture funds.” users as our main focus.”
hypothesis- Al-Fadhala states, “We With a vision to become the leading Running on a subscription base model,
found there was no homegrown property rental platform in the region, Al-Fadhala explains that real estate
property portal in Qatar, and if there hapondo’s website went live in March companies can list a certain number of
was something related to real estate, it 2020. The portal was niche and listed properties on the portal, and will then
will be part of a wider classified website only rental properties in Qatar. It has pay a monthly fee. In terms of growth,
that had a property section in it.” He since evoked a positive response from though the startup is still fully funded
continues, “Real estate companies were online home seekers and real estate by the co-founders, it has grown its
excited about the idea of having a brokers alike. The team offered free customer base and served over 50 real
homegrown portal, it will give them trials for the first three months to gather estate companies in Qatar. With only a
more flexibility to where and when they as much feedback as possible to improve team of five members, hapondo has over
will advertise their properties online.” the product. “We were very flattered by 80,000 monthly visits and ranks
The team got to work by taking a lean the support, and how much real estate among the top 100 websites in Qatar.
startup approach and develop a product companies loved our product– we had In addition, the team has gained a lot
that works and serves their clients of over 10 companies sign up to our of attraction from potential investors
real estate companies, as well as users. services in the middle of a pandemic,” too, though Al-Fadhal notes, “We are
Of course, they had their own bouts of says Al-Fadhala. “This was another still studying the opportunities before
hurdles too. The biggest challenge, strong sign for us that we had a valid jumping into anything.”
according to Al-Fadhala was being a business concept.” To aspiring young entrepreneurs
young team of entrepreneurs and Besides its niche offering, the team such as themselves, Al-Fadhal advises
convincing players in the real estate makes it a point to ensure the platform the importance of putting together a
industry about the true potential of the is one that stands out from other players well-balanced team and building a
product. “At the start, many people in the ecosystem. Their first objective product catered to the market.
thought that we might be running for a was to let real estate companies know Describing the startup journey as
few months and then disappear, but our that the quality of images is a selling challenging and definitely not easy, he
consistency has definitely helped us,” he point. “We have seen on other property states, “Use the lean startup approach
says. Being a homegrown venture in portals that real estate companies were and create a minimum viable product.
Qatar helped, with Al-Fadhala noting putting their logos as watermarks and If you find your first 10 customers who
that they found that many people in on the middle of each property picture,” are willing to pay for your product,
Qatar were keen to use and support says Al-Fadhala. “Therefore, we pointed then go ahead and scale.” He ends
local products and services. In addition, out that if your property has no with a reminder not to be afraid of
in December 2019, the team joined as watermark, then it can rank higher on failure: “There will be a lot of people
part of the incubator program of the the search result page. Many of the real who will tell you that your product
Qatar Science and Technology Park, a estate companies were excited about will fail, they might be true, but don’t
member of Qatar Foundation. The this concept, which made it our first give up too soon,” Al-Fadhal con-
program helped the team with their unique selling point.” The team recently cludes. “If it does fail, then you will
establishment, business facilitation, and launched its second major development have gained so much experience from
provided access to free offices, services, phase, which involves being able to the journey, and believe me, no
support, training and access to a provide all marketing needs for real full-time job will ever give you that
network of mentors. Plus, Al-Fadhal estate companies. experience.”
S/ Q&A
IN FOCUS
A roundup of the up-and-coming startups you should be keeping an eye on
by AALIA MEHREEN AHMED
Krispr /krisprfarms.com/
↓ KHADIJA HASAN, founder and CEO, Krispr
F
or those of us living in the Middle East,
access to fresh, locally produced
ingredients is limited, which is why
many opt for the next best option:
imported ingredients and frozen foods.
But did you know that a considerable
percentage of nutritional value is
actually lost in the imported produce that you
find in your local grocery outlets? According to
a research by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, different nutrients in
the various types of imported food produce
deteriorate at different rates. Now, for a coun-
try like the UAE, which imports 85% of its food
products, this could pose grave food security
issues in the long run. “Food security is being
impacted by three key factors: climate change
and water scarcity, issues with traditional
agriculture such as soil degradation, agricul-
tural runoff and pesticide-use, and a large
expected future global population of 9.5 billion
humans,” explains Khadija Hasan, founder and
CEO of Dubai-based indoor farming startup
KRISPR. And Hasan’s analysis of the situation
reflects what many studies continue to show:
imported foods are not the solution. “Imports
IMAGE COURTESY KRISPR
try to address some of these issues, but

produce is often harvested early to withstand
extended supply chains and ripened by force,”
she explains. “It can therefore be lower in
nutritional quality and flavor.”
} To tackle this persisting and pressing problem, Hasan
came up with a simple yet effective idea: turning warehous-
es into indoor farming areas using technology and artificial
intelligence (AI). The idea eventually came to fruition, with
her enterprise, Krispr, launching in March 2021. “We are
Count’d
/countd.com/
developing a way to decouple agriculture from climate, soil,
and other factors that have traditionally chained farming,”
Hasan adds. “The thesis that one could convert a ware-
house into farmland by deploying hardware and software
was what initially inspired me to explore this field further.”
While the startup is still refining its operational pilot
located at the Dubai Investment Park, Hasan’s claims of
what she and her team have set out to achieve are promis-
ing. “On the product side of our business model, our unique
selling point is that our produce is hyper-local, pesticide-
free, has great taste and is nutritious, grown sustainably
using less than 80% water with minimal food miles, and
available all year round,” she explains. “But from a technol-
ogy perspective, the ability to farm anywhere and in all
seasons, in or near cities, and by using less land, less water,
and no pesticides is our biggest differentiating factor.”
} KRISPR’s business model is particularly impressive when

you take into account that it aligns quite neatly with some
of the prominent food security policies in the UAE. Take, ↑ COUNT’D CO-FOUNDERS Varun Kapur and Fady Ghaly
for example, the goal of the National Food Security Strategy
2051. As per this, the UAE “aims to achieve zero hunger by
W
ensuring access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food, all
year round,” by specifically aiming to adopt agricultural ith people around the world
methods that increase productivity and production. But being more conscious about
even as KRISPR continues to avail the many advantages of their fitness, they often worry
technological advancements, Hasan remains wary that at about the looming possibility
the heart of all this innovation is the very visceral human
connection that is formed through producing food. “On the of unhealthy habits
growing side, innovation and continuous improvement play permeating their day-to-day
a key role in everything we do,” she says. “But at the end of lifestyles. In the absence of
the day, though, food is all about human connection.” proper guidance and mapped out goals, this
} With the startup currently in its pre-seed stage, Hasan could become quite the health-related hurdle
also sheds light on another human touchpoint pivotal to in the long run. With this becoming a prominent
scaling operations: hiring the right talent. “Our sector is issue in the UAE as well, health and nutrition
quite new, and the most challenging part for us is to be able platform Count’d has come up with a holistic
to attract the right talent, and the right investment
partners,” she adds. “Dubai is a great place to live, and that approach towards solving nutritional
certainly helps in conversations with potential hires.” That challenges. According to Fadi Ghaly, co-
would also explain why Hasan was so keen on KRISPR founder and CEO of Count’d, the inspiration
becoming a part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation
Fund (MBRIF) accelerator program in the Emirate. “As a
behind launching the startup arose from the
young company, it’s important for us to maintain perspec- need to solve certain pain points he and his
tive while brainstorming and troubleshooting our problems team observed in the UAE’s meal plan industry.
IMAGE COURTESY COUNT'D
with others who have walked a similar path,” Hasan says. “We decided to solve those challenges by
“The accelerator allows that exchange of ideas, and there
are also numerous opportunities for mentorship with
building a scalable healthy eating platform
subject matter experts.” And given the UAE’s drive to build which offers fresh food, and with lots of
a sustainable food chain system, KRISPR looks set to variety and flexibility,” explains Ghaly.
positively contribute to this ecosystem as well- it seems to
be only a matter of time.
S/ Q&A
OUR SERVICES INCLUDE A HEALTHY MEAL SUBSCRIPTION APP,

WELLNESS AND NUTRITION COACHING, AS WELL AS HEALTH
MONITORING AND GAMIFICATION CHALLENGES.
This is how Ghaly ended up launching Count’d in late 2021, large variety for every healthy meal options from leading
alongside co-founders Ahmed Wasfie and Varun Kapur. restaurants, and ensure your calories are counted and macros
“Count’d is a health and nutrition platform that empowers accounted for.” This is where the startup’s next major source of
people to eat healthy, lose weight, and achieve their wellness revenue comes into play: health monitoring and wellness
goals,” explains Ghaly. “We leverage data-driven insights to coaching. While the Count’d platform enables one-on-one video
enable behavior change and improve the overall health of our calls with certified nutritionists, it also offers the option to make
customers. Our services include a healthy meal subscription use of wearable health devices and fitness trackers to map out
app, wellness and nutrition coaching, as well as health your progress and set health goals.
monitoring and gamification challenges.” It is these three facets In simpler terms, this means that you can simply connect your
of its business model that form the crux of Count’d operations. Apple watch or FitBit to the Count’d app to integrate your
From a subscription plan that offers three meals a day for a readings into the platform’s data. “No more manual entries!”
week for AED675, to another plan that offers lunch every day Ghaly declares. “Count’d has been built for the busy working
for a week for AED225, there are a variety of options for users professional and those who want to find a simple yet effective
to choose from, depending on their schedules, as well as eating way to eat healthy while having all calories automatically
preferences and calorie targets. “Our core target market are tracked. We also have a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering in
busy professionals who lack time and creativity but want to eat the making for our in-house coaches, nutritionists and
healthy,” he says. “Primarily, these are the health-conscious dieticians to manage all information on their clients using a
people who use a considerable portion of their disposable real-time dashboard.” Users also have the opportunity to make
income on self-care, nutrition and wellness.” use of at-home lab tests, which cover over seven different types
But it is also important to note that the pricing for these meal of blood tests offered by Count’d. Along with all of this, Count’d
plans isn’t pertaining to food delivery alone- Ghaly explains also hosts gamified challenges with rewards on its platform.
that his startup’s services have other distinguishing factors as “We offer engagement via educational content and gamification
well. “For starters, we offer flexibility in terms of delivery strategies on an ongoing basis,” Ghaly adds. “We truly believe
location and timing, and also the option to replace your meals we have supreme customer service and an engaging brand that
up until 10pm the previous night,” he explains. “We also offer a motivates our customers.”
These varied yet integrated offerings are what
have allowed the health and nutrition platform to
generate more than US$20,000 in revenue in just
over three months since its inception. “We are
currently raising a pre-seed round of $500,000,
Direct Debit
/directdebit.ae/
and we have also raised from angel investors in
the past,” adds Ghaly. But this isn’t all that there is
→ UMMAIR BUTT,
to what Count’d has achieved so far though- it was Founder and
notably one of the apps selected as partners for Managing Director,
the 2021 Dubai Fitness Challenge. The startup Direct Debit
has also been making partnerships with impor-
tant entities in the ecosystem, the most notable
being with cloud kitchen management platform
Grubtech. “We have completed an integration
with Grubtech, and have on-boarded over 700
meals from leading healthy standalone restau-
rants and cloud kitchens including Ikcon and
Kitopi, along with our logistics partners including
Careem, Quikup, and Ahoy,” adds Ghaly.
Q
uarterly or biannual checks for rent and/or
school fees are a huge problem for a monthly-
salaried person to budget.” In this statement,
fintech startup Direct Debit’s founder and
Managing Director Ummair Butt encapsulates
the sole reason behind the creation of the
platform. Launched in 2017, Dubai-based Direct Debit is
an online avenue that enables merchants and payers
to use a paperless system for recurring payments
↑ COUNT’D CO-FOUNDERS Ahmed Wasfie, such as monthly rents, school fees, utility bills, and loan
Fady Ghaly and Varun Kapur repayments. Butt’s initial statement is perhaps a
sentiment that many who depend on month-to-month
Ghaly credits his startup’s participation in the remuneration share as well. Budgeting for lump sum
Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund payments, such as house rents and school fees, using
(MBRIF) accelerator program for a lot of these
successes. “The advisors that the MBRIF team has
post-dated checks can often be burdensome. But with
connected us with have been priceless, in terms of Direct Debit, users can opt for monthly direct debits,
go-to market strategy, tech stack development, which are easier to account for, instead of using
IMAGES COURTESY COUNT'D | DIRECT DEBIT
and pricing strategies,” he says. “MBRIF has really post-dated checks. “The idea behind this originated
helped us think through some very difficult when I noticed that every September, I had a rather
questions!” Looking towards the future, Ghaly
claims that he and his team will continue to focus large school fee check, going out with my quarterly
on innovating while viewing the business through rent check,” recalls Butt. “As a monthly-salaried person,
a consumer-focused lens. “As we look to build out that would push me onto using a credit card, and then
our personalized nutrition offering, a lot of data a further struggle would ensue to bring it all under
will be collected, which is where the real innova-
control. I decided then that a service that aligns
tion will lie,” he says. “What we have set out to do
is not easy. However, where we have reached today monthly outgoing with monthly incoming cash flows
is a testament to our commitment to solve these will help the general population, as well as merchants
challenges.” and landlords.”
S/ Q&A
Direct Debit’s offerings are

fairly straightforward. Using a
single log-in on the Direct
Debit platform, users can
ensure that they pay their
major bills and fees in
monthly instalments. The
log-in can be done directly
using the UAE PASS app,
which is the national digital
identity and signature solution
that enables users to identify
themselves to government
service providers in all the
Emirates through smart-
phone-based authentication.
“With checks no longer a
security instrument by law, we
provide an efficient alternative
to both merchants and
payers,” explains Butt.
“Research also shows that, if
allowed to pay monthly, OUR BUSINESS MODEL REVOLVES AROUND MAKING SURE COST
bounced payments reduce by SAVINGS ARE PASSED ON TO MERCHANTS WHO ARE KEEN TO
41%. So, this is a win-win for TRANSFORM THEIR BUSINESSES TO DIGITAL/PAPERLESS AND AT
everyone!” Using Direct Debit, THE SAME TIME PAYERS GET TO PAY MONTHLY INSTEAD
users can also manage and
track past payments and plan
for future ones. The platform’s Debit enables the majority of services that involves raised AED1.5 million in two
user-centric approach is banks in the UAE to offer integrating merchant’s funding rounds which has
evident in how it sends out consumers a paperless way to financial systems to our helped us develop a market-
email and SMS alerts before manage payment transactions. platform, which, in turn, place that will be launched in
every payment’s due date. “We host our system and provide a second revenue January next year,” says Butt.
These online transactions, merchant/payer data in a stream for us and also enables “We also aim to be an AED100
between user and merchant, government-provided private investment from the mer- million company in the next
therefore form the primary cloud, which means the data chant,” explains Butt. Amid all three years on the back of our
source of Direct Debit’s on our platform is as secured the digital disruptions Direct regulatory approval and
revenue. “Our business model as of any government entity,” Debit professes, Butt says the marketplace expansion into
revolves around making sure adds Butt. “This also means platform has a human Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
cost savings are passed on to we are compliant with the component as well. “We will and Pakistan.” Being selected
merchants who are keen to Dubai Electronic Security always make sure there’s a to be a part of the Mohammed
transform their businesses to Center. For merchants, we also phone number available to Bin Rashid Innovation Fund
digital/paperless and at the provide end-to-end automa- call, and that there’s someone (MBRIF) accelerator program
same time payers get to pay tion, which includes, but is not on the other end to answer for has thus furthered Butt’s
monthly instead,” elaborates limited, to transformation of both sides of our marketplace,” ambitions for Direct Debit.
Butt. “The platform will account receivables or bank he says. “Our partners and “Since our selection, we have
remain free for payers, but reconciliation functions as users will find us a brick-and- been taken on an amazing
merchants will pay per well as e-contracts.” Indeed, it mortar partner.” journey, which included lots of
transaction thereby making it is this automation service that education and guidance,” he
a variable cost.” Direct Debit offers to }Having generated close to says. “The entire group of
merchants that provides AED1 million in revenue so far, fellow startups, mentors, as
It’s worth noting here that another source of revenue for Direct Debit is now all set to well as the MBRIF team, now
Direct Debit has been backed the startup. “While the main launch a paperless market- feel like extended family. It is
by the UAE government itself. driver of our revenue remains place in 2022. Notably, this always nice to have family
As a firm regulated by the transactions, we also provide will also be accessible through around, and for us, this means
UAE Central Bank, Direct end-to-end automation UAE PASS. “We have so far MBRIF.”
↑ CUPMENA CO-FOUNDERS
Mahmoud Tohamy, Abdulrhman Elhalafawy
and Mohamed Abdelgawad
Cupmena /cupmena.com/
W
ho knew that one could use spent coffee grounds to grow organic mushrooms? Well,
Cairo-based agritech and waste management startup Cupmena did- and the
company is now proving itself to be a frontrunner in this space. Launched in February
2019, Cupmena’s main line of business is simple: use the vast amount of nutrition
available in spent/used coffee grounds to grow different types of mushrooms.
“Cupmena has built a waste collection system to collect spent coffee grounds (SCGs)
to maximize value by reusing it to develop and empower solutions for the agricultural
IMAGE COURTESY CUPMENA
sector,” explains Abdulrhman Elhalafawy, co-founder and Chief Business Officer of the startup. “We
have developed a highly efficient biotechnology and agriculture methodology to cultivate mushrooms
using the SCG as the main soil. After that, we also convert the used mushroom soil into organic
fertilizers to give the land much needed elements from the coffee ground. We’ve thus built a value-
chain to help coffee chains get rid of SCG waste in a safe way to save the environment.”
S/ Q&A
Through this operational setup, Cupmena’s services are also through this methodology rather than sending grounds to
attempting to solve some very concerning issues within the landfill. In this way we will be able to help the environment
agritech ecosystem. But before delving any further into that, it is reduce the SCG’s effects and exploit it in the right direction
perhaps important to understand why the source material is so while also stopping the exploitation of resources.” All of this,
pivotal to the entire business model in the first place. For according to Elhalafawy, also provides profitable advantages to
starters, there is the sheer volume of coffee that is produced and more stakeholders than one in the overall ecosystem. “We help
sold on a global scale. “Coffee is the most consumed beverage in coffee chains save money on waste disposal costs through our
the world, and the world population drinks over 2.25 billion coffee recycling service, and by recycling spent coffee with us,
cups of coffee every day,” says Elhalafawy. “That, in turn, these companies can achieve greater sustainability,” he says.
produces over 16 million tons of coffee!” According to research “From a customer’s perspective, they can easily buy high-quality,
by Statista, around 166.63 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee affordable mushrooms, since SCGs are full of nutrients. About
were consumed worldwide in 2021 alone- a considerable 99% of coffee still exists inside these grounds, so we exploit
increase from the 164 million bags that were consumed in the them to provide top quality mushrooms.”
previous year. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region,
specifically, there has also been a recent growing trend of }Some of the major coffee chains Cupmena has partnered with
consumers opting for specialty coffee stores. To put things a little include Costa, Dunkin, 30 North, Amore Perfecto, and Brown
more into perspective: in Egypt, where Cupemena is based, over Nose Coffee. As for the mushrooms Cupmena produces, they are
104 million people consumed coffee in 2021 alone. The figures sold on both a B2C and B2B basis. At this point, you might be
are similarly large for other countries in the MEA as well. wondering: “Why mushrooms?” And Elhalafawy has the answer
IF COFFEE GROUNDS ARE RECYCLED, VALUABLE ORGANIC MATTER

AND NUTRIENTS CAN BE RECAPTURED AS SOIL FERTILIZERS, MUSHROOM
GROWERS, CONDITIONERS, AND MULCH, AND THE METHANE IT PRODUCES
CAN BE CAPTURED FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION.
} But here’s where these statistics become worrying- and why to that too. “The UAE market imports mushrooms worth US$15
Cupmena’s operations become particularly significant. With the billion every year, the Kuwait market imports mushrooms worth
production of such mammoth quantities of coffee, come large $10.5 billion, and Qatar $4 billion,” he explains. “SCGs minimize
used or spent coffee grounds- the source material that Elhala- our production cycle- it does not exceed six weeks. This gives us
fawy initially alludes to. These areas are the direct result of a competitive edge over others in the market!” Having collected
brewing coffee and are usually regarded as waste. “Typically, 141,760 kilograms of coffee waste so far and prevented 17 tonnes
spent coffee grounds are dumped into general waste and sent to of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere,
landfills where they decompose to produce methane, a green- Elhalafawy says his startup is about to reach the breakeven
house gas with more than 20 times the global warming capacity point by the end of 2022’s first quarter. “We are also planning to
of carbon dioxide,” explains Elhalafawy. “Not only that, but it is close an investment round by mid-2022 for operational scaling
also a loss of an intensive source of nutrients and energy, as well and research and development (R&D) and also to test new
as a potential source of hazardous pathogens and organic markets,” he adds. It’s to further these goals that Cupmena
leachates that can contaminate surface and groundwater.” applied to be a part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation
Elhalafawy further explains that leaving these grounds unused Fund (MBRIF) accelerator program. “The GCC market is vast,
and unattended is a lost business opportunity as well. “Throwing and we have been planning to start exporting and expanding
away this precious natural resource that still has broad and our operations, “ he says. “But our expertise regarding this area
significant value and applications across several industries is an is limited. So, we applied for MBRIF to understand the market
outrageous act of consumption that perfectly demonstrates the more and meet the relevant mentors and investors who could
‘take, make, dispose off ’ approach of our current linear econom- support our plans.”
ic structure,” he adds. Elhalafawy says that Cupmena’s R&D team is now looking into
With this, it becomes obvious that Cupmena’s services are growing new mushroom strains to offer to the market. “We are
catering to issues that go beyond just purely agricultural also developing new agri-solutions using SCGs for the agricul-
purposes. “If coffee grounds are recycled, valuable organic tural and agritech sectors in Egypt, as well as the wider MENA
matter and nutrients can be recaptured as soil fertilizers, region,” he says. And with plans to also introduce ready and
mushroom growers, conditioners, and mulch, and the methane cultivated mushroom bags for farmers in the region, as well as to
it produces can be captured for electricity generation,” explains sell SCGs as well as used mushroom soil to fertilizer companies,
Elhalafawy. “80% less carbon dioxide emissions can be achieved the Cupmena team is optimistic about the months to come.
sense of defeat, and an equal determination for change. He
dedicated the next two years of his life to find a way to eliminate
this barrier that can hinder the most valuable of human interac-
tions: communication.”
}While the startup is still in the midst of fine-tuning its services,

the business model set in place is quite clear. From a sign language
keyboard offering and a sign language educational platform to the
aforementioned service of translating text and voice messages to
sign language, I Hear You is looking to adopt a holistic approach to
↑ I HEAR YOU CO-FOUNDERS this issue. “Monthly, annual, and course-based subscriptions for
Mohammed Aboelazm and Eman Khamis individuals start from US$10,” elaborates Khamis. “These will
unlock various sign languages, maps, multiple sign language
categories as well as sign language courses.”
I Hear You
/ihearyou.ae/
Khamis further adds that the startup is also targeting corporates
that aim to be more inclusive by hiring deaf or hard-of-hearing
individuals. “There is an insufficient number of digital platforms
that teach sign language, and there is also the existing problem of a
low number of deaf people being hired in organizations simply
because they have a different way of communication,” she adds.
A
“Our customized packages for corporate and government entities
2019 study by American nonprofit media start from $400, and allow corporations to be more accessible by
organization NPR showed that providing their services in sign language, and better connect with
untreated hearing loss is very often deaf community, among other things.”
linked to loneliness and isolation,
particularly for the elderly. Another 2014 }Currently in its seed stage, the startup has already completed
over 50,000 translations and transactions that have impacted the
study by UK-based charity organization lives of more than 1000 users who use the I Hear You app. “We
Hearing Link highlighted that 68% of launched our application last year, and we are currently getting
people with hearing loss or deafness sometimes customer feedback and comments to tailor the application to their
felt isolated at their workplaces. Unfortunately, needs,” adds Khamis. “Through this regular feedback, we are
these emotions have only been exacerbated building an artificial intelligence module to enrich the user
experience, and add a personal touch for each user. This module
among the deaf community by a global pandemic will also use a motion capture system to capture the most
that has forced social isolation and increased fascinating user details in order to provide a real and seamless
digital communications. experience presented through three-dimensional animations and
avatars.”
“Everyday innovations in communication alter our lives, connect The business clearly has a lot in the pipeline, and Khamis is quite
people who are worlds apart, and help conquer distances; yet, we upbeat about the future of the startup. However, there is one
are still struggling to overcome differences,” says Eman Khamis, particular societal aspect that she believes still needs to be tread
co-founder and Operation Manager of I Hear You, a digitally upon with caution. “We have found the right business environment
inclusive mobile application that aims to translate written and in the UAE to shed light on the need for better sign language
verbal communication to sign language and vice-versa. “I Hear You communication, but it is changing the perception of people and
is a translator for sign language, through which everyone can entities towards the deaf community that is still a difficult path to
communicate, learn, serve, and be served in sign language. Our clear,” she says. That would perhaps explain why the I Hear You
core belief is that everyone has the right to be heard and under- team found being a part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation
stood!” Fund (MBRIF) accelerator program as especially advantageous.
“We joined the MBRIF program for the same reason that we
IMAGE COURTESY I HEAR YOU
}Launched in 2020, with bases set up in both Abu Dhabi as well decided to launch I Hear You here in the UAE,” Khamis says.
as Vancouver, I Hear You was conceptualized after one of its “Thanks to MBRIF, we have extended our innovative community
co-founders, Mohamed Aboelazm, witnessed a car accident that and found like-minded peers, increased our exposure to experts
involved a deaf and mute individual back in 2013. “The man was in and investors, and most importantly, that were aligned when it
utmost distress, as he was asking for help for his family using sign comes to impacting people’s lives.” With this, it becomes very clear
language, but Mohamed had no prior knowledge of it at the time,” that the I Hear You team has only one ultimate goal in mind:
elaborates Khamis. “As a result, he couldn’t understand or help empowering the deaf community to be heard, by making sign
him in the way he needed. That experience left him with a deep language accessible to, and understood by, everyone.
What Inspires Me/
The Audacity of Hope Musings on entrepreneurship

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY by IHSAN EID SALHIA
I
IMAGE COURTESY TG MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
love the above image. I was in the middle of the desert early graph on this particular morning. In fact, I had even thought of
in the morning, when a herd of camels came together and packing up, and heading home. But I hung in there, and waited.
passed by me. I was so excited to be a witness to this, and As 2021 draws to a close, know that if this has been a difficult year
therefore captured this image. for you, we hear you. Just remember one thing: the answer to hope
However, I do remember that before I got to snap this is sometimes so close that if we just hang on a little bit more, we’ll
picture, I had almost given up the idea of getting a good photo- get what we’re after. Have hope, and keep pushing.
IHSAN EID SALHIA (perhaps better known as The Guy, aka TG) is the founder and CEO of TG Media Productions LLC.
Follow him on Instagram @TGFROMDUBAI. tgmproductions.com
discover
At Arada,
At Arada,we
webuild
buildhigh
highquality
qualitycommunities.
communities.
Diverse neighbourhoods
Diverse neighbourhoodsthat
thatcome
cometotolife
lifewhen
when
peopleshare,
people share,exchange
exchangeand
andcelebrate.
celebrate.
arada.com
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THE YEAR THAT WAS/ Lessons WHEN STARS COLLIDE/ Sharjah ENABLERS OF SUCCESS/ Super apps

December 2021 Entrepreneur.com

9 77231 1 541 008 >

EDITOR IN CHIEF Aby Sam Thomas

CEO Wissam Younane

DIRECTOR Rabih Najm

CREATIVE LEAD Odette Kahwagi

MANAGING EDITOR Tamara Pupic

STARTUPS SECTION EDITOR Pamella de Leon

FEATURES WRITER Aalia Mehreen Ahmed

DIGITAL SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR

For more information, call +971 4 435 5544 or email at

It’s Still Okay To Care

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES during this year

“AS A MATTER wellness. “Following the onset

DURING THE EARLY our nation’s strategic focus on

PRODUCTS AND chain, hospital and patient

SHORTAGES.” Gulf Inject, Geltec Healthcare

KEEPING COSTS UNDER CONTROL, MANAGING CASH as an enabler."

2021 its one-of-a-kind floral arrangements,

FOUNDER, GOSHÁ the enterprise’s positive cashflow to fuel its

} Invest in your people.

Luma CO-FOUNDER, HL FOODS

}There will be some days that

}Believe in what you do, because

Sabbagh says. “We’re reimagining

And this proposed future bodes

change any time soon- indeed, it’s this

2021 joined by strategic angel investors. The

“The passion to make a change, the drive to

Salwa Radwi the power of being genuine.

FOUNDER, NUQTAH ourselves by where we work, and not who we

}Keep things simple.

Besides its signature Prima, Crema, and Quattro blends, Intellect

2021 AMJAD BARAKAT,

“We will have our

Brunch & Cake currently has 10 outlets open

Here in the MEA region, Radisson Hotel Group has

It’s a similar kind of tenacity that characterized several

}Always, always, always

Nadia CO-FOUNDER, REEL PALESTINE

Rouchdy hold space for open and transparent

}Tell your story and

And this is why the upcoming new year promises to

Ruchika taking centerstage in everyone’s life; hence,

Singhal sustainable, and bespoke for our customers.

FOUNDER, THE GROVE SALONS realized a paradigm shift in our business

The success invygo has seen so far is a

}Give back to the ecosystem.

HELD AT THE EXPO CENTRE SHARJAH, the

THE BEAUTY OF LIFE, AND IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LIES IN THE HIGHS AND

24 hours of battery life after two hours of

NEW ERGONOMIC 43 MM CASE

LATEST INTEGRATED FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH

Manufacture’s latest in-house integrated chronograph, Calibre

THE MEGA TAPISSERIE / A ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE

LIGHT AND STURDY

ALL OF US HAVE BEEN, at one point in

I believe that most of these

A super app offers several

ers in the form of lower prices.

MORE SERVICES AND LOWER PRICES, COMPLEMENTED WITH ENHANCED

SOURCE: 2019 SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COST (CAC) STUDY

Source: Kearney analysis