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INVESTOPIA BRIDGE 2026/ Future 100 - 2025 Winners Announced P.42 BUILDING VALUE/ Wissam Breidy and Paula Gambrell Present BRDG House P.20 THE BUSINESS OF DREAMS/ Simon Squibb on Ambition and Risk P.13 www.entrepreneur.com October 15, 2026 Middle East Edition HOW SHERIF BESHARA IS ALIGNING PEOPLE, PROCESSES, AND TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER BETTER CARE P.28 HEALTHCARE THE BLUEPRINT
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P.28 The Healthcare Blueprint How SHERIF BESHARA is aligning people, processes, and technology to deliver better care P.13 The Business of Dreams SIMON SQUIBB on ambition and risk P.20 Building Value WISSAM BREIDY AND PAULA GAMBRELL rethink real estate with BRDG House FEATURES Contents/October 15, 2026 5 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
8 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 STARTUP SPOTLIGHT IN THE LOOP TREPONOMICS Contents/October 15, 2026 P.57 Create Apps Championship 2026 Winners of third edition announced in Dubai P.60 Create AI Agents Championship H.H. SHEIKH HAMDAN launches global competition with over AED2.5 million in prizes P.62 Mapping the Way Home How AHLAN helps international professionals settle in Saudi Arabia P.64 Business-Ready Founders ALI AL MEHAIRI on ADGM ACADEMY’S approach to entrepreneurship P. 74 CREATORS HQ and AMAZON Ads unveil inaugural Amazon Creators Foundry cohort P. 76 Mistral AI’s ARTHUR MENSCH on the divide between open and closed AI P. 78 UAE President Adviser H.E. FAISAL AL BANNAI on why the UAE has an edge in AI P.49 Healthcare to Healthspan Aster DM Healthcare’s ALISHA MOOPEN on how longevity could reshape the UAE’s healthcare economy P.52 Beyond the Symptoms In Good Wealth co-creator CHARIS MARR explores the quiet costs of menopause P. 38 Betting on the UAE H.E. MOHAMED H. ALSUWAIDI on AI, capital and the UAE’s economic resilience at Investopia Bridge 2026 P. 40 Bridges of Trust NOURA AL KAABI on the UAE’s approach to global partnerships at Investopia Bridge 2026 P. 42 Backing Business Growth ‘FUTURE 100’ recognizes its third cohort at Investopia Bridge 2026 P.44 Going Global Trendyol Gulf CEO MOHAMAD ELANSARI on expanding Gulf brands globally INNOVATOR 8 CEO Wissam Younane wissam@bncpublishing.net MANAGING DIRECTOR Rabih Najm rabih@bncpublishing.net ART DIRECTOR Simona El Khoury EDITOR IN CHIEF Tamara Pupic tamara@bncpublishing.net EDITOR AT LARGE Anil Bhoyrul anil@bncpublishing.net SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR Aalia Mehreen Ahmed aalia@bncpublishing.net JUNIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Kristine Erika Agustin kristine@bncpublishing.net DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION Sarah Saddouk sarah@bncpublishing.net GROUP SALES DIRECTOR – B2B GROUP Joaquim D’Costa jo@bncpublishing.net HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS Samir Glor Samir@bncpublishing.net BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Andy Soulahian andy.soulahian@bncpublishing.net COMMERCIAL LEAD Anna Chipala anna@bncpublishing.net COUNTRY MANAGER KSA Amjad Fakhouri amjad@bncpublishing.net COLUMNIST Tamara Clarke CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alisha Moopen, Charis Marr SUBSCRIBE Contact subscriptions@bncpublishing.net to receive Entrepreneur Middle East every issue COMMERCIAL ENQUIRIES sales@bncpublishing.net ENTREPRENEUR.COM Access fresh content daily on our website All Rights Reserved 2026. Opinions expressed are solely those of the contributors. Entrepreneur Middle East and all subsidiary publications in the MENA region are officially licensed exclusively to BNC Publishing in the MENA region by Entrepreneur Media Inc. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. Images used in Entrepreneur Middle East are credited when necessary. Attributed use of copyrighted images with permission. All images not credited otherwise Shutterstock. Printed by United Printing and Publishing. PO BOX 502511 DUBAI, UAE P +971 4 4200 506 EntMagazineME Entrepreneur-me → BNC Media Group CEO Wissam Younane joined fellow partners of Future 100 on stage alongside H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of Investopia, at Investopia Bridge 2026 in Abu Dhabi.
100 THE Influence. In every dimension. The people shaping the region. The stories that deserve to be told. w w w. t h e1 0 0 m e . c o m
Editor’s Note/ Editor’s Note/ J ust as we were getting used to generative artificial intelligence (AI), a new term has entered the conversation: agentic AI. But what exactly is it, and why does it matter? Traditional AI analyzes information, recognizes patterns, and makes predictions. Generative AI, popularized by tools such as ChatGPT, goes further by creating text, images, and other content in response to our instructions. Agentic AI represents the next step: instead of simply telling us how to do something, it can actually do it. Imagine asking AI to organize a business trip. Generative AI can recommend flights and hotels, while agentic AI, with the necessary permissions, could make reservations, coordinate your schedule, and manage the entire process. Now imagine applying that capability to healthcare, transportation, public services, or entire cities. This month, Mohammad Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, announced the US$1 million Agentic AI Award, developed by Dubai Municipality and the World Economic Forum. The competition will bring together more than 10,000 participants from 150 countries to develop AI solutions that improve urban services and quality of life. The initiative reflects the UAE’s broader ambitions. Earlier this year, the government announced plans to transition 50% of government sectors, services, and operations to agentic AI within two years. For entrepreneurs, this signals a significant opportunity. As AI moves from generating information to executing tasks, entirely new business models will emerge, transforming how companies operate and services are delivered. Of course, greater autonomy demands stronger safeguards, accountability, and human oversight. But beyond the technological and economic implications, there is a more personal question worth considering. If agentic AI takes over many of the tasks FROM GENERATIVE AI TO AGENTIC AI Tamara Pupic Editor in Chief | Entrepreneur Middle East that currently fill our days, it could give us back something increasingly precious: time. And that leaves us with perhaps the most interesting question of all: What will you do with that extra time? 10 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
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The Business of Dreams British entrepreneur, investor, and HelpBnk founder Simon Squibb on turning dreams into reality, building trust through personal branding, embracing risk, and why entrepreneurs in the UAE must be willing to take more chances. by AALIA MEHREEN AHMED → Simon Squibb is a British entrepreneur, investor, author, and founder of HelpBnk, a platform dedicated to helping people start businesses and pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions. 13 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / IMAGE COURTESY SIMON SQUIBB OFFICIAL WEBSITE / WWW.SIMONSQUIBB.COM
W hat's Your Dream?" is a question that has not only become synonymous with Simon Squibb, it is, at times, almost a prefix to his actual name (just a couple of weeks before this interview, someone outside my job circle spoke of Squibb as "the man on Instagram who asks people on the streets what their dreams are"). “I discovered something in the last seven years that I didn't know about myself: I get more satisfaction from giving someone a present than receiving a present. I get more satisfaction helping someone else than just helping myself,” Squibb tells me, when I ask him how repeatedly asking that singular question has changed his own life. “When I became a father, I chemically changed as well. My son is now nine years old. So in this process, I've realized he won't do what I tell him to do; he'll only do what I do. So the only way to really inspire young people, including my own son, is to actually do good in the world. Make a difference. Help people. That's what I've discovered.” B ut within the first few moments of meeting Squibb, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur and investor does not ask me his trademark question. Instead he asks me this: “Why don't you just ask AI?” “Chances are my audience will. You don't need me. If it's just my knowledge, my audience will be thinking, ‘Well, just ask AI,’” he further explains. As I proceed to explain why AI will only be able to offer me snapshots of what Squibb has said in the past, and not his present and updated insights, Squibb adds: “Humans will always have a place in the future… We want to know who the human is to make sure we're not backing a fake human. AI doesn't have a backstory; we have backstories. That's what makes us interesting. At the same time, a lot of people are scared [of AI], and I think they're unnecessarily scared. You need 14 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 → Having started his first business at the age of 15 after experiencing homelessness, Simon Squibb has since founded 28 companies and invested in over 78 startups. His entrepreneurial journey also includes the successful sale of his Hong Kong-based agency, Fluid, to PwC. B/Profile
15 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / to tool up. You need to get ready. You need to leverage these tools. You need to learn how they work. But we are going to always be servicing humans as humans.” Earlier in the day —on Day 1 of the Sharjah Investment Forum 2026, which is where this interview takes place— Squibb addressed a massive audience and explained the three tenets he believes make up the purpose of life: Commit, Community, Change. “I'm not self-made. It's impossible,” he told the packed hall. “You need a community to make anything work. Imagine if all of us in this room, all of us, decided to help one person today. Imagine the difference we could make to that person's life. Between your network, your contacts, we could change one person's life.” But despite the beaming optimism that Squibb radiates, his mindset doesn’t stem from idealism or what the Internet terms as “toxic positivity.” “The key to making a dream a reality is that it has to be personal,” he says. “I often tell people your purpose is hidden in your pain. If you can leverage pain to do some good, you won't stop. If there's a problem you're solving in the world that has bothered you, you won't stop. Now, if you don't have pain, I wish it upon you a little bit because it gives you motivation and purpose. And if you don't have pain, go out with someone that does. You'll see what it looks like. And it's really powerful because good luck and bad luck are both still luck. People need to leverage luck, be it bad or good. And I notice people that really, really do well, they don't just want it, they need it.” Squibb, of course, is no stranger to dealing with life’s blows. Having lost his father at the age of 15, he had to build what he calls the “entrepreneur muscle” when he decided to start a gardening company to support himself and his family. In the nearly four decades since that pivotal decision, Squibb has gone on to build 28 different companies and has invested in more than 80 startups. Then, in 2015, he sold one of his Hong Kong-based companies to global professional services giant PwC — a move that would eventu- ally bring him into “more money than he’ll ever need,” as per his official website, and birth the life mission that he continues to work toward till today: to help 10 million “The key to making a dream a reality is that it has to be personal. I often tell people your purpose is hidden in your pain. If you can leverage pain to do some good, you won't stop. If there's a problem you're solving in the world that has bothered you, you won't stop.” ↓ Simon Squibb with Aalia Mehreen Ahmed, Senior Features Editor at Entrepreneur Middle East IMAGE COURTESY SIMON SQUIBB OFFICIAL WEBSITE / WWW.SIMONSQUIBB.COM
B/Profile people kickstart their businesses and follow their dreams for free. And so, in 2023, he launched HelpBnk, a London-headquartered online platform that helps people start and grow businesses by offering free mentorship, resources, community support, and access to accelerators and funding. The concurrent #Give- WithoutTake movement, which takes place primarily through street interviews where Squibb asks random passersby “What’s your dream?” has helped him amass over 27 million social media followers. And according to Squibb, social media is now key for entrepreneurs and founders to build their personal brands - but only if it’s done with the right intent. “I think people need to take the concept of personal branding and boil it down to something much simpler. What do your colleagues say about you? Do they respect you? Are you managing from the top down or the bottom up? I think bottom-up management is more powerful. You're in it with them, and respect is earned, not taken,” he says. “So I think personal branding starts with your ecosystem. It doesn't necessarily start with the public… I think people aren't building their personal brands in the right way. You need to build trust with your col- leagues, your customers, and within your industry. I spent 20 years building that trust before I ever went to the public and asked them to trust me, too. And then, never be anybody but yourself. Don't create a character. Be you. It doesn't matter who you are; let people see the real you. If you do that, you can sustain your personal brand. If you don't, you'll eventually drop off.” But even before personal branding comes into the picture, an ever-elusive question for entrepreneurs is when to launch. When asked what advice he has to offer on the matter, Squibb says, “I think it depends on the industry you're in. I do like the idea of building it and shipping it as quickly as possible. But equally, there are some industries where, let's say pharmaceu- ticals, you have people's lives in your I THINK PERSONAL BRANDING STARTS WITH YOUR ECOSYSTEM. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY START WITH THE PUBLIC… I THINK PEOPLE AREN'T BUILDING THEIR PERSONAL BRANDS IN THE RIGHT WAY. YOU NEED TO BUILD TRUST WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES, YOUR CUSTOMERS, AND WITHIN YOUR INDUSTRY. I SPENT 20 YEARS BUILDING THAT TRUST BEFORE I EVER WENT TO THE PUBLIC AND ASKED THEM TO TRUST ME, TOO.” → With a social media following of over 22 million, Simon Squibb is known for his inspirational street interviews and #GiveWithoutTake movement. The Sunday Times bestselling author of What's Your Dream? is now on a mission to help 10 million people start businesses and pursue their dreams. 16 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
willing to live humbly for a while to come back up. But you'll never lose the lessons you learn from taking a risk. That knowledge is yours forever. Even if you lose all your money, you still own those learnings. And that's what people aren't realizing about risk. It's a learning experience, and that's how you succeed. People see risk as a potential financial down- side. I see not taking risks as a knowledge downside. If you don't take risks, you won't gain the knowledge, and you won't be successful.” To cement Squibb’s advice, and to conclude this story, I want to share a quote from his talk earlier in the day, where he elaborated on the afore- mentioned story of how he became an entrepreneur in the first place: “I was walking past a beautiful big house, and they had a messy garden. And my brain spoke to me, this ‘entrepreneur muscle,’ for the first time, said: “Simon, knock on that door. Take a risk. Be brave. Ask them if they will pay you to tidy up their garden.” I swallowed my pride. I swallowed my fear. And I knocked on that door. And someone kind -I didn't know they were kind at the time- but someone kind came to the door, looked me up and down and said, “How can I help you?” I said: “I notice your garden's messy. I'm starting a gardening company. Would you let me take care of your garden?” And they said, okay, how much? And I said, 200 pounds a month. “I felt alive. I had taken an idea in my head and made it real! It was my first experience with that. No one ever told me this was possible. The chairs that we're all sitting on, once in someone's head, they made it real. This stage, once inside someone's head, they made it real. This microphone, once in someone's head, and they made it real. We humans are incredible.” hands. So you have to be very careful. I think there's no general rule.” As is typical of Squibb’s tips-sharing approach, he offers two of his most recent ventures as examples. “I have launched 28 companies in my life, and each of them had a different timeline for when it was appropriate to launch,” he shares. “For example, I've just launched a new coffee brand called Dream Brew. It took me a year and a half to get the product right. I needed that time to create a product I truly believed in. I could have launched it six months earlier, but it didn't taste the way I wanted it to. I could have shipped it, but I think it was better to wait. On the other hand, when I launched the software product for HelpBnk nearly four years ago, it was awful. People couldn't even press the buttons properly. But slowly, we improved it. We found out what people really needed by asking the market what they wanted. We built a basic version. It was rubbish, but people gave us feedback, and we kept improving it. So, ultimately, every business is different.” Squibb’s advice feels almost tailor- made for a nation like the UAE, which has become a premier launchpad for companies across different stages of growth and in a myriad of industries. Indeed, in 2025 alone, it became home to approximately 250,000 new companies (as per information shared by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism), thus bringing the total number of registered businesses in the country to roughly 1.4 million by the end of the year. But while the UAE’s entrepreneurial ambitions, spirit and growth have certainly become the blueprint for many, Squibb says there is one thing founders in the country can do better to unlock their full business potential: “Take more risks! I think if you take risks, you'll get more luck. More luck leads to success. And if you don't take risks, you reduce your chances of success. Every day, I take a risk, and if I don't, my chances of succeeding drop. I think you fail if you don't take risks.” “That's what I love about business,” he adds. “You can say, at worst, I lose all my money and have to start again. There's so much money in the world. There's plenty of it. You just need to be ... Even if you lose all your money, you still own those learnings. And that's what people aren't realizing about risk. 17 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
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Bringing together complementary commercial and development experience, the two founders introduce BRDG House as a strategic development partner built on a simple philosophy: “We Build Value Before We Build Projects.” 20 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 WISSAM BREIDY AND PAULA GAMBRELL LAUNCH BRDG HOUSE TO RETHINK HOW REAL ESTATE VALUE IS BUILT
21 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / W issam Breidy and Paula Gambrell are joining forces to launch BRDG House, a new strategic development partner created to work alongside real estate developers from the earliest stages of value creation through development, positioning and commercialization. For more than two decades, Breidy has built his career around communication, reputation, brand building and the power of public trust. His experience has extended from media and communication into advising businesses and leadership teams on brand transformation, strategic positioning and reputation, helping organizations strengthen how they are perceived, build relevance and translate trust into business value. Most recently, as CEO of HRE Development, he brought that philosophy directly into real estate, playing a central role in transforming the developer’s market positioning and strengthening its brand presence in Dubai. His experience reinforced a belief that continues to shape his commercial thinking: strong brands create trust, trust creates demand, and sales are ultimately the result of many decisions made before the transaction begins. Gambrell brings a complementary perspective to that same belief, one shaped by finance before real estate. She began her career at HSBC on the product side of the business, where mortgages gave her an early, lender’s-eye view of how property is bought, financed and valued. She went on to spend more than 15 years on the commercial side of development across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, working with leading developers including DAMAC, Ellington Properties and Dar Global on sales strategy, joint venture structuring, development management and international sales channels reaching buyers in China, India and the GCC. That combination of financial grounding and commercial execution has kept her focused on one question: whether a development decision will ultimately turn into value. Their professional journeys were different, but their conclusion was increasingly the same. Real estate developments are often approached through separate disciplines -strategy, product, architecture, development, brand, marketing, sales and operations- when the value of a project ultimately depends on how those decisions work together. That shared conviction led them to establish BRDG House. Their philosophy is captured in one sentence: We Build Value Before We Build Projects. As BRDG House makes its market debut, Breidy and Gambrell explain why they came together, what they believe is missing from the traditional development model, why brand and trust have commercial value, and why the decisions that ultimately determine a project’s success begin long before sales. }You both had established careers before BRDG House. Why did you decide to build something together? WISSAM: What brought us together wasn’t that we were opposites. It was that we were looking at the industry through different experiences and arriving at many of the same conclusions. We both come from strong commercial backgrounds. My journey started long before real estate. I spent more than two decades in media and communication, where I learned how reputation is built, how “A PROJECT HAS A LIFECYCLE. A DEVELOPER’S REPUTATION CARRIES FROM ONE PROJECT TO THE NEXT.” WISSAM BREIDY
22 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 people make decisions and, most importantly, how difficult trust is to earn and how valuable it becomes once you have it. When I moved into real estate and eventually became CEO of HRE Development, I had the opportunity to apply that thinking to a developer brand. What interested me wasn’t simply how to market individual projects. It was how you build trust in the developer itself. How do you create a reputation that gives people confidence? How do you build meaningful relationships with the brokerage community? How do you create a brand the market recognizes before the next project is even announced? That experience reinforced something I strongly believe today: Brand has commercial value. Paula reached the same conclusions from finance and the commercial side of development.We were bringing together two commercially minded people who understood value creation from different perspectives. That became the foundation of BRDG House. PAULA: I had seen the same pattern for years. In banking, I learned to look at property the way a lender does: what makes an asset financeable and what holds its value. On the developer side, I saw how often a project reached the sales team with its most important commercial decisions already locked in. You cannot make the major development decisions first and then ask brand, marketing and sales to create value around them at the end. By then, many of the decisions determining the commercial outcome have already been made. WISSAM had reached the same conclusion from the brand side. He understood how a developer earns the market’s trust. I understood how a project earns its numbers.That complementarity is what made building BRDG together compelling. }What did you believe was missing in the traditional development model? PAULA: Integration. Real estate has extremely capable specialists -architects, development managers, consultants, designers, commercial teams, branding agencies, marketing teams, brokers and sales teams.The challenge isn’t necessarily the quality of those individual disciplines. The challenge is that they can operate independently. But the decisions are interconnected. Product affects pricing. Pricing affects positioning. Positioning affects demand. Development decisions affect customer experience. Execution affects reputation. And all of them ultimately affect commercial performance. That is where integration becomes key between all these disciplines. We saw an opportunity to create a model that connects “BRAND CREATES TRUST. TRUST REDUCES FRICTION. AND WHEN THE PROPOSITION IS RIGHT, TRUST HELPS CREATE DEMAND.” WISSAM BREIDY B/Real Estate
23 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / those decisions around one strategic direction. WISSAM: And the customer doesn’t see those separate disciplines. They see one development. They see one developer. And ultimately they make one decision about whether they believe in it, trust it and see value in it.That’s why we believe: Complexity doesn’t create value. Alignment does. }Is that why you describe BRDG House as a strategic development partner? WISSAM: Exactly. We’re very deliberate about that definition. BRDG is not a marketing agency. We’re not a branding agency. We’re not simply a sales company. And we’re not a traditional consultancy that produces a strategy document and leaves the developer to connect everything afterwards. We work alongside developers across the development and commercial journey. Our value isn’t one isolated service. Our value is connecting the decisions that create the outcome. PAULA: The word partner matters and like Wissam said, we are not here to build a strategy document, we are here to work alongside the developer to execute it with them and make them stronger as a result of it. To create meaningful value, you need to understand the developer’s business, objectives, projects and organization. That requires involvement. Strategy, commercial thinking, development management, product, “A DEVELOPMENT HAS TO WORK AS A PRODUCT, AS A BUSINESS AND AS AN ORGANIZATION.” PAULA GAMBRELL
24 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 positioning, brand and execution need to work toward the same objective rather than being treated as independent scopes. }Your philosophy is “We Build Value Before We Build Projects.” What does that mean? WISSAM: It means value creation starts much earlier than people often think. Before construction, before marketing and certainly before sales, there are fundamental questions that need to be answered. Who are we building for? What does the market need? What do people value? What is missing? What should the product be? How should it be positioned? Why should people trust it? Why should they choose it? What gives it pricing power? What will make brokers believe in it? Every one of those decisions can create -or destroy- value before the market ever sees the development. That’s what we mean when we say: We Build Value Before We Build Projects. PAULA: That value has to be embedded in the development itself. Feasibility, product, development strategy, commercial strategy, design decisions, organizational capability and execution all influence the eventual outcome. By the time you physically build the project, you should already understand what value you’re trying to create, for whom you’re creating it and how the development is going to deliver it. }Wissam, your experience as CEO of HRE Development appears to have shaped your thinking about brand. What did you take from that experience? WISSAM: One of the most important lessons was understanding the difference between building a project brand and building a developer brand. A project has a lifecycle. A developer’s reputation carries from one B/Real Estate “BY THE TIME A PROJECT REACHES THE SALES GALLERY, ITS PRICE CEILING HAS ALREADY BEEN SET. OUR JOB IS TO SET IT HIGHER.” PAULA GAMBRELL
25 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / project to the next. My focus therefore wasn’t simply on creating visibility around what we were selling. It was about building trust around who was behind it. How brokers perceive you matters. How customers experience you matters. How consistently you communicate matters. What you promise matters. And whether you deliver against that promise matters even more. When those things start working together, something changes. You’re no longer introducing yourself from zero every time you launch a project. The reputation you’ve built begins creating confidence before the commercial conversation even starts. That’s when I understood very clearly that brand isn’t simply a marketing asset. It’s a business asset. That thinking became an important part of what Paula and I are building at BRDG. Why do you describe trust as having commercial value? WISSAM: Because in real estate, people are often buying a promise. They may be committing significant capital to something they will not physically receive for years. So before they buy the property, they’re making another decision: Do I trust the people and the company behind it? That trust influences the customer. It influences the broker. It influences pricing power. It influences how the market responds to your next development. And over time, it influences the value of the developer brand itself. That’s why I don’t separate brand from commercial strategy. Brand creates trust. Trust reduces friction. And when the proposition is right, trust helps create demand. }Paula, how has your commercial background shaped the way you think about development? PAULA: Banking taught me to look at a project the way a lender or an investor does. Before anyone asks whether it will sell, they ask whether it holds together: the land cost, the feasibility, the structure, the exit. Working on the developer side, with groups including DAMAC, Ellington and Dar Global, showed me the other half: how that same project performs once it meets real buyers, in the UAE, in Saudi Arabia and across international markets. So my questions start early. What are we building, and for whom? Does the feasibility work? How is the development structured? And can the organization execute the strategy? That’s why I don’t see development and commercial strategy as separate conversations. A development has to work as a product, as a business and as an organization. }So is BRDG ultimately a commercially driven business? WISSAM: Absolutely. But our definition of commercial is broader than sales. Commercial doesn’t simply mean sales. Commercial means creating the conditions that make sales possible. Strategy. Product. Brand. Positioning. Pricing. Experience. Trust. Communication. Distribution. Execution. When those elements work together, you create demand. And when genuine demand exists, sales become a consequence rather than the entire strategy. PAULA: That’s something we fundamentally agree on. Commercial thinking should influence development from the beginning. It shouldn’t arrive at the end as a function expected to monetize decisions that have already been made. }Why is the human element so important to a business focused on commercial value? WISSAM: Because behind every commercial number is a human decision. Someone is choosing where to live. Someone is deciding where to invest. Someone is deciding whether a home works for their family. Someone is “THE STRONGEST COMMERCIAL DECISIONS ARE MADE LONG BEFORE A PROJECT REACHES THE MARKET.” WISSAM BREIDY
26 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 deciding whether they trust a developer. Someone is deciding whether one development is worth paying more for than another. Data helps us understand behavior, but ultimately people create demand. So understanding what matters to people should influence what we build. Better understanding leads to better decisions. Better decisions create stronger products, stronger demand and stronger long-term value. PAULA: That understanding has to translate into the development. Customer insight isn’t useful if it remains in a presentation.It needs to influence product, layouts, experience, development decisions and execution. That’s where human understanding becomes development value and ultimately commercial value. }Do developers sometimes expect too much from marketing and sales? WISSAM: Sometimes marketing and sales are asked to solve problems that should have been solved much earlier. Marketing is important. Sales are critical. Brand is fundamental. But none of them can permanently compensate for a weak proposition. If the product is wrong, if the positioning is unclear, if pricing doesn’t make sense or if the market doesn’t trust the developer, you can’t simply increase the marketing budget and expect those issues to disappear. You cannot communicate your way out of a weak proposition. Marketing should amplify value that already exists. It shouldn’t be expected to invent that value at the end. }Dubai is becoming an increasingly competitive development market. What does that mean for developers? WISSAM: It raises the standard. Customers have enormous choice and increasingly good access to information. Developers can’t rely indefinitely on the same language, amenities or formulas to differentiate. The question becomes: Why should somebody choose you? Not simply: why this apartment? But why this developer? Why this proposition? Why this price? Why should I trust you? That’s where positioning, brand and reputation become increasingly important. PAULA: It also means developers need greater discipline. As portfolios grow, complexity increases. You need stronger decision- making, clearer processes and better alignment between commercial strategy and development execution. A more sophisticated market requires more sophisticated development organizations. B/Real Estate
27 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / }Where should commercial thinking enter the development process? PAULA: As early as possible. Some of the most commercially important decisions are made before there is anything to sell. Market opportunity. Feasibility. Product. Unit mix. Customer. Design direction. Pricing assumptions. Development strategy. If commercial intelligence is involved early, those decisions can reinforce one another. WISSAM: By the time we reach launch, we shouldn’t be trying to discover why the project matters. That answer should already exist. The strongest commercial decisions are made long before a project reaches the market. At launch, we’re communicating the value that has already been built into the development. }How do you define value at BRDG? PAULA: Value is when better thinking translates into better outcomes. A strong product. Greater clarity. Simpler processes Better decisions. Better execution. A stronger organization. And ultimately stronger commercial performance. WISSAM: And value isn’t simply how many units you sell. Did we create genuine demand? Did we create pricing power? Did we build trust? Did we strengthen the brand? Does the market understand why this development deserves to be chosen? Does what we’re building today make the next development stronger? That’s the difference between completing transactions and building long-term value. }Where do you want BRDG House to go from here? PAULA: I want BRDG to become a trusted Strategic Development Partner that developers bring into important conversations early. Not because they need another consultant, but because they see the value of connecting commercial strategy, development and execution from the beginning. I want to build a platform capable of working alongside ambitious developers across multiple projects and in multiple geographies. WISSAM: And I want BRDG to have relevance beyond the projects we’re involved in. Projects create proof.But a strong brand has to contribute something beyond its own business. We want BRDG to create conversations, intelligence and initiatives that bring developers, investors, partners and industry leaders together around the issues shaping the future of development. We don’t want to appear only when we have something to launch or sell. We want to remain relevant because we’re contributing something valuable to the industry. Projects create proof. Relationships create opportunity. Ideas create relevance. That’s how BRDG becomes more than a service company. It becomes a platform. }Finally, if each of you had to summarize BRDG’s philosophy in one thought, what would it be? PAULA: By the time a project reaches the sales gallery, its price ceiling has already been set. Our job is to set it higher. WISSAM: For me: Sales are not the strategy. Sales are the result. Before sales, you need the right strategy. The right product. The right positioning. The right brand. Trust. Experience. Pricing. Execution. When those things are aligned, you create demand. And that’s ultimately the thinking behind BRDG House:We Build Value Before We Build Projects. “COMPLEXITY DOESN’T CREATE VALUE. ALIGNMENT DOES.” BRDG HOUSE
28 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 28 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
29 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / BEYOND MEDICAL EXCELLENCE 29 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / HOW SHERIF BESHARA IS RETHINKING HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP
30 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 A s Group CEO of the Mohamed & Obaid AlMulla Group of Companies, the parent company of American Hospital Dubai, Sherif Beshara is advancing a leadership philosophy built on a fundamental principle: delivering world-class healthcare requires more than exceptional physicians and advanced technology. It requires an organization designed to make their expertise work together for the patient. }} F or decades, the global healthcare industry has pursued progress through greater medical specialization, increasingly sophisticated technology and substantial investments in clinical infrastructure. Hospitals have competed to attract renowned physicians, establish specialized departments and introduce the latest diagnostic and surgical capabilities. Yet, as healthcare becomes more advanced, it also becomes more complex, raising a fundamental question for those responsible for leading its institutions: How can hospitals ensure that increasingly sophisticated medical expertise translates into better experiences and outcomes for patients? For Sherif Beshara, Group CEO of the Mohamed & Obaid AlMulla Group of Companies, the parent company of American Hospital Dubai, the answer lies as much in organizational excellence as it does in clinical excellence. A hospital may employ exceptional physicians and invest in the most advanced medical technologies, but the value of those
31 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / 31 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
32 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 investments can be diminished if patients encounter fragmented processes, poor communication or unnecessary delays in accessing care. The challenge, therefore, is not simply to build an institution capable of delivering excellent medicine, but to create an organization in which every component works towards that objective. It is a distinction that places operational performance, organizational culture and multidisciplinary collaboration at the centre of Beshara’s approach to healthcare leadership. And it reflects a broader shift taking place across the international healthcare industry: from institutions organized primarily around medical specialities towards integrated systems designed around the needs of individual patients. LEADING BEYOND CLINICAL EXPERTISE Beshara’s perspective on healthcare leadership is informed by an unconventional professional background. With an Executive MBA from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in international law, his career spans corporate governance, legal counsel and business management rather than clinical medicine. In an industry traditionally shaped by medical expertise, that background offers a different way of examining the structures through which healthcare is delivered. Legal and corporate governance disciplines place considerable emphasis on accountability, risk management, decision- making and the relationship between institutional responsibilities and individual authority. Business management, meanwhile, introduces questions about organizational efficiency, resource allocation and the ability to translate strategic ambitions into measurable results. Applied to healthcare, these disciplines encourage a systems-level view of the organization. Rather than considering departments, services and professional teams in isolation, this approach examines how their decisions and activities influence one another, and, ultimately, the patient. The distinction is particularly important in an environment where clinical decisions must remain firmly in the hands of qualified medical professionals. Beshara’s role is not to substitute executive authority for medical judgement. It is to establish the conditions in which highly specialized professionals can exercise that judgement effectively, with the resources, systems and organizational support Beshara’s role is not to substitute executive authority for medical judgement. It is to establish the conditions in which highly specialized professionals can exercise that judgement effectively, with the resources, systems and organizational support required to deliver excellent care. “ ”
33 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / required to deliver excellent care. This requires a leadership model that recognizes the limits of individual expertise. A hospital CEO cannot possess the combined knowledge of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, nursing leaders, researchers and operational specialists. What the position demands instead is the ability to bring those disciplines together, establish shared priorities and ensure that institutional structures support rather than obstruct their work. The result is a different understanding of executive leadership: one in which the ability to connect expertise becomes as important as the ability to direct an organization. WHEN OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE BECOMES CLINICAL EXCELLENCE Perhaps the clearest illustration of this philosophy lies in an area of healthcare that rarely receives the same attention as medical breakthroughs: the patient journey. Consider a patient referred to a specialist for a potentially serious condition. The consultation may be conducted by an outstanding physician, supported by sophisticated diagnostic equipment and informed by the latest clinical evidence. Yet the patient’s experience—and potentially the continuity of their care—can still be compromised by difficulties arranging appointments, delays obtaining insurance approvals, poor coordination between departments or inadequate follow-up. None of these problems necessarily reflects a failure of medical expertise. Nevertheless, each can affect the effectiveness of healthcare delivery. For Beshara, this is where operational excellence assumes clinical significance.}}
34 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 It is not simply a question of reducing administrative costs, increasing productivity or improving financial performance. It is about building an organization capable of delivering reliable, coordinated and accountable care. At American Hospital Dubai, a collaboration with Mayo Clinic to improve the gastroenterology patient journey offers a practical example. The initiative examined challenges including insurance-related delays, scheduling difficulties and gaps in patient follow-up. By reviewing existing processes, strengthening coordination and introducing operational improvements, the hospital reduced endoscopy turnaround time from approximately 20 minutes to 12.4 minutes—a reduction of around 38%. The hospital also reported improvements in patient follow-up and satisfaction. Although the turnaround-time improvement is an operational measure rather than a direct clinical outcome, it illustrates how systematic changes can make healthcare delivery more efficient and improve the experience of patients moving through complex services. More importantly, the initiative demonstrates the value of international healthcare collaboration beyond the exchange of clinical knowledge or the prestige associated with institutional partnerships. Its significance lies in applying expertise to identify specific problems, redesign processes and measure improvements. For healthcare executives confronting rising demand, growing clinical complexity and increasing pressure on THE RELEVANT QUESTION FOR HEALTHCARE LEADERS IS THEREFORE NOT WHETHER AN INSTITUTION POSSESSES THE NEWEST EQUIPMENT, BUT WHETHER A PARTICULAR INVESTMENT CAN DEMONSTRATE MEANINGFUL CLINICAL VALUE.
resources, this presents an important proposition: some of the most meaningful improvements in healthcare may come not from introducing entirely new capabilities, but from ensuring that existing capabilities work together more effectively. TECHNOLOGY MUST PROVE ITS VALUE The same principle informs the role of technology in Beshara’s vision for American Hospital Dubai. Across the global healthcare industry, artificial intelligence, robotic-assisted surgery, molecular diagnostics and precision medicine are transforming the possibilities of clinical practice. Yet technological sophistication does not automatically translate into better healthcare. The value of innovation depends on whether it improves diagnostic accuracy, enables more effective treatment, supports clinical decision- making or makes care more accessible and coordinated. Advances in imaging, pathology and AI-assisted analysis, for example, can help physicians identify certain conditions earlier and interpret increasingly complex clinical information. Molecular profiling and genetic testing can support more personalized treatment }} 35 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
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37 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / decisions, particularly in areas such as oncology. Similarly, robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive techniques can provide surgeons with enhanced visualization and precision. For appropriately selected patients and procedures, these approaches may offer benefits including reduced postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery. However, these benefits depend on clinical evidence, patient suitability and the expertise of the professionals using the technology. The relevant question for healthcare leaders is therefore not whether an institution possesses the newest equipment, but whether a particular investment can demonstrate meaningful clinical value. This distinction becomes increasingly important as hospitals navigate the growing number of technological solutions entering the market. 37
38 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 H .E. Mohamed H. Alsuwaidi, UAE Minister of Investment and Co-Chair of Investopia, opened Investopia Bridge 2026 Abu Dhabi with a message to investors. “Someone looking at the UAE now, despite everything that has been happening, can only ask, ‘If I were to make a bet on an economy like the UAE is today, why wouldn’t I?’” Being held at Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas on Saadiyat Island under the theme “Investing in a More Resilient World,” Investopia Bridge 2026 brings together ministers, policymakers, investors, business leaders and BRIDGE 2026 UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed H. Alsuwaidi: “Why Wouldn’t You Bet on the UAE?” 38 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
39 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / “ entrepreneurs to discuss the shifts shaping the global economy and investment landscape. H.E. Alsuwaidi added, “We’re a nation of about 12 million people that is punching above its weight. But productivity has always been our strong suit. That is why the UAE is one of the leading nations when it comes to AI, both at an educational level and an investment level. We see AI technology continuing to be our strongest advantage and muscle to leverage in the future. “All of that attracts capital- local capital and third-party capital. We have a very strong backbone for the AI infrastructure, and our infrastructure in general is one of the most modern in the world. “We have very deep pool of talent. We have not seen a negative flow of talent as a result of this conflict. We’ve only seen a positive inflow of talent and wealth. Ultra-high-net- worth individuals have stayed here. Yes, there have been some exits, but there’s been a net positive in general. Capital is deep and available. Alsuwaidi said the UAE had managed the security situation of recent months effectively, keeping its institutions working and its economy open, and had emerged stronger. When asked what building an AI company and economy in the UAE means in practical terms, Alsuwaidi pointed to the UAE’s technology adoption across sectors including transportation, healthcare, construction, defense and energy. He said the UAE’s ability to test and deploy emerging technologies quickly would remain central to its AI ambitions. “Our ability to get things done and test them within the ecosystem is relatively easy,” he said. “We’re going to be a first adopter, fast adopter, an innovator, a leader in this space, and just see more of it.” All of that attracts capital- local capital and third-party capital. We have a very strong backbone for the AI infrastructure, and our infrastructure in general is one of the most modern in the world. ” 39 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
40 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 H .E. Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, placed trust, reliability and reputation at the heart of the UAE’s approach to international partnerships during Investopia Bridge 2026 Abu Dhabi. Speaking during the session “Bridges of Trust: Diplomacy, Capital and Culture in the UAE–UK Partnership,” Al Kaabi highlighted the importance of building relationships that extend beyond formal agreements and withstand periods of geopolitical and economic uncertainty. “The connection starts with people, with seeds, with ideas. And I believe that consistency, especially in uncertain times, and being reliable is the hardest reputation to carry. “The work that we do is outside the negotiation room. Negotiations can happen in a day or two. Signing an MOU can take a day, maybe even minutes. But what lasts is the trust and the partnership. It’s based on that: How can I build economic ties, people-to-people ties and political ties? BRIDGE 2026 UAE Minister of State Noura Al Kaabi: “Our Reputation Is Our Capital” “ What I love about the City of London and the partnership with the UAE is that we have those hundreds of years of history. We have English common law, which is used in 40% of contracts worldwide. ”
41 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / “I’m in a strategic partnership. It doesn’t mean that if I sign that agreement with a certain geography, I am against another geography. Therefore, we always have to be alert and resilient, based on technological changes, changing times, political structures and, unfortunately, the unrest happening around us. But I think the only consistent element is the trust that you build. And that trust takes time.” Al Kaabi concluded with a message that connected the UAE’s international standing directly with its approach to capital and long-term partnerships. “We want to be sustainable in our capital,” she said. “And our reputation is our capital.” Joining Al Kaabi in the conversation, Dame Susan Langley, The Rt. Hon. the Lady Mayor of the City of London Corporation, echoed the importance of trust in translating diplomatic relationships into economic opportunities. “Relationships take years to build. So when we talk about turning diplomacy into economic reality, that relationship gives you permission to do so, but it doesn’t happen overnight,” Langley said. “The City of London, or the UK as a whole, and the UAE have a really deep and rich history. And I think specifically now, we are focusing on many of the same things. In this increasingly uncertain geopolitical world, we’re looking at diversification, we’re looking at risk, we’re looking at resilience.” Langley pointed to the UK’s legal and financial infrastructure, as well as its innovation ecosystem, as areas underpinning its relationship with the UAE. “I have never, in my entire life, used the words stability, trust, history and ‘our word is our bond’ as much about the UK. But that’s true, and what I love about the City of London and the partnership with the UAE is that we have those hundreds of years of history. We have English common law, which is used in 40% of contracts worldwide.” “So we have that depth of knowledge and we have the ecosystem that’s built up. But on top of that, we’re layering innovation. We have the highest number of fintechs in Europe. We have the highest number of fintech unicorns. We have an Oxford-Cambridge corridor with life sciences booming and now moving into Canary Wharf.” She added that the two markets increasingly share priorities around technology and investment. “So in terms of the relationship with the UAE, you are also focusing on AI, on technology, not just investment. And that’s the mirror image of where we are in the City of London. And I think, based on the history we have of trust, it allows us to move forward, to share initiatives. Investment is both ways as well.” “ Relationships take years to build. So when we talk about turning diplomacy into economic reality, that relationship gives you permission to do so, but it doesn’t happen overnight ”
42 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 BRIDGE 2026 I n the presence of H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Co-Chair of Investopia, ‘Future 100’ – the joint initiative between the Ministry of Economy and Tourismm and the Government Development and the Future Office – honored its third cohort of 100 companies. The ceremony took place during the Investopia Bridge 2026 event in Abu Dhabi. H.E. Bin Touq said, “The UAE is keen to support startups and companies operating in the new economy sectors and help them develop their businesses and expand into markets through an integrated ecosystem of enablers, legislation, incentives, and programmes that grant them access to funding, expertise, and markets, while enhancing their ability to innovate and forge new partnerships. The ‘Future 100’ initiative embodies this approach by highlighting promising companies every year and supporting their growth and expansion.” He added, “Since its launch, the initiative has succeeded in attracting investments worth US$100 million through its partners, benefiting more than 53 companies enrolled in the initiative. It has contributed to enhancing their access to investments and partnerships and supporting their ability to transform promising opportunities into projects and companies with high growth potential. This aligns with the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision to consolidate the country’s position as a global hub for the new economy over the next decade.” Over the past three editions/cycles since the initiative’s launch, 300 companies have been recognized from 3,395 applications received, including 1,282 applications in the third cycle, reflecting growing interest in promising companies within the new economy sectors. The selection process evaluates applications across four main pillars: creative capability, market potential, business model sustainability and scalability, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact. The Future 100 list covers 17 sectors, including space, biotechnology, sustainability and environment, health technology, HR technology, renewable energy, creative industries, sharing economy, agri tech, ed tech, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, food technology, fintech, smart mobility, legal technology, and proptech. The initiative also encompasses a range of modern technologies and business models, including e-commerce, sharing economy, 3D printing, Internet of Things, Web 3.0, robotics, metaverse, AI ‘Future 100’ Honors Its 2025 Edition DOWNLOAD THE FUTURE 100 2025 REPORT.
43 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / companies strengthen their ability to attract funding, support valuation, compliance, and ownership management processes, and offer training and mentorship programs, plus a 25 per cent discount on the annual subscription to the Carta platform during the first year. The ‘Future 100’ initiative has been expanding its partnership network that includes government entities, innovation funds, tech companies, financial and banking institutions, business accelerators and incubators, and venture capital funds, bringing the total number of partners to 42 key partners include the strategic partner Majra – National CSR Fund, acceleration partners Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Dubai Future District Fund, Emirates NBD, Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund, Investopia, Microsoft, MEVP, Careem, EY, Eurasia Capital, In5, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, FTI Consulting, Nuwa Capital Ltd, EGF, Carta, and DIFC Innovation Hub, along with several community partners from both the public and private sectors. enabled service enhancement, and blockchain technology. On the sidelines of Investopia Bridge 2026, the ‘Future 100’ initiative signed three memoranda of understanding. The first was with Nuwa Capital Ltd, aimed at supporting the growth and expansion of listed companies. The second memorandum was signed with Global Ventures to enhance business development and partnership opportunities for the listed companies, support their growth, and participate in evaluating applications. The company also committed to investing at least US$1 million in one or more companies joining the initiative. The third memorandum with Carta will provide specialized services that help → BNC Media Group CEO Wissam Younane joined fellow partners of Future 100 on stage alongside H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of Investopia, at Investopia Bridge 2026 in Abu Dhabi.
Trendyol Gulf CEO Mohamad ElAnsari Trendyol Gulf CEO Mohamad ElAnsari is pursuing a two-part ambition: to make the e-commerce platform part of daily life across the Gulf, while enabling local sellers and brands to reach customers around the world. M ohamad ElAnsari has a simple measure of success for Trendyol in the Gulf: how often customers open the app. In less than three years, the platform has onboarded 15,500 regional sellers, from large retail groups to smaller SMEs, and built a customer base of over 4 million across the region. The next step, says the CEO of Trendyol Gulf, is making it as much a part of the daily routine as a trip to the local mall. He has a substantial platform to build from. Founded in Istanbul in 2010, Trendyol is one of the world’s leading e-commerce platforms with a multi- category offering that includes its own private label brand, Trendyol Collection. It connects more than 250,000 Turkish sellers and global brands with over 40 million customers across dedicated local-language apps in Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Germany, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Greece. Yet, as ambitious as that may sound, ElAnsari is aiming higher still: to help turn local brands into global ones. At the heart of that ambition is what he describes as “two-way commerce”, aiming not only to not bring international products into Gulf markets, but also to give local merchants a platform through which they can reach customers around the world. “Just as we import, we have to have the ability to also export,” ElAnsari explains. “Eventually, our marketplace should be the right vehicle or channel for local sellers to be able to not only sell to other cities or other countries in the Gulf, but eventually be able to sell to Romania or to Istanbul, or to whatever city they need.” The two-fold ambition is increasingly significant given the speed at which Trendyol has built its Gulf marketplace. Within days of launching in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in late 2023, the Trendyol app reached the top of KSA’s commerce app rankings. By November that year, the platform had expanded across all six GCC markets, and by early 2025, its Gulf customer base had surpassed four million. ElAnsari comes across as the kind of friendly, articulate CEO who brings both intellect and genuine passion to the pursuit of results. His track record reveals a distinctly results-focused mindset: prior to joining Trendyol, he held leadership positions at Cenomi, Careem and Strategy&. At Trendyol, that drive is also fueled by a strong emotional investment in what he is building in the Gulf. OUR MARKETPLACE SHOULD BE THE RIGHT VEHICLE OR CHANNEL FOR LOCAL SELLERS TO BE ABLE TO NOT ONLY SELL TO OTHER CITIES OR OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE GULF, BUT EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO SELL TO ROMANIA OR TO ISTANBUL, OR TO WHATEVER CITY THEY NEED.” “ From Winning The Gulf To Taking Gulf Brands Global by TAMARA PUPIC 44 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
→ Mohamad ElAnsari is the CEO of Trendyol Gulf.
46 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 “We have the right to win because, inherently, we don’t compete with our sellers. We empower them. We provide incremental business,” he says. "We do have our own brand, but it’s a small part of the business. That was part of our DNA, but today, 95% of our business comes from sellers. So sellers don’t see us as a competitor; they see us as an incremental channel.” One example of how Trendyol is empowering local sellers is its August 2026 partnership with Dubai Chambers of Commerce, designed to help Dubai-based SMEs join and grow on the platform. Under the initiative, Trendyol doubled its standard introductory commission discount from 20% to 40% for eligible SMEs referred by Dubai Chambers of Commerce and extended it from two to three months. Participating businesses also receive homepage and campaign visibility, free advertising credit, priority account management and onboarding support, alongside training through Trendyol IN A MARKETPLACE WITH MILLIONS OF PRODUCTS, SELLERS ALSO NEED THE RIGHT TOOLS TO STAND OUT. THAT'S WHERE WE COME IN, PROVIDING THEM WITH INSIGHTS, BEST PRACTICES, MARKETING SUPPORT AND THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO GROW THEIR BUSINESSES." “
47 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / Academy covering product listings, stock management, pricing, advertising and performance analysis. In Saudi Arabia, Trendyol introduced similar incentives and launched a dedicated “Local Sellers” page, making it easier for customers to discover and shop from Saudi businesses, while helping local sellers increase their visibility and reach. "What we do is bring traffic to the platform, much like a mall attracts footfall,” ElAnsari says. “But in a marketplace with millions of products, sellers also need the right tools to stand out. That's where we come in, providing them with insights, best practices, marketing support and the tools they need to grow their businesses Before going further into how Trendyol is helping individual sellers stand out, ElAnsari points to a more fundamental advantage: the sheer scale of a marketplace and the discovery it enables. “One of our success stories is a large retailer with a big portfolio of brands, and the surprise, for them and for us, was that in no time, they started selling more products on our platform than on their own website,” he says. "On a marketplace, you automatically have more people coming simply to browse and discover, often with no intention of buying anything until something inspires them. “And then you have small SMEs, some even operating from home and designing abayas, that might initially be selling only a few thousand riyals’ worth of products. Once they join our platform, their sales can go through the roof. Suddenly, they’re talking about hundreds of thousands of riyals every single month.” With the scale of the opportunity established, ElAnsari returns to the question of how individual sellers can actually stand out within such a vast marketplace. “My advice is to focus on content. Content is the starting point,” he says. "The images, the product descriptions, the composition, whether something is cotton or wool. These may seem like small details, but they matter more than ever, especially with AI and advanced technology. For example, we now have an AI-powered shopping assistant. We’re reaching a stage where consumers don’t necessarily want to browse anymore; they want to state their intent: ‘I’m looking for an AED300 outfit for a casual evening.’ That’s it. But in the background, if there isn’t proper content, the AI won’t understand what to recommend.“If the customer says, ‘I want an AED300 shirt from a specific brand,’ then it becomes much easier. But if they don’t specify the brand, you need to make sure that, as a seller, you have great content and item descriptions so your products can be discovered.” Trendyol itself is equally specific and detailed in its own approach. ElAnsari explains that, as the platform operates across 36 countries worldwide, its strategy is tailored not only to individual markets, but sometimes even to individual cities. “For example, here in the UAE, consumers tend to be more drawn to international brands, whereas in Saudi Arabia, there is a stronger preference for local sellers and local brands,” he says. “Because of that preference for local brands, we created, within this massive digital mall, a mini digital mall dedicated to Saudi sellers. And people love it. You click on it and immediately discover Saudi brands of every size, from the biggest names to medium-sized businesses and small brands." Trendyol’s Ramadan campaigns reflect its commitment to understanding and catering to Gulf consumers. From modest fashion collections tailored to local preferences to collaborations with regional talent, the platform has continued to strengthen its local relevance. Most recently, Trendyol partnered with Saudi designer Nasiba Hafiz on a limited-edition collection made available across the Gulf and its international markets. “This reflects our mission to enable commerce wherever we operate, creating opportunities for local talent to grow and reach new markets,” says ElAnsari. He adds, “When we first launched, we operated as an international platform, with all our products coming from Türkiye. Fast-forward nearly three years, and today, local sellers account for almost two-thirds of our sales. We’ve evolved into a truly local, and in some cases even hyper-local, marketplace.” And that is how, city by city, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, Trendyol intends to become part of daily life across the region. “WE’VE EVOLVED INTO A TRULY LOCAL, AND IN SOME CASES EVEN HYPER- LOCAL, MARKETPLACE.”
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49 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / From Healthcare to Healthspan Why longevity will reshape the UAE’s healthcare economy. by ALISHA MOOPEN
‘T/Healthcare F or generations, health- care has largely been built around treating illness: diagnosing a condition, providing treatment and help- ing patients recover. That model will always remain essential. But as people live longer, healthcare conver- sation is evolving. The ques- tion is no longer simply how long we live, but how long do we remain healthy, active and independent. T his is where healthspan becomes critical. Lifespan tells us how long we live. Healthspan asks how long we remain healthy enough to enjoy those additional years. According to the latest available WHO estimates, life expectancy at birth in the UAE is 78.3 years, while healthy life expectancy at birth is 67.3 years. That represents an 11-year difference between lifespan and healthy life expectancy. It should not be interpreted as 11 years spent living with chronic disease, but it offers an important perspective on the opportunity to improve the quality of the years we gain. This shift from lifespan to healthspan has significant implications for healthcare and for the wider economy. The future of healthcare will increasingly move towards prevention, earlier intervention and continuous health management. Instead of waiting for symptoms to appear, healthcare providers will need to help individuals understand their health risks earlier and take action before conditions become more complex. The case for starting early is particularly important. A study of young adults in the UAE found that both males and females spent around 80% of their waking hours sedentary. Based on daily step counts, 50% of male participants and 76.6% of female participants were classified as sedentary or low active. The study involved university students and is not representative of the wider UAE population, but it provides a useful reminder that the foundations of healthy ageing are established much earlier in life. This is where technology can help transform healthcare. Advances in diagnostics, biomarkers, artificial intelligence and digital health are creating new opportunities to understand health beyond individual symptoms. Increasingly, health information can be brought together to provide a more comprehensive view of an individual’s risks and needs, supporting earlier and more personalized interventions. For healthcare providers, this means moving from an episodic model of care towards a more continuous relationship with individuals. A health check should not simply identify a problem; it should help inform what an individual can do next. Diagnostics should lead to meaningful action. Digital tools should complement clinical expertise. And personalized assessments should help people make better-informed decisions about their health. Personalization will be particularly important because there is no single formula for healthy ageing. People of the same age can have very different lifestyles, health risks, genetic backgrounds and nutritional needs. Healthcare therefore needs to move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach towards models that recognize the individual. This evolution also creates an important economic opportunity for the UAE. Longevity sits at the intersection of healthcare, technology, wellness, research and business. As the focus shifts towards prevention and healthspan, demand will increasingly extend beyond traditional hospital-based services to include diagnostics, digital health, personalized healthcare, rehabilitation, nutrition, physical activity and other preventive services. ACCORDING TO THE LATEST AVAILABLE WHO ESTIMATES, LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH IN THE UAE IS 78.3 YEARS, WHILE HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH IS 67.3 YEARS. THAT REPRESENTS AN 11-YEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFESPAN AND HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY.” 50 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
This opportunity is part of a broader global shift. The global longevity market is estimated at $27.6 billion, reflecting growing interest in technologies, services and healthcare models focused on extending healthy years of life. For the UAE, this presents an opportunity to position itself within an emerging global longevity economy while building on its existing strengths in healthcare, technology and innovation. The impact can extend into workplaces as well. Healthier populations can potentially remain active and productive for longer, creating opportunities for employers to think differently about employee wellbeing, preventive health and long-term workforce resilience. The UAE is already taking steps towards building a broader longevity ecosystem. Dubai’s ambitions are supported by an established healthcare ecosystem, with approximately 5,800 licensed healthcare facilities across the emirate. This provides a strong foundation for the development of specialized services spanning preventive health, diagnostics, personalized medicine, rehabilitation and other areas of the emerging longevity ecosystem. The approval of the Dubai Longevity Authority’s strategy and operating budget marks a move towards implementation, with a focus on healthspan, research, clinical trials, innovation and responsible regulation. The strategy targets annual growth of around 31% and aims to contribute more than AED35 billion to Dubai’s economy over the next decade. Against the backdrop of a growing global longevity market, these ambitions demonstrate Dubai’s intent to build longevity not only as a healthcare priority, but also as a significant economic and innovation opportunity. These ambitions demonstrate that longevity is not simply a healthcare conversation. It is increasingly an economic and innovation opportunity that brings together science, technology, investment, regulation and healthcare delivery. For this ecosystem to succeed, however, integration will be essential. Data must connect with clinical expertise. Innovation must translate into meaningful health outcomes. Technology must support, rather than replace, the relationship between people and their healthcare professionals. And wellness must remain grounded in evidence. Perhaps most importantly, longevity should not be viewed as a conversation reserved for older people. It is a lifelong project. The choices made in our twenties and thirties can influence our health trajectory decades later, while prevention and early detection become increasingly important through midlife and beyond. For healthcare organizations, this means rethinking the patient journey. For technology companies, it means developing solutions that are clinically meaningful and accessible. For businesses, it means recognizing the connection between healthier employees and sustainable productivity. And for individuals, it means taking a more proactive role in understanding and managing their health. The next chapter of healthcare will therefore not be defined simply by how effectively we treat disease. It will also be defined by how successfully we help people avoid preventable illness, maintain independence and remain healthier for longer. The opportunity for the UAE is to build an integrated longevity ecosystem where healthcare, technology, science and prevention work together. Because the economic value of longevity will ultimately depend not only on the number of years we add to life, but on the health, productivity, independence and quality of those years. The goal is not simply to live longer. It is to live better for longer. Alisha Moopen Managing Director and Group CEO, Aster DM Healthcare Alisha Moopen joined Aster DM Healthcare in 2013, initially serving as a director for GCC operations before being promoted to Managing Director for the region. In 2023, she played a pivotal role in a US$1 billion transaction, which ultimately led to her appointment as the Group CEO. In this capacity, Moopen is responsible for steering the company’s strategic direction and driving its expansion into new markets. Aster DM Healthcare is one of the region’s largest integrated healthcare providers, operating a vast network of 15 hospitals, 117 clinics, and 285 pharmacies across the GCC. With a workforce of over 13,000 employees, including 1,673 doctors and 3,692 nurses, the company serves millions of patients annually, reinforcing its position as a leader in the healthcare sector. 51 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
52 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 W ith October dedicated to Menopause Awareness, and World Menopause Day on October 18th, much is said about the physical and emotional changes women experience. But there is a financial impact that often goes unnoticed, from shifts in income and career progression to confidence, planning and long-term security. Menopause and perimenopause tends to arrive in the last 10 to 15 years of a woman’s career, coinciding with a period of changes to family structures, aging parents, possible loss of loved ones and essentially more responsibility. But it is also a crucial time when your pension and investments need to grow. Saying this, midlife and menopause deserves the same financial attention as any other major stage like changing careers or moving countries. What makes this stage financially different is that the pressure rarely comes from one place. And often, it is not the obvious costs that catch women out, but the quieter ones that build in the background. As it does not affect every woman financially the same way, understanding where the pressure points Menopause is a Financial Phase Too The hit to career, income, and confidence. by CHARIS MARR ‘T/Menopause
53 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / could be, makes it easier to plan with confidence. The Quiet Costs Of Menopause The financial impact of midlife is often less about one dramatic expense and more about the multitude of circumstances that can quietly shift around you. You might be supporting ageing parents while your children still need you, taking time away from work to care for someone, or trying to make major decisions while your own health, sleep and confidence are changing at the same time. It is also when you might be reflecting on long-term decisions around retirement that suddenly feel much closer. None of these things are caused by menopause, but when they collide at the same point in life, the financial impact can be significant. Most money advice is written for people just starting out their career. But midlife is where the decisions get bigger and the support gets thinner. A divorce, serious illness or loss can expose hidden costs with the need to understand pensions, insurance and paperwork that someone else might have normally managed. For women living in the UAE, there can be an additional layer of complexity as many are managing assets and responsibilities across countries. Speaking from experience, a sudden loss to a family member can also quickly turn finances into a complicated and difficult phase to navigate alone. When these life-changing decisions tend to be made in the same years you experience menopause, it can make it harder to think clearly about money when stakes are so high and everyone is relying on you. Knowing your numbers early gives you the ability to choose, rather than simply react out of panic. Doing a financial check-in does not need to be complicated. Some useful places to start include writing down your essential expenses, so you know the total you’d need to cover if your income changed, create an emergency fund that could cover a few months if required, cover for unexpected health changes, and have an honest conversation with a partner or family about what changes in income would mean for the household. Career Impacts Menopause can affect some women’s confidence, stopping them from putting themselves forward for a promotion or a pay rise, which comes at a growth cost. Considering a step back from work at 50 can also have a bigger impact than a career break at 30, as there is less time for your income to recover or for money to compound. Research by Canadian Employment Hero found that 41% of workers aged between 35 - 54 felt their age made them less attractive to employers. That pressure can show up in the job search too. If you are in the job market, ask yourself, “Am I adjusting my CV just to fit the box?” Often referred to as CV botoxing, adjustments made to timelines or senior titles to bypass the age or salary filters may work in the short term, but it often means accepting lower pay, which reduces your personal pensions and eventually your savings. Health Costs Money stress and menopause symptoms often feed each other and having clarity around your finances can ease one side of that loop. In the workplace, the stress of midlife and perimenopause can also MIDLIFE AND MENOPAUSE DESERVES THE SAME FINANCIAL ATTENTION AS ANY OTHER MAJOR STAGE LIKE CHANGING CAREERS OR MOVING COUNTRIES." “
54 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 coincide with periods of burnout, anxiety, or reduced confidence at work, which can influence decisions around reducing hours, taking a career break or stepping away altogether. AJ Bell Money Matters found that one in 20 women stopped working due to menopause, one in 25 reduced their hours, and a fifth said it affected their confidence at work. In the UAE, this can come with an extra financial impact as health cover is often linked to employment. Stepping back from work may mean arranging your own cover in your 50s, potentially at a higher cost than before. There also appears to be a gap in workplace support. According to Deloitte Women @ Work 2025 (UAE), 18% of women globally reported accessing menopause support through workplace benefits, compared with none of the UAE respondents. That matters because when support is not readily available through the workplace, women may be left to manage symptoms, seek specialist care or fund additional support themselves. People are also living longer, which means healthcare may need to be funded over a much longer period, including the possibility of needing care later in life. By thinking of your healthcare costs earlier and including them in the wider financial picture, you can create more choices and protection for the future. Looking ahead On the upside, midlife can also be a financial second wind for many. Earnings are often at their peak, the cost of raising young children has usually eased, and most women have a clearer sense of what they want from their money and their work. That can make it a particularly useful time to step back and look at the full financial picture, rather than focusing on one area in isolation. At In Good Wealth, we look at five connected parts of financial wellbeing: what you earn, save, grow, spend and protect, starting with a Prosperity Pulse Quiz. Considering the numbers together makes it easier to identify where attention is most needed without creating a long, overwhelming list of things to focus on. Career gaps, health costs and life changes will not apply to everyone in the same way and many women may go through this stage with barely a ripple in their finances. For those who do feel it, a good plan can change what the next decade looks like. With clearer information and the right choices, you can move through this phase without setting back the progress you have made. Charis Marr is the Co- Creator of In Good Wealth, a UAE-based financial wellbeing brand helping people understand their money in a way that feels clear, human and connected to real life. Created by Charis Marr and Shana Doherty, the brand supports individuals, businesses and communities through practical education, coaching, workshops and digital tools designed to build financial confidence without jargon or judgement. In Good Wealth is a brand operated by Louma Studio FZ-LLC, registered in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. All content provided by In Good Wealth is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. ‘T/Menopause “MOST MONEY ADVICE IS WRITTEN FOR PEOPLE JUST STARTING OUT THEIR CAREER. BUT MIDLIFE IS WHERE THE DECISIONS GET BIGGER AND THE SUPPORT GETS THINNER.”
> Nominate now < | Entrepreneur.com | Entrepreneuralarabiya.com www.ent-awards.com LEADERSHIP A W A R D S2026 I N P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H Pa r t n e r s | 16 DECEMBER 2026 | SOFITEL DUBAI THE PALM
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57 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / Create Apps Championship 2026
H .H. Sheikh Moham- med bin Rashid bin Moham- med bin Rashid Al Maktoum honored the winners of the third edition of the Create Apps Championship at Emirates Towers Boulevard. The winners were Ettan Ehsan, named Best Youth-made App; RUSH, winner of Most Impactful App; LiaPay, named Most Innovative App; and POP by Kwelio, winner of Longevity App of the Year. POP by Kwelio also received the championship’s top honor, Dubai’s App of the Year. The awards ceremony for the third edition of the Create Apps Championship was attended by Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelli- gence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications and Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Cham- bers; and Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. Ettan Ehsan is a gamified learning platform that transforms school subjects into short, visual and engag- ing challenges. RUSH is a marketplace offering curated group travel experiences built around shared interests and connections. LiaPay is an AI-powered financial wellness assistant that analyzes financial and employment data to provide personalized insights and guidance. POP by Kwelio is a smart medication-adher- ence app that uses behavioral science, gamification and predictive analytics to encourage consistent medication use. T H E C H A M P I O N S H I P I S PA R T O F T H E C R E AT E A P P S I N D U B A I I N I T I AT I V E , L E D B Y T H E D U B A I C H A M B E R O F D I G I TA L E C O N O M Y TO S U P P O R T A P P D E V E LO P M E N T, D I G I TA L S K I L L S A N D T E C H N O LO G Y E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P I N T H E E M I R AT E . Winners of Third Edition Announced in Dubai Create Apps Championship 2026 58 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026
T he championship is part of the Create Apps in Dubai initiative, led by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy to support app development, digital skills and technology entrepre- neurship in the emirate. Across its three editions, the championship has attracted 15,564 applica- tions from 153 countries, contributed to the development of 1,700 prototypes and supported the launch of more than 140 applications. The third edition alone received 9,754 entries from around the world. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said Dubai would continue to serve as a platform for creativity that benefits communities globally, with innovative initiatives and applications contributing to government perfor- mance, the development of new services and improvements in quality of life. He also affirmed that the forward-looking vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has enabled Dubai to shape the future by remaining at the forefront of adopting advanced technologies. Finalists and semifinalists of the championship will receive direct entry to Oraseya Capital’s Launchpad, a six-month, in-person program supporting early-stage startups before they are investment-ready. The program provides structured guidance, access to expertise, and connections to networks and resources to help founders develop their products, refine their business models and build early traction. Oraseya Capital is the venture capital arm of the Dubai Integrated Econom- ic Zones Authority (DIEZ), investing in startups from pre-seed to Series B. Launched in 2023, the Create Apps Champion- ship has developed from an app development competition into a global platform supporting founders and innovators in the digital economy, with a focus on turning technology ideas into scalable applications and ventures. ↑ Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed (center) with the winners of the Create Apps Championship 2026. Image courtesy Dubai Media Office Create Apps Championship 2026 59 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM /
60 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 H .H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Moham- med bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has launched the Create AI Agents Championship, marking the next evolution of the Create Apps Championship and shifting its focus from digital applications to autono- mous AI-agent systems. The global competition will feature four categories: Best Societal AI Agent, Best Personal AI Agent, Best Business AI Agent, and Best Youth AI Agent. Each category winner will T H E G LO B A L C O M P E T I T I O N W I L L F E AT U R E F O U R C AT E G O R I E S : B E S T S O C I E TA L A I A G E N T, B E S T P E R S O N A L A I A G E N T, B E S T B US I N E S S A I A G E N T, A N D B E S T YO U T H A I A G E N T. IMAGE COURTESY DUBAI MEDIA OFFICE Sheikh Hamdan Launches Create AI Agents Championship With AED2.5 Million-Plus Prize Pool Create Apps Championship 2026
receive an AED550,000 grant, while one of the four winners will also be named AI Agent of the Year and receive AED1 million. The championship’s total prize pool exceeds AED2.5 million. The competition is designed to encourage participants to develop AI-agent systems inte- grated into practical applications that address real user needs and market requirements. Participants will identify priority challenges, design AI agents to address them, test their impact, and explore their potential to become scalable products, services, and commercial ventures. The launch forms part of Dubai’s efforts to accelerate the adoption of Agentic AI and prepare its business ecosystem to harness the technology, with a focus on expanding its economic and commercial applications and creating new opportu- nities for innovation and growth. The championship is open to innovators worldwide from both technical and non-technical backgrounds, with no minimum age requirement. Individuals and teams can enter with an idea, prototype, or early-stage minimum viable product (MVP), while existing businesses can submit a new AI-agent solution or capability. Fully commercialized solutions are not eligible. The Best Societal AI Agent category will recognize solutions designed to generate positive social impact across areas including social cohesion, inclusion, education, sustainability, and resilience. Best Personal AI Agent will focus on solutions that improve daily life, productiv- ity, health, well-being, and personal decision-making. Best Business AI Agent will recognize solutions that help public- and private- sector organizations improve workflows, services, decision-making, and customer experience. Best Youth AI Agent is open to participants under the age of 21 at the time of registration. Team entries in the youth category must be led by a participant who meets the same age requirement. Registration is now open to innovators, entrepreneurs, students, and technology developers from around the world. Three introductory workshops on Agentic AI will follow the launch. In November, the Digital Academy will open with four advanced training courses, four practical workshops, and mentorship sessions. Participants will also have access to self-paced learning content and specialized sessions to help develop their solutions and prepare their pitches. Registration will close in December 2026, with entrants required to submit an AI-agent prototype, pitch deck, and demo video. Sheikh Hamdan said the initiative builds on the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to strengthen human capabilities and enable people to benefit from advanced technologies such as artificial intelli- gence, while reinforcing Dubai’s position across technology-driven sectors. 61 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / Create Apps Championship 2026
62 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 Mapping the Way Home S audi Arabia’s career opportunities are drawing international professionals and their families to the Kingdom, especially as it moves to diversify its economy beyond oil. In fact, according to the latest estimates of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the country’s non-Saudi population reached approximately 15.7 million in mid-2024, up from 14.5 million in 2023, accounting for 44.4% of the population. Its appeal as a place to work is also reflected in InterNations’ Expat Insider 2026 survey, in which 70% of respondents in Saudi Arabia said they had relocated for work-related reasons, compared with 33% globally, while 72% said the move had improved their career prospects. However, employment is only one part of moving to another country, and settling into everyday life is a different conversation. It is within this How Ahlan, an AI-powered mobility platform founded by Abiel Ghezae, is helping international professionals and their families navigate the move to Saudi Arabia. by KRISTINE ERIKA AGUSTIN S/Mobility → Nadim Zidan is the founder of Celebrity Bee FZ, a social media marketing and branding agency that today serves celebrities, VIPs, public figures, and leading businesses across the region. space that Abiel Ghezae developed Ahlan, an AI-powered global mobility platform. Through personalized guidance and planning tools, Ahlan aims to support professionals and families before and after their move to Saudi Arabia, connecting them with organizations and service providers in one place. “Attracting talent is only part of the challenge. Professionals still have to navigate housing, schools, documentation, finances and everyday life across disconnected sources and providers,” Ghezae, founder and CEO of Ahlan, explains. “That is the gap Ahlan is being built to address: helping international professionals not only move to Saudi Arabia, but settle and thrive here.” The idea took shape as Ghezae prepared to return to Saudi Arabia in early 2026. Although he had previously lived and worked in Riyadh, finding the information he needed still meant searching government websites, property platforms, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, and reaching out to personal contacts. “Saudi Arabia today is very different from the country I previously lived in. The scale of transformation is attracting international companies, investment and talent, creating a growing need to make moving to and living in the Kingdom as seamless as possible,” he says, explaining why he sees Ahlan as particularly relevant now. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in the UK, Ghezae has spent more than 20 years working across both countries in entrepreneurship, business development, marketing, events and community building. His experience includes two and a half years as marketing director for an international retail franchise in Saudi Arabia. He now draws on that background to lead Ahlan’s business strategy and growth in the Saudi market. “I realized the problem wasn’t necessarily a lack of information,” he says. “It was bringing the right information together, making it personal and providing a clear route from a question to actually getting something done.” Founded in May 2026 and currently operating in beta, Ahlan begins with a questionnaire to assess each member’s needs and priorities. Its AI assistant, Ask Ahlan, uses this information to answer their relocation questions with guidance relevant to their situation. This is the starting point for the company’s model: Ask → Plan → Do. The → Abiel Ghezae is the founder and CEO of Ahlan.
63 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / aim is to help members turn the guidance into a personalized plan, then take the next step or find a service provider who can help. “Trust is equally important,” Ghezae emphasizes. “After Ask Ahlan provides an answer, members can select ‘Verify Sources’ to check the sources behind the information provided. We are continuing to strengthen this layer as the platform develops, supported by two PhDs (Doctor of Philosophy) in AI within our core team.” Individuals can also use relocation checklists to organize their move and a savings calculator to help with financial planning, two of its popular tools, according to Ghezae. Ahlan also includes Discover and Community features, where members can explore and review restaurants, cafes, events, and local experiences. The team is currently developing booking capabilities so members can arrange services through the platform. Five months into the business, Ahlan has already reached 500 members and secured 12 organizational pilots, according to Ghezae. The pilots span education, events, media, and health and beauty, including an international school that has backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The names of the participating organizations remain undisclosed while the pilots are underway. “Organizations can support their international professionals through one connected ecosystem while gaining greater visibility into their needs and progress,” Ghezae says. “Ultimately, we are connecting three sides of the ecosystem: the professional, the organization supporting them, and trusted providers capable of fulfilling their needs.” Ahlan has been founder- funded to date, and is now raising US$750,000 in pre-seed financing. “Relocation is our entry point because it creates a series of high intent needs, from housing and education to careers, events and everyday services,” Ghezae explains. “The opportunity is to connect that intent with the organisations supporting internationally mobile professionals and trusted providers capable of serving them. Saudi Arabia gives us a compelling market in which to prove that model before expanding further.” Ahlan aims to attract approximately 3,000 members by the end of October through paid acquisition, giving the team a larger user base to test the service, Ghezae says. Looking ahead, the company plans to add more trusted Saudi service providers to the platform, reducing the need for members to navigate disconnected websites and social media platforms. Saudi Arabia will remain Ahlan’s focus as it seeks to develop its local knowledge before expanding across the GCC and other international relocation routes. “I want Ahlan to become a key part of the infrastructure that makes international mobility significantly less fragmented,” he says. “In Saudi Arabia, that means creating one connected ecosystem where a professional can ask a question, understand their options, make a plan and take the next action, while organisations and trusted providers participate in that same journey.” THAT IS THE GAP AHLAN IS BEING BUILT TO ADDRESS: HELPING INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONALS NOT ONLY MOVE TO SAUDI ARABIA, BUT SETTLE AND THRIVE HERE.” “
64 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 S/Abu Dhabi ADGM Academy’s Approach to Entrepreneurship Ali Al Mehairi, Senior Executive Director for Business Enablement, shares how practical training, mentorship, and locally tailored support will guide the academy’s planned expansion of entrepreneurship programs across Abu Dhabi. by KRISTINE ERIKA AGUSTIN
65 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / T he UAE is moving beyond encourag- ing startup formation toward building a more connected entrepreneurship ecosys- tem, linking founders with talent, funding, markets and global opportunities. That is the shift Ali Al Mehairi, Senior Executive Director for Business Enablement at ADGM Academy, the knowledge arm of ADGM, has observed in the country’s entrepreneurship land- scape, adding that the strongest opportunities for the next generation of founders are emerging in artificial intelligence, advanced industries, sustainability, and the digital economy. “UAE National entrepre- neurs are particularly well placed to create locally relevant solutions with global potential, while generating skilled employ- ment, intellectual property and new sources of econom- ic value,” Al Mehairi told Entrepreneur Middle East. “ADGM Academy’s role is to help translate that national ambition into a stronger pipeline of commercially capable, investment-ready founders.” Emirati entrepreneurship, specifically, is expanding rapidly, with the number of SMEs owned by UAE nationals increasing 63% over five years, according to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism in January 2026. With a mission to develop future-ready talent across industries, ADGM Academy offers training and mentorship for aspiring founders and business owners at different stages. Its initiatives include the Entrepreneurship Program, delivered with Khalifa Fund to support startups and small and medium-sized enterprises; the Future Entrepreneurs Program, a hands-on program aimed at supporting Emiratis, job seekers, and the youth; and the five-day Ruwad Al Ain Bootcamp, which helps participants develop the skills and networks to build a business. The academy said it trained more than 500 entrepreneurs across the UAE in 2025. Alongside its entrepreneur- ship programs, ADGM Academy supports Abu Dhabi’s broader national talent agenda. Its 2025 Annual Report shows it trained 2,244 Emiratis during the year, bringing the total since 2019 to 10,779. These programs reflect Al Mehairi’s view that entrepreneurship education should go beyond just teaching business concepts. “Effective entrepreneurship education is applied, iterative and connected to the market,” he said. “It combines rigorous business fundamentals with live challenges, customer discovery, practitioner insight and repeated opportunities to test decisions.” As technology reshapes industries, Al Mehairi emphasized the need for founders to understand how emerging tools can solve customer problems while developing the financial discipline, commercial judgment, and adaptability needed to run a business. “The founders who define the UAE’s next phase will be those who combine innovation with disciplined execution and build companies capable of competing beyond their home market.” In his work with first-time founders in Al Ain, Al Mehairi has observed that many bring technical knowledge or a strong commitment to solving a problem, but need more experience in assessing customer demand, reaching the right market, forecast- ing finances, and evaluating funding options. THE FOUNDERS WHO DEFINE THE UAE’S NEXT PHASE WILL BE THOSE WHO COMBINE INNOVATION WITH DISCIPLINED EXECUTION AND BUILD COMPANIES CAPABLE OF COMPETING BEYOND THEIR HOME MARKET.” “
66 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 S/Abu Dhabi “The response must therefore be practical and staged, helping founders validate the problem, define the customer, test the economics and establish measurable mile- stones before scaling,” he continued. “Mentorship, market access, and expert guidance are most valuable when embedded throughout that journey.” At ADGM Academy, mentor- ship is structured around specific business priorities and practical next steps, according to Al Mehairi. “An effective mentor-founder relationship combines candor, relevance and accountability. The mentor should challenge assumptions, bring pattern recognition from real experience and help the founder focus on the decisions that materially affect the venture,” he said. Indeed, PwC Middle East’s August 2025 report, “Why Entrepreneurial Capabilities Are Key to Empowering MENA’s Youth,” identifies mentorship and structured entrepreneurship education as two priorities for helping young people in the region build viable businesses. It notes that entrepreneurship in MENA has grown substantially over the past five years, with 46% of employees ready to start a business. Yet only 35% of small businesses without mentors survive more than five years, half the rate of those with mentors. With UAE-based entrepre- neurs interviewed stressing the need to normalize mentorship, PwC recommends that governments and businesses facilitate programs connecting young founders with experi- → Ali Al Mehairi, Senior Executive Director for Business Enablement, ADGM Academy
67 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / enced mentors. According to the report, these programs can encourage learning and collaboration while helping aspiring entrepreneurs navigate real-world challenges and avoid common pitfalls. As ADGM Academy now looks to expand its work across Abu Dhabi, including in Al Dhafra, Al Mehairi said it will maintain consistent training standards while tailoring delivery to each community’s needs through relevant industry focus areas, practical case studies, mentor networks, and market access opportunities. “Our experience in Al Ain reinforced a fundamental lesson: entrepreneurial talent exists across every community, but impact is greatest when support reflects local economic opportunities and aspirations,” he shared. For Al Mehairi, the next step is stronger coordination to help founders outside established business hubs move from education to incubation, market access, funding and growth. “Closing this gap requires coordinated contributions from across the ecosys- tem,” he explained. “Universities can develop early entrepreneurial capabil- ity; government entities can align support with regional and national priorities; private-sector companies can provide real problems, customers and supply-chain opportunities; and investors can introduce commercial discipline and growth capital.” Al Mehairi concluded that ADGM Academy could play a broader role in strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem and supporting Emirati founders as they build and grow their businesses. “By connecting UAE National talent with expertise, networks and opportu- nity, we can help create a more inclusive pipeline from entrepreneurial potential to productive enterprise,” he said. TREP TALK BY CONNECTING UAE NATIONAL TALENT WITH EXPERTISE, NETWORKS AND OPPORTUNITY, WE CAN HELP CREATE A MORE INCLUSIVE PIPELINE FROM ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL TO PRODUCTIVE ENTERPRISE.” “
69 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / B/Gear From better goods to better wardrobe bests, every issue, we choose a few items that make the approved executive selection list. In this edition, our picks are from Dyson, Cassina and Victoire The Executive Selection JAMES DYSON AWARD 2026 ↓ Two UAE inventions selected for the James Dyson Award 2026 Global Top 20. Two UAE student inventions have been selected among the global Top 20 finalists for the 2026 James Dyson Award, an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. The National winner of the UAE award, VenaLume, developed by Middlesex University Dubai student Umer Farhan, combines AI-based assessment with near- infrared imaging to help healthcare professionals identify difficult venous access and visualize veins during intravenous catheter insertion. Meanwhile, Curtin University Dubai student Erdzean Nathaniel Sybico’s VocaBuddy is a wearable communication device that uses familiar images, voices, and tactile buttons to help non-verbal children express everyday needs. www.jamesdysonaward.org/home/
70 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 B/Gear CASSINA: ME FROM OUTSIDE ↓ Cassina turns reflection into a statement with Me From Outside, Italian artist Pietro Terzini’s first design product for the brand. Limited to 100 pieces, the mirror features the screen- printed message “NO RISK NO STORY,” offering a prompt to consider courage, perception and identity. A numbered plaque bearing a handwritten signature sits on the back of the mirror, giving it the feel of a signed artwork. The piece is available at the Cassina showroom on Jumeirah Street in Dubai. www.cassina.com
100 THE Influence. In every dimension. T h e p e op l e sh a p i n g th e reg i on . T h e sto ri e s th a t d eser ve to b e tol d . w w w. t h e1 0 0 m e . c o m
72 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 IMAGES COURTESYDYSON | CASSINA | VICTOIRE VICTOIRE: LE ROUGE AND LE KISS ↓ Dubai-based jewelry brand Victoire brings lipstick-inspired forms and an unexpected diamond cut to its Le Rouge and Le Kiss collections. Founded by French-Canadian creative director and former fashion photographer Fanny Turcotte, the brand works predominantly with lab-grown diamonds, with each piece named after a real woman and carrying a personal story. The Phoebe necklace from Le Rouge takes inspiration from the shape of a lipstick, with clean lines and balanced proportions. Le Kiss takes a more playful approach with a pinky solitaire ring crafted in 18-karat white gold and crowned with the brand’s original kiss-shaped lab-grown diamond. www.victoire.ae B/Gear
100 THE Influence. In every dimension. The people shaping the region. The stories that deserve to be told. w w w. t h e1 0 0 m e . c o m
74 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 C reators HQ and Amazon Ads have unveiled the first cohort of the Amazon Creators Foundry, bringing together UAE- based creators and entrepreneurs, including some of the region’s best-known digital personalities, for a six-month program designed to help scale their products and brands on Amazon.ae. The program will also support their international expansion through the Global Selling program which offers reach to over 20 Amazon stores globally. First announced in January 2026 during the 1 Billion Followers Summit, Amazon Creators Foundry by Creators HQ and Amazon Ads supports the next stage of growth for creators who have built recognised public profiles, engaged communities, and product brands of their own. Participants bring their experience in content creation, audience engagement, and entrepre- neurship, with Amazon providing business support, e-commerce infrastructure, and advertising tools to help them reach more custom- ers. The first cohort com- prises Anas Bukhash, Noor Stars, Rayan Shaded, Shamsa Al Dhaheri, Azza Zarour, Saoud Alkaabi, Sara Monika Rewienska, Anthony Omenya, Yara Aziz, Saeed Al Nuaimi, Adel Nassar, Bana Idriss, Jules Trass, Kris Fade, and Mohanad AlHattab. Their businesses span fragrance, skincare, haircare, fashion and accessories, food and beverages, and card games. Throughout the six- month program, partici- pants will receive dedi- cated business support to develop their presence on Amazon.ae, with eligible creators preparing for global expansion. The announced support package includes US$10,000 in Amazon In the Loop/ The Wait Is Over: Creators HQ and Amazon Ads Unveil Inaugural Amazon Creators Foundry Cohort and Its Benefits
75 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / Sponsored Ads cashback and up to US$100,000 in Amazon Demand-Side Platform (DSP) advertising incentives to help increase brand visibility, reach new customers, and support sales. Participants will also receive a nomination for the UAE Golden Visa and membership in Creators HQ, connecting them with the UAE’s growing creator economy ecosystem, and a booth at the 1 Billion followers Summit. Her Excellency Alia Al Hammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and Deputy CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, said, “The Amazon Creators Foundry, launched by Creators HQ in strategic partnership with Amazon, reflects the UAE’s strategic transformation in the content creator economy and e-commerce sectors.” Her Excellency noted that transforming content creators’ talents into successful commercial ventures with global reach reinforces the UAE’s leadership in digital media and its position as a global hub for nurturing talent and investing in young potential. Al Hammadi added, “Through its strategic partnerships with major global companies and platforms, Creators HQ continues to deliver a practical model that equips creators with the tools and support to reach global markets and turn their talent into sustainable businesses. Empowering the selected creator entrepreneurs within the Amazon Creators Foundry and other Creators HQ initiatives contributes to the national economy with innovative projects led by qualified digital talent, aligned with the future economy." Rayan Karaky, Managing Director of Amazon Ads, EMEA and Southeast Asia, said, “The caliber of projects and talent selected for the Amazon Creators Foundry reflects the strength of the UAE's creator economy and the entrepreneur- ial ambition we see across the nation. The chosen creators have a clear vision as well as the ability to understand and serve their communities through impactful ventures." He added, "Amazon is committed to providing the full technical infrastructure, advertising solutions, and advanced logistics support to all accepted participants, from product listing and fulfillment activation to cross-border expansion through the Global Selling Program, from the UAE. The Amazon Creators Foundry provides an integrated growth environment that enables new brands to reach hundreds of millions of shoppers, driving the creator economy forward." The initiative builds on Amazon’s existing tools for independent brand owners, including customized online storefronts, brand protection through Amazon Brand Registry, advertising solutions, fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) activation for end-to-end logistics, and performance analytics. By combining the creators’ brand-building experience Creators HQ’s network and Amazon.ae’s commercial capabilities, the partnership aims to accelerate the growth of their businesses in the UAE and beyond.
76 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 I n a fireside chat titled “Sovereign, Open, Safe — Pick Two?”, CNN’s Becky Anderson opened the conversation with Arthur Mensch, founder and CEO of Mistral AI, by addressing the debate over AI safety and increasingly capable AI agents. She pointed to a global market increasingly divided between open and closed AI systems, particularly across the US and China, before asking Mensch about Mistral AI’s position in that race and his assertion that its next model will “very signifi- cantly” close the perfor- mance gap. “If you look at the end-to-end solution, there is no reason why you should pay the API markup for closed models,” Mensch said. “99% of the use cases that we deal with today can be addressed with open models. So there is really a change in the way the market views the business model of artificial intelligence. “I think it’s very important for enterprises because they gain more control, more deployment options, and they can keep their IP and utilize it effectively. The shift is actually pretty brutal, and what we see in the open market is that we’re driving our growth pretty quickly. What we expect is that this will effectively challenge many of the closed models that are out there.” Turning to Europe’s position in the global AI race, Anderson asked whether the continent can demonstrate that sover- eign, open and safe AI is possible—or risk falling further behind the US and China. Mensch rejected the idea that Europe cannot compete, pointing to its existing technology leaders and arguing that AI sovereignty is becoming increasingly important worldwide. “The narrative that Europe cannot compete is simply not true. There are a lot of techno- logical champions in Europe,” he said. Comparing AI to electric- ity, Mensch argued that countries and companies need their own technology supply-chain strategies rather than becoming overly dependent on a single source. “That means hedging. Of course, you’re going to be using US technology when it works, but having uncorrelated suppliers in a world where you have a lot of uncer- tainty is actually very valuable.” Mensch also pointed to growing alignment between Europe and the GCC as both regions seek alternatives to dependence on US and Chinese AI technology. “Europe and the GCC region are very aligned in that respect as they need to secure AI supply on the human side and the IP side to produce their own models. Being able to have models that actually In the Loop/ AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026 Mistral AI’s Arthur Mensch on the Divide Between Open and Closed AI
77 October 15, 2026 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / understand languages that are not English. And, of course, models that have strategic capabilities in defense and cybersecurity. And they need to be able to source those models in a way that is not dependent on the US administration’s manpower in particular,” he said. “So, what that means is that on this specific technology, as well as on other strategic parts like defense, there’s a divergence of interest between these two regions that have been friends for centuries. Overall, there’s a common interest in building IT that is acces- sible outside of the US and Chinese borders.” When asked whether the AI infrastruc- ture boom can withstand a higher cost of capital, Mensch argued that financing costs are not the biggest challenge facing the sector. “The total cost of ownership for the cluster that you build spans over five years. Roughly, the capital cost is between 10% and 15%. So that means that the sensitivity to the rate is not that high. The biggest chunk of the total cost of ownership is in the CAPEX. I would not say that the cost of capital is very problematic in the CAPEX that we see on artificial intelligence. The truth is, which is still a little bit of a no-no, is the rate of adoption by enterprises. At the end of the day, the kind of deployment we are making depends on enterprises adopting the technology and creating growth. If it does not create growth, if it only replaces jobs, there is not going to be this abundance that we are building. And that drive of adoption is, for us, the only way in which we can make the infrastructure investments we have all the while actually be justified.” Mensch positioned sovereign AI as Mistral AI’s core focus, arguing that enterprises increasingly need technol- ogy that gives them control over their deployments, intellectual property and costs rather than creating dependence on centralized AI providers. “It’s quite simple. We lead on sovereign AI. We bring technology that makes our customers sovereign. We empower our customers instead of making them dependent on us. It turns out that for an enterprise, most of the use cases showing a return on investment will involve core processes where you change an entire organization based on agents. Because this touches core processes, data, and IP, you’re not going to build it on public AI; you’re going to build it on sovereign AI technology. Therefore, we expect that the market is going to increase very significantly in that category of sovereign AI that we are building today to increase very significantly.” Closing the conversation, Anderson asked what an organization must actually control before it can genuinely call its AI sovereign. Mensch pointed first to portability (the ability to move between infrastructure providers) before highlighting business continu- ity, affordability, IP control and what he described as “cultural sovereignty.” “Models built in the U.S. are very English-centric, and they miss certain nuances found in many different parts of the world,” he said. “In the language space, in particular, we are finding that there’s always an effort to be made to make the model specifically good at a specific kind of Arabic, for instance. That aspect around interfaces, around understanding the cultural nuances of the country, is also super important, for states, of course, because they serve their citizens, but also for companies, because when they are building customer services, they need to understand the cultural nuances of their own customers.” THE SHIFT IS ACTUALLY PRETTY BRUTAL, AND WHAT WE SEE IN THE OPEN MARKET IS THAT WE’RE DRIVING OUR GROWTH PRETTY QUICKLY. WHAT WE EXPECT IS THAT THIS WILL EFFECTIVELY CHALLENGE MANY OF THE CLOSED MODELS THAT ARE OUT THERE.”
78 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / October 15, 2026 In the Loop/ AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026 UAE President Adviser H.E. Faisal Al Bannai on Why the UAE Has an Edge in AI K icking off AI Everything Abu Dhabi 2026, Becky Anderson, journalist, anchor and Managing Editor of CNN’s Abu Dhabi bureau, recalled a point previously made by H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President and Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council: true sovereignty means mastering and evolving the underlying technology, rather than simply owning a product. Opening the fireside chat, “AI as a State Capability – A New Architecture of Sovereign AI”, Anderson asked Al Bannai what it actually means for a country to own its AI future rather than borrow or rent it from somebody else. “Being sovereign is not necessarily only about owning the IP, or owning the economics of the IP. I think a critical part of being sovereign means you control the destiny of how that technology you’re able to modify,” Al Bannai said. “One, you’re able to understand what’s in it. Two, you’re able to modify it yourself. You’re able to evolve it yourself. “Even if you choose to use partners to help you, if you don’t have control over evolving it, testing it, modifying it, and really driving the destiny of that technology, it’s not sovereign. These are very critical aspects when it comes to sovereignty across the board.” When asked whether the UAE should slow the development of advanced AI systems or continue pushing ahead while strengthening safeguards, Al Bannai said, “At the end of the day, everyone’s pushing ahead at full speed. What needs to happen is very conscious thinking around security measures and the tests we want frontier models, whether closed source or open source, to go through. Closing the conversation, Anderson asked where the UAE, and Abu Dhabi specifically, has a genuine competitive advantage in AI, particularly as the US and China continue to lead the race to develop frontier models. “The UAE’s main advantage is the agility to make decisions, move fast, and be very practical in what it does,” Al Bannai said. “The key advantage of the UAE is having a regulator bold enough to understand the risks and move with agility, clients bold enough to experiment with new use cases, and, at the same time, a practical mindset. “Frontier large models are great, but 70% to 80% of what we all need, and what enterprises need, is not an extremely large model. They need very specific, small and medium models tailored to the use case. So we focus now on using very small, specialized models that really address multiple use cases, including transport and multiple other areas. “I think the competitive edge we have is that we will be much more focused on deploying practical use cases that can really propel the city going forward, rather than just talking about the large model that you can chit-chat with.” “You can build the model you want to build, but it can’t be the person building it who is also stamping it and saying, trust me. I think, more and more, we need independent reviews and standards. Will they be perfect? No. Should you wait until you build the perfect model? You will not build the perfect model. “We need clear, independent reviews that say, here’s where we think the risks are and here’s what we should be testing against. And that should evolve daily, monthly. This is something that is extremely iterative. “In the UAE, we’re adopting the best-in-class closed models, and we are building our own open- source models, because frankly, nobody has an answer. “So, the UAE’s approach is, let’s adopt what’s best out there. Meanwhile, let’s build our sovereign capabilities. Meanwhile, let’s think in a practical way about putting some circuit breakers and measures in place, knowing that they will not be perfect, but knowing that you’ll be agile enough to fix them as we go.”
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