-
3 weeks ago | 
agbi.com | Triska Hamid
Opinion Entrepreneurs The aid body has been instrumental in funding across the region The furore around USAID and questions around the legality of the aid body’s shutdown and possible resurrection have combined to create an atmosphere of confusion and disbelief which has come to define the second Trump administration.
-
2 months ago | 
agbi.com | Triska Hamid
Opinion Artificial Intelligence The US-China AI race is reshaping global tech dominance Faisal Bashir / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect The cold war of the last century between the US and former Soviet Union focused on an arms race centred on nuclear prowess, later becoming a space race.
-
Dec 4, 2024 | 
agbi.com | Triska Hamid
The transformative power of technology, and in particular artificial intelligence (AI), has touched almost every sector globally, from healthcare to logistics. While many in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) have embraced AI, we remain consumers of the technology, rather than its creator. For a while now, investment has focused on fintech – e-commerce and software-as-a-service startups – which typically offer investors lower risks and quick returns.
-
Sep 18, 2024 | 
agbi.com | Triska Hamid
Numbers can tell all sorts of stories. Even when the data is void of bias, how it is presented makes a big difference. The amount of money invested in Middle East startups can be used to support varying narratives. Where some simply see a downturn, others might highlight a resilient ecosystem. A snapshot in time, presented without context, can give the market hope or cast doubt on its progress. Mena-based startups raised $882 million in the first half of this year, research by Wamda reveals.
-
Jan 21, 2024 | 
wamda.com | Triska Hamid
Dr Jelena Janjusevic is associate professor at the School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University Dubai
The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region has emerged as a dynamic hub for startup activity in recent years, attracting significant attention from investors globally. As the ecosystem continues to evolve, understanding the current investment trends is crucial for entrepreneurs and investors seeking to navigate the landscape.
-
Jan 8, 2024 | 
agbi.com | Triska Hamid
Expectations for venture capital funding were tepid going into 2023. Rising inflation and interest rates, combined with a global economic slowdown, resulted in noticeable investor hesitancy. As fighting in Ukraine persisted and consumer spending started to drop, VCs in the region focused more of their funds on propping up their portfolio companies than seeking out startups.
-
Dec 13, 2023 | 
wamda.com | Triska Hamid
Resilience is often highlighted as an important skill for entrepreneurs to have and few have shown as much resilience as Saeid Hejazi and his brother Sami, founders of Wally.
Saeid entered the startup world in 2013 with Nahel, an e-commerce site that preceded Souq and other big names that came after it.
“When I was at university, I was a little bit broke, so to make some money on the side, I used to help people sell things on the internet,” he says, referring to eBay.
-
Dec 6, 2023 | 
wamda.com | Triska Hamid
COP 28 has dominated almost every headline since its arrival in the UAE this year. Funds worth billions have been announced, new accelerators and initiatives dedicated to enabling a cleantech future have been launched at COP28, which commenced in Dubai on 30 November.
It was a similar spectacle in Egypt last year, with a vigour of pledges and vows to steer the world away from fossil fuels and towards a more sustainable future.
-
Nov 26, 2023 | 
wamda.com | Triska Hamid
Hasit Trivedi is the CTO of digital technologies and global head of AI at Tech Mahindra
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to lead the next level of growth and unveil new realms of productivity. With the ability to replace traditional operations with tech-powered operations, generative AI can further revolutionise how we live, play, and do business. According to industry reports, generative AI can add up to $4.4 trillion value to the global economy annually.
-
Nov 15, 2023 | 
wamda.com | Triska Hamid
The UAE and Saudi Arabia are both courting and engaging with South Korea’s startup ecosystem in a bid to attract its startups to their own countries and enable a transfer of knowledge and technology. Incentives have been laid out, a joint venture fund was launched in Saudi Arabia and the DIFC recently signed an MoU with Seoul’s government to drive financial service innovation and foster collaboration.
