Entrepreneur Middle East

The official Twitter of Entrepreneur Middle East: inspiring, informing, and celebrating entrepreneurs in the Middle East, and beyond.

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Our October 15, 2026 issue is headlined by Sherif Beshara and his vision for rethinking healthcare leadership at American Hospital Dubai (@AHDubai)!

Also in this issue: an exclusive with @simonsquibb on dreams, trust and risk; @WissamBreidy and Paula Gambrell on launching #BRDGHouse; @Trendyol Gulf’s Mohamad ElAnsari; highlights from @investopia_ae Bridge 2026; @DxbChamberDigi's #CreateApps Championship winners; and more.

Read now on @issuu: https://t.co/HMA9bowPZl

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

British entrepreneur, investor, author, and HelpBnk (@helpbnk) founder Simon Squibb (@simonsquibb) believes that the key to turning dreams into reality lies in finding personal purpose, embracing failure, and being willing to take risks.

In an exclusive conversation with Entrepreneur Middle East's Senior Features Editor Aalia Mehreen Ahmed 🍉 on the sidelines of the Sharjah Investment Forum 2026, Squibb reflects on how helping others has shaped his own understanding of success, why criticism can be an opportunity for growth, and how entrepreneurs can build trust through authenticity, integrity, and personal branding.

𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: https://t.co/fhSwzuv2pt

ALSO: Read our in-depth feature on Simon Squibb, exploring his entrepreneurial journey, approach to leadership, and insights on turning ambition into action: https://t.co/yYK2BEFMH1

h/t @InvestInSharjah

🎤 Host/Editorial team: Aalia Mehreen Ahmed
🎥 Video and production crew: Eduardo Buenagua | Praveen Tennakoon
📱 Social media team: Amal Faruk

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

As global investment patterns evolve, #businesses are increasingly diversifying where they invest, manufacture, and source goods, creating new opportunities for trade and economic growth across markets.

For Kami Viswanathan, President – Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa at FedEx (@fedexmeisa), this shift is changing how businesses approach global expansion. Rather than focusing solely on the most competitive location, companies are building interconnected networks that offer greater flexibility, access to new markets and stronger connections with customers.

"The question facing business leaders is changing. It is no longer simply where to invest, but how to develop a value chain that connects the markets in which businesses invest, produce, and sell, so they can keep growing as the world changes," Viswanathan says.

She identifies the UAE, India, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as markets with complementary strengths that could play an increasingly important role in this transition.

"Greater #diversification means the quality of connections matters more than ever, and in the next chapter of global trade, competitive advantage will increasingly depend not only on where you are, but also on how well you are connected to everywhere else," she concludes.
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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Mohamad 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.

Founded in #Istanbul in 2010, Trendyol is one of the world’s leading #ecommerce platforms with a multicategory 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.

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 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.”
[✍: @tashapupic]
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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Emirates NBD Asset Management (@EmiratesNBD_AE) and @BlackRock have launched two new income-focused #investment funds, expanding access to investment strategies previously available primarily to professional investors.

The launch of the FundStar Emirates CLO AA Fund and the Emirates Systematic Income and Growth Fund marks the first anniversary of the companies’ strategic partnership, established in 2025. Over the past year, the collaboration has attracted US$350 million in assets under management (AUM).

The new offerings represent a shift from private investment products toward public fund structures accessible to a broader base of retail investors across the region.
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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Marking #WorldEthicsDay, Ahamed Nazwan, Head of Growth and Partnerships, @CiceroandBernay, reflects on how businesses can build responsible partnerships by making commitments they are equipped to deliver.

According to Nazwan, ethical business practices begin before a contract is signed, when clients, employees and partners still have an opportunity to assess what they are taking on. By the time a project reaches the delivery team, the fee may already be agreed and the deadline announced, making it harder to revisit expectations.

"For founders selling services or bidding for their first large contracts, I think the more useful conversation is about commitments. I see an ethical problem when a deal depends on a client, employee, or partner absorbing a burden they haven’t had a fair chance to assess," he writes in his op-ed.

While uncertainty is part of any ambitious #business plan, Nazwan says those expected to carry it out should understand the responsibilities involved. Shared values provide a foundation, but partners also need to agree on what fair treatment means in practice, particularly when commercial pressure tests those principles.

Building responsible #partnerships, he notes, requires clear expectations, realistic budgets and deadlines, and meaningful input from the people delivering the work.

"The central test comes at the point just before someone says yes, whether to a client, a partner or a new hire. That is when a business still has room to be honest about what it can deliver," Nazwan says. "Honoring those commitments over time is what turns shared values into a partnership that can last."
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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Mohammad Abu Sheikh, founder and CEO of Abu Dhabi-based CNTXT AI (@cntxtai), has announced that his company has secured more than US$300 million (AED1.1 billion) in committed revenue, primarily from US hyperscalers, #AI developers, and large enterprises.

Founded in 2024, CNTXT AI provides AI training data, #Arabic-language AI models, and robotics training solutions. The company serves more than 250 government and enterprise customers.

“We built CNTXT AI around the hardest part of AI, providing real-world data at the quality and scale models actually need, which is why customers keep choosing us over others,” Abu Sheikh said.

CNTXT AI has also opened its first #US office in the San Francisco Bay Area to serve American government agencies, technology companies, and enterprises seeking AI capabilities tailored to Middle Eastern markets.
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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy (@DxbChamberDigi), one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of @DubaiChambers, has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to support the adoption of agentic AI solutions across #Dubai’s private sector through training and access to technology.

The agreements were signed with Nebius Academy (@Nebius_Academy), the education and training arm of AI cloud company Nebius, and @Lovable, a software creation platform, in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Under the MoU with Nebius Academy, companies will benefit from specialized training programs in #AI leadership and Agentic AI through Dubai Chambers Academy. Meanwhile, Lovable will support training programs for Dubai-based companies and founders through access to its software creation platform, educational resources, and joint events and workshops.

https://t.co/9cbgjo4ArB

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Global master developer Arada (@aradaliving) has launched Arada KSA (@aradaksa) in partnership with #Saudi lifestyle and community developer XTOPIA, marking its entry into Saudi Arabia.

The new company has access to a 10 million-square-meter land bank valued at AED49 billion (US$13.3 billion) across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Makkah. XTOPIA Chairman Mohammed AlDhabaan has been appointed Chairman of Arada KSA.

Its first project is an AED14 billion (US$3.8 billion) residential development in Riyadh’s Al Rimal District. Spanning 2.5 million square meters, the project will include approximately 3,500 villas and townhouses, 100,000 trees, a school, retail outlets, a community center, and sports facilities.

https://t.co/W6NO3aWUQk

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Cityscape Qatar 2026 (@CityscapeMENA) and the fourth Qatar Real Estate Forum (@AqaratQa) will take place from October 27–29, 2026, at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center (DECC), bringing together local and international real estate leaders to discuss investment opportunities, urban development, and emerging industry trends.

Held under the theme “Where Vision Meets Investment,” the event will feature H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Talal Al-Thani, CEO of Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company; H.E. Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, CEO of Qetaifan Projects; H.E. Sheikh Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, CEO of Ariane Projects; and Eng. Ahmad Mohamad Al-Tayeb, Group CEO of Barwa Real Estate Group.

The event will also host the Qatar Real Estate Awards ceremony on October 27.

https://t.co/BNZY5wT6B9

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

The Future Investment Initiative Institute (@FII_Institute1) has announced that the tenth edition of its flagship conference, FII10, originally scheduled for October 26–29, 2026, in #Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has been postponed to 2027.

In a statement, HRH Princess Dr. Maha Bint Mishari Al Saud, CEO of the FII Institute, said the decision was made to ensure the landmark edition delivers the scale, quality, and impact expected by its global community of partners, members, speakers, and delegates.

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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

Dubai Investments (@dxbinvestments), the #Dubai-listed conglomerate, plans to sell a 20% stake in DIP Holding, the owner of the Dubai Investments Park (@diparkdxb) mixed-use development, in what will be the UAE’s first initial public offering in 2026.

Existing shareholders will offer 1.74 billion shares in the deal.

If the offering size stays the same and all shares are allocated, Dubai Investments will keep control of the remaining 80% of DIP Holding.

Subscriptions open on October 27 and close on November 3, and the final price will be announced on November 4, 2026.
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[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

After years of preparing presentations for managers and investors, Aidar Akmaev found that the #AI tools promising to save him time often produced slides that still needed substantial editing. That frustration led him to build #NOXI, a free AI presentation generator now attracting users across the #UAE and #Saudi Arabia.

Drawing on nearly a decade of design experience, he built the platform single-handedly while working full-time as a senior product designer at VentureOne, the commercialization arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council.

“People need a deck they can actually present, not another draft,” he says. “I built it for the people I used to make decks for: a manager reporting to leadership, a founder facing investors, a teacher without a design team.”

Demand for Arabic presentations has since helped shape the platform’s direction. NOXI introduced its #Arabic version in the first half of 2026, with layouts and typography designed for right-to-left text rather than simply translating slides created in English. By October, Arabic accounted for close to 40% of new presentations, according to Akmaev.

“It changed my priorities. Arabic isn’t an extra language in the product anymore,” he says.

The platform has now attracted 2,000 users with zero help from paid advertising. Its earliest users came through word of mouth among managers and teachers in Abu Dhabi before search traffic became a larger source of growth.

“Right now my goal isn’t revenue. It’s getting NOXI to as many people as possible and making sure it’s genuinely useful to them. At this stage that matters more than anything else,” he stresses. “Later, I expect the money to come from organizations, not individual users: companies that want NOXI in their own brand for their teams, and government bodies that need their data kept inside the UAE.”
[✍️: @kagustin_]
https://t.co/FHnbNwPgP9

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

#Dubai’s real gross domestic product (GDP) reached approximately AED473 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a 2.3% decline from AED484 billion during the same period in 2025, according to figures released by the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment at Digital Dubai (@digitaldubai).

GDP at current prices reached approximately AED505 billion, representing a 0.2% increase year-on-year. Despite the overall contraction in real #GDP, several sectors recorded positive growth, including financial and insurance activities, healthcare, information and communication, and construction.

#Financial and #insurance activities recorded 8.8% real growth, with value added reaching AED65.9 billion, compared with AED60.6 billion in H1 2025. The sector’s contribution to real GDP increased to 14%, up from 12.5% a year earlier. At current prices, the sector grew by 8.1%, generating AED64 billion in value added.
https://t.co/Abxq1cPkwc

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

#Industrial investments across the Gulf Cooperation Council (#GCC) countries have reached approximately US$426 billion, with nearly 22,000 factories operating across the region, according to data from the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (@GCCStat).

The latest available figures, as of July 2026, also show that the industrial sector employs more than 1.7 million people across GCC member states.

#Manufacturing contributed approximately 13% to the GCC’s combined gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, reflecting the sector’s role in economic diversification and the development of non-oil industries.
https://t.co/qYgoQF4Fl3

[Entrepreneur Middle East @EntMagazineME]

AI can do the work, but can it do the climb?

@BassemSaber_, co-founder and CMO of marketing agency Igloo, argues that while AI can take on more everyday tasks, it cannot build your career for you. Earning trust, understanding people, following through, and taking ownership remain central to moving forward.

In his op-ed, Saber traces his journey from working on a nightclub in Dubai to becoming VP of Sales, earning equity in a business, and now co-founding a digital #marketing agency.

“When I look back, no promotion came from doing a task faster. Each one came from something harder to measure. I followed up when others didn’t. I earned the trust of people who had no reason to give it. I treated the company’s problems as my own before anyone asked me to," he says.

For professionals wondering how to stay valuable, his advice is practical: let #AI take one repetitive task off your plate, make time for real conversations, follow up on unanswered messages, solve a problem nobody assigned you, and build your network deliberately.

As polished output becomes easier for everyone to produce, Saber argues that the person who builds the relationship becomes the difference.

“The work is changing. The climb isn’t.”

https://t.co/2eUwTw7YDN