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Ammar Al Malik

Why Dubai has become an ideal incubator for startups

The emirate’s strategic location has created a fertile landscape for entrepreneurs and startups within the region

The SME Story: Tarek Sakr, founder and CEO of 4Sale

The company claims to be Kuwait’s largest online classifieds platform

Kamal Reggad RemotePass

The SME Story: Kamal Reggad, co-founder of RemotePass

RemotePass is an HR tech services platform founded in the UAE

Ten MENA startups announced for PepsiCo’s Greenhouse Accelerator

The startups will receive an initial grant of $20,000 and mentorship from PepsiCo and Food Tech Valley experts

Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Fund and noon payments to support local SMEs

Through the partnership, noon payments will offer SMEs extra support with zero setup costs, reduced monthly fees and access to advanced gateway features

The SME Story: Nicoló Augusto Manica, co-founder and CRO of uDroppy

uDroppy, which recently raised $Im in a seed funding round, helps online retailers in the initial supply chain set-up process

mSME enabling platform, Setup in Abu Dhabi, launched

Setup in Abu Dhabi’s 25 partners, including ADIO, Twofour54, Masdar, Khalifa Industrial Zone, ADDED, Telr and Hub71, will support the platform

Eslam Hussein, CEO and co-founder of invygo

The SME Story: Eslam Hussein, CEO and co-founder of invygo

Invygo, a monthly car subscription company, has been through some of the region’s most prominent accelerator programmes

Dubai-based food technology platform Kitch-In expands into Europe

Kitch-In and Johnny’s Burger Co. will roll out virtual restaurant brands across 45 kitchens in the Netherlands and Belgium

Erika Doyle Founder, Drink Dry

The SME Story: Erika Doyle, founder of Drink Dry

A premium non-alcoholic drinks marketplace based in the UAE with large number of export clients in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives

Abu Dhabi introduces Dhs1,000 cap for tourism business licences

The revised fee structure is applicable to tourism business licences starting this month

Abu Dhabi

Khalifa Fund partners with eBay to support Abu Dhabi-based SMEs

eBay is the latest partner to join Khalifa Fund’s e-Empower initiative

Brazil UAE

The role of SMEs in boosting the trade relationship between Brazil and the UAE

Small businesses account for 99 per cent of all enterprises in Brazil and 95 per cent of private sector companies in the UAE

Healthy prospects: Why Emirati entrepreneur Mahmoud Bartawi is launching a new startup

UAE-based startup Mealzap is on a mission to reach all those embarking on the journey towards a healthier lifestyle, says its CEO and co-founder Mahmoud Bartawi

SME Revival case study: Dubai’s Finyal Media on its expansion plans

The podcast network creates content for young Arabs across the MENA region

Understanding mainland vs freezone company setup options in the UAE

An investor’s guide to the advantages and challenges to expect when choosing to setup either a freezone or mainland company

The SME Story: Ibtissam Ouassif, co-founder of Cashew Payments

The buy now pay later platform has already received $13.5m of funding in its pre-series A round

Emirati employee

Emirati members of Dubai SME to get up to seven-year exemption on licence fee

The fee exemption applies to registered Emirati members who have not completed the five-year period

Gaurav Biswas, founder and CEO, TruKKer

How TruKKer plans to expand rapidly within the MENA region

Saudi logistics and technology startup TruKKer launched operations in four additional markets in a single month – and there’s more to come. Founder and CEO Gaurav Biswas shares his vision

Emirati employee

Why entrepreneurship education is vital for the region

Experiential learning journeys, collaborations at a university level and even the private sector, all have a role in educating the next generation of entrepreneurs

Christiane Nasr Bowery

The SME Story: Christiane Nasr, founder of The Bowery Company

Nasr is taking her online store of furniture and home accessories and expanding it into one that now has a physical presence in Dubai

The SME Story: Sandeep Shetty, co-founder of NorthLadder

NorthLadder is a rapidly expanding secondhand online marketplace for pre-owned luxury goods

Mohamed Al Fayed, Co-founder and CEO of GrubTech

The SME Story: Mohamed Al Fayed, co-founder and CEO of GrubTech

GrubTech is a digital platform transforming the restaurant and cloud kitchen business in the region

Expo 2020 Dubai

How the Expo is boosting the UAE’s SME landscape

Here’s how SMEs can leverage the global spotlight and influx of capital that Expo 2020 Dubai will attract in abundance

Dubai SME

Fourth edition of Dubai SME 100 programme launched

It ranks the top 100 SMEs in Dubai based on their performance

Emirates Development Bank

UAE’s Emirates Development Bank partners with YAP to launch business banking app for SMEs

The EDB Business Banking app is free to open and has no minimum balance criteria

US-based 500 Startups closes largest fund to date

Firm expands strategy beyond accelerator and seed investments, doubles down on global thesis

DAFZA

UAE’s Mashreq Bank signs MoU with DAFZA to boost SME growth

DAFZA companies will also be given priority access to digital banking services through Mashreq’s NEOBiz platform, where they will be able to open instant accounts

SupplyMe Igor Nikolenko

The SME Story: Igor Nikolenko, co-founder and CEO of SupplyMe

SupplyMe is a B2B marketplace that connects local food suppliers with foodservice businesses

SME Revival case study: Dubai’s Cobbler on plans ahead

The Cobbler saw increased B2B engagement following the SME Revival campaign